Monday, October 20, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Scandinavia’s largest insect factory opened

Published 19 January 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Larvae produced for human consumption in South Korea.
2 minute read

What is expected to be the largest insect factory in the Nordic region is about to open in Norway. The aim is to produce up to 15 tons of larvae per week.

Norwegian company NorInsect, based in Stordal in Sunnmøre, has been researching for a decade to develop the optimal larvae factory. Now the opening of the 3,500 square meter facility is imminent. From August, the 14 employees plan to harvest between 10 and 15 tons of caterpillars per week. CEO Harald Larsen Espeland predicts that the market for insects is “insatiable”.

– It is very exciting. In the ten years we have been here, there has been a lot of excitement, joy and frustration. There are things that you think are going to work that turn out not to work. But now we are looking forward to getting the factory up and running, he told Norwegian national broadcaster NRK.

Initially, the factory will produce feed for salmon, chickens and pigs from larvae. Its size is expected to make it one of the largest of its kind in the Nordic region, possibly the largest. If successful, NorInsect plans to build more insect factories across Europe.

“Huge market”

– We have a huge market to serve, so there will certainly be room for a large number of insect producers in the future. Then I think things will stabilize over time with a few big ones in Europe. We want to be one of them, says the CEO.

Insects for human consumption are considered “novel foods”, meaning they are foods that were not widely consumed in the EU before May 15, 1997. There are currently four insect species approved for human consumption in the EU. NorInsect believes that it will be “ready” to sell insects for human consumption, but that the majority of consumers are not yet ready.

– When they are ready, we will be ready, says Larsen Espeland.

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Saab secures €50 million NATO contract for Spanish radar system

Published today 14:11
– By Editorial Staff
Arthur is a radar system that locates artillery and provides warning of incoming fire.
2 minute read

Swedish defense company Saab has secured a contract worth almost €50 million from NATO’s procurement organization NSPA to extend the lifespan of Arthur radar systems for the Spanish army.

This marks the first time Saab’s radar systems have been procured through NATO’s purchasing organization.

The contract involves enabling the Spanish army’s artillery locating force to maintain its operational capabilities through modern technology.

The life extension of the systems will provide higher operational mobility and more accurate fire control. The upgrade means more targets can be located at longer distances. The system will also have a smaller signature against electronic warfare sensors, which increases protection for personnel and equipment.

Carl-Johan Bergholm, head of Saab’s Surveillance business area, comments on the order:

— We are pleased to continue strengthening Spain’s artillery locating capability, which is crucial for warning against hostile artillery as well as directing our own artillery fire. The order is also the first for our radar systems to go through NATO’s procurement organization, which is an important step for us, he says.

Largest in the Nordic region

Saab is by far the largest defense company in the Nordic region with approximately 25,000 employees and manufacturing operations in the United States, Germany, and Brazil, among other countries. In 2023, the company ranked as the world’s 35th largest arms manufacturer.

In addition to its well-known fighter jets, Saab also produces and maintains military command and control systems.

The largest shareholder is the Wallenberg sphere, which through the investment company Investor controls around 30 percent of the capital and 40 percent of the votes. Marcus Wallenberg has been chairman of the board since 2006.

Growing number of Swedes living in poverty

Welfare collapse

Published today 12:46
– By Editorial Staff
For the most vulnerable, every day becomes a struggle when the safety net fails.
1 minute read

An increasing number of Swedes are living in material and social poverty. According to this year’s poverty report from Sweden’s City Missions, poverty in Sweden has nearly doubled since 2021.

Last year, 698,000 Swedes lived in some form of poverty, according to the report. The increase in poverty in Sweden stands out across Europe, particularly in terms of speed – having nearly doubled in four years. Jonas Rydberg, secretary general of Sweden’s City Missions (a charitable organization), believes the rising poverty is largely due to the economic downturn and sharp increases in food prices.

But what we can show in our report is that it’s also because it’s becoming increasingly difficult to have one’s rights met. For example, financial benefits. They are inaccessible and difficult to obtain, he says in Nyhetsmorgon.

Rydberg notes that many of those seeking help from the city mission don’t receive the general social insurance benefits they’re entitled to, making it significantly harder to manage daily life. Social welfare support, for example, has become more complicated to obtain and the payments are very low.

It has become increasingly difficult and the ultimate safety net is being eroded in Sweden.

The Swedish government recently presented a welfare reform that involves stricter requirements for social benefits, with the goal of getting more people into work. According to Rydberg, the proposal risks instead pushing more people into poverty.

It’s difficult and the labor market in Sweden is not accessible, he states.

Definition of poverty among adults in Sweden

An adult is considered poor if they lack the financial means to meet at least five of the following basic needs:

  • Eat protein-rich meals (meat, fish, chicken or vegetarian) every other day
  • Maintain a satisfactory indoor temperature in their home
  • Invite friends and family over or meet them for meals or coffee at least monthly
  • Have access to the internet
  • Manage to regulate loans and pay bills on time
  • Have a small amount available for personal expenses weekly
  • Own at least two pairs of functional shoes suitable for different weather conditions
  • Replace broken or worn-out furniture when needed
  • Participate in leisure activities with some regularity
  • Buy new clothes when the old ones are too worn
  • Handle an unexpected expense of €1,200 (the amount is adjusted periodically)
  • Take a week-long vacation away from home annually
  • Own a personal vehicle

Source: Sveriges stadsmissioner (Swedish City Missions)

Danish People’s Party demands mass deportations: “We must get Denmark back”

Migration crisis in Europe

Published today 11:26
– By Editorial Staff
Morten Messerschmidt wants to see a Denmark "where Danes are once again masters in their own house".
3 minute read

With proposals for mass deportations, citizenship reviews, and extensive bans on Islamic expressions, the Danish People’s Party (Dansk Folkeparti) is campaigning on an immigration policy that is very radical by Nordic standards.

