Friday, September 5, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Finns remain the happiest people in the world

Published 21 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Many Finns experience a strong sense of freedom in their lives.
2 minute read

Finland has once again been named the happiest country in the world, according to a new report. The top four places in the ranking are all held by Nordic countries.

Since 2012, the World Happiness Report has measured happiness globally, based on factors such as life expectancy, corruption, GDP per capita, social support and the freedom of individuals to make their own decisions. In addition, around 1,000 participants from 140 countries rate their quality of life on a scale of 0 to 10 by answering over 100 questions.

Finland was named the happiest country in the world for the eighth consecutive year. The report gives the country an average score of 7.736.

Denmark and Iceland ranked second and third with an average score of 7.521 and 7.515 respectively. Sweden follows in fourth place with a score of 7.345, while Norway is the lowest-ranked Nordic country at seventh place.

Strong sense of freedom

Finland’s top ranking is explained by its strong economy, well-functioning social security, good family and friendship relations, high life expectancy and low corruption.

Finns generally have a high level of trust in both the authorities and each other. In addition, many feel a strong sense of freedom, especially when it comes to life choices.

– Finnish society is very flexible when it comes to life transitions. This is one of the keys to a happy life, says University of Helsinki researcher Jennifer De Paola, according to Finnish public broadcaster Yle.

“The word happiness confuses people”

She also points out that it is more about contentment than pure happiness.

– The use of the word happiness confuses people. We often wonder how Finns can be the happiest when they are not even smiling.

Among the countries ranked lowest in the report are Lebanon, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Yemen. Afghanistan is at the bottom of the list as the world’s least happy country.

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Counterfeit Labubu dolls seized at Scandinavian customs

Published today 10:02
– By Editorial Staff
In Norway and Sweden, nearly 3,000 dolls have been stopped in recent months.
2 minute read

Thousands of Labubu dolls have been seized by Swedish and Norwegian customs. In several cases, authorities have confirmed these are counterfeit copies, while other cases are still under investigation.

The Chinese collectible doll Labubu has gained massive popularity worldwide. Labubu is a character from “The Monsters” book series, created by Hong Kong-born illustrator Kasing Lung in 2015. In 2019, Chinese toy company Pop Mart acquired the rights to sell dolls based on the illustrator’s monster character.

However, it wasn’t until a few years later that these dolls exploded in popularity, largely attributed to K-pop star Lisa from BLACKPINK showcasing her doll on social media. Since then, the Labubu doll has created chaos around itself, becoming such popular collectibles that they sell out immediately.

In 2024, for example, Pop Mart saw both a 100 percent increase in profits and a 726 percent increase in sales of Labubu dolls alone, according to The New York Times.

Due to the dolls selling out immediately, a strong black market has emerged around Labubu, along with pirated variants – often called Lafufu. In the United Kingdom, authorities have stopped hundreds of thousands of dolls at customs in recent months alone.

Substandard quality

Now Labubu dolls have also reached Scandinavian customs, reports Swedish public broadcaster SVT. In Norway, authorities have stopped a total of 1,500 dolls so far. At Swedish customs, 1,205 dolls have been seized since May this year.

“We see on the internet that a doll can cost up to 6000 SEK (€550)”, says Per Kristian Grandahl from Norwegian customs.

In Sweden, authorities have already confirmed that some of the dolls were counterfeit and could therefore pose a danger, leading to them being sent back. Lafufu dolls can be of inferior quality where small parts risk coming loose. The Swedish Chemicals Agency has ordered pirated dolls to be sent to laboratories for testing of hazardous substances.

Stubb’s warning: “We will lose to the global South”

Published 3 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Finnish President Alexander Stubb warns that the Western world is losing influence to Asia.
3 minute read

As the SCO alliance brings together major powers like India, China and Russia, Finnish President Alexander Stubb sees how a new world order is taking shape. Finland’s president warns that the West’s response – punitive tariffs and confrontation – only accelerates the historic shift in power.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb is calling for a more “dignified” and cooperative foreign policy toward the global South. His message is particularly directed at the US and comes at a sensitive time – amid the harshest trade tensions in years between Washington and New Delhi.

— My message, not only to my European colleagues, but especially to the United States, is that if we don’t derive a more cooperative and dignified foreign policy towards Global South, the likes of India, we are going to lose this game, Stubb said.

The president pointed to the recently held summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated alongside leaders from China and Russia.

