The Dispatch

Iceland’s president easily wins re-election

Iceland's President Gudni Johannesson won a landslide election on Sunday, according to partial results, after the European country became the second to hold polls since coronavirus lockdowns were lifted. Since…

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Greta Thunberg criticises the way world leaders behaved after her UN climate change speech in September

Greta Thunberg has voiced her frustration with world leaders who want selfies with her just so they can "look good". The 17-year-old environmental campaigner criticised the behaviour of high-ranking figures…

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Photo story: Hug station for coronavirus times

Lizen Johansson and Josefine Mollerberg at the hug station at The Minc company in Malmoe, Sweden. The hug station was created so that those working at Minc would have the…

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Poll finds Swedes rapidly losing trust in Covid-19 strategy

Swedes are losing trust in authorities’ handling of the coronavirus, as the man behind the country’s light-touch approach called lockdowns a form of madness and political parties demanded the Swedish…

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Denmark’s PM postpones wedding for third time

Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, thought she had finally found a date for her wedding, but has now had to postpone it for a third time due to an EU…

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Photo Story: Toxic algae bloom along Swedish coast

An image taken with a drone shows an aerial view of a bloom of toxic algae on the Baltic Sea coast at Tyreso, south-eastern Sweden. Via EPA-EFE/PONTUS LUNDAHL

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Maersk heads zero-carbon drive in shipping sector with $60 million research center

The world's largest container shipper, A.P. Moller-Maersk, will team up with industry majors to set up a research center in Denmark with the aim of reducing carbon emissions in the…

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Finland scraps coronavirus quarantine for certain European tourists

The Finnish government announced plans on Tuesday to scrap a 14-day quarantine period for leisure travellers arriving from some other European countries from July 13, provided COVID-19 infection rates do…

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Nokia to cut 1,233 jobs at French subsidiary Alcatel-Lucent

Finland's Nokia Oyj plans to cut 1,233 jobs at its French subsidiary Alcatel-Lucent International, equivalent to a third of the local workforce, two union officials said on Monday. The maker…

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Denmark to introduce green taxes on carbon emissions

A majority coalition of parties in Denmark has agreed to introduce a tax on emissions of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases, the government said late on Sunday. Denmark has one…

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Photo Story: Transportation of wind turbines in Norway

A 70-meter-long wing of a wind turbine is on its way to the Gulesletten wind park just near Floro, Norway. A total of 47 wind turbines will be put up…

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Greta Thunberg says the world needs to treat climate change with similar urgency of coronavirus

Greta Thunberg says the world needs to learn the lessons of coronavirus and treat climate change with similar urgency, which means acting “with necessary force”. In an interview with the…

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AB Volvo to cut white-collar workforce by 4,100 jobs as pandemic weighs

Truck- and construction equipment maker AB Volvo plans to cut its white-collar workforce by around 4,100 positions during the second half of 2020, it said in a statement, citing the…

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Norwegian Air, SAS to add more flights as demand picks up

Norwegian Air and SAS are adding more flights to their schedules from July onwards as demand begins to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic, the two Nordic carriers announced. SAS will…

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Denmark agrees cash injection to boost virus-hit economy

Denmark on Monday announced a string of initiatives to stimulate the economy including cash handouts and a fund to support struggling companies as it starts to phase out generous aid…

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Photo story: Denmark opens border to Germany

Vehicles queue to cross the border into Germany at a checkpoint in Froeslev, Denmark, 15 June 2020 s Denmark on Monday reopened the border with Germany. The border was previously…

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Norway lifts most of Covid-19 travel curbs but not with Sweden

Norway will allow travel to and from Finland, Iceland and the Swedish island of Gotland from Monday, but maintain travel restrictions on mainland Sweden due to its higher level of…

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Denmark plans $1.5 bln fund for coronavirus-hit companies

The Danish government plans to create a 10 billion Danish crown ($1.52 billion) fund to support companies hit by the coronavirus crisis, it said on Friday. Companies with annual revenue…

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Finland lifts travel restrictions from neighbours except Sweden

