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Tuesday, October 28, 2025

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/land-owner-gains-rights-to-meteorite/

Sweden

Land owner gains rights to meteorite

Updated April 1, 2024, Published March 29, 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
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/youth-prisons-for-13-year-olds-to-open-this-summer-in-sweden/

Sweden

Youth prisons for 13-year-olds to open this summer in Sweden

organized crime

Published today 2:03 pm
– By Editorial Staff
The number of young people convicted of serious crimes has increased dramatically in recent years.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Swedish government has tasked the Swedish Prison and Probation Service (Kriminalvården) with preparing special youth prisons for 13- and 14-year-olds who commit serious crimes.

The purpose is to adapt the sentence execution to the child's age and to separate younger offenders from older youth, with the prison units set to be ready by summer.

The Swedish Prison and Probation Service has previously been tasked with preparing youth prisons for 15–17-year-olds convicted of serious crimes. Now the assignment is being expanded to also include criminals aged 13 and 14, in connection with the government's proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility for serious crimes.

In August 2023, the government received the report A review of regulations on custodial sentences for young people, which proposes that secure youth care be replaced with imprisonment in special youth units at existing facilities.

– Lowering the age of criminal responsibility for the most serious crimes is needed for several reasons. It is important to strengthen redress for crime victims, to protect society and to help children leave the criminal path. This also provides a five-year window for preventive work to catch up with today's reality. The Prison and Probation Service is now tasked with preparing operations in the best way to receive the youngest target group, says Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer.

Age-appropriate adaptation

The Prison and Probation Service must adapt both facilities and operations based on the children's age. Younger children must be kept separate from older youth, and operations must comply with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

– When 13–14-year-olds are running around with automatic weapons, it must be met with society's full force. To protect others, they must be able to be locked up, and by lowering the age of criminal responsibility, we open up the police's toolbox. It gives us a chance to both stop continued violence and turn around the development for these children before it's too late, says Henrik Vinge (Sweden Democrats), chair of the justice committee in the Swedish Parliament.

Torsten Elofsson, legal policy spokesperson for the Christian Democrats, points out that the need is urgent:

– The number of children, as young as 13–14 years old, committing serious violent crimes has increased dramatically. Measures to prevent this and to also take action after completed crimes are a must. At the same time, the execution needs to be adapted based on the perpetrator's age. It is welcome that the Prison and Probation Service is now tasked with examining how operations need to be adapted.

Martin Melin (Liberals) agrees:

– I have great confidence in the Prison and Probation Service and how they solve the strained situation they have, not least with the shortage of places. I am convinced that they will also be able to ensure that the 13 and 14-year-olds sentenced to prison will be taken care of in the best way.

Planned facilities and timeline

The Prison and Probation Service is planning special youth units for boys at the facilities in Högsbo, Rosersberg, Österåker, Kumla, Skenäs and Täby. For girls, units are planned at Ystad and Sagsjön. Implementation will occur in stages, and not all units will be operational from July 1, 2026.

On September 24, the Ministry of Justice sent out for consultation a draft legislative proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13 years for crimes with a minimum sentence of four years' imprisonment or more, as well as for attempts, preparation and conspiracy to commit such crimes. The proposal is currently time-limited to five years.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/sweden-accelerates-space-defense-development-military-satellites-planned-before-2030/

Sweden

Sweden accelerates space defense development – military satellites planned before 2030

The new cold war

Published today 11:19 am
– By Editorial Staff
The Swedish Armed Forces monitors other countries' satellites and space movements in real time.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Swedish Armed Forces is accelerating the development of a Swedish space defense capability and plans to launch its own operational satellites earlier than previously planned.

The initiative, which aims to enhance surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities amid escalating conflicts and a deteriorating security situation, involves an expedited procurement process where the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) has been tasked with speeding up the process.

The conflict with Russia and "the deteriorating security situation" have prompted the Swedish Armed Forces to accelerate work on a national space defense capability. The goal of having its own military satellites was originally set for 2030, but FMV has now been tasked with implementing an expedited procurement so that the satellites will become operational earlier. The defense forces currently do not wish to specify an exact year or how many satellites will be included in the system.

— We need to see further, says Anders Sundeman, new head of the Swedish Armed Forces' space operations, to state television SVT.

The satellites will primarily be used for reconnaissance and surveillance and aim to provide an improved situational picture, including over the Baltic Sea region. Weaponization of the satellites is reportedly not currently under consideration.

"Weapons reach further"

The Swedish Armed Forces cites two main reasons for the increased pace: the deteriorating security situation and the development of weapon systems with longer range. The ability to detect and follow developments at greater distances has therefore become increasingly important, while space technology has become cheaper and more accessible.

— Distances have increased so much nowadays, weapons reach further. Therefore, we need to have a good understanding of how developments are unfolding at considerably greater distances, says Anders Sundeman.

In the long term, launches are intended to be possible from Esrange in northern Sweden, but the first operational satellite is likely to be launched from foreign soil. The defense forces already have two training satellites in orbit: Gna-3, which was launched last year, and the Swedish-Danish satellite Bifrost, which followed earlier this year.

Space as a domain of conflict

Today, around fifteen people work with space defense within the Swedish Armed Forces, and within five years the staff is expected to double. In the monitoring room that handles the space situational picture, other countries' satellites are tracked, passages over Sweden are noted, and suspicious movements are analyzed.

