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Thursday, June 5, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/denmark-considers-border-controls-with-sweden-after-wave-of-violence/

The Nordics

Denmark considers border controls with Sweden after wave of violence

Published 9 August 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Peter Hummelgaard at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard (S) says he is “not ruling out anything” to stop violent crime “imported” from Sweden.

Recently, several cases have come to light where teenagers with Swedish citizenship have committed crimes in Denmark. One solution now being considered is to introduce border controls in the hope of curbing crime.

– If the police assess that the situation requires the use of completely new tools for a shorter or longer period of time because of the situation, then I think we should definitely be open to that, the minister told Danish TV2.

The statement comes after a man and a woman – both 24 years old – were arrested by Swedish police on suspicion of being behind a kiosk bombing in Copenhagen. The two were extradited by Copenhagen police.

It was unclear Wednesday morning whether the two were Swedish citizens, but the arrest is the fourth in a short time in which criminals from Sweden have traveled to Denmark to commit acts of violence – the other three cases involve shootings.

– All these incidents reflect the fact that there are currently conflicts going on in criminal circles on the other side of Öresund, where it is quite obvious that Sweden can use completely different methods than what we have seen so far in Denmark, due to a more sophisticated criminal culture on the other side of the strait, Hummelgaard continues, calling the wave of violence a “huge challenge”.

Danish police sent to Sweden

This includes the arrest of a 17-year-old Swedish citizen for shooting and wounding an 18-year-old with a semi-automatic pistol in Frederiksberg, and the arrest of a 16-year-old Swedish citizen for attempted murder in connection with another shooting in Copenhagen last week.

On the same day, another 17-year-old Swedish citizen was arrested after a shooting in Kolding. According to Danish TV2, there have been 11 other cases of Swedish citizens involved in serious violence in Denmark in less than a year.

The Minister of Justice also promises to intensify cooperation with the Swedish police and to place a Danish police officer permanently in Sweden to “ensure even more permanent and effective intelligence cooperation”.

It should also be noted that there are currently border controls when entering Sweden from Denmark – but not in the opposite direction.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-prime-minister-linked-to-adoptions-of-kidnapped-children/

Sweden

Swedish prime minister linked to adoptions of kidnapped children

Published yesterday 16:55
– By Editorial Staff
Ulf Kristersson is accused of ignoring - or silencing - alerts about human trafficking and widespread corruption linked to international adoptions.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

International adoptions have long been marred by scandal. A government inquiry has confirmed serious abuse and legal uncertainty, and several left-wing activists are accusing Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of personal responsibility for ignoring warnings about child trafficking and corruption.

The Nordic TImes recently reported that government investigator Anna Singer is proposing a total ban on international adoptions to Sweden. The proposal comes after a government inquiry found that the practice has been marred by widespread abuses for a long time.

Social Services Minister Camilla Waltersson Grönvall has also acknowledged that it is clear that “children and parents have suffered and been harmed for decades within the framework of international adoption”. The conclusion is that the system has neither been able to protect children nor functioned in a legally secure manner.

Kristersson is also being criticized for his role in a system that allowed the adoption of children from Asia – children who in many cases are suspected of having been kidnapped from their families before being brought to the West. This has been highlighted by Fria Tider, among others.

Adoptions from China doubled

Ulf Kristersson was chairman of Adoptionscentrum (AC) between 2003 and 2005 – a period when the number of adoptions from China to Sweden doubled. Almost all children adopted from China came from similar backgrounds: they were reported to have been found abandoned on the street, with no known names or identities.

More than 20 years ago, Dagens Nyheter reported that Chinese children were being bought from hospitals and then sold on, including to Swedish adoptive families. According to DN’s investigation, this was happening on an organized scale.

The Adoptionscentrum’s then information officer, Margret Josefsson, has stated that this information was also passed on to Kristersson – without any action being taken.

Accusations of a cover-up

Adopted Korean race activist and Expo founder Tobias Hübinette writes in DN Debatt that Kristersson was warned on several occasions about suspected human trafficking from China and Chile – but chose to silence the information.

“Adoptionscentrum assured adoptive parents who had already adopted Chinese children, as well as prospective parents who were in the process of adopting from China, that the adoptions were above board”.

“During Kristersson’s chairmanship, international adoption peaked worldwide with around 40,000 adoptions to some 20 Western countries per year, mainly due to adoptions from China. However, as early as the 2000s, journalists and authorities in China revealed that international adoptions had degenerated into child trafficking, and Kristersson was aware of this, but nevertheless chose to allow AC (Adoptionscentrum) to double the number of adoptions from China to Sweden, and he himself has adopted three children from China”, he previously wrote on his blog.