Finland's government said on Thursday it will lift coronavirus-related restrictions on leisure travelling to and from neighbouring Baltic and Nordic countries, excluding Sweden. "Unfortunately, the epidemic situation in Sweden does…

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Denmark sees no rise in COVID-19 cases after further easing of lockdown

Denmark, the first country outside Asia to ease its coronavirus lockdown, said on Wednesday the spread of COVID-19 has not accelerated since it entered its second phase of reopening society…

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Angry Birds maker Rovio targets women to grow

Rovio Entertainment launched "Small Town Murders", a new puzzle game aimed at women over 35, on Wednesday in its latest attempt to reduce its reliance on "Angry Birds". The Finnish…

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Danish regulator files criminal complaint over Danske Bank market abuse

Denmark's financial watchdog has filed a criminal complaint against Danske Bank, the country's biggest lender, over violations of market abuse regulation, Danske said in a statement on Wednesday. "We take…

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Sweden identifies man who killed PM Olof Palme in 1986

Swedish prosecutors have named the man who they say killed former Swedish prime minister Olof Palme in 1986, ending years of mystery. They identified the suspect as Stig Engstrom,…

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Sweden to present findings on Olof Palme assassination

The findings of an investigation into one of the world’s most infamous cold cases, the 1986 assassination of Swedish prime minister Olof Palme, will finally be made public in Stockholm…

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Coronavirus gives Norway’s domestic liquor sales a boost

Norway's government-run wine and liquor monopoly increased its sales by 44% in May from the same month last year as coronavirus travel restrictions prevented the purchase of cheaper alcohol abroad,…

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After early lockdown, Norway sees faster pandemic recovery

Norway's economy will recover more quickly than expected from the coronavirus-induced recession as the country got on top of the outbreak early and is now rapidly opening up, Statistics Norway…

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SAS reopens routes to Germany, Belgium, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Lithuania, Spain, France, Greece, Croatia

Scandinavia Airlines (SAS) has announced that it reopened 16 routes from Copenhagen To Germany, Belgium, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Lithuania, Spain, France, Greece and Croatia The airline also said that it will…

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Photo Story: Landslide in Norway sweeps away buildings

Eight homes have been swept into the sea following a powerful landslide in the Norwegian town of Alta. Norwegian officials don't believe anyone is missing from the disaster. Via EPA-EFE/Hanne…

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Denmark urged to end North Sea oil and gas hunt

An independent adviser to the Danish government has recommended ending any future oil and gas exploration in the Danish North Sea, saying it would hurt Denmark's ambition as a front-runner…

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Coronavirus infections slow down in Finland despite schools opening

Coronavirus infections have slowed in Finland over the last two weeks despite the reopening of schools in mid-May, the health ministry said on Thursday. Schools closed for summer holidays at…

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Healthcare staff in Sweden at risk of mental health issues due to pandemic

Swedish Radio reports that research shows that healthcare staff could be at a high risk of mental health problems caused by the stress of the coronavirus pandemic, and accounts heard…

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Swedish health chief admits Sweden should have done more to avoid coronavirus deaths

Sweden should have done more to combat the coronavirus and prevent a much higher national Covid-19 death rate than in neighbouring countries, the man behind the Public Health Agency’s…

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Scania planning major job cuts

Swedish truckmaker Scania, owned by Germany's Traton, plans major job cuts in the wake of the coronavirus, anticipating it currently has 5,000 more staff globally than needed, it said…

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Finland officially in recession

Finland is now officially in recession after gross domestic product contracted for two consecutive quarters, Statistics Finland said on Friday. First-quarter economic output fell by 0.9% from the previous quarter,…

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Norway to extend loan guarantees for airlines

Norway's government plans to extend a state guarantee for loans to airlines by four months until the end of October, it said in a statement on Friday. Norwegian Air, which…

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‘No evidence’ reopening of Finland schools has spread virus faster

Finland has seen no evidence of the coronavirus spreading faster since schools started to reopen in the middle of May, the top health official said on Thursday. "The time has…

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Iceland prepares to welcome tourists back in June

Iceland this week eased its lockdown rules and venues were allowed to reopen. Social distancing is now advised rather than required, and many took the first opportunity in six weeks…

