Sweden

The Nobel Prize 2025 officially kicks off with the first award, for physiology or medicine, to be announced on Monday, setting the stage for a week of global anticipation.

The full schedule, spanning from October 6 to 13, maps out a rapid succession of announcements: medicine, followed by physics, chemistry, literature, peace, and finally culminating with the economics prize next Monday.

Here are the complete details of the schedule – and what to expect from this year’s Nobel Prizes.

What is the Nobel Prize?

The Nobel Prize is a set of the most prestigious international awards established by the will of Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist best known for discovering dynamite.

In his 1895 will, Nobel left the bulk of his fortune to fund annual prizes recognising those who “have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind” in the preceding year.

The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901 for outstanding achievement in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace.

In 1968, Sweden’s central bank, Sveriges Riksbank, established the Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, expanding the categories to six.

Who awards the Nobel Prizes, and how much is the prize money?

The prizes are awarded by different institutions: the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (for physics, chemistry, and economics), the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institutet (for medicine), the Swedish Academy (for literature), and the Norwegian Nobel Committee (for peace).

Each laureate receives a gold medal, a diploma, and a cash award funded by the Nobel Foundation, which manages Nobel’s endowment. This year’s prize amounts to 11 million Swedish kronor ($1.2m), and a shot at overnight fame for the recipients.

The prizes are formally presented on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death in 1896.

What is this year’s Nobel Prizes schedule?

The announcements will start on Monday, October 6, and will end a week later, on October 13.

Monday, October 6: Physiology or medicine

Announced by the Nobel Assembly at Karolinska Institutet, Wallenbergsalen, Nobel Forum, Solna, near Stockholm.

Tuesday, October 7: Physics

Announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm.

Wednesday, October 8: Chemistry

Announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm.

Thursday, October 9: Literature

Announced by the Swedish Academy, Stockholm.

Friday, October 10: Peace

Announced at the Norwegian Nobel Institute by the Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Monday, October 13: The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel

Announced by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm.

What is expected to dominate this year’s prizes?

Research into hormones that regulate appetite is leading speculation for this year’s Nobel Prize in medicine.

With more than a billion people worldwide affected by obesity, scientists behind the discovery of the hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) are seen as frontrunners. Their work paved the way for a new class of antiobesity and diabetes drugs, including Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, which have transformed global treatment approaches.

Experts say the likely honourees could include Jens Juul Holst, Joel Habener, Daniel Drucker, and Svetlana Mojsov, who were central to GLP-1’s discovery and development in the 1980s. Others point to Japanese researchers Kenji Kangawa and Masayasu Kojima for their work on ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite, potentially forming a scientific “bookend” to earlier breakthroughs like the discovery of leptin in 1994.

Beyond medicine, there are some popular physics contenders, with experts citing breakthroughs in metamaterials, including British physicist John Pendry’s work on the so-called “invisibility cloak”, a method for redirecting electromagnetic fields around objects.

Why is the Nobel Peace Prize being watched closely this year?

The world is fraught with conflict, including an ongoing genocide in Gaza and mounting humanitarian crises in Ukraine, with civil wars and political repression in several countries.

However, the headlines and debates about this year’s Nobel Peace Prize are rather outsized and focused on United States President Donald Trump, for his relentless self-promotion — at times, claiming to deserve it for “ending seven wars”.

At the United Nations, Trump told delegates that “everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize”. On September 30, Trump reiterated that he “deserved” to win the prize for the possibility of ending an eighth war, given that Israel ended its two-year-long war in Gaza.

However, experts have noted that his chances are slim. The Norwegian Nobel Committee typically focuses on the durability of peace, the promotion of international fraternity, and the quiet work of institutions that strengthen those goals, experts have argued.

This year’s nominations for Trump include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Pakistan’s government, though both were made after the deadline for the 2025 award.

One of the Nobel awarding bodies has also warned that academic freedom is under threat from the political interference by the Trump administration.

Ylva Engstrom, vice president of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the prizes for chemistry, physics and economics, said the Trump administration’s changes were reckless. ‘PILLAR OF DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM’ “I think in both the short and long term, it can have devastating effects,” she told the Reuters news agency in an interview. “Academic freedom … is one of the pillars of the democratic system.”

However, Engstrom is not herself on any of the three committees that will award the prizes for chemistry, physics, or economics.

What happens at the Nobel Prize ceremony?

Annually, on December 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death, the Nobel Prizes are formally awarded in twin ceremonies held in Stockholm and Oslo.

The Stockholm ceremony is attended by Sweden’s royal family, where laureates in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and economic sciences receive their medals and diplomas from the king of Sweden.

