The Dispatch

Denmark scraps book tax to fight ‘reading crisis’

The Danish government has announced it will abolish a 25% sales tax on books, in an effort to combat a "reading crisis". The tax is is one of the highest…

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Sweden eyes extending military officers’ conscription age to 70

Sweden should raise former officers' upper conscription age limit to 70 from 47, a government-appointed review suggested, as part of the country's moves to strengthen its defence in the face…

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Denmark to tackle deepfakes by giving people copyright to their own features

The Danish government is to clamp down on the creation and dissemination of AI-generated deepfakes by changing copyright law to ensure that everybody has the right to their own body,…

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US urges Americans in Sweden to remain vigilant, citing threat of attack

The U.S. embassy in Sweden said Americans in the country are "advised to exercise increased caution" due to local media reports on Iran potentially pressuring local criminal gangs to attack…

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Sweden to hire prison cells in Estonia for up to 600 inmates

Sweden will send up to 600 criminals to serve their sentences in an Estonian prison under an agreement announced by the government aimed at reducing pressure on the country's overcrowded…

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Finland Plans Major Military Buildup, Raising Reservist Age Limit

The government of NATO-member Finland wants to raise the upper age limit of its army reservists to 65, it said, which would add 125,000 troops to the its wartime strength…

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Norway’s Prime Minister to meet US President Trump on Thursday

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg are scheduled to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday, according to a statement from the…

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Finland to keep Russia border closed until further notice

Finland announced it had decided to keep its eastern border against neighbouring Russia closed until further notice. Finland shut its land borders with Russia in late 2023 amid a growing…

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Denmark rejects Trump’s control request over Greenland

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has firmly dismissed the repeated calls by President Donald Trump and his administration for the United States to take control of Greenland. "This is not…

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Why does Trump want Greenland

U.S. Vice President JD Vance will visit Greenland on Friday at a time when President Donald Trump is renewing his insistence that Washington should take control of the semi-autonomous Danish territory. In a…

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Denmark condemns what it calls Trump’s escalated rhetoric on Greenland

Danish government ministers condemned what they called President Donald Trump's escalated rhetoric on Thursday and praised Greenland's inhabitants for their resilience in the face of U.S. pressure for control over…

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Swedish Boycott Supermarkets in Protest Against Surging Food Prices

Thousands of people across Sweden decided to vote with their feet, boycotting the country’s biggest supermarkets for seven days from last Monday, after the biggest rise in food prices for…

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Anger in Greenland over visits this week by Usha Vance and Mike Waltz

Usha Vance, the wife of US vice-president JD Vance, will travel to Greenland this week as President Donald Trump clings to the idea of a US annexation of the strategic,…

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US happiness ranking hits all-time low

The United States has fallen to its lowest happiness ranking ever, according to the annual World Happiness Report released Thursday to mark the International Day of Happiness. The United States'…

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Greenland election won by centre-right party who told Trump ‘we are not for sale’

Greenland's centre-right opposition party which told US president Donald Trump that the country was “not for sale” has emerged victorious in the country’s parliamentary elections. The Demokraatit party secured 29.9…

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Greenland holds parliamentary election amid renewed US interest

Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, will hold a parliamentary election on March 11 with independence a key campaign theme after U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants control over…

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Greenland heads to the polls amid Trump’s threats to take over

Greenlanders will trudge across ice and snow Tuesday to cast their ballots in an election that could prove to be one of the most consequential in the Arctic island’s history.…

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Denmark postal service to stop delivering letters

Denmark's state-run postal service, PostNord, is to end all letter deliveries at the end of 2025, citing a 90% decline in letter volumes since the start of the century. The…

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Greenland PM rebuffs Trump: We do not want to be Americans

Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede said on Wednesday that the Greenlandic people will determine their own future and do not want to be Danes nor Americans. Egede made his comments…

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US will take Greenland ‘one way or the other,’ Trump says

The United States will acquire Greenland “one way or the other,” President Donald Trump said in a speech late Tuesday, after stressing the island’s right to self-determination. The comments, made…