— The meeting is a good reminder to all of us in the global west of what is at stake. We’re trying to preserve the remnants of the old order, he stated.

Close ties with Trump

Stubb’s statement carries extra weight because he is considered to have unusually good relations with President Trump, and the two bonded during a seven-hour golf round at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in March.

Trump has called Stubb a “young, powerful man” and said that: “we wanted to have you here because you are somebody that we all respect”.

Jan Hallenberg from the Swedish Institute of International Affairs tells news agency AFP that Stubb’s position is unique:

— Among small countries, there is no equivalent whatsoever. Stubb has gained unique access to Trump that no one else from a smaller European country has ever had.

In August, Stubb accompanied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House for talks about the war with Russia.

Trump defends the tariffs

The warning from Finland’s president comes as the US has just imposed 50 percent punitive tariffs on Indian imports – half motivated by India’s oil purchases from Russia. The tariffs, which took effect on August 27, particularly impact India’s textile and diamond industries and are defended by Trump himself.

— We get along with India very well, but for many years it was a one-sided relationship… India was charging us tremendous tariffs, the highest in the world, the president said, highlighting how American motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson could no longer sell its products in India due to a 200 percent tariff on motorcycles.

— So what happens? Harley Davidson went to India and built a motorcycle plant. Now they don’t have to pay tariffs.

With India increasingly turning eastward and strengthening ties with China and Russia, Stubb’s warning seems to be about more than just trade volumes but about the West’s future political influence in a world where the balance of power is rapidly shifting.

Malmö schools to block social media

Published 3 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
As mobile restrictions have been implemented, students have started browsing social media using school computers instead.
1 minute read

Social media will be blocked on all school computers in elementary schools in Malmö, Sweden. The implementation is a pilot project to see if it counteracts harassment in schools and provides increased study peace.

It began when a special education teacher raised alarm about students’ use of social media during class time, where she emailed some concrete suggestions to the city of Malmö. This then led to an investigation into students’ digital work environment with a focus on social media.

Now the city of Malmö has decided to block social media on students’ school computers. The platforms being blocked are Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Google Chat, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Roblox, Discord and Threads. The blocking applies both during and after school hours.

Most schools today have introduced some form of mobile phone restrictions. But young people are very resourceful and find new ways, so they have replaced phones with computer, says Malmö’s education commissioner Sara Wettergren from the Liberal Party to the Bonnier publication DN.

During the investigation, teachers were positive about the blocking, but not all students were completely satisfied. However, they now hope for more study peace in schools and also that it could lead to fewer instances of harassment.

The pilot project will run throughout the 2025/2026 school year and will then be evaluated.

Swedish preschool chain extracts millions – children get less butter

Welfare collapse

Published 2 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Tax funds finance preschool – butter is portioned out in the smallest possible amounts.
2 minute read

The Swedish preschool company Hagvidson has extracted millions in profits in recent years. Meanwhile, the company is rationing butter and sandwich toppings for preschool children.

Hagvidson currently owns over 21 preschools across Sweden, including facilities in Falun, Stockholm, and Uppsala. The preschool company has grown significantly in recent years and has purchased ten new preschools during this period. During the same timeframe, the owners – three men from the Örebro region in central Sweden – have extracted €6 million in dividend payments.

The men have taken director fees and salaries totaling around €900,000, which is primarily based on tax funds and municipal preschool funding.

Despite the million-euro profits, the company is strict about imposing restrictions on the children, according to an investigation by the Schibsted newspaper Aftonbladet. The restrictions primarily concern children eating too much sandwich toppings, but also include limits on paper towel usage for both staff and children.

We need to think about how much butter we put on the sandwiches and the amount of toppings – more is being used than usual right now. If we want to keep using Bregott (a popular Swedish butter-margarine blend), we need to be mindful of this”, states a protocol sent to employees, which the newspaper obtained.

Half a cheese slice

One solution from the preschool company is for adults at the table to portion out the butter to ensure children don’t take too much from the package themselves. Furthermore, only one topping per sandwich is allowed, something that employees at one of the preschools also confirm.

The children get half a cheese slice or half a thin slice of turkey on their sandwich and eat a maximum of two slices of bread – one soft and one hard per day – yet this still seems to be too much, the educator tells Aftonbladet.

Hagvidson’s CEO Michael Enghag declined an interview regarding the children’s restrictions on sandwich toppings, citing the company’s “communication policy”.

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