In Oslo, the Nobel Peace Prize is presented by the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee at the Oslo City Hall, honouring Nobel’s wish that the peace prize be awarded in Norway.

Laureates are individually called to the stage, where they receive the Nobel medal, diploma, and the monetary award. The ceremony also features speeches by committee chairs highlighting the significance of their discoveries or contributions.

The event is broadcast worldwide and followed by a lavish Nobel Banquet at Stockholm’s City Hall for more than 1,000 guests, including royal members, diplomats, scientists, and past laureates.

Who won these prizes last year?

Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun were awarded the 2024 prize for medicine for discovering microRNAs – tiny RNA molecules that regulate gene expression after transcription.

In physics, John J Hopfield and Geoffrey E Hinton received the prize for pioneering research that laid the theoretical and computational foundations of modern machine learning and artificial neural networks. While Hopfield’s models in the 1980s linked neuroscience and computation, Hinton’s work revolutionised deep learning, enabling advances in image recognition, natural language processing, and artificial intelligence (AI) systems.

In chemistry, the prize was shared by David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John M Jumper for breakthroughs in predicting and designing protein structures using computational models. Baker was honoured for developing algorithms that enable scientists to design new proteins with specific functions, while Hassabis and Jumper, from Google’s DeepMind, were recognised for creating AlphaFold, the AI system that predicted nearly all known protein structures with unprecedented accuracy.

In the literature category, the prize went to Han Kang, a South Korean novelist known for her haunting explorations of violence, identity, and collective memory. Best known internationally for novels The Vegetarian and Human Acts, Han was cited “for her intense poetic prose that confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life”.

In the peace category, the prize was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organisations, honouring its decades-long campaign to abolish nuclear weapons and preserve the testimony of Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors.

In economic sciences, Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A Robinson shared the prize for their analysis of how institutions shape long-term economic growth and inequality. Their collaborative research, including the seminal work Why Nations Fail, demonstrated that inclusive political and economic institutions, rather than geography or culture, determine prosperity.

A MAN was brutally gunned down while smoking outside a cafe during a shocking attack at a luxury Spanish resort.

Brit holidaymakers watched on in horror as the 25-year-old was gunned down in Puerto Banus on the popular Costa del Sol yesterday.

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The victim was caught unawares and shot from close range in broad daylight as he spoke on the phone and smoked on the cafe terrace.

CCTV footage seemingly shows the gunman disguised as a tourist with a baseball cap.

The killer is believed to have got out of a car before targeting his victim.

He can be seen approaching his target before opening fire and continuing to shoot him as he lays on the ground.

The injured man was rushed to the nearby Costa del Sol Hospital, but sadly died hours later despite the efforts of medics to save his life.

Local cops confirmed last night they had made an arrest.

A spokesman for the National Police said: “We can confirm a 38-year-old man has been arrested over the fatal shooting of another man in Puerto Banus.

“The investigation is ongoing and we cannot offer any more details at this stage.”

Cops said they couldn’t comment on the nationalities of the victim and the man held.

Unconfirmed local reports are pointing to both the alleged killer and the victim being Swedish passport holders.

Although another report describes the gunman as Afghan-born.

The shooting happened just after 1.30pm yesterday, when Puerto Banus was bustling with tourists.

Police confirmed the victim died at around 8.15pm local time.

This follows earlier reports he had been shot half a dozen times but was still alive and in hospital.

Shootings in Puerto Banus and surrounding areas over the past few summers have led to high-profile police operations.

This includes a number of raids on upmarket clubs following criticism from locals the port area has become like the ‘Wild West’.

Last June, Manchester City star Erling Haaland was caught up in a dramatic police raid at a beach club called Playa Padre in Marbella.

The Norwegian was filmed putting his hands into his pocket to pull out his ID after cops in balaclavas demanded to know who he was.

The surprise raid resulted in the arrest of an Iranian fugitive.

One of the shootings last year in Puerto Banus included a March 11 attack on British-run eatery La Sala.

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It led to the arrests in April of a British man and Irish national described by police as having links to organised crime.

Contract killers from Sweden have been blamed for an bout of violence around Europe, including the Costa del Sol.

Marbella has been dubbed the ‘United Nations of Crime’ because of the number of violent gangs operating there.

Bomb blasts on the famous coast in October 2018 led to the arrests of three ‘hitmen’ in Sweden and Marbella.

In a statement, Spanish National Police revealed the blasts had been linked to a criminal organistion of contract killers.

It read: “The investigations… linked the incidents to a criminal organisation of contract killers based in Sweden.

“This organisation is believed to be behind a number of violent incidents in Sweden in which explosives have been used.