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Denmark to ban mobile phones in schools and after-school clubs

Denmark is to ban mobile phones in schools and after-school clubs on the recommendation of a government commission that also found that children under 13 should not have their own…

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Danish intelligence warns Russia could start a major war in Europe within 5 years

If Moscow perceives NATO as weak, Russia could be ready to wage a "large-scale war" in Europe within five years, the Danish Defense Intelligence Service (DDIS) has said. "Russia is…

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Sweden to tighten gun control laws, limit access to semi-automatic weapons

The Swedish government has just announced its intention to pursue a gun control law reform in the aftermath of the Örebro attack, in which 11 people died, including the attacker.…

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Swedish police say ‘around 10’ people killed in school campus shooting

Police say about 10 people, including the suspected gunman, have been killed in a shooting at an education centre in central Sweden. The attack occurred on Tuesday afternoon at Risbergska…

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Five people shot in school shooting in Örebro, Sweden

Swedish police said on Tuesday five people were shot in an attack at a school in the city of Orebro some 200 km (125 miles) west of Stockholm, triggering a…

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Government crisis in Norway with junior partner set to leave coalition

Norway’s Eurosceptic Centre Party will resign from the government on Thursday due to a disagreement with coalition partner Labour over the adoption of EU energy policies, public broadcaster NRK and…

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Man who burned Quran ‘shot dead in Sweden’

A man who sparked violent protests after burning the Quran has been shot dead in Sweden, according to local media reports. Salwan Momika, 38, is reported to have been killed…

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Denmark to inject almost €2bn into Arctic security amid Trump’s Greenland threats

Copenhagen is increasing its military spending and engaging in talks with European allies as President Trump intensifies his expansionist rhetoric. Denmark will invest 14.6 billion kroner (€1.95 billion) to strengthen…

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Swedish police arrest man trying to force his way into Russian embassy in Stockholm

Swedish police said they had arrested a man who tried to force his way through the gates of the Russian embassy in Stockholm in a car early on Tuesday morning.…

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Sweden seizes ship after suspected Baltic Sea cable sabotage

Swedish authorities have seized a ship suspected of damaging a data cable running under the Baltic Sea to Latvia. Prosecutors said an initial investigation pointed to sabotage, and an inquiry…

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Denmark’s prime minister summons business leaders following Trump’s Greenland threat

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has called the country's business leaders to a meeting on Thursday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump last week threatened military or economic action such as…

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Sweden plans to remove citizenship from people seen as threat to state

Sweden's political parties have agreed that dual citizens who commit crimes that threaten national security should lose their citizenship. A cross-party committee recommended that the change could be applied to…

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Sweden neither at war nor at peace, says PM

The Swedish prime minister has said that his country is neither at war nor at peace as he announced that Sweden would be sending armed forces into the Baltic Sea…

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Sweden to purchase 44 German Leopard tanks

In a significant move to bolster its security, Sweden, the newest NATO member, is set to invest over €1.9 billion into acquiring new tanks and refurbishing its existing fleet. Sweden…

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Greenland leader to meet Danish king amid Trump bid to take over territory

Greenland's leader will meet the Danish king in Copenhagen on Wednesday, after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he wanted to take control of the Arctic island, an autonomous territory of…

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NATO sends a fleet to guard Baltic Sea cables

NATO will send around 10 ships to guard important underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea by the end of the week, Finnish newspaper Yle reported.The ships will remain at sea…

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Danish king changes coat of arms to show intent to keep control of Faroe Islands and Greenland

The Danish king has shocked some historians by changing the royal coat of arms to more prominently feature Greenland and the Faroe Islands – in what has also been seen…

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Donald Trump Jr. heads to Greenland as his father eyes the Danish territory

Donald Trump, Jr. is traveling to Greenland amid his father’s renewed interest in the U.S. gaining control over the Danish territory. The younger Trump reportedly has no plans to meet…

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Greenland’s leader steps up push for independence from Denmark

