Friday, June 6, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Land owner gains rights to meteorite

Published 29 March 2024
– By Editorial Staff
Andreas Forsberg and Anders Zetterqvist found the meteorite. Johan Benzelstierna von Engeström threw a 'meteorite cake' after the 2022 District Court decision
2 minute read

A landowner is entitled to a meteorite that landed on his property, the Court of Appeal (Hovrätten) has ruled. The 14 kg stone landed in the forest in December 2020 and was later found by geologists.

In November 2020 it was noticed that a meteorite had fallen to earth. Two geologists found the meteorite in the landowner’s forest in Enköping, Sweden, about a month after it fell. The stone was then given to the Swedish Museum of Natural History (Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet), where it remains today. The find, an iron meteorite, has been described as ‘historic’.

– It is a unique natural object that Andreas and Anders have found. It has not happened in Sweden for more than sixty years that a meteorite observed in a fall has been taken care of, and it is the first sure example of a newly fallen iron meteorite in our country, explained Dan Holstam, curator of the Swedish Museum of Natural History, in 2021.

However, the landowner, Johan Benzelstierna of Engeström, believed he had the right to the stone because it landed on his property. However, the Uppsala District Court (Uppsala Tingsrätt) ruled in the fall of 2022 that the meteorite did not belong to the landowner, but was considered “movable property” and that the geologists who found the stone had ownership rights.

The Svea Court of Appeal (Hovrätten) has now overturned the district court’s decision and ruled that the Benzelstierna of Engeström has ownership of the stone because “there are no special rules for meteorites”. Furthermore, they say that the meteorite “consists of substances already present in the earth’s surface”.

– It feels really good. It’s been a difficult time where a lot of energy has gone into this dispute, Benzelstierna of Engeström told tax-funded Swedish state broadcaster SVT.

The verdict can be appealed

According to the geologists, there should have been an agreement between them and the landowner, which would have given them the right to the meteorite. However, they were unable to produce such an agreement.

– This is one of my greatest experiences as a ‘meteorite hunter’ and I had hoped it would end in a more pleasant way, says Andreas Forsberg, one of the people who found the stone.

Benzelstierna von Engeström says he will deposit the stone in a museum, where he hopes it will “increase interest in space and research, especially among the younger generation”.

The verdict can be appealed to the Svea Court of Appeal until April 18.

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Strängnäs poised to become Northern Europe’s AI capital

The future of AI

Published today 13:29
– By Editorial Staff
The cathedral in Strängnäs will soon have competition from a giant AI center.
3 minute read

Strängnäs, a municipality in Sweden, is preparing for one of the largest investments in its history. Brookfield Asset Management (BAM) plans to build one of Europe’s largest artificial intelligence (AI) data centers in the city.

The data center, which will be built on an area of approximately 350,000 square meters, will have a capacity of 750 megawatts – more than twice as large as previously planned. The project is expected to create over 1,000 permanent jobs and approximately 2,000 jobs during the construction phase.

The investment amounts to approximately SEK 95 billion (€8.7 billion) and is expected to take 10–15 years.

Strängnäs has all the conditions to become the location of Northern Europe’s first AI center. We can offer an excellent geographical location, we have a high level of education and good cooperation with the municipalities in the Mälardalen region, says Jacob Högfeldt (M), chairman of the municipal council in Strängnäs, to Datacenter-Forum.

Brookfield‘s European CEO, Sikander Rashid, highlights the importance of investing in AI infrastructure on a large scale.

– To be competitive in AI development and realize its economic productivity, it is important to invest at scale in the infrastructure that underpins this technology. This extends beyond data centers and into data transmission, chip storage and energy production.

Strängnäs part of a broader strategy

The investment in Strängnäs is part of Brookfield’s broader strategy to invest around €20 billion in AI infrastructure in Europe, which also includes plans for large data centers in France and other countries.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has expressed his support for the investment on social media, emphasizing Sweden’s long tradition of strong companies.

Translation of above tweet: “Sweden has a long tradition of innovation and strong companies. AI is an incredible force that will enable Sweden to remain at the forefront. That is why the government is now developing a comprehensive AI strategy – and why we appointed the AI Commission. We are now seeing results.

I welcome the announcement today by the Canadian company Brookfield that it plans to invest up to SEK 95 billion in a new AI center in Strängnäs. It will be one of the largest data centers of its kind in Europe. It is also one of the largest investments in AI infrastructure to date in our country. I am particularly pleased that it is in my hometown.

We have a fantastic tech scene, and the latest investments from companies such as Brookfield, Nvidia, and Microsoft are clear proof of that.”

Sweden has competitive advantages that make the country attractive for large data center investments, including a relatively stable energy supply, high digital maturity, and proximity to academic hubs such as KTH and Uppsala University.