“Several members of the organisation, all aged between 20 and 30, were identified and evidence established linking them to the bomb blasts.

“Two were in the Swedish city of Malmo where they were arrested in a well-planned police operation.

“The third individual was held in Marbella.”

The so-called Mocro Maffia have also been identified as a problem on the Costa del Sol.

A 17-year-old Belgian youngster working for the feared organisation was arrested last month.

The teen was accused of flying to the resort of Fuengirola to assassinate a Dutchman next to a cannabis club in December last year.

Police have described it as the first case in Spain in which an underage hitman was the main suspect.

Kerry Katona claimed she had U-turned on a decision to move to the famous Costa del Sol resort with her family.

She changed her mind on moving with then-fiancé Ryan Mahoney because she no longer felt safe following the violent incidents there.

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Paddling through the inky blue water in Stockholm’s outer archipelago, all I can see is scattered islands and birds. Some of the islands are mere skerries – rocky outcrops and reefs so small they can host but a single cormorant drying its outstretched wings – while others, such as our target Bullerön, can be a mile or more in length, with historic fishing huts, summer cottages and wooden jetties sitting among their smoothly weathered rocks and windswept forests.

I’m on a two-day sea kayaking tour of Nämdöskärgården, a newly established marine national park, which is a vast 25,000 hectares (62,000 acres) of protected, mostly blue space – it is 97% covered by water – beginning on the outer reaches of the archipelago and stretching well into the Baltic Sea.

It is Sweden’s second marine national park, alongside Kosterhavet on the west coast, and its creation was approved by Swedish parliament in June this year, a summer in which the country also banned bottom trawling – the destructive fishing practice that Sir David Attenborough has likened to “bulldozing a rainforest” – from its marine national parks and nature reserves by July 2026. It’s the first European country to do so (the UK appears to have rejected whole-site bans in more marine protected areas, despite its earlier pledge to extend these – much to the dismay of conservationists).

One of the challenges in getting people to care about ocean conservation is that it’s hard to engage with what we can’t see or experience directly, and the idea behind Nämdöskärgården is not just to preserve the area’s unique ecological diversity, but also to make it accessible to visitors in a low-impact way. Sea kayaking – a popular pastime for Swedes throughout the archipelago – is the perfect way to do that.

My guide Johan Montelius, from Stockholm Adventures, and I get dropped off by taxi boat on Jungfruskär, which, like many isles in the outer archipelago, is uninhabited. We haul our narrow yellow sea kayaks up on to rocks splattered with grey, green and bright orange lichen, and after a quick safety briefing, Johan shows me our route to Idöborg, an island just outside the marine national park, where we’ll spend the night. It’s a journey of around 5 miles, but he assures me the wind will help push us along in parts and we’ll make plenty of stops along the way.

We set off, and after a tricky first 50 metres of paddling into the wind, find ourselves nicely sheltered between two long islands. We settle into an easy, slow rhythm – perfect for tuning into the surrounding natural wonder. There is plenty of birdlife, mostly cormorants, gulls, herons and geese, but we also spot at least five different white-tailed eagles over the two-day trip, as well as a pine marten and a seal. The thing that excites me most, though, is the seaweed, which comes in a host of shades, even the russet colour of autumn leaves. It’s a sign of healthy waters, with the seaweed providing a great nursery for young fish as well as a vital carbon sink – something that absorbs more carbon from the atmosphere than it releases.

We paddle over wonderful seagrass meadows, which glisten when the sun breaks through the clouds, and extensive belts of bladder wrack, or blåstång, a dark green seaweed with air pockets. Because the water is so clear, I can see it is also home to lots of periwinkles and other shellfish.

We see no other boats or kayaks, partly because it’s a slightly wet and windy day in September – sunny days in July and August are a lot busier, Johan says – but also because with kayaks we can navigate narrow passages between islands that sail boats and other watercraft can’t. At times, we paddle through fields of high reeds, our route no more than the width of a footpath.

We stop for lunch on another deserted island, feasting on a delicious fish stew made by Johan the night before. Mindful of leaving no trace in an archipelago where I’ve not seen a speck of single-use plastic all day, we check the spot for litter meticulously before we head off.

The islands are beautiful, but they all look the same to me, so I’ve no idea how Johan is navigating so effectively – he only uses the GPS on his phone once, to check our final crossing to Idöborg as the wind picks up. We stash our kayaks in a sheltered sandy bay on the island and check into our cosy forest cabins, which have full A-frame views of the increasingly agitated ocean. Stockholm Adventures offers wild camping when the weather allows, but tonight I’m glad of a roof over my head.

