s edition of Helsingin Sanomat (the biggest Finnish newspaper) had two three-quarter page articles dealing with these subjects, one discussing the Finnish role in the Siege of Leningrad (they refused Nazi requests to attack the city) and one about recent research into the civil war of winter 1917-18, the terrible aftermath of Finnish independence from Lenin's Russia. Since at least 1990, these painful...
s happiness, its restaurants, or TV dramas; Sweden's gender equality, crime novels and retail giants; Finland's schools; Norway's oil wealth and weird songs about foxes; or Iceland's bounce-back from the financial abyss, we have an insatiable appetite for positive Nordic news stories. After decades dreaming of life among olive trees and vineyards, these days for some reason, we Brits are now projecting...
s Better Together campaign may be well ahead in the polls, but it is under fire from critics who say its message of doom and gloom is failing to inspire even the most ardent unionist with a positive vision of the country's future inside the UK. In contrast, the alternative destinies being mooted by the campaign for an independent Scotland are vivid and appealing. They include the recurring theme of...
s general election. David Prescott, son of John, stood unsuccessfully for selection in the Greenwich and Woolwich constituency in November. There has been speculation that Tony Blair's eldest son, Euan, might seek a parliamentary seat after he gave up a career in banking to work for a small Coventry charity. The four young men, were they successful in their ambitions, would be the next wave of political...
s miners, oil-workers, construction teams and industrialists descend on Greenland over the next few years to dig below the rapidly retreating icecap for its ores, hydrocrabons and minerals, no one will watch with more concern – or confidence – than prime minister Aleqa Hammond. The Inuit leader of a country with just 56,000 people who have lived in remote, scattered communities largely by fishing and...
s status as a social democratic paradise The Estonian capital of Tallinn lies 50 miles across the Gulf of Finland from Helsinki. One day in 1988, I went there by ferry. The Russian-owned boat was crowded with Finns in search of cheap vodka in Soviet Estonia. After two hours in the Soviet Union's territorial waters, a Finnish passenger lurched up to me and announced: "Last week I taste...
s environment minister discusses Copenhagen's action plan, which is mobilising business, government and civil society Following November's climate negotiations in Warsaw , it seems no one is willing to give up any privileges for the benefit of the common good. Anyone observing these talks from the outside might think that if there was ever a time when one could count on politicians to make the right...
licence database and the shared IT system used in the Schengen zone. He was taken into Danish custody after being extradited from Sweden following a one-year jail term for computer hacking. But he has widespread support in Denmark. A petition submitted to the Danish government calling for his release and the restoration of some privileges gathered more then 50,000 signatures. Addressed to the Danish...
s long sleek outline, is considerably more straightforward than when it was built almost 1,000 years ago. In 1025 it is estimated to have taken more than 30,000 hours of work. This time, lead curator Gareth Williams received "an enormous Meccano set" from Denmark, flatpacked in several large containers. Williams said the ship, which will launch the museum's new exhibition space in March, was "a war...
s son hopes to be a candidate for a safe seat in Wales. If he wins and then gets Ed Miliband's job, we could see the British prime minister married to the Danish prime minister … Name: Stephen Kinnock. Age: 44. Appearance: Like a genetic splicing of Prince Edward and William Hague. Please tell me that hasn't happened. It hasn't happened. Thanks. You're welcome. What has happened? This guy is Neil Kinnock's...
s son gets go-ahead to enter race for Welsh seat in 2015 general election, after MP Hywel Francis stands down Stephen Kinnock, the son of the former Labour leader Neil Kinnock and husband of the Danish prime minister, has had his path cleared to stand as the Labour candidate for Aberavon. A Labour sub-committee on Tuesday agreed that Aberavon should be one of two Welsh seats in which both men and women...
Nordic Playlist shares music from throughout the region with fans wherever they are. By Alex Hern Alex Hern ...
s highest profile romantic couple have seen in 2014 with a bang, an enormous diamond – and a message tweeted to their millions of followers on social media. Golfer Rory McIlroy and tennis player Caroline Wozniacki announced their engagement in the early hours of New Year's Day, after the Northern Irishman proposed while they watched the midnight fireworks at Sydney's Harbour Bridge. "Happy New Year...
s a case of sugar and spice and all things not-so-nice in Denmark where cinnamon-gate is pitting Danish food authorities against the nation's bakers. The isssue: is the spice, a staple of the Danish pastry and one of the quintessential fragrances of a Christmas kitchen, good for you or not? For years, cinnamon has enjoyed a reputation for being something of a super spice with claims that it could help...
s chemical weapon arsenal is to be taken cross-country in Russian armoured trucks guarded by Syrian government troops and tracked by American satellite navigation equipment on its way to the Mediterranean coast. The unprecedented and precarious two-week operation will take the cargo – 500 tonnes of chemical components of sarin and VX nerve agents and canisters of mustard gas – from 12 sites around...
s David Hills reported yesterday , he has won an injunction in Switzerland, his native country, in order to prevent the publication of a book of amusing satirical cartoons. The book, by Danish cartoonist (and former footballer) Olé Andersen, features a Blatter lookalike. According to his lawyers, Blatter "has a good reputation and if the cartoons were published he would never be able to repair the...
s more, Thorning-Schmidt was flanked in the shot by a smiling Barack Obama on one side and David Cameron squeezing in on the other. And all three looked as if they were ready to Snapchat their larking pose to all their schoolfriends. But if the trio thought it was a moment of fun in a lengthy ceremony, the deed was greeted with a lack of amusement – not least by Michelle Obama, whose frosty glare suggested...
Generation ". His collection, titled Yahya Hassan, has sold 80,000 copies since October and is expected to have topped 100,000 by Christmas, according to publisher Gyldendal . He has won fans among the Danish middle-class for his work, which slams what he sees as hypocrisy among the immigrant Muslim community in Denmark, and accuses them of a raft of negative behaviours, including bad parenting and...
d say that Nelson Mandela played an extraordinary role in his life and in his death in bringing people together." The photo went viral on Tuesday, prompting accusations from some of poor taste. Many noted that Michelle Obama looked on stony-faced during the rainy event in Soweto. Thorning-Schmidt described her impromptu snap as "not inappropriate". Speaking to the Danish media she said: "There were...
s memorial service in Johannesburg yesterday. No, I'm not referring to the historic image of us president Barack Obama shaking hands with his Cuban counterpart , Raul Castro, for the first time. Instead, I have the ignominious task of writing about the selfie seen 'round the world – or more specifically, the media's absolutely bonkers reaction to the photos. Unless you have consigned yourself to a...