Saturday, September 6, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Arctic dream: Norwegian beach tops list of Europe’s most beautiful

Published 10 March 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Hauklandstranda is described as "the Arctic dream".
1 minute read

Lonely Planet has released this year’s list of the 20 most beautiful beaches in Europe. Hauklandstranda in Lofoten, Norway, tops the list and is described as an “Arctic dream”. Dueodde beach in Denmark is also on the list.

Every year, the travel book publisher chooses the most beautiful beaches in Europe to visit during the year. For 2024, Norway takes first place with the beach Hauklandstranda, or Hauklandssanden, located in the municipality of Vestvågøy. The beach is described as unique with its pointed granite cliffs, white sand and sapphire blue sea.

“Rising like a dragon’s back from the Norwegian Sea, the Lofoten Islands off Norway’s northwest coast are an Arctic dream – whether seen in the never-ending light of the midnight sun or under the dancing northern lights in the winter snow, writes Lonely Planet.

This is not the first time the beach has made the top 20 list. In 2021, it also beat out beaches in Greece, Italy and Croatia. Mayor Jonny Finstad is pleased that his municipality’s beach has once again been recognized by Lonely Planet.

– When we receive such awards from recognized publications, it makes us proud. It is also good marketing for both Lofoten and Hauklandstranda as a destination, he told Norwegian national broadcaster NRK.

Dueodde on Bornholm is ranked 17th. Photo: Klugschnacker/CC BY 2.0

In second place is Cala Goloritzé in Italy, followed by West Beach in Scotland. Dueodde Beach on Bornholm in Denmark is number 17 on the list.

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Swedish politicians refused to receive migrants – face prosecution

Migration crisis in Europe

Published yesterday 13:21
– By Editorial Staff
The chairman of the municipal council, Christian Sonesson of the Moderate Party, is one of those charged.
2 minute read

Six municipal politicians in Staffanstorp, a town in southern Sweden’s Skåne region, are being prosecuted for gross misconduct in office after the municipal board decided in 2022 not to receive a Syrian family assigned there by the Swedish Migration Agency.

Among those prosecuted is Christian Sonesson (M), chairman of the municipal council from the Moderate Party, who has previously commented on Facebook about the interrogations in the case.

“From a purely legal standpoint, we currently know nothing more than that all members have the right to a public defender”.

In March 2022, the Swedish Migration Agency assigned four quota refugees – a Syrian family – to Staffanstorp municipality according to the Settlement Act. A few days later, the municipal board, following a proposal from the chairman, decided on an immediate halt to reception, reports Bonnier newspaper Expressen.

When the family arrived at Sturup airport on May 12, no one from the municipality was present to receive them, and the Migration Agency was forced to cancel the assignment at the last minute and instead place the family in another municipality.

“Uncharted territory”

Chief prosecutor Magdalena Petersson argues that the local politicians’ decision violates the law since Swedish municipalities are obligated to follow the Migration Agency’s assignments, which cannot be appealed.

— A municipality is obligated to receive a newly arrived person after assignment. The proposal from the chairman and the municipal board’s decision violates the Settlement Act. I have therefore brought charges against six people on the municipal board who participated in the vote without reserving themselves. The crime is to be assessed as gross because the defendants have seriously abused their position as municipal politicians. It has also had consequences for both individuals and the public, she argues in a press release.

All six defendants deny wrongdoing.

— This is uncharted territory, we need to establish precedent about what applies. As far as I know, there are no previous judgments in this area, the chief prosecutor notes.

Staffanstorp under Christian Sonesson has positioned itself as one of Sweden’s most restrictive municipalities on migration issues and has repeatedly attracted national attention for its decisions. The municipality’s stance has led to friction with the Moderate Party’s significantly more immigration-liberal party leadership, which has distanced itself from the southern Swedish local politicians on several occasions.

Counterfeit Labubu dolls seized at Scandinavian customs

Published yesterday 10:02
– By Editorial Staff
In Norway and Sweden, nearly 3,000 dolls have been stopped in recent months.
2 minute read

Thousands of Labubu dolls have been seized by Swedish and Norwegian customs. In several cases, authorities have confirmed these are counterfeit copies, while other cases are still under investigation.

The Chinese collectible doll Labubu has gained massive popularity worldwide. Labubu is a character from “The Monsters” book series, created by Hong Kong-born illustrator Kasing Lung in 2015. In 2019, Chinese toy company Pop Mart acquired the rights to sell dolls based on the illustrator’s monster character.

However, it wasn’t until a few years later that these dolls exploded in popularity, largely attributed to K-pop star Lisa from BLACKPINK showcasing her doll on social media. Since then, the Labubu doll has created chaos around itself, becoming such popular collectibles that they sell out immediately.