Idöborg is a private island with dense forest, a range of cabin options, and a restaurant that serves tasty, seasonal local food – the jerusalem artichoke soup with seagrass pesto is incredible. It also has a sauna facing the water, with a wooden jetty that invites dipping in the soft, brackish water in between the waves of heat.

When we enjoy it at dusk, the sea still has plenty of energy, but the next morning things are calmer. Our 2.5-mile paddle out to Bullerön, the main island of the Bullerö archipelago, and one of the last islands before the open sea, passes in an easy, meditative haze.

The sun comes out, and we visit the former cottage and studio of the influential Swedish nature painter Bruno Liljefors, which now serves as an information centre for Nämdöskärgården, and walk the island’s stunning circuitous footpath. From the highest point, looking out east to the expanse of the Baltic Sea, it feels good to know this stretch of glistening ocean and all that lies beneath it will be protected.

Over breakfast on Idöborg, I chat to Ylva Tenselius, a Stockholm resident and consultant here on a work team-building trip. When she was growing up, her grandfather used to go out and catch cod all the time. “We would groan and say, ‘No more cod,’ when it was served at the dinner table,” she says, adding that she used to catch perch easily herself with a line, but now both are far less common. She welcomes the new marine park and its conservation goals. “We’ve seen the changes and now it’s time to protect it.”

When I get home to the UK, I call Charles Clover, co-founder of Blue Marine Foundation, an ocean conservation charity, which is campaigning for bottom trawling to be banned from all UK marine protected areas, to ask what he thinks about Nämdöskärgården. “Anything that protects breeding grounds for fish is a positive step,” he says. “The sea is in such a bad state, particularly the Baltic Sea, so I think these protected areas will bring enormous benefits. They will help repair the sea and help nature help itself.”

And he believes low-impact tourism, such as sea kayaking and hiking, can help with that process. “It creates a different use of nature, which is to enjoy it rather than to exploit, and that can only be a good thing.” I couldn’t agree more.

This trip was provided by Visit Sweden. A two-day kayak tour of the Stockholm archipelago with Stockholm Adventures costs 10,490 kronor (£830) for a group of up to four; other itineraries available. Idöborg forest cabins sleep two, from 2,000 kronor (around £160) a night.

Sam Haddad writes the newsletter Climate & Board Sports

German air force says its ‘quick reaction alert force’ was ordered by NATO to investigate Russian plane in neutral airspace.

Germany’s air force says it has scrambled two Eurofighter jets to track a Russian reconnaissance aircraft after it had entered neutral airspace over the Baltic Sea.

In a statement, the air force said its “quick reaction alert force” was ordered on Sunday by NATO to investigate an unidentified aircraft flying without a plan or radio contact.

“It was a Russian IL-20M reconnaissance aircraft. After visual identification, we handed over escort duties for the aircraft to our Swedish NATO partners and returned to Rostock-Laage,” it added.

The operation was conducted as NATO prepares to convene its North Atlantic Council on Tuesday to discuss a separate incident involving Russian jets over Estonia.

According to the Reuters news agency, that meeting is to address what Tallinn called an “unprecedented and brazen” violation of its airspace on Friday when three Russian MiG-31 fighters entered without permission and remained for 12 minutes before leaving.

The claim sparked condemnation from NATO and European governments, who called the incursion a “reckless” and “dangerous provocation”.

Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal requested urgent “NATO Article 4 consultations” on the “totally unacceptable” incursion. Article 4 allows NATO members to hold consultations with the alliance when any state believes its territorial integrity, political independence or security is under threat.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence denied the allegation while Estonia summoned Moscow’s charge d’affaires in protest.

Tensions have been heightened in recent weeks by a series of airspace violations along NATO’s eastern flank.

Romania said last week that its radar detected a Russian drone, prompting it to scramble fighter jets. Earlier this month, Poland reported that it had shot down several drones during a Russian aerial attack on Ukraine, marking the first time NATO forces have directly engaged in that conflict.

Ukraine has said the incidents show Moscow is testing the West’s resolve as the war is in its fourth year. Military analysts note that such incursions serve as intelligence-gathering operations, tests of NATO’s responses and pressure tactics designed to unsettle NATO members bordering Russia.

If you came to stay on the tiny island of Styrsö (steer-shuh) in the Gothenburg archipelago in the late 19th or early 20th century, there was a good chance it was because you had tuberculosis. The island had already begun to appeal to city folk who came here for fresh air, sea baths and peace, but the sanatoriums set up by the renowned Dr Peter Silfverskiöld gained such a positive reputation that the isle became known as a health resort. Those glory days have long since faded but Kusthotellet, a new hotel dedicated to wellbeing, aims to tap back into the restorative vibe.

