Tuesday, June 24, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Wildlife bridges – a Swedish environmental success story

Published 5 January 2025
– By Editorial Staff
2 minute read

Wildlife bridges have become a success in Sweden, effectively reducing the number of wildlife accidents by helping animals cross roads according to their natural movement patterns.

About a year ago, a wildlife crossing, also known as a wildlife bridge, was built on the E4 highway in Robertsfors, Västerbotten. Deployed cameras show that more and more wild animals are using the passage to cross the road – including the unusual sighting of lynx.

– Lynx have never been captured on our wildlife cameras before, so it’s really exciting, says Torbjörn Nilsson, environmental specialist at Trafikverket Nord who visited the wildlife bridge, to Swedish TV4.

Similar passages, both over and under roads, exist today in several places in Sweden. At the E22 Brömsebro wildlife crossing, more than 10,000 animal incidents were recorded in one year, showing that the bridges are effective in reducing wildlife accidents and saving society large costs. According to the Swedish Transport Administration, the social costs of wildlife accidents are estimated to be as much as SEK 15 billion (Є1.3 billion) per year.

The bridges are built strategically based on studies of the natural movement patterns of animals. To be effective, major crossings should be placed at least four to six kilometers apart.

– Then it’s important to follow up over a few years so that we can see that the animals really find their way here, says Nilsson.

Building a wildlife crossing costs between SEK 30 and 50 million (Є2.6 and 4.3 million) and the construction has a lifespan of about 120 years with current construction technology. According to the Swedish Transport Administration, the investments are well justified because they reduce the risk of wildlife accidents.

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Swedish police ignored early warnings about Foxtrot – now 16 civilians are dead

Deteriorating safety

Published yesterday 13:58
– By Editorial Staff
If early warnings had been taken seriously, the Foxtrot network could have been tackled at an earlier stage.
2 minute read

Despite the Swedish police raising the alarm about the growing Foxtrot gang network back in 2021, the leadership chose not to act. Today, the network is linked to over 30 murders – at least 16 of which were completely unrelated civilians.

The documentary series En gång bröder (Once Brothers) reveals that a special police investigation team identified Foxtrot four years ago as a rapidly expanding group with a high propensity for violence.

According to the head of intelligence at the police, Jale Poljarevius, the group sounded the alarm early on – but the alarm was deprioritized in favor of other gangs.

If we could turn back time, we would have quickly redirected our efforts in this direction, Poljarevius told state broadcaster SVT, admitting that Foxtrot had long been off the police’s radar.

It was only after several high-profile murders in 2022 that Foxtrot began to come under police scrutiny. According to the documentary, the network has since been linked to over 30 murders, at least 16 of which were innocent civilians with no gang connections.

Rawa Majid Foxtrot Interpol
Rawa Majid is wanted internationally by Interpol. Photo: screenshot/Interpol.int

Division escalates the spiral of violence

The division within Foxtrot in September 2023 marked a new level of violence. One faction, led by the internationally wanted Rawa Majid – also known as “Jordgubben” (Strawberry) – is suspected of, among other things, the murder of Ismail Abdo’s mother, which further escalated the conflict.

During the summer of 2023, Swedish police managed to infiltrate the network using encrypted chat groups such as the Signal app. This breakthrough led to several arrests and indictments against a number of people in Foxtrot’s top echelons, including for particularly serious drug offenses.

Despite this, the violence continues. According to SVT’s information, the network has also expanded to Norway, where Swedish gang crime has become a growing problem.

At the time of writing, National Police Commissioner Anders Thornberg has declined to comment on the investigation.

Facts: The Foxtrot gang network

  • Leader: Rawa Majid, known as “Jordgubben” (Strawberry), wanted by Swedish police and residing in Turkey
  • Start: The network was identified by Swedish police as early as 2021 as an emerging player
  • Activities: Suspected of being behind extensive drug trafficking, extortion, and contract killings
  • Murders: Linked to over 30 murders – at least 16 of the victims were innocent civilians
  • Division: In September 2023, an internal conflict broke out, leading to further acts of violence
  • International spread: Has established a presence in Norway, among other countries
  • Infiltration: Swedish police infiltrated Foxtrot via encrypted chat groups during the summer of 2023

Birthing pools gain popularity among Swedish women

Published yesterday 7:19
– By Editorial Staff
2 minute read

A growing number of women are choosing to give birth in so-called birthing pools. Water births are now offered in almost all regions of Sweden, something that was unusual just a few years ago.

Water birth means that the pregnant woman is in a pool and thus surrounded by water, and that the baby is then born underwater. The woman lifts the baby out of the water herself once it is born.

