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

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/suspicious-object-found-in-mall-of-scandinavia/

Sweden

Suspicious object found in Mall of Scandinavia

Published yesterday 10:43

– By

Montage. Photo: iStock/Trygve Finkelsen, AleWi/CC BY-SA 4.0

According to reports, the dangerous object was some kind of thermos bomb.

A suspicious object was discovered inside the Westfield Mall of Scandinavia on Sunday evening. The police have initiated a preliminary investigation into preparations for public destruction and violations of the law on flammable and explosive goods.

A security guard discovered the object at 21.30 on Sunday evening in the shopping center, located in Solna north of Stockholm. Shortly after midnight, the National Bomb Squad arrived and assessed that the object was live. No danger to the public remains, and the object has now been removed from the site.

– I can not go into what kind of object it was, but it is no longer in the mall but has been taken care of by the bomb squad, says Daniel Wikdahl, press spokesman at the police to the tax-funded SVT.

The police have initiated a preliminary investigation into preparations for public destruction and violations of the law on flammable and explosive goods. Among other things, surveillance cameras from the shopping center will be reviewed.

According to the tabloid Aftonbladet, the dangerous object was some kind of thermos bomb.

emilfjellstedt@proton.me

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-soldiers-could-be-sent-to-ukraine/

Sweden

Swedish soldiers could be sent to Ukraine

The war in Ukraine

Published yesterday 10:21

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: Antonia Sehlstedt/The Swedish Armed Forces

Swedish conscripts during training.

There are many indications that Swedish peacekeeping troops may be sent to Ukraine after the end of the war.

– Our government is not ruling anything out, says Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard (M).

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that the country is prepared to send so-called peacekeeping troops to Ukraine if a peace agreement is reached. This has raised questions about whether other European countries, including Sweden, might follow suit.

Speaking on the Swedish state radio program P1 Morgon, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard (M) said that it is not inconceivable that Sweden would also participate in such an operation.

– We are not there yet. First and foremost, a just and lasting peace must be negotiated that respects international law, respects Ukraine and, above all, ensures that Russia cannot withdraw and build new forces and attack Ukraine or another country in a few years’ time, she explained.

– Once we have that in place, then we have to ensure that that peace can be kept, and our government is not ruling anything out, the Minister continued.

Similar message from the Minister of Defense

According to the Associated Press, several European countries, led by the UK and France, have been discussing since last year a joint strategy to establish a peacekeeping force in Ukraine. The plan would be activated in the event of a peace agreement, with the stated purpose of monitoring security and preventing further escalation in the region.

The issue of Swedish participation has been debated in the past, with Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) declaring in December that he “does not exclude the possibility” of Sweden sending soldiers to the country after the war ends.

At the same time, however, he emphasized that there was currently no concrete proposal for such an operation or what it would look like in practice.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/tv4s-orebro-mass-shooting-coverage-sparks-backlash-from-experts/

Sweden

TV4’s Örebro mass shooting coverage sparks backlash from experts

Disinformation in the media

Published 14 February 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Montage. Photo: Holger.Ellgaard/CC BY-SA 4.0, facsimile/TV4

Following TV4’s reporting on the mass shooting in Örebro, where the channel claimed, on unclear grounds, that the perpetrator had uttered the phrase “you should get out of Europe”, ten experienced sound engineers are now questioning the channel’s methods in an open letter.

The information provided by the state-owned Telia TV4, which was allegedly based on an “expert analysis” of an audio recording, was widely circulated and used to imply a racist motive behind the Örebro attack.

Critical voices questioned TV4’s reporting early on, pointing out that there was a lack of transparency about how the claim was arrived at. Now, ten experienced sound engineers have also published an open letter in the magazine Kvartal, criticizing the channel’s conclusions and general journalistic credibility.

The ten sound engineers, with extensive experience in sound analysis, recording and editing, state that it is impossible to determine with certainty what is being said in the audio clip in question and criticize the channel for giving the impression that there is a clear conclusion when this is not the case.

“No one in our profession would be able to establish that”, they clarify.

“Not up to scratch”

They emphasize that TV4’s handling of the material cannot be considered anything other than a serious case of false journalism.