The conditions that first drew health-seekers to the island still pertain. It’s tucked away and protected from winds, but the lack of high ground nearby means the sun shines on its southern coast from dawn to dusk, and there’s no pollution. “This island is such a peaceful place – you can really relax and recharge your batteries,” Malin Lilton, manager of Kusthotellet, told my companion and me. “As soon as you get on the ferry your pulse rate goes down and you start breathing in the good air.”

In the spirit of slowing down, we had come by train from the UK with Interrail passes, stopping for the night in Hamburg. Arriving in the late afternoon in Gothenburg, we wandered the old town before heading to Styrsö via tram to Saltholmen harbour and speedy catamaran ferry. City centre to island hotel in just under an hour.

Right on the coast with views across to neighbouring Donsö island, the 40-room, 10-suite hotel is a sleek creation, decorated in the cool, calming colours beloved by Scandinavians, with a light-filled restaurant, wellness area and outdoor heated pool. Our room, one of the 20 with sea views – is a spacious, uncluttered affair with a balcony.

The hotel is designed with sustainability in mind – there are ground-source heat pumps and water-based underfloor heating – and it’s aiming for Green Key sustainability status. And everything has been kept as local as possible, from the staffing and food ingredients to the seaweed and salt used in the spa.

That spa – named Havskuren (“The Sea Cure”) – is split into two areas. The Salt Source offers foot baths, facial treatments and an area for relaxing. The Heat Source contains a sauna, steam bath and plunge pool. There’s also a small gym. “We’re planning to offer massages soon as well,” Malin said.

Malin also explained that cycling, walking, sea swimming and eating are also important elements in guests’ wellbeing, and presented us with two shiny new hire bikes. The 0.6 square mile (1.5 sq km) island is virtually car-free and as we explored over three days, the only vehicles we met on the smooth narrow roads were bicycles, golf carts and three-wheeled mopeds that resembled motorised wheelbarrows.

One morning, having stocked up at the island Co-op, we pedalled off for a picnic lunch on Lilla Lyngnskär, a tiny islet accessible from Styrsö by footbridge. We still somehow had room for fika – coffees with a cinnamon bun and a mighty chokladbollar (Swedish chocolate ball) – at Café Öbergska, formerly an inn owned by pickled herring barons.

Our walks on the island’s wooded southern side included a memorable crepuscular hike on a footpath to a bronze age cairn at Stora Rös, the island’s highest point with a 360-degree vista across the southern Gothenburg archipelago. We shared the path down in the dark with scores of frogs, some no larger than our fingernails. Doubtless many would find their way into the stomachs of the herons we had seen hunting during the day.

Back at the hotel, we dined in the high-ceilinged restaurant with views over the water. The menu features Nordic-influenced seafood dishes such as scallops, cured halibut, plaice and hake, as well as wholesome vegan options using locally farmed vegetables. We tucked into beetroot, chanterelle and oyster mushroom starters followed by charred cabbage and toasted hazelnuts over a mouthwateringly creamy potato base – all delicious.

One evening, after dinner we tried out the spa. Malin handed us a nose-pleasing set of creams and lotions she had made herself, and we luxuriated in the foot-baths, sauna and steam room, suffered in a freezing plunge pool, and relaxed again in the heated outdoor pool with a view across the ocean to the sparkling lights of Donsö.

A bridge has joined Styrsö with this neighbour for just over 50 years, so the next day we cycled over it for an al fresco lunch at the harbourside Popsicle cafe, owned by Donsö-born sisters Kristin and Klara. Their mixture of ingredients grown by friends, tasty bread and cakes made by Klara’s mother-in-law and weekly live music has proved a hit. We returned to the harbour for a delicious dinner featuring jerusalem artichokes, butternut squash and a cauliflower sauce at Isbolaget, a high-ceilinged building that was once an ice store for fishing boats.

Our final slow day was dedicated to a seaweed safari (£118pp) with potter-turned-naturalist Karolina Martinson. We began with a historical cycle tour of the northern part of the island, home to most of Styrsö’s 1,600-strong population. Karolina led us leisurely up and down miniature hills sprinkled with well-kept detached wooden houses, no two alike.

Arriving at Karolina’s chosen beach, we slipped into wetsuits and clambered over rocks into the pleasingly clear and even warm-ish seawater. So followed our introduction to finger kelp, sugar kelp, fork weed, dulse, mermaid’s necklace and good old bladderwrack – all of them good for us or the planet or both. We snorkelled around, watching as Karolina showed us how she picks the plants sustainably.

