BAGHDAD—Protesters angered by an Iraqi man in Sweden who threatened to burn a copy of the Quran stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad early Thursday, overrunning the diplomatic compound and starting a fire. Hours later, Iraq’s prime minister cut diplomatic ties with Sweden in protest over the desecration of the Islamic holy book. Protesters occupied…

ROME—Rescue crews recovered a second body Monday in a search for two Swedish skiers who were caught in an avalanche near Mont Blanc on Italy’s northern border with France, authorities said. Two people who were part of the group of four off-piste skiers survived Sunday’s avalanche in the Val Veny, above Courmayeur, and had sounded…

COPENHAGEN, Denmark—Sweden’s top court on Monday rejected an extradition request for a man wanted by Turkey, saying the Scandinavian country does not criminalize the act he is accused of committing. In a statement, the Swedish Supreme Court said there were “obstacles to extradition because it is a matter of so-called political crimes, i.e. crimes that…

COPENHAGEN—Swedish fashion giant H&M on Wednesday became the first big European retailer to start laying off staff in response to the cost of living crisis despite a still tight labor market, as it tries to save 2 billion Swedish crowns ($190 million) a year. The move by the world’s No.2 fashion retailer to reduce mainly…

STOCKHOLM—Swedish authorities arrested two people on suspicion of espionage in a predawn operation Tuesday in the Stockholm area. The authorities gave few details about the case, but Swedish media cited witnesses who described elite police rappelling from two Black Hawk helicopters to arrest a couple that had allegedly spied for Russia. Sweden’s Prosecution Authority said…

STOCKHOLM—H&M, the world’s No.2 fashion retailer, launched a 2 billion Swedish crown ($177 million) cost savings drive on Thursday after reporting weaker-than-expected profits. In Europe, where H&M does the bulk of its business, the Ukraine conflict, record energy prices and high inflation are weighing on consumer confidence, and households are cutting back on spending. The…

STOCKHOLM—H&M, the world’s second-biggest fashion retailer, reported a forecast-beating 33 percent increase in March-May profit on Wednesday as shoppers flocked to its stores in the aftermath of the pandemic. The Swedish company reported a pretax profit of 4.78 billion crowns ($471 million) for its fiscal second quarter, up from 3.59 billion a year earlier. Analysts…

The concept behind a meatball is fairly simple: it’s just ground meat rolled into a ball and cooked. But just like with bread and dumplings, just about every culture has put its own twist on this dinnertime staple. And while some lesser-known meatball recipes might make the list of vintage foods no one makes anymore, Swedish and Italian…

Swedish double Olympic speed skating champion Nils van der Poel has donated one of his gold medals to Chinese-born Swedish citizen Gui Minhai, an author and a bookseller who is serving a prison term in China. The skater, who won the 5,000 meter event at the Beijing Olympics and then broke the world record during…

STOCKHOLM—Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia have tested positive for COVID-19, the palace said in a statement on Tuesday. “The King and Queen, who are fully vaccinated with three injections, have mild symptoms and are feeling well, given the circumstances,” the palace said in a statement. The palace said the king, 75, and…