Monday, October 27, 2025
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Monday, October 27, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedens-government-wants-to-place-prisoners-abroad/

Sweden

Sweden’s government wants to place prisoners abroad

Published December 20, 2023
– By Editorial Staff
Gunnar Strömmer is on the lookout for prison sites in the "immediate area" around Sweden.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

There is an acute shortage of places within the Prison and Probation Service - something the Swedish government hopes to solve by renting prison places in other countries. An investigator has now been appointed to examine whether this type of placement is practically viable.

– We must work on several fronts at the same time, said minister of justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) at a press conference on Thursday.

Politicians and the Prison and Probation Service have long warned that there are not enough places to house all prisoners, and existing institutions and remand prisons are currently being expanded across the country - yet the government says this is not enough.

The governing parties and the Sweden Democrats therefore hope to be able to rent prison places in other countries and have launched an investigation to examine whether this is possible, how much it would cost and what practical and organizational problems need to be solved. It will also analyze how to organize the transports, what kind of prisoners can be placed abroad and how to ensure that they are treated in an acceptable and legal way.

Mattias Wahlstedt, permanent secretary and deputy head of department at the Police Legal Department, has been appointed as an investigator and will work on this assignment for 12 months.

Looking in the local area

According to Gunnar Strömmer, it is not currently known which countries Sweden can sign agreements with - but the focus is on the "immediate area".

– You can think of the Nordic region and Europe, where there is experience with other comparable countries that have rented sites abroad.

The Netherlands is an example of a European country that has received prisoners from other EU countries for a fee, and is one of the options the government will look at more closely.

– Of course there are risks, but I am convinced that it is possible to take care of them in a good way. That is what the investigator will do, and we are open to what the investigator will come up with. Our point is to get to the bottom of these issues, the justice minister continues.

According to Strömmer, Sweden needs to double the number of prison places compared to today.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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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 yesterday 6:12 pm
– 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 yesterday 3:58 pm
– 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

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/danish-criticism-of-new-nuclear-power-plans-in-southern-sweden/

Sweden

Denmark criticizes new nuclear power plans in southern Sweden

Published October 23, 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The Barsebäck nuclear power plant in southern Sweden shut down in 2005.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

A new investigation shows that new nuclear power plants can be built in the Barsebäck area, Sweden, after a political majority in Kävlinge municipality expressed a desire to establish nuclear power there.

However, the plans are causing irritation among Denmark's ruling Social Democrats, who consider this would be "unfortunate".

The Barsebäck nuclear power plant in southern Sweden consisted of two reactors that were decommissioned in 1999 and 2005. Demolition began in 2016 and the plan is for the site to be leveled by 2030. Kävlinge municipality, where the decommissioned nuclear power plant is located, has agreed with the landowner that the site should accommodate development of fossil-free energy solutions such as solar power.

However, the new investigation commissioned by the municipality with support from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency shows that it is also possible to establish new nuclear power in the area. That said, it would require strong consideration for the nature in the area. The report primarily points to Barsebäck marsh, Ulakärr, Lödde stream and Salviken as having high natural values that need to be protected.

– We're not at the point of breaking ground. But they have concluded that in certain areas it works well, in other areas the investigation says that nature interests take precedence here, says Annsofie Thuresson from the Moderate Party to Sydsvenskan.

Proximity to Copenhagen causes concern

The Swedish government has recently presented a new legislative proposal for amendments to the Environmental Code that would allow the establishment of new nuclear power along the coast.

The Barsebäck area is located near Denmark, and the potential plans to build new nuclear power are meeting resistance from Danish Social Democrats.

"It is unfortunate that Sweden continues on this path and plans to build new reactors near Copenhagen. Especially at a time when our security is under so much pressure", writes the party's political chairman Niels Bjerrum to Danish newspaper Berlingske.

At the same time, the Danish party Liberal Alliance, among others, is positive about establishing new nuclear power and wants to scrap wind power in Denmark to instead invest in more nuclear power facilities.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/save-the-children-one-in-eight-children-in-sweden-lives-in-poverty/

Sweden

Save the Children: One in eight children in Sweden lives in poverty

Welfare collapse

Published October 22, 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Single parents face particular difficulties making ends meet, the report shows.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

One in eight children in Sweden currently lives in poverty, and the number is increasing in line with rising living costs, according to a new report from Save the Children Sweden.

According to recent figures from the children's rights organization Save the Children, approximately 276,000 children in Sweden live in poverty, representing nearly 13 percent of all children in the country. This is revealed in the report "Child Poverty in Sweden 2025" which was presented during the week.

The report is based on new metrics from the Swedish Consumer Agency's calculations of families' basic needs and includes the number of children in households receiving social assistance. The aim is to better reflect the reality for children in economically vulnerable households.

— The development has made it difficult for families with children who already lacked or had small margins to make ends meet. Save the Children has noticed increased vulnerability among families with children we meet in our operations, says the organization's Secretary General Åsa Regnér in a press release.

Stock image. Photo: Pixabay

Rising living costs and declining real wages

Save the Children highlights several factors in the report that explain the increasing economic vulnerability among families with children. Among the primary causes are sharply rising living costs, particularly for food and housing, as well as unemployment and declining real wages.

Additionally, the report reveals clear differences between various groups in society. Children living with single parents or in households with foreign-born parents face a significantly higher risk of experiencing poverty.

The organization calls for several national reforms to reverse the trend. Among the proposals are previously suggested increases to child and housing benefits, as well as social assistance that is indexed to actual costs rather than just referring to general levels.

– Social assistance must cover food, rent and children's basic needs, and therefore it needs to be adapted to economic changes and the real costs of families with children, argues Åsa Regnér.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Save the Children's measurement method for child poverty

Save the Children Sweden has updated its method for measuring child poverty. The new measure takes into account the Swedish Consumer Agency's calculations of basic needs and the number of children in families receiving social assistance. Between 2019 and 2022, poverty decreased according to both measures, but during 2023, the new measure shows an increase.

Source: Save the Children Sweden

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