Our exploration done, we helped to prepare a homemade feast on the beach – traditional bread thins cooked on a stove, tofu wrapped in crispy mermaid’s necklace, light-as-air biscuits made with foraged meadowsweet, sweet bites of sugar kelp and much more besides. When we said our goodbyes, many hours later, we felt like old friends.

All too soon we found ourselves at the dockside waiting for the ferry back to the reality of the outside world. After a few minutes, a woman joined us – bare-footed and apparently clad in nothing but a Kusthotellet spa robe. For all our newfound relaxed state, we clearly still had a lot to learn from the Swedes about how to be laidback.

The trip was supported by the West Sweden tourist board and Kusthotellet Styrsö (double rooms from about £130). Rail tickets were supplied by Interrail; a Global Pass (four days of travel in a month) costs £187 (ages 12-27), £249 (ages 28-59), £224 (60+).

Alexander Isak has been named in the Sweden squad despite not playing any football this season as he pushes to leave Newcastle.

Isak is among the 24 players named by Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson for World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Kosovo next month.

The 25-year-old is training away from his Newcastle team-mates after making clear he wants to join Liverpool despite having three years left on his contract.

Fellow striker Viktor Gyokeres, who scored his first two goals for Arsenal at the weekend, is also included in Tomasson’s squad.

The Sweden coach said: “I am very happy that Alexander Isak wants to be in the squad, he is a huge player.

“The situation he is in is not perfect and he has not trained with the team. But he is a player who can decide matches and he wants to be part of our squad. The World Cup is important for Alexander Isak.”

Liverpool have yet to make a fresh bid for Isak since an offer of £110m was rejected at the start of this month.

Isak has since released a statement on social media accusing Newcastle of breaking a promise to allow him to leave this summer.

The Magpies have denied making such a commitment and continue to insist Isak is not for sale.

Sweden’s landmark Kiruna Church begins a two-day journey to a new home, inching down an Arctic road to save its wooden walls from ground subsidence and the expansion of the world’s largest underground iron ore mine.

Workers have jacked up the 600-tonne, 113-year-old church from its foundations and hefted it onto a specially built trailer – part of a 30-year project to relocate thousands of people and buildings from the city of Kiruna in the region of Lapland.

Mine operator LKAB has spent the past year widening the road for the journey, which will take the red-painted church – one of Sweden’s largest wooden structures, often voted its most beautiful – 5km (3 miles) down a winding route to a brand new Kiruna city centre.

The journey, which begins on Tuesday, will save the church but remove it from the site where it has stood for more than a century.

“The church is Kiruna’s soul in some way, and in some way it’s a safe place,” Lena Tjarnberg, the vicar of Kiruna, said. “For me, it’s like a day of joy, but I think people also feel sad because we have to leave this place.”

For many of the region’s Indigenous Sami community, which has herded reindeer there for thousands of years, the feelings are less mixed. The move is a reminder of much wider changes brought on by the expansion of mining.

“This area is traditional Sami land,” Lars-Marcus Kuhmunen, chair of the local Gabna Sami community, said. “This area was grazing land and also a land where the calves of the reindeer were born.”

If plans for another nearby mine go ahead after the move, that would cut the path from the reindeer’s summer and winter pastures, making herding “impossible” in the future, he said.

“Fifty years ago, my great-grandfather said the mine is going to eat up our way of life, our reindeer herding. And he was right,” he added.

The church is just one small part of the relocation project.

What next?

LKAB says about 3,000 homes and approximately 6,000 people need to move. A number of public and commercial buildings are being demolished, while some, like the church, are being moved in one piece.

Other buildings are being dismantled and rebuilt around the new city centre. Hundreds of new homes, shops, and a new city hall have also been constructed.

The shift should allow LKAB, which produces 80 percent of the iron ore mined in Europe, to continue to extend the operation of Kiruna for decades to come.

The state-owned firm has brought up about two billion tonnes of ore since the 1890s, mainly from the Kiruna mine. Mineral resources are estimated at another six billion tonnes in Kiruna and nearby Svappavaara and Malmberget.

LKAB is now planning the new mine next to the existing Kiruna site.

Rare earth elements

As well as iron ore, the proposed Per Geijer mine contains significant deposits of rare earth elements – a group of 17 metals critical to products ranging from lasers to iPhones, and green technology key to meeting Europe’s climate goals.

Europe – and much of the rest of the world – is currently almost completely dependent on China for the supply and processing of rare earths.

In March this year, the European Union designated Per Geijer as a strategic project, which could help to speed up the process of getting the new mine into production.

About 5km (3 miles) down the road, Kiruna’s new city centre will also be taking shape.

“The church is … a statement or a symbol for this city transformation,” mayor Mats Taaveniku said. “We are right now halfway there. We have 10 years left to move the rest of the city.”

