TOPIC

/ location

Sweden

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Sweden. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Stockholm

Head of State

King Carl XVI Gustaf

Head of Government

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson

Greenland

Open Questions | Trump’s ‘imperial’ agenda and the end of the old world order: Luuk van Middelaar

Political theorist says rapid acceleration of the US president’s ‘offensive, almost imperial’ agenda has left Europe disoriented.

9 Feb 2026 - 1:10PMvideocam

Germany

Multinationals race into China’s US$143.9 billion instant retail market

1 Feb 2026 - 11:00AM

China GDP

Tale of 2 megacities: how did Beijing, Shanghai GDPs surpass 5 trillion yuan?

29 Jan 2026 - 12:25PMvideocam

Banking & finance

Trump says the US dollar can move like a yo-yo. Will Treasuries be left hanging?

With the US president levelling threats at enemies, allies and his own central bank, alternatives like gold and Chinese assets are gaining appeal.

28 Jan 2026 - 11:18AMvideocam

Tourism

Taste Sweden’s delicious ‘blue food’ fresh from the sea on boat tours

From oysters and mussels to superfood seaweed, Sweden’s west coast is a treasure trove of ‘blue food’ – sustainable aquatic produce.

27 Jan 2026 - 12:43PM

European Union

EU lawmakers divided over resuming work on US trade deal after Greenland crisis

The EU, which suspended the deal in protest against Trump’s demand to take over Greenland, has put off a decision until next week.

27 Jan 2026 - 2:46AM

World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos

Watch Trump showcase his ‘Board of Peace’ in Davos

Donald Trump has extended invitations to dozens of nations and hinted at the board’s future role as conflict mediator - with him as chairman.

22 Jan 2026 - 6:38PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump speaking in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday. Photo: AP

Canada

Canada considers sending small contingent of troops to Greenland

Canada’s Carney reviews role in Nato exercises as European allies push back against Trump’s threats to take Greenland.

20 Jan 2026 - 11:49AM

Greenland

Europe prepares retaliation over Trump’s Greenland ultimatum

Eight European countries consider US$108 billion retaliation and ‘anti-coercion’ tools after Trump vows tariffs on Europe over Arctic island.

19 Jan 2026 - 4:00PM

Donald Trump

Trump’s Greenland ‘blackmail’ might force EU to stop pleasing him and hit back

Trump’s Greenland tariff threat sparks anger and tests US-EU ties as the bloc mulls how to respond to Washington’s sabre-rattling.

18 Jan 2026 - 10:03AMvideocam

Donald Trump

Trump hits 8 Nato allies with tariffs to force Greenland sale

The duties will start at 10 per cent in February and go up to 25 per cent in June if no deal is reached for the US to buy the island.

19 Jan 2026 - 3:35AM

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Greenland

Europeans send military personnel to Greenland in message to Trump

Initial deployments are small, but Denmark is planning a ‘larger, more permanent’ Nato presence.

16 Jan 2026 - 3:03PM

Science

Structural biologist Alexey Amunts launches new research lab in Shenzhen

‘Shenzhen adds another dimension; it is a place where ideas do not remain ideas for long,’ Amunts says of new position.

16 Jan 2026 - 9:23AMvideocam

South Korea

South Koreans see joy in parenthood but fear economic strain

While 74 per cent see joy in children, 92 per cent say economic burdens impact family planning – a factor in South Korea’s record-low birth rate.

12 Jan 2026 - 6:18PMvideocam

South Koreans view parenthood as a source of joy, but widespread anxiety about financial burdens highlights a critical tension underlying the country’s low fertility rate and persistent economic worries. Photo: Shutterstock

France

Europe paralysed by snow as brutal cold snap disrupts flights, rail services

Thousands stranded as chaos grounds flights, with black ice sparking fatal accidents, while death toll rises to six in season’s worst freeze.

7 Jan 2026 - 8:16PM

Snow falls on the streets of central Paris on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Retailing

Furniture retailer Ikea to close 7 stores in China amid property market slump

The firm plans to open more than 10 small-format outlets in key cities over a two-year period.