Sweden is one of several countries now building up space defense capabilities. The US-led military alliance NATO has also highlighted space as a possible future domain of conflict.

— With increased interest, increased activity and increased dependence, potential conflicts, or space as a potential domain of conflict, will increase, says Anders Sundeman.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/a-grim-weekend-for-swedens-sense-of-safety/

Sweden

A grim weekend for Sweden’s sense of safety

Deteriorating safety

Published October 26, 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Several acts of violence have shaken Sweden in a short period of time.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The wave of violence in Sweden continues with several shootings in the Stockholm area and a suspected aggravated rape in Malmö, southern Sweden.

It has been a dark weekend for Swedish safety. Several serious violent crimes have shaken many cities in less than 48 hours. Police have responded across the country, but many perpetrators have not yet been apprehended and residents report growing concerns.

Shootings in Stockholm County

Rinkeby

Late Saturday evening, a man in his mid-twenties was found shot outdoors in Rinkeby, a suburb of Stockholm. Police were alerted shortly after 9:30 PM and dispatched numerous resources to the scene. The search for the perpetrator is ongoing.

In the police press release, it was stated that the extent of the shooting victim's injuries is unclear and that the person has not yet been identified. Simultaneously, extensive operations connected to the incident were conducted throughout the police region.

– It's a broad search across large parts of Stockholm. We're searching in several different ways, including through regular patrols, information gathering, witness statements, and by reviewing surveillance cameras, said Daniel Wikdahl, press spokesman for the Stockholm region, during Saturday evening.

Södertälje

On the evening of October 24, a shooting was reported in Fornhöjden, Södertälje, a city south of Stockholm. Two people were hit near a car, and one of them later died at the scene. Two people were arrested in connection with the incident.

Police immediately initiated a preliminary investigation for attempted murder and are seeking witnesses. The alarm came at 9:23 PM, and several people heard shots. The area was cordoned off and a major operation was launched to find suspects and secure evidence.

– Several people have been arrested suspected of murder, says police press spokesman Nadya Norton.

Suspected outdoor rape in Malmö

An 18-year-old woman is suspected to have been subjected to rape in Pildammsparken in Malmö during Friday evening. The woman contacted police and reported that she felt she was being followed.

When police arrived at the scene, suspicions arose that the woman had been subjected to aggravated rape.

– There is no information that the suspected perpetrator is someone known to her – this is a stranger rape, says police press spokesman Evelina Olsson.

No suspect has yet been apprehended.

New shooting in Gävle - attempted murder in Finspång

Gävle / Brynäs

During Friday evening, several people were shot in the Brynäs district of Gävle, a city in central Sweden. A young man in his late teens has died and another was seriously injured. The incident is classified by police as murder/manslaughter and a large area was quickly cordoned off for technical examination.

– Relatives have been notified and another person is being treated in hospital with serious injuries, police press spokesman Magnus Jansson Klarin in a comment to tax-funded SVT (Swedish public broadcaster).

Saturday's shooting comes only three weeks after Gävle was hit by a mass shooting where six people were struck by bullets. No one sustained life-threatening injuries at that time.

Police are now investigating whether there are connections between the two shootings and see clear concerns about gang-related crime in the area.

– It's no news that there is a conflict situation right now in Gävle given recent events. That something more could happen is not entirely unthinkable either, says Magnus Jansson Klarin.

Finspång

A 45-year-old man was seriously injured in a fight at a restaurant in Finspång, a town in southeastern Sweden, during Friday evening. The man was taken to hospital after being stabbed with a sharp object. Police are handling the case as suspected attempted murder.

The suspected perpetrator is still at large, while police report that two people have been arrested suspected of harboring a criminal.

The wave of violence

The weekend's wave of violence, particularly the shootings in Stockholm and Gävle, underscores a worrying trend of escalating violence in populated residential areas. Several are linked to suspected gang crime.

Despite extensive police operations, arrests are lacking in several cases. It is clear that the threat to Swedish safety is not concentrated in one place but is spreading across several regions.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/young-swedes-see-alcohol-as-more-dangerous-than-cannabis/

Sweden

Young Swedes see alcohol as more dangerous than cannabis

Published October 26, 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Young people have a significantly more liberal view on cannabis than older generations.
1 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Every other young Swede believes that alcohol is more harmful to health than cannabis, according to a new survey. Researchers confirm that young people are right – but simultaneously warn strongly against legalization.

In a survey conducted by Verian on behalf of SVT (Swedish public broadcaster), 1,000 Swedes were asked which drug they believe is most harmful: alcohol or cannabis. The results show that 51 percent of respondents between 18 and 29 years old consider alcohol to pose the greater health risk. Only 37 percent believe cannabis is more dangerous.

Among the 30-79 age group, the relationship is reversed – 61 percent assess cannabis as more dangerous while 24 percent point to alcohol.

— Based on existing research, alcohol is clearly more harmful to health, says Mats Ramstedt, research director at CAN (the Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs), to the tax-funded SVT.

However, experts do not believe that cannabis should be legalized in Sweden. Addiction expert Markus Heilig argues that it would simply be a "serious mistake" when looking at alcohol's impact on society.

— We have a reality where society has already accepted alcohol use, where the harm from alcohol is enormously large. Should we now add harm from widespread cannabis use to the already significant damage?

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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