The hotel can be easily accessed by taking the train from Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen

Ever fancied a quick nap in one of IKEA’s cosy display bedrooms? Turns out, you can do just that. Travel influencer Chelsea Dickenson, known online as the ‘Holiday Expert’, recently visited the furniture store’s world-first hotel and shared her verdict on its facilities.

Aptly named IKEA Hotell, this accommodation is situated in Älmhult, Sweden, but can be accessed easily by taking the train from Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen. It boasts a lounge area, cinema, restaurant and even a museum, which hotel guests can enter for free.

“I went to the world’s only IKEA HOTEL with @thismorning,” Chelsea wrote on Instagram. “…What’s even better is that you can catch a direct 1 hour 45 min train from Copenhagen Airport for just £22.

“Plus, you could stay the night and then catch a direct train to Stockholm in three hours and make it into an epic Scandi train trip!” In general, Chelsea said that staying in a cabin costs £45 per night, while double rooms cost £100 and family spaces are priced at £125.

Various perks come with a stay at the hotel, too, including free laundry facilities, a gym, and a kids’ play area. Breakfast is also included in the price.

However, one aspect in particular blew Chelsea away. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this was the food, with meatballs and even a ‘luxury hotdog range’ available at different spots around the premises.

Chelsea continued: “Meatballs available at the hotel and the museum restaurant – but expect fancier fair at their ‘Grillen’ restaurant, though they have a luxury hotdog range!!”

She later added: “Honestly, I know I was there for work but I BLOODY LOVED IT and thought it was great value for what you got! Plus, I was blown away by the food at Grillen. It was really, really good and not as ££ as I thought it would be for Sweden!”

Chelsea’s review was quickly showered with intrigued comments from viewers. Some even confirmed personally that the IKEA hotel exceeded their expectations, describing it as far nicer than they had imagined.

One person wrote: “We have just returned from a Scandinavian holiday and we stayed here. We made a detour especially. It was so much better than we thought it would be.” Meanwhile, another person said: “I had a reservation there for autumn 2020 (so that never happened!) and it’s still on my bucket list.”

Someone else added: “This sounds like such an incredible adventure!” For those interested in learning more about Chelsea’s stay at the IKEA hotel, you can watch her full review on ITVX here.

Additional information is available at the IKEA Hotell website here.

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IKEA fans won’t have to wait much longer — the Swedish giant’s long-awaited new store will open its doors in just 48 hours.

The brand-new branch, located in Brighton’s Churchill Square Shopping Centre, takes over the former Debenhams site which has been empty since 2021.

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Shoppers will be able to step inside from 10am on Thursday, August 14 , to explore thousands of affordable homeware items, and tuck into the famous meatballs.

Spread across two floors and 6,695 square metres, the store will offer 2,600 products for immediate takeaway and access to the full 12,000-strong range via delivery or collection.

It’s the first full IKEA store in the city, meaning Brighton locals will no longer need to trek to Croydon or Southampton for the full shopping experience.

Bosses say the new shop has been created with the “city at its heart”, with displays inspired by local homes and Brighton’s seaside style.

Six roomsets have been co-created with residents, including ceramicists Adam Johnson and Dan Mackey, to show off colourful, space-saving ideas and a nod to the city’s famous beach huts.

Adam said: “We’ve always loved IKEA because it’s like an interiors disco – and what’s life without a little sparkle?”

The first floor houses a 100-seat Swedish Deli serving meatballs, plantballs and sweet treats, all with sweeping sea views.

The Swedish Food Market will sell ingredients and snacks to enjoy at home.

On the ground floor, bargain hunters can snap up pre-loved and discontinued items in the Re-shop & Re-use area.

There’s also a home planning hub where shoppers can get one-to-one help designing kitchens or bedroom storage.

Quick bites and drinks will be available at the Swedish Bite kiosk.

Market Manager Karina Gilpin said: “Our city centre location in Churchill Square means customers can conveniently drop in while out and about, to seek inspiration for their homes, browse our range, access our expert planning advice, or enjoy our delicious meatballs or plantballs.”

To celebrate the launch, the first 100 IKEA Family Members through the doors will get a blue FRAKTA bag with a mystery gift card worth between £1 and £1,000.

Brighton will be IKEA’s third city-centre store in the UK, following Oxford Street and Hammersmith in London.

The opening is part of the retailer’s push for smaller, high street-friendly locations, moving away from giant out-of-town warehouses.

The Churchill Square store will open 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 5pm on Sundays.

Where is my closest Ikea?

A quick way of figuring out if you have an Ikea store near you is by using the retailer’s locator tool on its website.

