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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

Hong Kong-born baby Danny’s future remains uncertain as welfare teams assess his parents’ background and living conditions Photo: Handout

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong baby Danny’s future remains unclear despite birth registration progress

Despite DNA confirmation, child remains under court-ordered care as officials review parents’ capability, history and living conditions.

2 hours ago

Hong Kong society

Editorial | Baby Danny case shows gaps in Hong Kong’s laws around home births

6 Jun 2026 - 7:15AM

Hong Kong society

Baby Danny DNA case sparks calls for Hong Kong to introduce home birth rules

5 Jun 2026 - 8:42AMvideocam

Hong Kong society

Sweden outlines child care policy amid registration row over infant in Hong Kong

Government explains how decision to take child away from parents is reached, shedding light on Hong Kong couple’s custody battle for daughter.

3 Jun 2026 - 11:11PM

Kwan Pui-sin with Lily, who was born in Finland and is currently in the care of Swedish authorities. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong society

How a couple lost 3 kids in as many countries and were arrested in Hong Kong

Authorities to take baby boy into protection after parents initially refuse DNA test for birth registration, with sisters also victims of a troubled history.

3 Jun 2026 - 10:19PMvideocam

Hong Kong society

Parents of undocumented Hong Kong baby have DNA samples taken after arrest

Baby Danny may later be placed in foster care until parents are deemed fit to regain custody, lawmaker says.

3 Jun 2026 - 10:54PMvideocam

Hong Kong society

Protection order sought for baby after parents arrested in DNA test refusal case

Security minister says mother of two-month-old Danny has so far been unable to provide any prenatal check-up or medical records.

3 Jun 2026 - 8:34AMvideocam

The parents of two-month old Danny have been arrested by Hong Kong police over alleged child neglect. Photo: Handout

Singapore

17 nations launch pact to protect vital undersea cables amid US, China absence

Singapore’s defence chief tells the Shangri-La Dialogue the pact aims to explore potential areas of collaboration and share best practices.

1 Jun 2026 - 9:40AM

Laos

5 of 7 villagers trapped in flooded Laos cave found alive

A Thai-led rescue team broke through to an area where they found the five villagers on a muddy ledge, but two others remain missing.

28 May 2026 - 9:10AMvideocam

Music

Bulgaria’s Dara wins Eurovision contest, beating out Israel for top spot

The usually good-natured competition has faced a boycott by five countries over the Gaza conflict.

17 May 2026 - 8:59AM

Dara from Bulgaria holds up the trophy after winning the Eurovision grand final in Vienna. Photo: AP

Vietnam

Beyond bamboo: Vietnam’s To Lam mounts a diplomacy offensive

The security chief turned paramount leader is chasing the markets and capital required to reach high-income status by 2045.

16 May 2026 - 8:00AM

Vietnam’s To Lam waves after shaking hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi before their meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on May 6. Photo: EPA

Ukraine war

‘Stay inside’: Finland warns of drone scare near capital Helsinki

The early hours warning – the first for the capital city – said a drone could be heading towards an area on the south coast.

15 May 2026 - 5:00PMvideocam

Yuan

How Australia’s mining giants are helping China to globalise the yuan

Mining firms are increasingly using the yuan for financing and settlements, as China pushes to reduce its reliance on the US dollar.

13 May 2026 - 9:00AMvideocam

Hong Kong science and tech

Top Swedish universities eager to forge ties with city, Hong Kong minister says

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong says visit aimed at strengthening collaboration in innovation and technology.

13 May 2026 - 8:17PM

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong speaks at a roundtable luncheon hosted by the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences in Stockholm. Photo: ISD

ByteDance

ByteDance raises 2026 capex by at least 25% amid AI boom, sources say

ByteDance is allocating a proportionally larger budget to domestic AI chips to mitigate geopolitical risks and heed Beijing’s call.

9 May 2026 - 2:00PM

Diplomacy

The big shift in Xi Jinping’s travel plans and what it means for China

Data analysis by the SCMP reveals a changing dynamic in Beijing towards high-level diplomatic meetings.

1 May 2026 - 6:02AMvideocam

US-EU relations

Exclusive | Territorial integrity is ‘red line’ for Europe, Finland warns after US Greenland threats

Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen insists on the importance of national sovereignty, saying ‘we react through the means we have’.

