https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/scandinavian-christmas-celebrations-here-are-the-countries-favorites/

The Nordics

Scandinavian Christmas celebrations: Here are the countries’ favorites

Published 21 December 2024

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: iStock/Drazen Zigic

The Swedes love Christmas traditions.

Danes, Swedes and Norwegians have different favorites when it comes to Christmas celebrations, according to a Norstat survey. While Danes prefer to cozy up indoors, Swedes hold on to their Christmas traditions.

A number of European countries participated in the survey, with around 1,000 people from each country naming their three favorite Christmas traditions. The survey was conducted between November 11 and 22 this year.

In Norway, 52 percent believe that Christmas dinner is the best part of the holiday season. Following that, Norwegians most appreciate Christmas traditions and the festive atmosphere.

About 35 percent of Swedes believe that Christmas traditions are the most important part of the holiday, followed by 33 percent who look forward to the Christmas dinner the most. In third place is the festive atmosphere, according to the survey.

In Denmark, 70 percent believe that the best part of Christmas is staying indoors and enjoying cozy time with family. In comparison, only 22 percent of Norwegians consider this the most important aspect, while the figure is 27 percent among Swedes.

The Danes rank the festive atmosphere as the second most important, followed by traditions in third place.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-criminologists-no-link-between-immigration-and-violent-crime/

Sweden

Swedish criminologists: No link between immigration and violent crime

Deteriorating safety

Published today 16:11

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: iStock/ovjo12

“The proportion of immigrants does not explain violent crime in a municipality”, according to criminologist Amber Beckley.

– Based on our analysis, we have seen that there is little to no link between the proportion of immigrants in a municipality and reported violent crime, said Amber Beckley, associate professor of criminology and senior lecturer at Örebro University.

The study, conducted by criminologists at five Swedish universities, claims to have compared the 20 municipalities in Sweden with the highest increase in violent crime between 2000 and 2020 with the 20 municipalities with the least negative trend, controlling for the number of immigrants living in these 40 municipalities.

– Most violent crime in a municipality can be explained by other factors, such as the number of people working and education, Beckley further argues in an interview with Swedish public radio SR.

It should be noted that the researchers only looked at people who had immigrated to Sweden and obtained Swedish residence permits or citizenship – not asylum seekers or children of immigrants. According to previous studies, second-generation immigrants have been identified as a group with the highest proportion of criminal suspects.

Violent crime increased in all municipalities

The main author of the report, which has received a lot of attention in the establishment media, is the well-known left-wing activist criminologist Jerzy Sarnecki, and Amber Beckley, who is the report’s second author, also admits to Samnytt that violent crime has increased in almost all of the municipalities analyzed.

– Almost all have increased. There was almost no municipality in these twenty years where violent crime decreased.

– What we have shown was that the proportion of immigrants in the municipalities with the largest increase in violent crime was not that different from the proportion in the municipalities with the smallest increase… The proportion of immigrants does not explain violent crime in a municipality, and it cannot explain the increase in the twenty municipalities, she concludes.

Editorial Staff
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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/sweden-sees-rise-in-hazardous-waste-exports/

Sweden

Sweden sees rise in hazardous waste exports

Published 18 January 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Press Photo: Mette Ottosson/Tullverket

Swedish Customs stopped a record amount of hazardous waste last year. The biggest increase was in the Stockholm area.

More than 1 529 tons of hazardous waste were stopped from being exported from Sweden to countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia in 2024. This is a significant increase compared to the 627 tons stopped in 2023 and a new record. The previous peak was measured in 2022 and was 1 043 tons. Waste exports are linked to organized crime and are estimated to generate around SEK 6.1 billion (€530 million) annually, according to the police.

– We know that waste exports to developing countries are a growing source of income for organized crime. That is why I am particularly pleased that we managed to stop so many exports of hazardous waste in 2024, says Director General of Customs Johan Norrman in a press release.

Six times as many cases

In total, Swedish Customs handled 88 cases of illegal waste exports to countries outside the EU, an increase from 47 cases the year before. The biggest increase was in the Stockholm area, where the amount of waste more than sixfold compared to the previous year.

The most common type of waste exported is still vehicles and vehicle parts. Of the 88 stopped exports, 71 contained either whole vehicles, such as cars, tractors and trucks, or parts, such as tires, engines, gearboxes and rims.

However, few of the cases lead to legal consequences, according to the Swedish Customs. The most common action is to issue an export ban for shipments of environmentally hazardous waste, while serious cases can lead to fines.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/gang-leader-expands-influence-in-sweden-from-abroad/

Sweden

Gang leader expands influence in Sweden – from abroad

Published 17 January 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Montage. Photo: Police, iStock/image focus

The gang leader Rawa Majid, who is considered the leader of the criminal organization Foxtrot, is expected to once again strengthen his power in Swedish gang crime. According to reports, arms contacts are a core part of his position of power.

Majid has been deemed to be behind a large number of shootings and explosions in Sweden and since 2020 the gang leader has been internationally wanted for serious drug offenses and preparation for murder.

In October 2023, he was arrested in Iran, but in May the following year, the Israeli intelligence service stated that the Swedish crime network Foxtrot and its leader Rawa Majid are now working for Iran, something that the Bonnier newspaper DN reported on with reference to documents they had access to.

At the same time, Majid is once again strengthening his power in Sweden from abroad via Foxtrot, according to sources to the Schibsted newspaper SvD.

– Foxtrot is gaining ground all the time. We see it in signals intelligence, in the conversations between those involved and in the weapons used, the source says.

According to the newspaper, one of Majid’s many factors for success in his criminal activities is contacts for arms smuggling from Bosnia to Sweden.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedens-train-punctuality-drops-to-lowest-point-since-2010/

Sweden

Sweden’s train punctuality drops to lowest point since 2010

Published 17 January 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: Jin Zan/CC0 1.0

Öresund train in Malmö.

In 2024, 87.2% of Swedish trains were on time – which in practice means that they arrived at their final destination less than six minutes behind schedule.

This is the worst figure since 2010, and the delays are partly due to maintenance work, but also to a large number of incidents involving unauthorized persons on the tracks.

– I want to emphasize that improving punctuality is not a quick fix, and that we continue to face a major challenge in balancing the sharp increase in traffic with a historically large investment in the maintenance of tracks, switches and overhead lines, says Anna Ericsson, head of the Traffic Operations Division, in a press release.

– Another major challenge is the issue of safety, partly linked to how we ensure a safe working environment for those who will carry out all the work in the track system – and partly to the issue of unauthorized persons on the tracks. In December, almost two thousand passenger trains were delayed due to unauthorized persons on the tracks, and there were 17 collisions, she continues.

Last year, a total of 1 065 954 trains departed in Sweden – which means that traffic volumes have increased by almost 40% since 2010.

“Situations no one should have to experience”

– We’ll have to wait until all the figures have been double-checked and analyzed, but there are many indications that we have never before had such a high impact on traffic due to unauthorized persons on tracks as in 2024, Ericsson explains.

– Thankfully, not all incidents where warning signals are ignored lead to accidents – but every day drivers are exposed to situations no one should have to experience at work, If I have one wish for 2025, it’s that we find ways to reverse that trend, because every accident is one too many.

She urges the public to remind each other never to cross railroad tracks, slip under downed barriers, or climb on wagons.

– Rail is safe, but as trains are both silent and heavy and can neither stop nor give way, awareness of the risks that do exist needs to be raised.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Polaris of Enlightenment

Polaris of Enlightenment