You just have to enter the town or city where you live, or your postcode and it will pull up the nearest site.

The same page has a helpful map showing where all of the 21 current stores are located.

Below we reveal the full list of Ikea stores in the UK:

• Croydon
• Hammersmith
• Greenwich
• Lakeside
• Wembley
• Birmingham (Wednesbury)
• Nottingham
• Bristol
• Cardiff
• Exeter
• Belfast
• Manchester
• Warrington
• Edinburgh
• Gateshead
• Glasgow
• Leeds
• Sheffield
• Milton Keynes
• Reading
• Southampton

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I moved to Stockholm from London for work a decade ago. As a newcomer with a passion for nature, I remember being eager to soak up the region’s archipelago of 30,000 islands and rocky outposts. But I was overwhelmed by complex public ferry timetables to dozens of places ending in the letter “ö” (the Swedish word for island) and uninterested in pricey cruise boats packed with tour groups.

Then a former flatmate recommended Nynäshamn, which is on the mainland but embodies much of the nature and spirit of Stockholm’s archipelago. It’s home to a tasteful waterfront of colourfully painted bars and restaurants and a harbour packed with boats every summer, from simple dinghies to luxury yachts. Beyond, you can look across a clean, calm stretch of Baltic Sea, towards the island of Bedarön, flanked by pine trees and a smattering of dark red detached houses.

England defender Esme Morgan discusses making her Euro 2025 debut in the victory over Sweden – and reveals what went through her head when the Lionesses were 2-0 down.

READ MORE: Resilience, luck and subs – England’s winning formula

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Sweden captain Kosovare Asllani says they “don’t fear” England as the teams prepare to meet in the Euro 2025 quarter-finals on Thursday.

Defending champions England are ranked fifth in the world, just one place above Sweden, who finished top of their group.

Peter Gerhardsson’s side picked up the maximum nine points, ending their group games with an impressive 4-1 win over Germany.

Following England’s 6-1 victory over Wales, midfielder Ella Toone told ITV Sport Sweden “should be scared” – but Asllani disagrees.

“We respect England, the team they have and everything they have achieved so far. But fear? No. We don’t have the word fear in our dictionary,” said Asllani.

“We look up the word courage. Of course you have to respect one of the best sides in the world but we have the perfect gameplan for this match.

“We want to achieve the football we want to represent. In our minds there is only one outcome and that is to win the game.”

Sweden have been one of the standout performers in the tournament and England captain Leah Williamson said they “deserved a little bit more recognition”.

Alongside England and France, Sweden have reached the quarter-finals at all five major tournaments since 2017.

“I feel like Sweden are always flying under the radar. It kind of suits us,” said London City Lionesses midfielder Asllani.

“Obviously we think we’re one of the best teams in the world from what we have been doing. But people rarely speak about us as [a team] who can win gold.

“We know we can beat any team in the world when we have our best day. People should definitely talk about us more.”

The group stages showed the best and the worst of England as France exploited their defensive frailties and kicked them into gear for the remaining two matches.

Bruised by their opening defeat, the Lionesses vowed to do their talking on the pitch – and they did.

Emphatic victories against the Netherlands and Wales followed as they finished runners-up in the group, avoiding a heavyweight quarter-final tie with Germany in the process, and a potential meeting with world champions Spain or hosts Switzerland in the semi-finals.

Where they finished in the group did not concern manager Sarina Wiegman – outwardly at least – but she was pleased with the “urgency” that the France loss gave them.

“That really brought us together and everyone really wanted to perform and be successful,” she said.

“In the Netherlands game, we really created urgency and momentum by playing really well and to our strengths.

“With that loss, the urgency came and I think the team really responded well. Now hopefully we can show that again against Sweden.”

England were dominant in their wins over the Netherlands and Wales, scoring 10 goals in the process, and displaying some of their best free-flowing football.

Lauren James stood out with her individual quality, Ella Toone proved her worth in the starting XI and Alessia Russo was the glue up top.

“It doesn’t seem it at the time but [losing to France] was probably the best thing that could have happened to us as a team and it motivated us,” said England forward Beth Mead.

“We had hard conversations, we figured things out. You don’t win or lose a tournament in the first game.

“Now we are in a position where we are building quite nicely.”

Midfielder Keira Walsh said their “slow start” may have “kicked them into gear” but they found confidence and bravery that had been lacking in Zurich.

It would have been a huge disappointment had England failed to qualify for the knockout stages but having progressed from the toughest group in the tournament, Georgia Stanway said it was something worth celebrating.

“There have been many days in this tournament where we could have been going home. To be staying a few more days is something we can be proud of,” she added.