27 Apr 2026 - 7:07PMvideocam

China-EU relations

Exclusive | China’s Russia ties mean EU trade deal is off the table, Finland says

Tough talk from foreign minister shows the nation could provide a de facto veto on China’s efforts to launch a deal.

23 Apr 2026 - 7:20PMvideocam

Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said Beijing’s support of Russia has violated principles of the UN Charter and “is something that we cannot accept”. Photo: dpa

2026 Xi-Trump summit

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker 2026

World leaders are flocking to Beijing this year as Trump’s trade war spurs US allies to look for new ties.

15 Apr 2026 - 5:45PM

China-EU relations

Europe’s crisis tourism: how the Iran war swallowed the EU’s geopolitical agenda

From trade with China to the Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock, Brussels’ agenda has been repeatedly knocked off course.

31 Mar 2026 - 6:03AMvideocam

Ukraine war

Finland’s president says Ukraine talks may be at ‘end of the road’

He says the war in Iran is ‘drawing a lot of attention away’ from the Ukraine war, and that Ukraine talks are ‘not making further progress’.

26 Mar 2026 - 7:40PMvideocam

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and Finnish President Alexander Stubb in Helsinki, Finland in March 2025. Photo: AFP

European Union

EU inspects Druzhba pipeline in bid to unclog Hungary’s block on Ukraine aid

Hungarian leader Viktor Orban has vetoed giving Ukraine its promised US$103 billion EU loan until Russian oil supply is resumed.

19 Mar 2026 - 6:26PMvideocam

A meter shows near zero-level pressure at a line production station on a Druzhba pipeline in Brody, Ukraine. Photo: Reuters

Wellness

World’s ‘happiest’ places revealed as social media weighs on us

Heavy social media use is undermining youth well-being in many countries, according to a UN-sponsored report.

19 Mar 2026 - 2:11PMvideocam

China-EU relations

EU strips AI, chips and quantum from industrial plan aimed at countering China

Leaked draft shows biotechnology and robotics are other cutting-edge sectors to be cut from Industrial Accelerator Act ahead of unveiling.

4 Mar 2026 - 1:16AMvideocam

Hong Kong property

How a European agent won one of Hong Kong’s most exclusive luxury flat listings

A Finnish national turned a two-week trip into a new career, and now manages high-end listings in one of the world’s top real estate markets.

2 Mar 2026 - 8:30AM

Minna Honkanen, a senior manager at Landscope Reality, was drawn to Hong Kong’s fast-paced lifestyle. Photo Jonathan Wong

US-China trade war

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker 2026

World leaders are flocking to Beijing this year as Trump’s trade war spurs US allies to look for new ties.

26 Feb 2026 - 10:55AM

Ukraine war

4 years into Ukraine conflict, Zelensky says Putin ‘did not win this war’

The president said Kyiv wanted ‘lasting peace’ and any truce agreement ‘must not simply be signed, it must be accepted by Ukrainians’.

24 Feb 2026 - 8:41PM

Crime in Hong Kong

Captain pleads not guilty to damaging Baltic Sea gas pipeline in Hong Kong court

Wan Wenguo, captain of the Hong Kong-flagged NewNew Polar Bear, denies damaging a key gas link between Finland and Estonia in 2023.

11 Feb 2026 - 5:26PM

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Finland

Hong Kong baby Danny’s future remains unclear despite birth registration progress

Despite DNA confirmation, child remains under court-ordered care as officials review parents’ capability, history and living conditions.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Editorial | Baby Danny case shows gaps in Hong Kong’s laws around home births

Baby Danny DNA case sparks calls for Hong Kong to introduce home birth rules

Sweden outlines child care policy amid registration row over infant in Hong Kong

Government explains how decision to take child away from parents is reached, shedding light on Hong Kong couple’s custody battle for daughter.

How a couple lost 3 kids in as many countries and were arrested in Hong Kong

Authorities to take baby boy into protection after parents initially refuse DNA test for birth registration, with sisters also victims of a troubled history.

Parents of undocumented Hong Kong baby have DNA samples taken after arrest

Baby Danny may later be placed in foster care until parents are deemed fit to regain custody, lawmaker says.