In addition, EU data protection regulations require sensitive data to be stored within the Union’s borders, which increases demand for local data centers.

The investment in the AI center could make Strängnäs a central node in Europe’s AI ecosystem and help strengthen Sweden’s role in the global AI race.

Swedish prisoners may soon be sent to Estonia

organized crime

Published yesterday 8:32
– By Editorial Staff
Sweden will pay €8,500 per prison place per month - around €3,000 less than the cost of a Swedish place.
2 minute read

The Swedish government has reached an agreement with Estonia to rent prison places in the city of Tartu, with the aim of relieving pressure on the heavily burdened Swedish prison system.

– The entire prison will be placed at Sweden’s disposal, confirmed Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) during a press conference.

The prison in question has capacity for 600 inmates and is expected to be operational in spring 2026, provided that the Riksdag approves the agreement and the necessary legislative changes are implemented. The agreement is scheduled to be signed this summer.

The prison in Tartu has 400 rooms, corresponds to a Swedish security class 2 facility, and is intended for male inmates over the age of 18 who are not considered to pose a high security risk.

The Prison and Probation Service will make individual assessments in each case to determine which inmates are suitable to serve their sentences in Estonia.

– The intention is that the Prison and Probation Service will assess the suitability of each individual case for serving their prison sentence in Estonia, Strömmer continues.

Swedish conditions will apply

For the agreement to enter into force, it must be approved by a three-quarters majority in the Riksdag. The government wants broad political support on this issue.

– We will invite all parties in the Riksdag to a briefing and discussion on the agreement, said the Minister of Justice.

Although Estonian law applies on site, Sweden and Estonia have agreed on exceptions to ensure that the conditions for inmates correspond as closely as possible to those in Sweden. This applies, for example, to rules on contact with the outside world, where legislation differs between the two countries.

– An overall conclusion is that there are very many similarities. This also reflects the fact that we basically have a common view on how the prison and probation service should be run, says Gunnar Strömmer.

8,500 euros per month

Henrik Vinge (SD), chair of the Committee on Justice, emphasizes that it will not make any significant difference to criminals whether they are imprisoned in Sweden or Estonia.

– The rooms will be of a similar standard and have similar equipment to living quarters in Swedish prisons.

Swedish prison staff will also be on site in Tartu to ensure that the agreement is implemented as intended.

The cost per inmate is €8,500 per month, which is significantly lower than the average cost in Sweden, which is around €11,500. However, this price does not include the cost of leave, which will be carried out in Sweden.

Swedish prime minister linked to adoptions of kidnapped children

Published 4 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Ulf Kristersson is accused of ignoring - or silencing - alerts about human trafficking and widespread corruption linked to international adoptions.
3 minute read

International adoptions have long been marred by scandal. A government inquiry has confirmed serious abuse and legal uncertainty, and several left-wing activists are accusing Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of personal responsibility for ignoring warnings about child trafficking and corruption.

The Nordic TImes recently reported that government investigator Anna Singer is proposing a total ban on international adoptions to Sweden. The proposal comes after a government inquiry found that the practice has been marred by widespread abuses for a long time.

Social Services Minister Camilla Waltersson Grönvall has also acknowledged that it is clear that “children and parents have suffered and been harmed for decades within the framework of international adoption”. The conclusion is that the system has neither been able to protect children nor functioned in a legally secure manner.

Kristersson is also being criticized for his role in a system that allowed the adoption of children from Asia – children who in many cases are suspected of having been kidnapped from their families before being brought to the West. This has been highlighted by Fria Tider, among others.

Adoptions from China doubled

Ulf Kristersson was chairman of Adoptionscentrum (AC) between 2003 and 2005 – a period when the number of adoptions from China to Sweden doubled. Almost all children adopted from China came from similar backgrounds: they were reported to have been found abandoned on the street, with no known names or identities.

More than 20 years ago, Dagens Nyheter reported that Chinese children were being bought from hospitals and then sold on, including to Swedish adoptive families. According to DN’s investigation, this was happening on an organized scale.

The Adoptionscentrum’s then information officer, Margret Josefsson, has stated that this information was also passed on to Kristersson – without any action being taken.

Accusations of a cover-up

Adopted Korean race activist and Expo founder Tobias Hübinette writes in DN Debatt that Kristersson was warned on several occasions about suspected human trafficking from China and Chile – but chose to silence the information.

Adoptionscentrum assured adoptive parents who had already adopted Chinese children, as well as prospective parents who were in the process of adopting from China, that the adoptions were above board”.

During Kristersson’s chairmanship, international adoption peaked worldwide with around 40,000 adoptions to some 20 Western countries per year, mainly due to adoptions from China. However, as early as the 2000s, journalists and authorities in China revealed that international adoptions had degenerated into child trafficking, and Kristersson was aware of this, but nevertheless chose to allow AC (Adoptionscentrum) to double the number of adoptions from China to Sweden, and he himself has adopted three children from China”, he previously wrote on his blog.