Since 2019, when only four of Sweden’s regions offered this option, more water births have been introduced at Swedish maternity hospitals, according to a survey by the tax-funded SVT. Today, only four do not offer water births: Region Kronoberg, Region Örebro County, Region Gävleborg and Region Blekinge.

In the 17 other regions, there is, or is about to be, some form of possibility to give birth in a birthing pool. One of the latest to acquire a birthing pool is the birthing clinic in Karlstad.

It feels absolutely fantastic, it’s a goal that we’ve been working towards for several years and haven’t had the conditions for until now, says Charlotte Stenström, head of the obstetrics department at Karlstad Central Hospital, to SVT.

Not everyone will have the opportunity, however, as there are certain criteria. In Karlstad, for example, there will be requirements that the pregnancy is within normal limits and that the baby in the womb is of normal size.

Giving birth in a birthing pool can shorten labor and give the woman a more positive experience of the process, as well as a sense of control over her birth. It can also be beneficial against pain.

There are many benefits of water births – pain relief is one, says midwife Araceli Carranza.

Power shortages threaten southern Sweden this winter

The energy crisis in Europe

Published 17 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Residents in southern Sweden can expect sky-high electricity prices this winter.
2 minute read

Svenska kraftnät (the Swedish national grid operator) warns of a critical electricity shortage in southern Sweden this winter equivalent to the output of seven nuclear reactors. A new report shows that electricity area SE4, southern Götaland including Skåne, is particularly vulnerable.

The forecast points to a power shortage of 7,700 MWh/h during a normal winter in SE3 and SE4. The reason is insufficient plannable production in relation to consumption.

Malin Johansson, energy and climate manager at the industry organization IKEM, is calling for quick solutions:

This confirms that we need to quickly build new capacity in the form of gas turbines and batteries that can even out the peaks and cope with the power demand in southern Sweden, especially during cold, windless winter days.

Imports do not offer a reliable solution either, as the electricity systems of neighboring countries are often just as strained:

Analyses of import opportunities from neighboring countries show that most, like Sweden, are dependent on imports in strained situations. This indicates that import opportunities from our neighboring countries at these times may be limited if shortages occur simultaneously”, writes Svenska kraftnät.

– It’s no news that if there’s no wind in Denmark, there’s no wind in Skåne either. Every country must take responsibility for its own electricity system. We can’t rely on neighboring countries, says Malin Johansson.

“Must be able to produce around the clock”

Svenska kraftnät highlights consumer flexibility and storage as solutions, but Johansson is skeptical:

– Why should we create a market where industry is forced to be flexible? It’s not as if we have a high added value from selling electricity to other countries. Industry must be able to produce around the clock to promote growth and prosperity in Sweden.

The transmission capacity between SE3 and SE4 is insufficient during peak hours, which drives up electricity prices in SE4. The ERAA 2024 report confirms that margins are shrinking in southern Sweden, where demand is increasing while transmission from the north is limited. The situation requires urgent measures to secure the electricity supply.

The report points out that Europe’s electricity system is at risk of becoming increasingly vulnerable to power shortages. Despite extensive investments in wind and solar power, there is no realistic plan to replace fossil fuel-based electricity production that is being phased out for economic reasons. As a result, new capacity may not be built in time, which threatens security of supply.

Chimpanzees caught on camera sharing alcoholic fruit

Published 14 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
2 minute read

For the first time, wild chimpanzees have been documented eating and sharing fruit containing alcohol. The research team speculates that this behavior could be described as an early evolutionary stage of “feasting”.

Researchers from the University of Exeter in England set up ten separate cameras with motion sensors in a national park in Guinea-Bissau in West Africa. There, they captured chimpanzees sharing the fermented fruit Treculia africana. The fruit contained an alcohol content of up to 0.61 percent. The behavior raises questions about whether and why chimpanzees consciously seek out alcohol.

– For humans, we know that drinking alcohol leads to a release of dopamine and endorphins, and resulting feelings of happiness and relaxation, said Anna Bowland, one of the researchers behind the study, in a press release, continuing:

We also know that sharing alcohol – including through traditions such as feasting – helps to form and strengthen social bonds. So – now we know that wild chimpanzees are eating and sharing ethanolic fruits – the question is: could they be getting similar benefits?

The amount observed is probably not enough to get the chimpanzees drunk, but the researchers estimate that the filmed episodes only provide a small glimpse into how much fermented fruit the animals eat in a day, as their diet consists of 60-85 percent fruit.

Researchers believe that more research is needed into why chimpanzees eat fermented fruit together, but speculate that the behavior may represent an early evolutionary stage of “feasting”.

Chimps don’t share food all the time, so this behaviour with fermented fruit might be important, says Dr. Kimberley Hockings of the University of Exeter. “If so, it suggests the human tradition of feasting may have its origins deep in our evolutionary history”.

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