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More than 50% of Norwegian business leaders predict declining profit -survey

More than half of all Norwegian business leaders now believe their companies will see declining profits in the next 12 months, a central bank survey showed on Wednesday. A total…

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Concerns Denmark is vulnerable to a new wave

A study shows that only about one percent of Danes had contracted the coronavirus, Danish officials said Wednesday, raising concerns Denmark is vulnerable to a new wave. The report was…

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Antibody study in Sweden shows long road to immunity as COVID-19 toll mounts

A Swedish study found that just 7.3 percent of Stockholmers developed COVID-19 antibodies by late April, which could fuel concern that a decision not to lock down Sweden against the…

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Swedish Central Bank warns financial system stable, but risks if pandemic drags on

Sweden's financial system is stable, but the risks to financial stability will increase the longer the pandemic and the social distancing measures to contain it continue, Sweden's central bank said…

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Finnair says it will open key Asia routes in July

Finnish flag carrier Finnair said on Monday it would start to operate flights to its key Asian destinations in China, Japan and elsewhere from July as it starts to reopen…

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Unusual earthquake in Sweden

Sweden reported its biggest ever earthquake caused by mining on Monday at an iron ore mine north of the Arctic Circle run by state firm LKAB. The quake measured magnitude…

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Photo Story: Norway celebrates its national day

A Norwegian resident takes part in the flag raising ceremony held on occasion of Norway Day, n Alfaz del Pi, Alicante, Spain, 17 May 2020. The second biggest Norwegian colony…

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Finland to grant almost one billion euros in support to companies

Finland's government will grant crisis support worth nearly a billion euros to companies hit by the economic blow from the coronavirus outbreak, Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Lintila said…

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Business bankruptcies in Sweden in wake of pandemic slowing

The wave of bankruptcies that has followed in the wake of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Sweden looks like slowing in May, credit information firm UC said. UC…

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Iceland to test tourist arrivals with the aim to restart tourism by June 15

Holidaymakers arriving in Iceland will be given the choice of a coronavirus test or a two-week quarantine under plans to restart tourism to the island nation. The Icelandic government said…

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Photo Story: Covid-19 lockdown eased in Denmark

The final preparations are made before the first customers return to Kolding Storcenter, Shopping Centre, in Kolding, Denmark, ahead of the reopening after the lock-down to prevent the spread of…

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Denmark to ease coronavirus restrictions further from June 8

Danish museums, amusement parks and cinemas will be allowed to reopen from June 8, the government said on Friday, after it struck a deal with parliament on how restrictions to…

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Sweden says coronavirus likely in country in November as death toll approaches 3,000

Sweden's state epidemiologist Anders Tegnell says he would not be surprised if Sweden - like France - had isolated cases of coronavirus as far back as November last year. "I…

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Photo Story: WW2 German cannon in Denmark raises controversy

According to media reports, the placement of a WW2 German cannon as a decoration at a site overlooking Hanstholm Harbour, in Hanstholm, Denmark, which was under German occupation has…

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Sweden’s confirmed Covid-19 cases rise above 20,000

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Sweden rose past the 20,000 mark on Wednesday as the Nordic country reported 107 new deaths to put the tally at 2,462…

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One of Norway’s wealthiest men arrested in connection with his wife disappearance

One of Norway’s wealthiest men was arrested Tuesday in connection with his wife’s 2018 disappearance and held on suspicion of murder or complicity to murder in a case that police…

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Photo Story: The windows of Norway

Drawings and banners painted by children telling that everything will be fine and as show of support for the front line staff in the battle against the coronavirus in Norway,…

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Finland to look for coronavirus in waste water

The Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare THL stated on Tuesday, April 21, that similar testing has been conducted in parts of the US and Australia. Research had indicated…

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Finland’s PM in virus isolation

Finland's Prime Minister Sanna Marin is self-isolating after a person working at her official residence came into close contact with a confirmed coronavirus case. An official statement from her office…

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Norway to re-open primary schools as from next week

Norway’s government has yesterday evening announced the re-opening of schools and published the related guidance on the implementation of this process. Schools will re-open next Monday, 27th April. The guidance…

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