— We must get Denmark back. A Denmark where there are no headscarves in schools. Where Danish is spoken in nursing homes. Where Danes are once again masters in their own house, argues party leader Morten Messerschmidt.

The DF notes that the demographic composition of Denmark has changed drastically since the 1980s, when the proportion of residents with non-Western backgrounds was 1 percent. Today, 10.1 percent of the population, equivalent to over 500,000 people, have non-Western origins.

The party particularly points to immigration from the Middle East and North Africa – including from Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Somalia – as the cause of the country’s extensive social problems.

In the manifesto, a series of negative consequences are listed: ghetto formation, ethnic conflicts, radicalization, clan cultures, honor violence, social control, persecution of Jews and sexual minorities, infiltration of public authorities, Islamic censorship, and gender segregation. The DF claims this constitutes “the largest demographic change in Danish history”.

“Immigration from the Middle East and North Africa in particular brings a lot of crime and is fundamentally changing our country. If you do not want to adopt Danish culture and Danish values, the Danish People’s Party will work to ensure that you stay somewhere else”, it states.

Citizenship review

The program contains proposals that go significantly further than current Danish legislation. The DF wants to review all citizenships granted over the past two decades. For those who received citizenship in the past eight years, new language and citizenship tests should be introduced. Those who fail the tests should lose their Danish citizenship.

Criminals should also lose their citizenship, and the party wants Denmark to try to leave or renegotiate international agreements that limit the ability to make people stateless.

To enforce deportations, the DF wants to use economic pressure against countries that oppose receiving their citizens. Aid should be withdrawn and economic sanctions imposed. The party proposes that a special ministry for returns should be established.

Those who accept financial support to leave Denmark should be banned from ever returning. Border controls should be made permanent and strengthened.

Restrictions on Islam

The DF’s program also includes a series of measures specifically targeting Islam and Muslims. The party wants to ban or heavily tax halal products, stop foreign financing of mosques, and withdraw state recognition of Islamic religious communities.

Domestically, the party wants to ban the call to prayer, prohibit headscarves in public buildings, and shut down Muslim independent schools. Permanent residence permits should only be granted to persons of Danish origin. Foreign citizens whom police list as gang members should be deported.

“Remigration now”

Messerschmidt has intensified his criticism of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s immigration policy in recent weeks, which he calls “the great immigration fiasco”.

“We must have Denmark back. A Denmark where there are no scarves in schools. Where Danish is spoken in nursing homes. Where the Danes are masters of their own house again. The most important issue of all is the issue of repatriations. That is why we need a remigration policy”, Messerschmidt wrote on social media last week.

In another post, he claimed that immigration has increased sharply during Frederiksen’s time as prime minister:

“REMIGRATION AND HOME SHIPMENTS NOW! Since Mette Frederiksen became Prime Minister, Islamic mass immigration has increased by a staggering 124 percent. In fact, she has allowed as many as 40,000 Islamic foreigners into our country since she came to power in 2019”.

Nearly 200 bombings in Sweden this year – despite record-high customs seizures

organized crime

Published today 10:19
– By Editorial Staff
In many cases, the attacks are carried out with hand grenades or illegal fireworks that are smuggled into the country from the Balkans or Eastern Europe.
2 minute read

Sweden has been hit by nearly 200 bombings during 2025. Meanwhile, customs authorities have seized over 42,000 explosive items during the first six months of the year – almost double compared to the entire previous year.

Police now see a clear shift where stolen goods from construction sites have been replaced by smuggled war materiel and illegal fireworks from the Balkans and Eastern Europe.

The bombings continue to shake Sweden. So far this year, the country has been hit by nearly 200 completed or failed bombing attacks, according to information obtained by Stampen-owned Göteborgs-Posten.

But the patterns are changing. Where it was previously most common for criminals to use explosives stolen from construction sites, police now see a new and alarming trend.

— During the summer and autumn, we have primarily seen detonations with hand grenades and with homemade explosive devices, says Malin Nygren, head of the Swedish police’s national bomb data center.

Smuggling increases dramatically

Behind the change lies a sharp increase in smuggling. In many cases, it involves hand grenades or illegal fireworks being brought into the country from the Balkans or Eastern Europe.

The numbers speak for themselves: During the first half of 2025, customs seized over 42,000 explosive items. This is a record figure that almost doubles the just over 24,000 seizures made during all of 2024.

Martin Norell, expert at the Swedish Customs Service (Tullverket), shares the police’s concern about the development.

— I don’t feel that the situation is very bright in Sweden right now, he says.

Children manipulated to carry out the attacks

Behind the grim statistics lies a particularly dark reality: It is often children who are manipulated by criminal networks to carry out the bombing and arson attacks. The young perpetrators have in several cases been seriously injured when handling explosives and flammable liquids, and at least one death has occurred.

Many of the bombings have been carried out with smuggled hand grenades used for both revenge and extortion, and on several occasions unexploded hand grenades have been found in residential areas – or at or near preschools.

Dan Windt, operational coordinator at the Swedish police’s national operations center, urges parents to be vigilant.

— Parents and other important adults need to continue being present in children’s lives both physically and digitally. Ask many questions and ask for help. Contact the social services in your municipality if the child is contacted by criminals, or call the police at an early stage if you suspect that your child is about to commit a crime, so we can prevent it together.

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