Kristersson has also been accused of obstructing a government investigation into corruption in international adoptions. Among other things, the investigation wanted to limit aid and private “gifts” which, according to reports, were used as bribes in the countries of origin.

“Will he be held accountable?”

Left-wing activist and former Expo editor Lisa Bjurwald has also criticized Kristersson. In an editorial in VLT, she writes:

Despite the alarms about stolen children, Ulf Kristersson allowed the trafficking of foreign children to not only continue but increase to its highest levels ever“.

What exactly did he know – and will he be held accountable?” she asks.

Bjurwald points out that it is difficult to determine exactly how much Kristersson knew about the suspected human trafficking and illegal adoptions. However, she believes it is clear that the adoptions during this period were not always carried out in an ethically defensible manner, and that it was not ensured that each child was actually in need of a new family.

It is not only the adopted men and women who need answers, but the entire Swedish people. Every dirty aspect of international adoptions must be brought to light”, she concludes.

10,000 children living in homelessness: “The Swedish model has collapsed”

Welfare collapse

Published 4 June 2025
– By Editorial Staff
In Sweden, homeless people are not only those living on the streets - but several groups who do not have a long-term home.
2 minute read

Nearly 10,000 children are living in homelessness in Sweden, according to the latest report from Sveriges Stadsmissioner (Sweden’s City Missions). The organization warns that the actual number may be significantly higher and is now calling for bold political action to reverse the trend.

– We need major national reforms, says Jonas Rydberg, Secretary General of Sveriges Stadsmissioner, in an interview with TT.

Sveriges Stadsmissioner’s annual homelessness report paints a bleak picture, especially for children and young people. Almost 10,000 children do not have a safe home, and according to the National Board of Health and Welfare’s survey from 2024, at least 9,400 children are affected. However, experts believe that the reality is likely to be much bleaker than this.

– There is a large number of unreported cases, as the National Board of Health and Welfare also notes in its report. This is because many groups do not end up in the statistics. If you terminate your lease before you are evicted, you do not end up in the eviction statistics, Jonas Rydberg explains.

“The Swedish model has collapsed”

He believes that much of the problem stems from inadequate housing policy and argues that today’s housing market is not adapted to modern living conditions, especially for single parents.

– We don’t live the same way we did 50 years ago. But the housing market hasn’t kept up. It’s not unusual to be a single parent living in an apartment. Many of the people who come to us can’t afford a long-term rental contract; we’ve seen this for a long time.

The secretary general also criticizes the Swedish model of housing provision, which is based on general policy rather than targeted measures.

 Sweden’s housing policy is based on general housing provision without any special measures. If you are on a low income, there should be supplements such as housing benefits, and there should be a variety of apartments available. But it doesn’t work. Other countries have increasingly moved towards targeted measures, such as building apartments with lower rents or, in some cases, the state stepping in to subsidize rents.

– We can see that the Swedish model has collapsed. Housing benefits have been depleted for a long time. Net wages for certain groups have not kept pace. What is being built is not affordable, and not everyone has access to the housing stock. That is the big problem, he adds.

Passive politicians

The government has launched a homelessness strategy and tasked the National Board of Health and Welfare with investigating the increase in evictions and proposing measures. But Sveriges Stadsmissioner believe that this is not enough.

– The problem is that it’s piecemeal politics; it has no impact. Politicians listen, but they are unable to take joint action across party lines, says Jonas Rydberg.

The organization is therefore calling for more comprehensive measures, including more affordable housing and increased housing subsidies, so that vulnerable and economically disadvantaged families also have a chance at security and stability in their lives.

The National Board of Health and Welfare's definition of homelessness includes four different situations:

1. Acute homelessness
The person is in an immediate emergency situation and is staying overnight in shelters, emergency accommodation, shelters or similar. This includes those sleeping outdoors, in stairwells, public places, cars, tents or other temporary places without a roof over their heads.

2. Institutionalization or supported housing
The individual is staying in, for example, a correctional facility, residential care home (HVB), SiS institution, foster home, or supported housing, and is scheduled to leave within three months—but has no permanent housing to move to. It also includes those who should have already left but remain due to a lack of housing.

3. Long-term housing solutions via the municipality
The person lives in accommodation arranged by the municipality, such as a training apartment, reference apartment or social contract. These accommodations are temporary solutions for people who cannot enter the regular housing market, often with special rules or supervision.

4. Self-arranged but temporary accommodation
The person lives without a contract with friends, relatives or acquaintances, or has a short-term contract as a lodger or subtenant. This often happens after the individual has sought help from social services for their housing situation.

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