Kristersson has also been accused of obstructing a government investigation into corruption in international adoptions. Among other things, the investigation wanted to limit aid and private “gifts” which, according to reports, were used as bribes in the countries of origin.

“Will he be held accountable?”

Left-wing activist and former Expo editor Lisa Bjurwald has also criticized Kristersson. In an editorial in VLT, she writes:

“Despite the alarms about stolen children, Ulf Kristersson allowed the trafficking of foreign children to not only continue but increase to its highest levels ever“.

“What exactly did he know – and will he be held accountable?” she asks.

Bjurwald points out that it is difficult to determine exactly how much Kristersson knew about the suspected human trafficking and illegal adoptions. However, she believes it is clear that the adoptions during this period were not always carried out in an ethically defensible manner, and that it was not ensured that each child was actually in need of a new family.

“It is not only the adopted men and women who need answers, but the entire Swedish people. Every dirty aspect of international adoptions must be brought to light”, she concludes.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/10000-children-living-in-homelessness-the-swedish-model-has-collapsed/

Sweden

10,000 children living in homelessness: “The Swedish model has collapsed”

Welfare collapse

Published yesterday 10:55
– By Editorial Staff
In Sweden, homeless people are not only those living on the streets - but several groups who do not have a long-term home.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Nearly 10,000 children are living in homelessness in Sweden, according to the latest report from Sveriges Stadsmissioner (Sweden’s City Missions). The organization warns that the actual number may be significantly higher and is now calling for bold political action to reverse the trend.

– We need major national reforms, says Jonas Rydberg, Secretary General of Sveriges Stadsmissioner, in an interview with TT.

Sveriges Stadsmissioner’s annual homelessness report paints a bleak picture, especially for children and young people. Almost 10,000 children do not have a safe home, and according to the National Board of Health and Welfare’s survey from 2024, at least 9,400 children are affected. However, experts believe that the reality is likely to be much bleaker than this.

– There is a large number of unreported cases, as the National Board of Health and Welfare also notes in its report. This is because many groups do not end up in the statistics. If you terminate your lease before you are evicted, you do not end up in the eviction statistics, Jonas Rydberg explains.

“The Swedish model has collapsed”

He believes that much of the problem stems from inadequate housing policy and argues that today’s housing market is not adapted to modern living conditions, especially for single parents.

– We don’t live the same way we did 50 years ago. But the housing market hasn’t kept up. It’s not unusual to be a single parent living in an apartment. Many of the people who come to us can’t afford a long-term rental contract; we’ve seen this for a long time.

The secretary general also criticizes the Swedish model of housing provision, which is based on general policy rather than targeted measures.

– Sweden’s housing policy is based on general housing provision without any special measures. If you are on a low income, there should be supplements such as housing benefits, and there should be a variety of apartments available. But it doesn’t work. Other countries have increasingly moved towards targeted measures, such as building apartments with lower rents or, in some cases, the state stepping in to subsidize rents.

– We can see that the Swedish model has collapsed. Housing benefits have been depleted for a long time. Net wages for certain groups have not kept pace. What is being built is not affordable, and not everyone has access to the housing stock. That is the big problem, he adds.

Passive politicians

The government has launched a homelessness strategy and tasked the National Board of Health and Welfare with investigating the increase in evictions and proposing measures. But Sveriges Stadsmissioner believe that this is not enough.

– The problem is that it’s piecemeal politics; it has no impact. Politicians listen, but they are unable to take joint action across party lines, says Jonas Rydberg.

The organization is therefore calling for more comprehensive measures, including more affordable housing and increased housing subsidies, so that vulnerable and economically disadvantaged families also have a chance at security and stability in their lives.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The National Board of Health and Welfare's definition of homelessness includes four different situations:

1. Acute homelessness
The person is in an immediate emergency situation and is staying overnight in shelters, emergency accommodation, shelters or similar. This includes those sleeping outdoors, in stairwells, public places, cars, tents or other temporary places without a roof over their heads.

2. Institutionalization or supported housing
The individual is staying in, for example, a correctional facility, residential care home (HVB), SiS institution, foster home, or supported housing, and is scheduled to leave within three months—but has no permanent housing to move to. It also includes those who should have already left but remain due to a lack of housing.

3. Long-term housing solutions via the municipality
The person lives in accommodation arranged by the municipality, such as a training apartment, reference apartment or social contract. These accommodations are temporary solutions for people who cannot enter the regular housing market, often with special rules or supervision.

4. Self-arranged but temporary accommodation
The person lives without a contract with friends, relatives or acquaintances, or has a short-term contract as a lodger or subtenant. This often happens after the individual has sought help from social services for their housing situation.

https://nordictimes.com/culture/woman-and-dog-found-in-norwegian-viking-grave/

Culture

Woman and dog found in Norwegian Viking grave

Published 3 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The grave was only about 30 centimeters below the surface, near a garage.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Archaeologists in Norway have uncovered the grave of a woman buried alongside a dog in a Viking-era boat burial. The woman is believed to have been a person of importance, as boat graves were a sign of high status during the Viking Age.

