Monday, October 20, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Denmark updates national coat of arms – removes claims to Sweden

Published 6 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The old royal coat of arms on the left - and the new one (without Sweden's Three Crowns) on the right.
2 minute read

The Danish royal family has decided to remove the Swedish symbol of the Three Crowns from the country’s royal coat of arms – something Gustav Vasa demanded 500 years ago.

– This is one of the biggest disputes in Scandinavian history, and it has had bloody consequences, notes Swedish history professor Dick Harrison.

– This has been fought over since the 16th century… Tens of thousands of people have died, and now the Danes just erase it. It’s a great historical irony, he explains in the Bonnier newspaper Expressen.

Denmark started using the Three Crowns as a symbol already during the Kalmar Union (1397-1521), and after Sweden, led by Gustav Vasa, broke free from foreign rule through the War of Independence, the Danish monarchs still kept the symbol on their coat of arms and claimed Sweden.

Gustav Vasa repeatedly demanded that the Danes remove the Swedish symbol, but his demands went unheeded.

– The Danish kings refused. And that is the basis for two of the bloodiest wars in our history, the Seven Years’ War and the Kalmar War, the historian continues.

“No longer relevant”

When Sweden lost the Kalmar War, an agreement was signed giving the Danes the right to keep the Swedish symbol on their coat of arms and they have done so until now.

The Danish Royal Family does not want to comment further on the decision, but writes that “the coat of arms with the three crowns has been removed as it is no longer current and therefore no longer relevant“.

Despite the historical nature of the decision and the fact that the countries’ leaders have been arguing about the symbol for centuries, Dick Harrisson does not believe that the change will attract much attention from the Swedish royal family.

– They probably won’t react. We have been friends for hundreds of years. But if this had been in the 16th or 17th century, there would have been parties for ten days. The world would have been stopped, ceremonies and all.

The Nordic Times has previously written about the Swedish War of Liberation and highlighted how on June 6, 2023, it was 500 years since Gustav Vasa and his allies overthrew the rule of Christian II and made Sweden an independent nation again.

TNT is truly independent!

We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…

Finns live longer than ever before

Published today 7:39
– By Editorial Staff
Women in Finland live longer than men everywhere, with the largest difference in Kainuu and the smallest in Central Ostrobothnia.
2 minute read

In 2024, life expectancy in Finland reached new record levels. Children born in Åland have the highest life expectancy in the entire country.

Finnish boys born today are expected to live to 79.6 years old, while girls are expected to reach 84.8 years. This is according to fresh statistics from Statistics Finland, the country’s national statistical institute.

This represents an increase of 0.7 years for boys and 0.6 years for girls compared to the previous year.

In Åland, an autonomous Finnish archipelago in the Baltic Sea, life expectancy is the highest in all of Finland. During the period 2022–2024, life expectancy was 81.4 years for boys and 86.1 years for girls in the island region.

In Kymenlaakso, a region in southeastern Finland, life expectancy for boys was 77.2 years, while Lapland had the lowest figure for girls at 83.2 years. However, it’s worth noting that in provinces with smaller populations, variations in life expectancy between years are greater than in larger provinces, says Joni Rantakari, senior actuary at Statistics Finland, in a press release.

Married people live longer

Women have higher life expectancy than men everywhere in the country. The difference is greatest in Kainuu, a region in central Finland, where women live more than six years longer, while the gap is smallest in Central Ostrobothnia at just under three and a half years.

Marital status also plays a significant role in life expectancy. Married men are expected to live eight years longer than unmarried men, while the corresponding difference for women is nearly six years.

These differences have been roughly the same for several years, with the exception of a temporary decrease in 2023, says Rantakari.

Iceland’s prime minister: “No own army in my lifetime”

Published yesterday 12:26
– By Editorial Staff
Kristrún Frostadóttir and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
2 minute read

Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir rejects the idea of an Icelandic defense force and instead wants the country to continue relying on the US-led military alliance NATO through increased financial contributions and infrastructure support.

At the eleventh edition of the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavík, Iceland, Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir was asked whether Iceland is considering building its own military force. Her answer was clear: No.

— In all honesty, and I can’t speak for the entire Icelandic people, I think everyone is happy with the current state of affairs in terms of our presence and security. And so is the government, she responded.

Frostadóttir emphasized that Iceland can play a more significant role by increasing financial support to NATO, investing in infrastructure, and continuing to function as a host nation for allied forces, primarily from the United States.