In 2024, for example, Pop Mart saw both a 100 percent increase in profits and a 726 percent increase in sales of Labubu dolls alone, according to The New York Times.

Due to the dolls selling out immediately, a strong black market has emerged around Labubu, along with pirated variants – often called Lafufu. In the United Kingdom, authorities have stopped hundreds of thousands of dolls at customs in recent months alone.

Substandard quality

Now Labubu dolls have also reached Scandinavian customs, reports Swedish public broadcaster SVT. In Norway, authorities have stopped a total of 1,500 dolls so far. At Swedish customs, 1,205 dolls have been seized since May this year.

“We see on the internet that a doll can cost up to 6000 SEK (€550)”, says Per Kristian Grandahl from Norwegian customs.

In Sweden, authorities have already confirmed that some of the dolls were counterfeit and could therefore pose a danger, leading to them being sent back. Lafufu dolls can be of inferior quality where small parts risk coming loose. The Swedish Chemicals Agency has ordered pirated dolls to be sent to laboratories for testing of hazardous substances.

Stubb’s warning: “We will lose to the global South”

Published 3 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Finnish President Alexander Stubb warns that the Western world is losing influence to Asia.
3 minute read

As the SCO alliance brings together major powers like India, China and Russia, Finnish President Alexander Stubb sees how a new world order is taking shape. Finland’s president warns that the West’s response – punitive tariffs and confrontation – only accelerates the historic shift in power.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb is calling for a more “dignified” and cooperative foreign policy toward the global South. His message is particularly directed at the US and comes at a sensitive time – amid the harshest trade tensions in years between Washington and New Delhi.

— My message, not only to my European colleagues, but especially to the United States, is that if we don’t derive a more cooperative and dignified foreign policy towards Global South, the likes of India, we are going to lose this game, Stubb said.

The president pointed to the recently held summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated alongside leaders from China and Russia.

— The meeting is a good reminder to all of us in the global west of what is at stake. We’re trying to preserve the remnants of the old order, he stated.

Close ties with Trump

Stubb’s statement carries extra weight because he is considered to have unusually good relations with President Trump, and the two bonded during a seven-hour golf round at Mar-a-Lago in Florida in March.

Trump has called Stubb a “young, powerful man” and said that: “we wanted to have you here because you are somebody that we all respect”.

Jan Hallenberg from the Swedish Institute of International Affairs tells news agency AFP that Stubb’s position is unique:

— Among small countries, there is no equivalent whatsoever. Stubb has gained unique access to Trump that no one else from a smaller European country has ever had.

In August, Stubb accompanied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House for talks about the war with Russia.

Trump defends the tariffs

The warning from Finland’s president comes as the US has just imposed 50 percent punitive tariffs on Indian imports – half motivated by India’s oil purchases from Russia. The tariffs, which took effect on August 27, particularly impact India’s textile and diamond industries and are defended by Trump himself.

— We get along with India very well, but for many years it was a one-sided relationship… India was charging us tremendous tariffs, the highest in the world, the president said, highlighting how American motorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson could no longer sell its products in India due to a 200 percent tariff on motorcycles.

— So what happens? Harley Davidson went to India and built a motorcycle plant. Now they don’t have to pay tariffs.

With India increasingly turning eastward and strengthening ties with China and Russia, Stubb’s warning seems to be about more than just trade volumes but about the West’s future political influence in a world where the balance of power is rapidly shifting.

Malmö schools to block social media

Published 3 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
As mobile restrictions have been implemented, students have started browsing social media using school computers instead.
1 minute read

Social media will be blocked on all school computers in elementary schools in Malmö, Sweden. The implementation is a pilot project to see if it counteracts harassment in schools and provides increased study peace.

It began when a special education teacher raised alarm about students’ use of social media during class time, where she emailed some concrete suggestions to the city of Malmö. This then led to an investigation into students’ digital work environment with a focus on social media.

Now the city of Malmö has decided to block social media on students’ school computers. The platforms being blocked are Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Google Chat, Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Roblox, Discord and Threads. The blocking applies both during and after school hours.

Most schools today have introduced some form of mobile phone restrictions. But young people are very resourceful and find new ways, so they have replaced phones with computer, says Malmö’s education commissioner Sara Wettergren from the Liberal Party to the Bonnier publication DN.

During the investigation, teachers were positive about the blocking, but not all students were completely satisfied. However, they now hope for more study peace in schools and also that it could lead to fewer instances of harassment.

The pilot project will run throughout the 2025/2026 school year and will then be evaluated.

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