The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

The Nordic Times

The Nordic Times

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/survey-reveals-varied-impact-of-mental-health-problems-on-work-performance/

The Nordics

Survey reveals varied impact of mental health problems on work performance

Updated June 19, 2023, Published June 16, 2023 – By Editorial staff
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The new Nordic Health Report 2023, conducted by Kantor Sifo on behalf of the insurance company If, looks at the differences in mental health between Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.

The survey, in which 4,032 people in the Nordic countries participated, revealed a difference between the countries in how mental health affects their work.

In Denmark, mental health was found to affect work more than in other countries, although Danes are generally less stressed than other Nordic citizens. Sweden is lower than both Denmark and Norway in terms of the impact of mental health on work, but as many as four out of ten Swedes say that mental health has at some point had a negative impact on their ability to work, although less then a fifth of them had raised the issue with their manager. The survey also shows that women in particular suffer from stress, which is more evident in Sweden than in other countries.

In Denmark, 21 percent turn to their managers when they experience mental health problems. In Sweden the figure is 18 percent, in Norway 15 percent and in Finland as little as 9 percent. 37 percent of Swedes turn to health care when they feel mentally unwell, while around 46 percent in Norway and Denmark seek care. In Finland, most people, 61%, seek help when they have mental health problems. Overall, one in four do not seek help at all in the Nordic region.

An interesting detail is that in Finland, higher income appears to be associated with lower levels of mental health problems, a relationship not seen in any of the other countries surveyed.

If's Nordic health strategist Kristina Ström Olsson believes that employers have a responsibility to minimize the risk of mental illness through, among other things, the right procedures and places for support and discussion.

– By having the right procedures in place as an employer and at a managerial level, leaving room for support and discussion, it is possible to prevent mental illness. The employer needs to work systematically with the social and organizational work environment. Then, of course, it is possible to influence some things yourself, by reviewing your life situation both privately and at work, she says.

Of those surveyed, 46% believe that a lack of balance between leisure and working life is the main source of stress.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/new-maritime-route-between-sweden-and-finland-could-open-up/

The Nordics

New maritime route between Sweden and Finland could open up

Published today 4:33 pm – By Editorial staff
1 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

A new sea route may become possible between Sweden and Finland. The passenger ferry would operate between Gävle and Rauma.

Currently, there are plans to extend European Route 16, or E16, which today stretches from Northern Ireland, via Scotland and Norway, and ends in Gävle, Sweden. The plan is for it to continue all the way to Kotka in Finland, something that Finnish President Alexander Stubb approved in October. For these plans to be finalized, UN Secretary-General António Guterres will inform all countries covered by the agreement about the changes.

However, the plans for E16 have sparked discussions about whether a new passenger ferry route could be established between the Swedish city of Gävle and the Finnish city of Rauma.

— This is a future project. We need to look ahead over five years, says Rauma's city director, Esko Poikela, to Finnish national broadcaster Yle.

Gävle has a population of approximately 70,000 and Rauma 39,000. Currently, no negotiations have been held regarding such a route. If it were to materialize, it would also largely depend on economic factors, such as whether exports would be profitable or not.

— How cooperation with Sweden works and in what way routes onward from Sweden can be secured will determine the matter, says Poikela.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/elon-musk-olof-palme-destroyed-sweden/

Sweden

Elon Musk: “Olof Palme destroyed Sweden”

Population replacement in the West

Updated today at 2:55 pm, Published today 12:18 pm – By Editorial staff
The idea of a multicultural Sweden was introduced partly through initiatives and debate articles by David Schwarz (far right in the image) and with support from the Bonnier family.
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Elon Musk has once again entered the Swedish immigration debate. On X, he accuses former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme of having "destroyed Sweden" by introducing multiculturalism in 1975.

The tech billionaire is responding to an X post by journalist Christian Peterson, who claims that Palme, through a 1975 legislative change (Proposition 1975:26), laid the foundation for today's multicultural society, reports Fria Tider.

Peterson argues that the decision was made without a referendum or extensive investigation and links it to current problems such as mass immigration, gun violence, parallel societies, and demographic changes.

"Multiculturalism was added to the Swedish constitution in 1975 (Prop. 1975:26) under Olof Palme — no referendum, no long-term review. 50 years later: mass migration, record gun violence, parallel societies, major demographic shifts. A turning point that no one voted for".

In response, Elon Musk writes briefly and concisely: "He destroyed Sweden" and also attaches an AI-generated summary of the 1975 parliamentary decision.

