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Nordic countries

Nordic countries
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Nordic countries. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
An F-16 fighter lands at a Turkish air base in the city of Konya in September 2004. Photo: AP
Ukraine war

F-16 jets on the way to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands

The US-built aircraft will be flying over Ukrainian skies this summer, as Kyiv seeks to bolster its air defences against Russian attacks.

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Wellness

How nudge theory gently persuades people to change their eating habits

Tourism

What it’s like to fly into Israel as a tourist during the Gaza war

Nordic nations

Sweden expels Chinese journalist deemed ‘serious threat to security’

The unnamed 57-year-old woman, was arrested by the Swedish security service in October and expelled by the government in Stockholm last week, Swedish broadcaster SVT reported.

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Sweden has expelled an unnamed Chinese journalist, saying the reporter was a threat to national security, Swedish media reported on Monday. Photo: Shutterstock
Singapore

Singapore ex-minister S. Iswaran slapped with fresh corruption charges

The new counts involve about US$14,200 worth of valuable items the ex-politician allegedly obtained, including bottles of whisky, golf clubs and a bicycle.

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United Nations

New report reveals the world’s happiest countries ranked

Nordic nations retain their grip on the top spots, with Afghanistan and Lebanon at bottom of 143 countries surveyed. Mainland China was ranked 60, with Hong Kong at 86 and self-ruled island Taiwan at 31.

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Wellness

The key to happiness? It’s within us, one of world’s happiest people says

How to be happy? The author of Happy As a Dane: 10 Secrets of the Happiest People in the World shares 10 secrets from the country of her birth, Denmark, regularly ranked among the world’s happiest.

Malene Rydahl speaks in Paris on wellbeing and performance. The author of Happy As a Dane: 10 Secrets of the Happiest People in the World shares 10 secrets to happiness from her country, Denmark, regularly ranked among the most happy places in the world. Photo: Malene Rydahl
Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Heavy metal meets orchestral sound in Bright & Black, with mixed results

Hong Kong Arts Festival show with a rock concert vibe features pieces orchestral in scope composed by Nordic metalheads and performed by multinational Baltic Sea Philharmonic.

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Ukraine war

Ukraine war: EU faces challenges finding gunpowder raw material from China

The scarcity of gunpowder, which goes into propellant charges that hurl artillery shells over distances of tens of kilometres, has hamstrung Ukraine’s military campaign.

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Nato

‘Historic day’: Sweden set to join Nato after Hungary approves bid

Sweden clears the last hurdle to join Nato, ending the Nordic country’s long history of neutrality and military non-alignment.

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Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Photo: AFP
Profile

‘A gift I’d been given’: climber’s 3am epiphany and a Hong Kong high

Swedish climber Matilda Soderlund tells Kate Whitehead about honing her competitive spirit as an infant, finding her life’s passion in an instant and getting engaged at sunset atop Kowloon Peak.

Swedish climber Matilda Soderlund, pictured in Hong Kong, tells Kate Whitehead about honing her competitive spirit as an infant, finding her life’s passion in an instant and getting engaged at sunset atop Kowloon Peak. Photo: William Hamilton
Singapore

‘Chump change’: netizens poke fun at Singapore ex-minister’s corruption scandal

Some compare the case with the 1MDB scandal with one saying “a corruption case gets you promoted” in Malaysia.

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Singapore

Singapore minister S. Iswaran resigns after being charged with taking bribes

Iswaran, widely credited for bringing Formula One racing to the city state, faces a possible jail term of up to seven years if convicted.

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Hong Kong society

Opinion | How bold, innovative policy can make Hong Kong more family-friendly

The government’s list of incentives for Hongkongers to have more children is well-intentioned but insufficient to reverse the city’s demographic decline. Instead, it should look for a blend of tax allowances, means-tested credits for child-raising expenses, subsidised childcare and family-friendly workplaces.

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Parents walk with their child at The Peak on December 16. Efforts to make Hong Kong a more family-friendly city have been hampered by resistance to flexible working from employers, budgetary concerns and more. Photo: Dickson Lee
Huawei’s Finnish health lab boosts fitness

Huawei’s new European health lab conducts tests in quest to improve people’s fitness

The company is conducting real-life testing of its wearable fitness devices at its new facility in Finland, a country chosen for its love of sport and its academic institutions specialising in sports science.