Norwegian hobbyists Stig Rune Johannessen and Nils Arne Solvold were out with their metal detectors about two years ago in a field in southeastern Norway when they discovered two oval brooches – common during the Viking Age – along with bone fragments. When archaeologists later examined the site, they dated the brooches to between 900 and 950 AD. Excavation of the grave began last week, confirming it to be a Viking boat burial.

Although the boat was poorly preserved, archaeologists determined it had been about 5.4 meters long. In the center of the boat were the remains of a woman, and at her feet lay the skeleton of a dog.

– Whether it was a pet or served a practical function, we’re not entirely sure yet. But one can imagine that it was an animal of significance to her in life, Anja Roth Niemi, researcher and head of the department of administrative archaeology at the Arctic University Museum of Norway, told the Norwegian state broadcaster NRK.

The woman was buried with a number of grave goods: an iron sickle, a slate whetstone, a possible bronze earring, two disc-shaped beads that may be amber, and what appears to be a weaving sword made from whale bone.

A Unique Find

The grave was just 30 centimeters below the surface, near a garage. It was a so-called flat-ground grave, meaning it lacked a burial mound, which was more typical in Viking times. These types of graves are particularly valuable to researchers because they are often undisturbed.

– Flat-ground graves are quite exciting because they often escape notice, as they’re not visible on the surface, Niemi explained.

The next step is to analyze the remains to learn more about the woman’s life, her health, and the society she lived in. Researchers also hope to identify the breed of dog buried with her and determine how it died. However, archaeologists are fairly confident that the woman belonged to the upper ranks of society.

– Being buried in a boat alone suggests she was a special person. And the grave goods indicate she held fairly high status – at least locally, and possibly regionally, Niemi said.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/denmark/welfare-may-be-sacrificed-as-denmark-ramps-up-military-spending/

Denmark

Welfare may be sacrificed as Denmark ramps up military spending

The new cold war

Published 3 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has pledged to invest billions of euros in upgrading the country's military forces.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Denmark is preparing to significantly increase its defense spending to meet NATO’s new targets – but the bill will be steep.

According to estimates from Aarhus University, the upgrade will require an additional 90 billion DDK (€12 billion) on top of current levels. The question now is where the money will come from – and what will have to be sacrificed in return.

– This will be something that individual Danes will actually notice, Bo Sandemann Rasmussen, professor of economics at Aarhus University, told TV 2.

After a summit in Vilnius, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that Denmark is ready to increase its defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP and allocate an additional 1.5 percent to other security-related activities such as cybersecurity, border protection, and coastal defense.

In total, five percent of the country’s gross domestic product would go to security – more than double the current target of two percent.

But according to the professor, this would require an additional DDK 90 billion (€12 billion) in the budget – money that can hardly be found in the so-called economic reform space.

– It seems increasingly unlikely that we can count on covering 90 billion, he estimates.

Cuts in welfare?

Denmark has already significantly increased its defense spending since the war in Ukraine began, reaching around 2.4 percent of GDP in 2023 – equivalent to €9 billion. But to reach five percent, significantly more is needed – and that will have consequences.

– The population is aging, which requires more resources for public services. If we want to maintain today’s level of service, we will probably need to find new sources of funding, says the economist.

He believes that the political choice now is between cutting public spending or raising taxes, for example by introducing a special war tax.

– It’s hard to see how we wouldn’t need a tax increase to reach 90 billion. After all, it’s a very large sum.

“Other things we can’t afford”

To put the figure into perspective, Denmark spent an equivalent of €21 billion on education and €2 billion on the police in 2023. A €12 billion upgrade is therefore equivalent to six times the entire police budget.

– If the amount is lower than that, it may be more realistic to finance it, but then there are other things we cannot afford, explains Rasmussen.

A formal decision on the new defense targets is expected at the NATO summit in The Hague at the end of June. Until then, the question remains as to which areas of welfare will be cut back – and how much Danish households themselves will have to pay.

Demands from the US

It should be noted that Denmark is not the only NATO country currently spending billions on military buildup – investments that in many places are being financed by cuts in welfare.

The Trump administration is demanding that Europe and Canada take greater “responsibility” for the continent’s defense, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has declared that he wants member countries’ military budgets to amount to approximately five percent of GDP.

– Two percent is a start, as President Trump has Trump has said, but it’s not enough, nor is three percent, nor is four percent. More like five percent, he emphasized earlier this year, calling on NATO countries to make “real investments”.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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