1975 – a political crossroads

The controversial 1975 proposition established that immigrants and minorities should be able to choose whether to adapt to a Swedish cultural identity or maintain their original cultural heritage.

The new policy also meant that the state would provide financial support to immigrant organizations and cultural projects. Critics argue that this became a political choice with long-term effects.

Musk and Peterson today link the decision to current concerns about integration, social division, and crime.

Elon Musk has previously engaged in Swedish legal matters. During the fall, he criticized an appeals court ruling where a man was acquitted of deportation after a rape conviction, calling the decision "insane".

His latest statement has once again touched on a deep ideological conflict within Swedish politics – a societal issue that remains a hot political topic in Sweden.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/today-utsjoki-sees-the-sun-for-the-last-time-in-two-months/

Finland

Today Utsjoki sees the sun for the last time in two months

Published today 11:20 am – By Editorial staff
1 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Today the sun rises for the last time in a while in Finland's northernmost municipality. After that, a polar night awaits that stretches until mid-January.

At 11:35 AM on Tuesday, the sun rises above the horizon in Utsjoki for the last time this year. Just 46 minutes later, at 12:21 PM, it sets again – and stays away for 52 days.

Then begins the polar night, the period when the Earth's tilt means the sun does not rise above the horizon. The phenomenon occurs in the northernmost parts of the world and lasts for varying lengths depending on how close to the North Pole one is located.

In Utsjoki, which lies in the far north of Finland near the Norwegian border, it will be completely dark until January 16. Only then will the sun rise above the horizon again, reports Finnish national broadcaster Yle.

Shorter polar night further south

Further south in Lapland, closer to the Arctic Circle, the polar night is considerably shorter. In Sodankylä, a town in Finnish Lapland, it begins a couple of days before Christmas and lasts only four days.

South of Lapland, no polar night occurs at all, but even there the Earth's tilt is clearly noticeable. Daylight continues to decrease until December 21, when the winter darkness is at its deepest. After that, the days slowly begin to grow longer again.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/sweden-democrats-voted-against-abolishing-controversial-hate-speech-law/

Sweden

Sweden Democrats voted against abolishing controversial hate speech law

Published today 10:46 am – By Editorial staff
One of the Sweden Democrats' primary reasons for not pushing for a complete abolition of the heavily criticized law on incitement against ethnic groups (HMF), is the "increasing antisemitism" in Sweden (archive image).
2 minute read
Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Sweden Democrats (SD) now wants to reform the country's hate speech law (hets mot folkgrupp). At the party congress in Örebro this past weekend, the party voted by a narrow margin for comprehensive reform – while proposals to completely abolish the law failed by the smallest possible difference.

The Sweden Democrats' party congress in Örebro, a city in central Sweden, resulted in a decision that the party should work toward a fundamental change to the hate speech law.

The vote was very close: 79 delegates supported the party leadership's position, while 78 voted to completely remove the law.

Prior to the decision, several motions had demanded that the law be abolished entirely. These motions received support from many delegates from the floor.

Julia Fält, a delegate from Fyrbodal in western Sweden, criticized the law's current application: — The law doesn't work as intended. It creates arbitrariness, silences debate and punishes statements that don't constitute any real threat.

Petter Nilsson, a delegate from Västerbotten in northern Sweden, joined the criticism: — Through legal precedent, it has more or less been established that Swedes cannot be subjected to hate speech. However, a large number of court cases have come to involve the 'group' of drag queens, which is quite telling.

Several speakers repeated the argument that the law doesn't protect the Swedish majority population and that it is currently applied arbitrarily in ways that limit freedom of speech.

Party leadership wants reform

Despite the criticism, the party leadership maintained that the hate speech law should not be abolished. Instead, they want to reform it so that it returns to dealing with ethnic groups in the proper sense.

Party Secretary Mattias Bäckström Johansson emphasized before the congress that the law should be streamlined and not linked to, for example, sexual orientation or religious affiliation.

Julia Kronlid, a member of the Swedish Parliament Riksdag and member of the party leadership, argued for the leadership's position and emphasized historical reasons for keeping the law.

— I really understand the frustration that may exist. But we must not forget the background to the law, with the persecution of Jews and the Holocaust.

Kronlid also highlighted current societal developments as a reason for the party leadership's position.

— Given the increasing antisemitism, I think it would be a major mistake to remove the law. It will be portrayed completely incorrectly. Our party leader Jimmie Åkesson will have to stand in interview after interview and answer the question 'why campaign on allowing hate speech'.

Editorial staff
editorial@nordictimes.com