7 Jan 2026 - 6:32PM

US-Venezuela conflict

Trump doubles down on Greenland after US intervention in Venezuela

US president’s comments on Greenland and a ‘SOON’ social media post by the wife of a top aide spur anxieties in the Arctic.

5 Jan 2026 - 2:57PM

Science

Nobel Prize jurist Thomas Mikael Oliveberg joins southern China medical school

Biophysicist leaves Stockholm University for full-time role at Guangxi Medical University’s First Affiliated Hospital.

4 Jan 2026 - 4:00PM

Biophysicist Thomas Mikael Oliveberg (left) is welcomed to Guangxi Medical University by its vice-president Li Lang, at a signing ceremony on December 16. Photo: Handout

Switzerland

Explainer | Swiss bar inferno joins long list of world’s worst club fires

A look at some of the worst fires in bars, nightclubs and music venues in past decades, where celebrations turned to tragedy in seconds.

2 Jan 2026 - 2:38PM

Nordic nations

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

One person was killed after being hit by a falling tree near Sweden’s Kungsberget ski resort, police said.

28 Dec 2025 - 3:05PM

Britain

Greta Thunberg arrested in London at pro-Palestinian protest

The 22-year-old Swede held a sign supporting hunger strikers and their organisation known as Palestine Action.

24 Dec 2025 - 12:24PM

Greta Thunberg in a police van on Tuesday following her arrest in London at a demonstration. Photo: Prisoners for Palestine via AFP

Year in Review

10 most read Daily Pulse briefings of 2025

SCMP Plus looks back at the year’s 10 most popular Daily Pulse bulletins, covering China issues related to diplomacy, trade and economics.

22 Dec 2025 - 5:00PM

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Photo: AP

Singapore

Open Questions | George Yeo on superpower ‘headaches’ and why the US dollar could crack

Singapore’s former foreign minister also discusses Trump, the latest China-Japan dust-up, and rivalry between Hong Kong and the city state.

22 Dec 2025 - 10:02AMvideocam

Australia

Why Southeast Asia’s move to protect children online may fuel state surveillance

Measures to rein in tech companies risk opening the door to tighter state oversight of online platforms, analysts say.

18 Dec 2025 - 5:29PMvideocam

Malaysia

Trump’s tariffs on Southeast Asia put US Christmas gifts at risk

From Hot Wheels to headphones, new levies are squeezing the supply of Americans’ festive favourites.

15 Dec 2025 - 8:02AM

Passers-by look in Christmas-themed shop windows at Macy’s department store in New York earlier this month. Photo: Zuma Press Wire/dpa

US-Asean relations

Southeast Asia barely features in America’s new security strategy

The region appears just twice in the new 32-page US National Security Strategy, raising fears it is being relegated to a ‘bargaining chip’.

14 Dec 2025 - 12:00PM

US President Donald Trump is pictured next to Malaysian flags before departing Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Air Force One in October. Photo: AFP

TikTok

Are China’s social media apps the soft power play to win over the West?

After the US migration to RedNote, experts say transforming engagement into influence will require a ‘light touch’ from Beijing.

14 Dec 2025 - 6:20PMvideocam

Malaysia

As Southeast Asia’s middle classes lose their homes, the rich get sky garages

As wealthy buyers seek penthouses with living-room supercar parking, struggling families battle banks to keep a roof overhead.

10 Jan 2026 - 8:59AMvideocam

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Sweden

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Open Questions | Trump’s ‘imperial’ agenda and the end of the old world order: Luuk van Middelaar

Political theorist says rapid acceleration of the US president’s ‘offensive, almost imperial’ agenda has left Europe disoriented.

Multinationals race into China’s US$143.9 billion instant retail market

Tale of 2 megacities: how did Beijing, Shanghai GDPs surpass 5 trillion yuan?

Trump says the US dollar can move like a yo-yo. Will Treasuries be left hanging?

With the US president levelling threats at enemies, allies and his own central bank, alternatives like gold and Chinese assets are gaining appeal.

Taste Sweden’s delicious ‘blue food’ fresh from the sea on boat tours

From oysters and mussels to superfood seaweed, Sweden’s west coast is a treasure trove of ‘blue food’ – sustainable aquatic produce.