Protection order sought for baby after parents arrested in DNA test refusal case

Security minister says mother of two-month-old Danny has so far been unable to provide any prenatal check-up or medical records.

17 nations launch pact to protect vital undersea cables amid US, China absence

Singapore’s defence chief tells the Shangri-La Dialogue the pact aims to explore potential areas of collaboration and share best practices.

5 of 7 villagers trapped in flooded Laos cave found alive

A Thai-led rescue team broke through to an area where they found the five villagers on a muddy ledge, but two others remain missing.

Bulgaria’s Dara wins Eurovision contest, beating out Israel for top spot

The usually good-natured competition has faced a boycott by five countries over the Gaza conflict.

Beyond bamboo: Vietnam’s To Lam mounts a diplomacy offensive

The security chief turned paramount leader is chasing the markets and capital required to reach high-income status by 2045.

‘Stay inside’: Finland warns of drone scare near capital Helsinki

The early hours warning – the first for the capital city – said a drone could be heading towards an area on the south coast.

How Australia’s mining giants are helping China to globalise the yuan

Mining firms are increasingly using the yuan for financing and settlements, as China pushes to reduce its reliance on the US dollar.

Top Swedish universities eager to forge ties with city, Hong Kong minister says

Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong says visit aimed at strengthening collaboration in innovation and technology.

ByteDance raises 2026 capex by at least 25% amid AI boom, sources say

ByteDance is allocating a proportionally larger budget to domestic AI chips to mitigate geopolitical risks and heed Beijing’s call.

The big shift in Xi Jinping’s travel plans and what it means for China

Data analysis by the SCMP reveals a changing dynamic in Beijing towards high-level diplomatic meetings.

.css-1f6sr3w{color:#727272;}Exclusive | Territorial integrity is ‘red line’ for Europe, Finland warns after US Greenland threats

Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen insists on the importance of national sovereignty, saying ‘we react through the means we have’.

Exclusive | China’s Russia ties mean EU trade deal is off the table, Finland says

Tough talk from foreign minister shows the nation could provide a de facto veto on China’s efforts to launch a deal.

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker 2026

World leaders are flocking to Beijing this year as Trump’s trade war spurs US allies to look for new ties.

Europe’s crisis tourism: how the Iran war swallowed the EU’s geopolitical agenda

From trade with China to the Middle East conflict and resulting energy shock, Brussels’ agenda has been repeatedly knocked off course.

Finland’s president says Ukraine talks may be at ‘end of the road’

He says the war in Iran is ‘drawing a lot of attention away’ from the Ukraine war, and that Ukraine talks are ‘not making further progress’.

EU inspects Druzhba pipeline in bid to unclog Hungary’s block on Ukraine aid

Hungarian leader Viktor Orban has vetoed giving Ukraine its promised US$103 billion EU loan until Russian oil supply is resumed.

World’s ‘happiest’ places revealed as social media weighs on us

Heavy social media use is undermining youth well-being in many countries, according to a UN-sponsored report.

EU strips AI, chips and quantum from industrial plan aimed at countering China

Leaked draft shows biotechnology and robotics are other cutting-edge sectors to be cut from Industrial Accelerator Act ahead of unveiling.

How a European agent won one of Hong Kong’s most exclusive luxury flat listings

A Finnish national turned a two-week trip into a new career, and now manages high-end listings in one of the world’s top real estate markets.

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker 2026

World leaders are flocking to Beijing this year as Trump’s trade war spurs US allies to look for new ties.

4 years into Ukraine conflict, Zelensky says Putin ‘did not win this war’

The president said Kyiv wanted ‘lasting peace’ and any truce agreement ‘must not simply be signed, it must be accepted by Ukrainians’.

Captain pleads not guilty to damaging Baltic Sea gas pipeline in Hong Kong court

Wan Wenguo, captain of the Hong Kong-flagged NewNew Polar Bear, denies damaging a key gas link between Finland and Estonia in 2023.

Editorial | Baby Danny case shows gaps in Hong Kong’s laws around home births

Exclusive | Territorial integrity is ‘red line’ for Europe, Finland warns after US Greenland threats