The Dispatch

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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Half the people in Finland feel that life’s too uncertain to have kids

Half of respondents to a survey said they feel that life is too uncertain to consider having children, according to a survey commissioned by the Foundation for Municipal Development (Kaks).…

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Finland warns of hostile activities by Russia

Finland is experiencing suspicious acts of sabotage and disruption and believes Russia is engaged in broad-ranging influence operations against it and other European countries, Finland's Minister of Interior Lulu Ranne…

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Greenland court extends detention for anti-whaling activist Watson

Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson will remain in detention in Greenland where he has been held since July while Denmark decides whether to extradite him to Japan, local police said on…

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Nobel economics prize goes to researchers of prosperity

U.S.-based academics Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James Robinson won the 2024 Nobel economics prize "for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity", the Royal Swedish Academy of…

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Iceland PM dissolves parliament and calls elections

Iceland's Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson announced the end of the country's governing coalition on Sunday and called for elections to be held on Nov. 30, Icelandic public broadcaster RUV reported.In…

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Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper for work on proteins

The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded Wednesday to scientists David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper for their work with proteins. Baker works at the University of Washington in…

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Norway raises terrorism alert level due to Middle East conflict

Norway has raised its terrorism threat assessment to the second-highest level due to an increased risk of attacks against Jewish and Israeli targets, the national police directorate said on Tuesday.…

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Nobel prize for medicine: US duo Ambros and Ruvkun win for work on microRNA

U.S. scientists Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of microRNA and its crucial role in how multicellular organisms grow and live,…

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Nobel Peace Prize 2024: Who Will Win Amid Global Conflicts?

The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), the International Court of Justice and UN chief Antonio Guterres are among the favorites for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, experts said, in…

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Finland plans tougher rules on detention, deportation and entry of foreigners

The Finnish government, led by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, has presented a bill to Parliament proposing stricter regulations for non-citizens, aiming to tighten immigration and asylum policies. The bill seeks…

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UPDATED: Israeli Embassies in Sweden and Denmark targeted

Danish police said on Wednesday they had apprehended three individuals in connection with the investigation into two blasts near Israel's embassy in Copenhagen. Police in Copenhagen said two predawn explosions…

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Swedish children to start school a year earlier

Children in Sweden are to start school at six years old from 2028, a year earlier than at present, in an overhaul of the country’s education system that signals a…

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NATO to set up northern land command in eastern Finland

NATO will set up a new land command in Finland near the Russian border next year, tasked with leading the alliance's land force operations in northern Europe in the event…

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Finland has seen rising threats to Baltic Sea subsea infrastructure

Finland has seen increased threats to subsea infrastructure in the Baltic Sea area in recent years, the Nordic country's Environment and Climate Minister Kai Mykkanen said on Friday. Finland and…

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Russian warship fired warning shot at Norwegian fishing boat

A Norwegian fishing vessel was menaced by a Russian warship earlier this month in a tense encounter in the Arctic Ocean, according to the fishing boat’s skipper. The incident, which…

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Sweden accuses Iran of hacking messaging service

Swedish authorities said on Tuesday that Iran hacked into a text messaging service last year and sent thousands of messages urging Swedes to take revenge against Koran burners. In 2023,…

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Denmark urges allies to permit Ukraine long-range strikes against Russia

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called Monday for Ukraine’s allies to greenlight the use of donated weapons for long-range strikes against Russia. “My suggestion is, let us end the discussion…

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Norway reports increase in radiation on border with Russia

Norway has registered a sharp increase in radiation levels on its border with Russia. Traces of Cesium-137 have been found, which may be due to reactor start-up or maintenance, as…

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Finland’s president wants end of single state veto at UN Security Council

Finland's President Alexander Stubb has called for expansion of the U.N. Security Council, abolition of its single state veto power, and suspension of any member engaging in an "illegal war"…

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Global index for free and fair elections suffers biggest decline on record in 2023, democracy watchdog says

Lower voter turnout and increasingly contested results globally are threatening the credibility of elections, an intergovernmental watchdog warned on Tuesday, as its sub-index for free and fair elections suffered its…

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