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Finland

Finland
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Finland. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Capital
Helsinki
Head of State
President Alexander Stubb
Head of Government
Prime Minister Petteri Orpo
Two Finnish officials on the deck of an oil tanker in December 2024 that was suspected of sabotaging a power cable linking Finland and Estonia. Photo: Handout via AFP
Crime

‘Criminal damage’: Finland police say ship seized after cable damage

Various energy and telecommunications infrastructure has been hit in recent years, with many leaders and experts suspecting Russia.

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Nordic nations

2 dead as Storm Johannes batters Nordic nations, thousands left without power

SCMP Highlights

7 scientists, mathematicians, physicists and experts who moved to China in 2025

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Japan

Japan dismayed over Finnish beauty queen’s ‘slanted eyes’ photos

Sarah Dzafce was stripped of her Miss Finland title after an image of her making the offensive gesture went viral.

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Finnish beauty queen Sarah Dzafce competes in the Miss Universe pageant in Thailand last month. Photo: EPA
Nordic nations

Finnish PM apologises for MPs’ ‘racist’ gestures in Miss Finland scandal

PM Petteri Orpo offers regrets to Japan, China and South Korea after MPs mimic ousted beauty queen Sarah Dzafce’s offensive squinting gesture.

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Racism and other prejudice

Miss Finland ‘racism’ scandal is damaging country, PM says

Prime Minister Petteri Orpo weighs in as Finnish politicians mimic a racist gesture in solidarity with stripped beauty queen.

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Racism and other prejudice

Miss Finland loses her crown due to anti-Chinese racism scandal

Sarah Dzafce apologised after a photo surfaced of her making a gesture seen as derogatory to Asian people.

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Miss Finland Sarah Dzafce wears a swimsuit during the 74th Miss Universe 2025 preliminary competition in Thailand in November. Photo: EPA
Ukraine war

Ukraine sends US a revised peace plan as Trump blasts European allies

US president says ‘pretty strong words’ were used in his discussion with leaders from the UK, France and Germany.

Social media

Editorial | Curbs on children’s social media use and screen time must strike a balance

The digital world is part of young people’s lives; there is a need to limit risks without depriving children of the benefits of being online.

TikTok

TikTok to invest more than US$37 billion in Brazil data centre

China is Brazil’s top trading partner and is seeking to expand economic and political ties across the region amid tensions with the US.

TikTok’s offices in Culver City, California. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS
Ukraine war

‘Issues remain’: US-Ukraine talks advance, but Europe cautious on Russia deal

Trump hails ‘big progress’ in talks, while Germany confirms US plan was modified with Nato and territorial demands removed.

Servicemen of the 148th Separate Artillery Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire a Caesar howitzer at Russian troops near Pokrovsk in Donetsk on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
Africa

Africa attracts smaller EU nations scrambling for influence

Estonia and Finland are among those seeking to boost their presence on the continent, revamping diplomatic and trade ties over the past five years.

China-EU relations

Letters | Europe must separate legitimate security concerns from politics

Readers discuss the Nexperia dispute between China and the Netherlands, a suit against the Malaysian government, and Hong Kong patient records.

Technology

China dominates global patent race with record filings

China filed nearly half of all patents worldwide in 2024, outpacing the US by more than threefold, WIPO data show.

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Computer technology remains the most frequently featured field in published patent applications worldwide. Photo: Shutterstock
SCMP Highlights

How China is closing tech gap on West; rare earth find: SCMP daily highlights

From China’s ‘strategic new frontiers’ to scientists discovering rare earth minerals in a fern, here’s a round-up from today’s coverage.

A Long March-3B rocket carrying a cluster of BeiDou satellites blasts off from a launch site in southwest China last year. Photo: Xinhua
Science

Rising star mathematician Wu Meng returns to China from Finland

Now affiliated with Hunan University, the award-winning professor solved a major part of Furstenberg’s conjecture dating to the 1960s.

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Vietnam

Avoiding ‘strategic suicide’: Vietnam’s US-Russia-China diplomatic dance

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s visit pushed military cooperation, but Vietnam wants to ensure it keeps all its geopolitical options open.

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China-Asean relations

Southeast Asia still under pressure amid US-China trade truce: analysts

Strategically vital region described as remaining on front lines of great-power competition with no easy path forward.

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US President Donald Trump speaks in Kuala Lumpur as spectators wave Malaysian national flags on October 27. Photo: AFP
France

Louvre jewels may be irrecoverable as French police race against time

Police hunt for Louvre raiders before priceless Napoleonic jewels are melted down and cut into untraceable individual stones.

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South Korea

Is South Korea’s school smartphone ban the answer to teen tech addiction?

The nationwide ban comes after a government survey found nearly 43 per cent of teenagers have trouble controlling their phone use.

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Germany

Germany slams Israel boycott, Eurovision ‘brings nations together’

Spain and others will boycott the world’s largest live televised music event in May if Israel participates over the ongoing assault on Gaza.

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This photograph shows the logo of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 displayed on a screen at the end of the dress rehearsal for the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 at the St. Jakobshalle arena in Basel, Switzerland, on May 14. Photo: AFP
China-EU relations

Flagging imbalances in China, EU chamber urges course correction in 5-year plan

Exhorting the need for a ‘new, productive development model’, latest chamber position paper airs members’ grievances.

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Some of China’s manufacturing industries, including the new-energy sector, have been plagued by low-price competition, or involution. Photo: Xinhua
China's military weapons

Western leaders parse China military parade displaying national pride

US President Donald Trump says America deserves more credit for helping China gain its freedom.

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Ukraine war

Trump says Putin’s dislike of Zelensky delaying meeting between 2 leaders

The US president also said that he still believed a deal to end Russia’s war on Ukraine was in sight.

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United States

Trump says he will arrange Putin, Zelensky meeting after speaking with both

After meetings with Zelensky and top European leaders in White House, Trump says trilateral meeting is also in the works.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump participate in a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

Zelensky warns against ‘rewarding’ Russia for Ukraine war ahead of Trump meet

Trump had earlier pressed Kyiv to make concessions in exchange for peace.

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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference in Brussels on Sunday. Photo: AFP
Books and literature

The Moomins’ 80th birthday draws fans across Europe for special event

Fans flocked to Tampere in southern Finland to celebrate the country’s most lovable literary cartoon family, created by author Tove Jansson.

China-Russia relations

China hosts exhibition emphasising ‘Russianness’ of realist painter Ilya Repin

The celebrated 19th-century artist is at the centre of a culture war between Russia and Ukraine.

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