— Personally, I think we can do more with funding, whether it’s NATO funding, other infrastructure or whatever, and by strengthening our position as a strategically important location and as a host nation, she said.

Although discussions about an Icelandic army do occur, such plans are not on the government’s agenda. The prime minister was clear in her assessment of the future.

— But I don’t think we’ll see an Icelandic army in my lifetime, Frostadóttir concluded.

American military presence since World War II

Iceland’s military dependence on foreign forces has deep historical roots. The US Navy and Air Force base at Keflavík, Naval Air Station Keflavík (NASKEF), was built during World War II and remained operational until September 2006.

Since the closure of NASKEF, Keflavík Airport has continued to function as a transit point and base for NATO, albeit with reduced facilities. The military zones at the airport remain operational and are managed by the Icelandic Coast Guard on behalf of the US-led military alliance.

Iceland’s continued absence of its own defense force means the country remains entirely dependent on NATO and primarily American forces for its military protection, a situation the prime minister clearly signals will persist.

Finland was a European model – now homelessness is rising again

Welfare collapse

Published 18 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Getting off the streets is extremely difficult once you end up there.
3 minute read

Finland has long been a model in the fight against homelessness, but now the trend is reversing.

For the first time since 2012, the number of homeless people is increasing – and street homelessness among young people is rising sharply.

Julius Virtavuori has lived without permanent housing for over two decades. When Yle (Finnish public broadcaster) meets him at the Tupa supported housing facility in Helsinki, Finland, he reflects on his situation.

— It’s quite a long time. I think these are probably the last years I’ll be in this situation. There are apartments in Finland after all.

The hardest part is the feeling of lacking goals, he tells them.

— You take one day at a time. There’s nothing to build your life on long-term. And the side effects that homelessness brings – a certain use of intoxicants. That boom is long past for me, now I just take it easy.

Successful model under pressure

Julius’s situation is not unique, but Finland has for many years worked systematically to reduce homelessness. The country has been a pioneer in Europe, primarily through the so-called “Housing First principle”.

The model means that homeless people first receive their own apartment with a rental contract, and then support services tailored to individual needs. Instead of requiring people to first solve their social or health problems to qualify for housing, the order is reversed – housing comes first. The approach has received broad international attention and shown good results.

But according to a recent report from the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland (formerly ARA), the trend has been broken. For the first time since 2012, homelessness is increasing again.

At the end of 2024, 3,806 homeless people were registered in Finland. Particularly alarming is the increase in rough sleeping – people sleeping outdoors, in stairwells, or in temporary shelters. A total of 649 people lived under these conditions, which is 230 more than the previous year.

However, the figures are only indicative, as homelessness is difficult to measure exactly. A person who sleeps at an acquaintance’s place one night may be forced to sleep on the street or in a stairwell the next night.

“Very alarming”

Emergency housing units report a sharp increase in young people falling outside society’s support measures and being forced to sleep on the street.

Jussi Lehtonen, service manager at the organization Vailla vakinaista asuntoa (Without Permanent Housing), has worked with homelessness issues for over 30 years. He sees the increasing youth homelessness as particularly worrying.

— It’s very alarming, because young people have their whole lives ahead of them. It shows for years afterward if they end up in that situation. And it would be very important to get them out of that situation quickly, says Lehtonen.

He believes that homelessness is often a consequence of too few affordable homes combined with cuts in benefit systems, which has made it harder for people with small incomes to manage financially.

— Ending up on the street is harmful in many different ways. For some, homelessness becomes chronic. The social network is reformed, and you have quite a lot to do with people who are on the street. Anyone understands that’s not good, Lehtonen states.

Majority in Iceland wants to separate church and state

Published 18 October 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Church in Hof, Iceland.
1 minute read

Just over half of Icelanders support a separation of church and state, according to a new survey from polling institute Prósent. Support is strongest in the capital region and among young voters.

In Iceland, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland (Þjóðkirkjan) is a state church and holds a special status under the country’s constitution. Approximately 58.6 percent of Icelanders belong to this church.

In the survey, which included 2,000 Icelanders, 52 percent stated they support a separation between church and state, while 21 percent oppose it. An additional 27 percent indicated they are neither for nor against, reports RUV, Iceland’s national broadcaster.

In the Reykjavik capital region, 58 percent support separation, compared to 39 percent in rural areas. Among the youngest respondents, support reaches 71 percent, while opinions in the oldest age group are evenly divided.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly.
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Dont miss another article!

Sign up for our newsletter today!

Take part of uncensored news – free from industry interests and political correctness from the Polaris of Enlightenment – every week.