Greenland's Prime Minister Mute Egede emphasised his desire to pursue independence from Denmark, its former colonial ruler, during his New Year speech, marking a significant change in the rhetoric surrounding…

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Sweden is a nearly cashless society – here’s how it affects people who are left out

By Moa Petersén, Associate Professor in Digital Cultures, Lund University and Lena Halldenius, Professor of Human Rights Studies, Lund University Around the world, cards and apps are the default way…

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Finland investigates outage of undersea power link to Estonia

Finnish police said on Thursday they are investigating whether a foreign ship was involved in the damage of an undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia following a sudden outage…

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Greenland is not for sale, its leader says in response to Trump

Greenland is not for sale, its elected leader said on Monday, responding to comments made by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump regarding the "ownership and control" of the vast Arctic island…

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Iceland gets new government under Social Democrat Frostadottir

Iceland's president presented a new government under Social Democratic Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir that aims to cut inflation and interest rates and hold a referendum on European Union membership by…

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Finland considering exiting anti-personnel landmine treaty

Finland is considering pulling out of an international agreement banning anti-personnel landmines because of Russia's use of such weapons in Ukraine, Defence Minister Antti Hakkanen said. Leaving the 1997 Ottawa…

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Denmark warns of increased risk of Arctic military confrontation due to Russia’s aggression

Denmark, which oversees security in and around Greenland, on Wednesday warned of a heightened risk of military confrontation in the Arctic, driven by aggressive threatening behaviour by Russia. An annual…

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NATO jets intercept Russian bombers over Baltic

NATO aircraft have intercepteed Russian warplanes as they neared neared the Swedish island of Gotland. The bombers, accompanied by two Russian fighter jets, were identified in a coordinated response involving…

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Denmark frees anti-whaling activist Watson, rejecting Japan extradition

Denmark released anti-whaling activist Paul Watson from detention on Tuesday and said it had rejected a Japanese request to extradite him over criminal charges dating back more than a decade.…

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Three men charged in Sweden with preparation of IS-linked terrorist crime

Swedish prosecutors on Monday charged three men with preparation of terrorist crime in Sweden in the name of Islamic State (IS), saying the suspects also had links to domestic organised…

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Iceland’s pro-EU parties lead in polls ahead of snap election

Iceland's voters will head to polls on Saturday in a snap election that could potentially steer it towards seeking European Union membership, an issue that has divided the country for…

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Finnish Government Proposes Stricter Citizenship Requirements

The government of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) has released a draft proposal outlining significant changes to Finland's citizenship requirements. The amendments, published this week for public comment, aim to…

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More Norwegians want to join the European Union

A growing number of Norwegians would like their country to join the European Union, although the "no" camp still holds an edge, an opinion poll showed on Wednesday, on the…

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Denmark to convert 15% of farmland to forest to cut fertilizer use

Denmark will convert 15% of its farmland into forest and natural habitats in an effort to reduce fertilizer usage, which has resulted in severe oxygen depletion in Danish waters as…

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The son of Norway’s crown princess is arrested on suspicion of rape

The eldest son of Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit has been arrested again, this time on suspicion of rape, police said Tuesday. Marius Borg Høiby is the stepson of the heir…

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UPDATED: Germany says damage to Baltic underwater cables should be presumed sabotage

The damaging of two undersea telecoms cables in the Baltic Sea should be presumed to be sabotage, Germany said on Tuesday, while Lithuania's armed forces boosted surveillance of its waters…

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Nordic neighbours release new advice on surviving war

On Monday, millions of Swedes will start receiving copies of a pamphlet advising the population how to prepare and cope in the event of war or other unexpected crises. “If…

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Anti-whaling activist Watson to remain in Greenland detention

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson will continue to be held in detention in Greenland while Denmark decides whether to extradite him to Japan, local police said on Wednesday. The 73-year-old U.S.-Canadian…

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Sweden scraps plans for 13 offshore windfarms over Russia security fears

Sweden has vetoed plans for 13 offshore windfarms in the Baltic Sea, citing unacceptable security risks. The country’s defence minister, Pål Jonson, said on Monday that the government had rejected…

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