“It is dishonest to claim that this is the case. Instead, many of us in our forum have been disturbed by the fact that our professional knowledge and professional honor seem to be used as an alibi for frivolous and irresponsible click journalism”.

They are calling for the channel to report exactly how it went about the analysis that TV4 News says it did.

“We do not think that TV4’s defense is up to scratch and we do not believe that the publication can withstand further scrutiny. If TV4 wants to be transparent, they should make available exactly in what format they have taken part of the original audio and make a file without further compression or processing available for independent review”, it concludes.

For its part, the state broadcaster SVT has linked the criticism of TV4 as an expression of Islamist propaganda, associating criticism of the channel’s reporting on the Örebro killings with a Salafist social media account.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/corruption-is-increasing-in-sweden/

Sweden

Corruption is increasing in Sweden

The corruption in Sweden

Published 13 February 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: Frankie Fouganthin/CC BY-SA 4.0

Under Ulf Kristersson's government, corruption in Sweden has increased.

Under the Moderate-led government, corruption in Sweden continues to increase and is currently at its worst level since the measurements began.

– It is serious for Sweden that the negative trend has not been broken, says Ulrik Åshuvud, Secretary General of Transparency International.

Every year, the organization produces a Corruption Perceptions Index that ranks 180 countries and territories according to how the level of public sector corruption is perceived by experts, analysts and business people.

It is based on 13 independent data sources and uses a scale from 0 to 100, where 0 is extremely corrupt and 100 means there is virtually no corruption at all.

It should be noted that the Nordic countries and almost all of the Western world are doing relatively well according to the index – but that there is still a clear negative trend for Sweden.

“New low”

As last year, Sweden is ranked 6th, this time with 80 points – two fewer points than last year. Although this is a high score compared to most other countries, it is also the worst result since the surveys began.

– We are now at a new low, it has dropped by nine points since 2015 and that is a very big negative change, says Ulrik Åshuvud in an interview with the Swedish national broadcaster SVT.

According to the index, Sweden is currently the second most corrupt country in the Nordic region – only Iceland scores worse. Meanwhile, Denmark is the least corrupt country in the world, scoring 90 points out of a possible 100. Finland is second with 88 points and Norway is fifth with 81.

There are several factors that mean corruption in Sweden is expected to continue to increase – but Åshuvud believes that the increase in organized crime, lack of transparency in public procurement, conflicts of interest and cronyism are the biggest problems.

Infiltration and extortion

He points out that criminal networks can use undue influence, infiltration and blackmail to influence processes and decision-making of various kinds.

– The decisions taken may not be the right decisions. People make different decisions or avoid making decisions because they feel threatened, he explains.

Another factor that leads to corruption is that Sweden is a fairly small country and that those in power and representatives of different interests often have a relationship with each other from before – which means there is a risk that decisions are made on the wrong grounds.

– There is a tendency to favor others, in recruitment, to bring in people who don’t have the right background or because they know a person they would rather work with. This should not happen in the public sector. It should be based on impartiality and merit.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The world's least corrupt countries according to the CPI:

1. Denmark (90)

2. Finland (88)

3. Singapore (84)

4. New Zealand (83)

5. Luxembourg (81)

5. Norway (81)

5. Switzerland (81)

6. Sweden (80)

7. Netherlands (78)

8. Australia (77)

8. Iceland (77)

8. Ireland (77)

9. Estonia (76)

9. Uruguay (76)

10. Canada (75)

10. Germany (75)

The world's most corrupt countries according to the CPI:

180. South Sudan (8)

179. Somalia (9)

178. Venezuela (10)

177. Syria (12)

176. Yemen (13)

176. Libya (13)

176. Eritrea (13)

176. Equatorial Guinea (13)

175 Nicaragua (14)

174 Sudan (15)

174. North Korea (15)

173. Myanmar (16)

173. Haiti (16)

172. Turkmenistan (17)

172. Burundi (17)

172. Afghanistan (17)

171. Tajikistan (19)

170. Democratic Republic of Congo (20)

Polaris of Enlightenment

Polaris of Enlightenment