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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.

President Xi Jinping with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre in Beijing on September 9, 2024, during a visit marking the 70th year of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Photo: Handout

Exclusive | ‘We have to collaborate with China’: Norwegian diplomat on options in Trump era

Norwegian foreign vice-minister Andreas Kravik talks about China’s key role as uncertainties rock Europe-US ties, and the need for balance.

21 Mar 2025 - 7:00PMvideocam

Denmark ramps up defence spending, saying Russia is threat to all of Europe

20 Feb 2025 - 4:58AM

Sweden mourns victims of deadliest shooting, gunman’s motive still unknown

6 Feb 2025 - 4:42PMvideocam

At least 11 killed at school for adults in Sweden’s worst mass shooting

The gunman was among the dead, but damage at the scene was so extensive that investigators were unable to give a conclusive final toll.

5 Feb 2025 - 9:04PMvideocam

Emergency personnel and police officers work at Campus Risbergska after a shooting attack in Orebro, Sweden, on Tuesday. Photo: TT News Agency via Reuters

‘We don’t want to be Americans,’ Greenland PM says, as Trump takes office

Denmark’s foreign minister said that no country should be able to simply help themselves to another country.

22 Jan 2025 - 1:51AMvideocam

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.

11 Jul 2024 - 2:37AM

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How nudge theory gently persuades people to change their eating habits

Eating plant-heavy diets will help us reduce greenhouse emissions, and nudge theory – small interventions and gentle persuasion – is being used to persuade people to change their habits.

20 May 2024 - 7:15PM

Cutting out meat and taking up plant-based diets will help reduce greenhouse emissions, and nudge theory – small interventions and gentle persuasion – is being used to persuade people to change their habits. Photo: Shutterstock

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

Our correspondent got a small taste of the frustrations and cost blowouts caused by the Israel-Gaza war after finally finding a ‘cheap’ flight to Israel’s Ben Gurion airport this month.

13 May 2024 - 12:18AM

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.

8 Apr 2024 - 10:52PMvideocam

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.

25 Mar 2024 - 1:38PMvideocam

S. Iswaran, Singapore’s former transport minister (centre) leaves the Singapore State Courts on Monday after more corruption charges were filed against him. Photo: Bloomberg

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.

20 Mar 2024 - 11:05AMvideocam

Finland remained in the top spot, followed closely by Denmark, Iceland and Sweden. Photo: Shutterstock

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.

20 Mar 2024 - 6:02PM

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.

19 Mar 2024 - 5:15PMvideocam

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.

2 Mar 2024 - 2:10PMvideocam

Police officers inspect an artillery shell in the front line town of Orikhiv in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region on February 28. Photo: Reuters

‘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.

27 Feb 2024 - 11:56AM

Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Photo: AFP

‘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.

22 Jan 2024 - 7:15AM

‘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.

20 Jan 2024 - 4:45PM

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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.

18 Jan 2024 - 8:21PM

Former minister S. Iswaran leaves the Singapore State Courts on January 18. Photo: Bloomberg

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.

20 Dec 2023 - 1:16PMvideocam

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.

In partnership with:

Huawei

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.

20 Aug 2023 - 1:31PMvideocam

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska during a state visit to Sweden. Photo: AFP

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.

4 Aug 2023 - 7:15PM

Air conditioning external units on a terrace in Rome. Photo: AP

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.

28 Jul 2023 - 7:26PMvideocam

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.

24 Jul 2023 - 10:17PMvideocam

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.

13 Jul 2023 - 9:28PM

US President Joe Biden and Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto during the US-Nordic Leaders’ Summit Meeting at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki, Finland, . Photo: EPA-EFE

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.

11 Jul 2023 - 11:45PMvideocam

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

‘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.

20 Apr 2023 - 8:51AMvideocam

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.

18 Apr 2023 - 9:24AMvideocam

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