EU lawmakers divided over resuming work on US trade deal after Greenland crisis

The EU, which suspended the deal in protest against Trump’s demand to take over Greenland, has put off a decision until next week.

Watch Trump showcase his ‘Board of Peace’ in Davos

Donald Trump has extended invitations to dozens of nations and hinted at the board’s future role as conflict mediator - with him as chairman.

Canada considers sending small contingent of troops to Greenland

Canada’s Carney reviews role in Nato exercises as European allies push back against Trump’s threats to take Greenland.

Europe prepares retaliation over Trump’s Greenland ultimatum

Eight European countries consider US$108 billion retaliation and ‘anti-coercion’ tools after Trump vows tariffs on Europe over Arctic island.

Trump’s Greenland ‘blackmail’ might force EU to stop pleasing him and hit back

Trump’s Greenland tariff threat sparks anger and tests US-EU ties as the bloc mulls how to respond to Washington’s sabre-rattling.

Trump hits 8 Nato allies with tariffs to force Greenland sale

The duties will start at 10 per cent in February and go up to 25 per cent in June if no deal is reached for the US to buy the island.

Europeans send military personnel to Greenland in message to Trump

Initial deployments are small, but Denmark is planning a ‘larger, more permanent’ Nato presence.

Structural biologist Alexey Amunts launches new research lab in Shenzhen

‘Shenzhen adds another dimension; it is a place where ideas do not remain ideas for long,’ Amunts says of new position.

South Koreans see joy in parenthood but fear economic strain

While 74 per cent see joy in children, 92 per cent say economic burdens impact family planning – a factor in South Korea’s record-low birth rate.

Europe paralysed by snow as brutal cold snap disrupts flights, rail services

Thousands stranded as chaos grounds flights, with black ice sparking fatal accidents, while death toll rises to six in season’s worst freeze.

Furniture retailer Ikea to close 7 stores in China amid property market slump

The firm plans to open more than 10 small-format outlets in key cities over a two-year period.

Trump doubles down on Greenland after US intervention in Venezuela

US president’s comments on Greenland and a ‘SOON’ social media post by the wife of a top aide spur anxieties in the Arctic.

Nobel Prize jurist Thomas Mikael Oliveberg joins southern China medical school

Biophysicist leaves Stockholm University for full-time role at Guangxi Medical University’s First Affiliated Hospital.

Explainer | Swiss bar inferno joins long list of world’s worst club fires

A look at some of the worst fires in bars, nightclubs and music venues in past decades, where celebrations turned to tragedy in seconds.

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

One person was killed after being hit by a falling tree near Sweden’s Kungsberget ski resort, police said.

Greta Thunberg arrested in London at pro-Palestinian protest

The 22-year-old Swede held a sign supporting hunger strikers and their organisation known as Palestine Action.

10 most read Daily Pulse briefings of 2025

SCMP Plus looks back at the year’s 10 most popular Daily Pulse bulletins, covering China issues related to diplomacy, trade and economics.

Open Questions | George Yeo on superpower ‘headaches’ and why the US dollar could crack

Singapore’s former foreign minister also discusses Trump, the latest China-Japan dust-up, and rivalry between Hong Kong and the city state.

Why Southeast Asia’s move to protect children online may fuel state surveillance

Measures to rein in tech companies risk opening the door to tighter state oversight of online platforms, analysts say.

Trump’s tariffs on Southeast Asia put US Christmas gifts at risk

From Hot Wheels to headphones, new levies are squeezing the supply of Americans’ festive favourites.

Southeast Asia barely features in America’s new security strategy

The region appears just twice in the new 32-page US National Security Strategy, raising fears it is being relegated to a ‘bargaining chip’.

Are China’s social media apps the soft power play to win over the West?

After the US migration to RedNote, experts say transforming engagement into influence will require a ‘light touch’ from Beijing.

As Southeast Asia’s middle classes lose their homes, the rich get sky garages

As wealthy buyers seek penthouses with living-room supercar parking, struggling families battle banks to keep a roof overhead.

Open Questions | Trump’s ‘imperial’ agenda and the end of the old world order: Luuk van Middelaar