Telecommunications giant Huawei has three health labs equipped with hi-tech simulators to test the functionality of its fitness wearables.
Ukraine war

Zelensky and his wife visit Sweden, condemn deadly Russian strike

Zelensky was in Stockholm – along with his wife Olena Zelenska – where he signed an agreement with the prime minister for production of a Swedish tank, and condemned Russia’s recent attack on the city of Chernihiv.

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Architecture and design

Europeans warm to air conditioning as heatwaves become more common

As climate change causes summer temperatures to soar in Europe, some who were once disdainful of air conditioning are reconsidering. But using more air conditioners would heat city streets even more.

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Greece

Europe wildfire risk spreads to French Riviera

A high risk zone in southern France will include much of the coast and inland areas between Marseilles and Nice, with parts of Italy and Spain also threatened.

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Residents stand on their roofs on July 25 in front of huge flames in the Greek village of Gennadi during forest fires on the island of Rhodes. Several regions across Greece are still on high alert. Photo: dpa
Extreme weather

‘Hell on Earth’: thousands more evacuated as Greece ‘at war’ with fires

Some 30,000 people fled the flames on Rhodes at the weekend, the country’s largest-ever wildfire evacuation.

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Nato

President Biden welcomes ‘incredible’ Finland to Nato

Ahead of a bilateral meeting with Niinisto, Biden hailed Finland as an asset to the military alliance, ‘I don’t think Nato has ever been stronger’, he said.

Nato

Nato says no timetable for Ukraine to join, a decision Zelensky deems ‘absurd’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday blasted as “absurd” the absence of a timetable for his country’s membership in Nato.

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Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed the ‘absurd’ lack of timetable for Ukraine’s invitation to join NATO. Photo: AP
Nordic nations

‘Shadow war’: Russian spy ships planning North Sea sabotage, report says

Dozens of military and civilian vessels are being used to gather information on European energy infrastructure, a probe by Nordic public broadcasters shows.

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Wind turbines rotate in the North Sea near Helgoland, Germany in May 2015. Photo: EPA
China trade

Can China insure itself against risk of Western sanctions after Ukraine war?

With sanctions on Russia following the Ukraine war encompassing the provision of financial services, including insurance, China needs to plug a gap in its maritime insurance.

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Sweden

‘Old ladies need more cash!’ – elderly Swedish women demand fairer pensions

‘Old Lady Patrol’ members have regularly gathered since 2014 on streets of Stockholm; average gap between men’s and women’s pensions is 28 per cent, with more women than men at risk of poverty.

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Nordic nations

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Finland’s Nato accession as Sweden kept waiting

The 2 Nordic countries asked to join the defence alliance amid the Ukraine war, but Sweden’s bid has is being held up by Turkey and Hungary.

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Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (right) and Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto shake hands during their meeting in Ankara on March 17. Photo: Turkish Presidential Press Office via Reuters
Ukraine war

Outside In | How should we measure happiness in times of crisis?

While happiness might seem hard to come by amid geopolitical, economic and climate uncertainty, recent polls have found that levels remain resilient. This suggests that factors like a sense of community, goodwill and trust in leadership contribute more to well-being than individual prosperity.

In the village of Tsentralne, Ukrainian family members meet for the first time since Russian troops withdrew from the Kherson region, southern Ukraine, on November 13 last year. Despite the war, the World Happiness Report survey found “remarkably resilient” happiness levels in Ukraine, supported by a stronger sense of common purpose, benevolence and people’s trust in their leadership. Photo: AP
Nato

Finland’s president defends joining Nato without Sweden

President Sauli Niinisto has defended Finland’s decision to proceed with accession to Nato without its neighbour Sweden on the grounds that rejecting Turkey’s pending ratification of its candidacy would have been problematic.

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Hong Kong economy

Opinion | How Hong Kong can play pivotal role in innovation as China modernises

China’s foremost development challenge is in innovation, but more pervasive party leadership may not produce the best results. Hong Kong, however, with its uniquely encouraging institutional environment, can become China’s innovation hub

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