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  • Iranian founded guilty of war criminal offenses released in Swedish swap

    Iranian founded guilty of war criminal offenses released in Swedish swap

    An Iranian founded guilty in Sweden of war criminal offenses has actually been released as part of a detainee swap in between the 2 nations.

    Hamid Noury, who was serving a life sentence, has actually gone back to Tehran while Johan Floderus, a Swedish diplomat and double nationwide Saeed Azizi showed up back in Stockholm late on Saturday night.

    Mr Noury was detained in Sweden in 2019 and founded guilty of participation in the mass execution of political detainees in Iran more than 3 years back.

    Mr Floderus was apprehended in Iran 2 years back on charges of spying while Mr Azizi was detained last November and sentenced to 5 years in jail.

    Relations in between Sweden and Iran have actually degraded considering that Mr Noury’s conviction.

    Revealing the swap, Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated Iran had actually made Mr Floderus and Mr Azizi “both pawns in a negative settlement video game, with the goal of getting Iranian person Hamid Noury ​​launched from jail in Sweden”.

    He included: “He is founded guilty of major criminal offenses devoted in Iran in the 1980s.”

    Kazem Gharibabadi, secretary of Iran’s High Council for Person Rights, stated in a post on X, previously Twitter, on Saturday that Mr Noury had actually been “unlawfully apprehended” in Sweden however was now complimentary.

    Mr Noury was implicated of devoting war criminal offenses and murder in 1988 when, according to Swedish district attorneys, he was assistant to the deputy district attorney at Gohardasht jail in Karaj.

    He was the very first individual to deal with prosecution for taking part in the execution of countless detainees, which Iran’s facility has never ever officially acknowledged.

    In 1988, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), an Iraqi-backed leftist opposition group, had actually assaulted Iran throughout the Iran and Iraq War.

    Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini released an order to carry out all detainees who were faithful to or sympathised with the group.

    Human rights groups approximate that in between 2,800 and 5,000 ladies and males were carried out at websites, consisting of Gohardasht jail, in between July and September 1988.

    Mr Noury, 63, was detained after getting to Stockholm airport on a flight from Iran. He rejected the charges versus him however he was condemned of “serious breaches of global humanitarian law and murder”.

    He was attempted under the concept of universal jurisdiction which enables nations to prosecute individuals for major criminal offenses versus global law that happened somewhere else.

    This consists of war criminal offenses, genocide, abuse and criminal offenses versus humankind.

    Mr Floderus, 33, was dealing with the capital punishment after his arrest in Iran in 2022 on allegations of espionage while he was on vacation.

    Mr Azizi, an Iranian-Swedish nationwide in his early 60s, was condemned of “assembly and collusion versus nationwide security”.

    Oman assisted work out the detainee swap and played an essential function in the release of another European nationwide recently. French lender Louis Arnaud was released after 2 years in detention in Iran.

  • Iran and Sweden total detainee exchange

    Iran and Sweden total detainee exchange

    Iran and Sweden have actually finished a detainee swap, according to the federal government of Oman, which moderated the procedure.

    People from both nations were flown to Muscat, the capital of the little state on the Persian Gulf, on Saturday.

    Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson verified that 2 Swedish residents were on their method home.

    According to info from Tehran, Hamid N., who had actually been sentenced to life in jail in Sweden for mass executions of political detainees in Iran at the end of the 1980s, was launched. The Iranian, 63, was sentenced in Stockholm in July 2022.

    There was no verification of this from Stockholm. Kristersson simply stated that Iran had actually made the 2 Swedes “a pawn in a negative negotiating video game with the goal of launching the Iranian resident Hamid N.” from Swedish custody.

    EU worker Johan Floderus and Said Asisi, who had actually been sentenced to 5 years in jail in Iran, were launched by Tehran, Kristersson stated. A minimum of another Swedish resident, the doctor Ahmad Resa Jalali, is still in an Iranian jail.

    EU Foreign Affairs Agent Josep Borrell invited their release on X on Saturday.

    “We rejoice at the news of the freedom of EU associate & resident Johan Floderus and his compatriot Saeed Azizi. We thank Swedish & Omani authorities,” the EU’s leading diplomat stated.

    “Other EU residents are still arbitrarily apprehended in Iran. We’ll continue to work for their liberty together w/ EU MS included,” he included, describing member states. Borrell the Swedish and Omani authorities.

    Detainee exchange without delay slammed

    Mariam Claren, child of the German-Iranian Nahid Taghavi, who was put behind bars in Iran’s well-known Ewin jail, revealed her shock on the X platform.

    “Let me be clear,” she composed, “I enjoy for the released captives and their households. However what message did the EU sent out to Tehran? More individuals will be hijacked, captives who were left may be carried out. And crucial: what a slap in the face of the households of Nouri‘s victims.”

    Oman has actually gone far for itself as the “Switzerland of the Middle East” and endeavours to support political disputes in the area as a neutral gamer. The nation has actually moderated in between Iran and Saudi Arabia, for instance, and in talks in between the West and Iran over the latter’s nuclear program.

    Relations in between Sweden and Iran had actually just recently cooled significantly due to the diplomatic cases. In Might in 2015, Tehran carried out a Swedish-Iranian dissident who had actually been implicated of terrorist activities. Critics had actually consistently implicated Iran of attempting to totally free Hamid N. by locking up Swedish residents.

  • Iran and Sweden accept a detainee swap releasing guy founded guilty of war criminal activities over ’88 executions

    Iran and Sweden accept a detainee swap releasing guy founded guilty of war criminal activities over ’88 executions

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran and Sweden concurred Saturday to a detainee swap, releasing Hamid Nouri, founded guilty of war criminal activities by Sweden over mass 1988 executions in the Islamic Republic, in exchange for 2 guys held by Tehran.

    Iran launched Johan Floderus, a Swede who had actually been working for the European Union’s diplomatic corps, in addition to a male recognized as Saeed Azizi by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

    They “are now on an airplane home to Sweden, and will quickly be reunited with their households,” Kristersson composed on the social platform X.

    Oman moderated the swap, the state-run Oman News Firm reported. Iranian state tv reported Nouri was currently released and would be heading back to Tehran.

    In 2022, the Stockholm District Court sentenced Nouri to life in jail over his function in the executions. It recognized Nouri as an assistant to the deputy district attorney at the Gohardasht jail outside the Iranian city of Karaj.

  • Sweden summons Iraqi diplomat to oppose capital punishment apparently handed to 2 Swedes

    Sweden summons Iraqi diplomat to oppose capital punishment apparently handed to 2 Swedes

    COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden’s Foreign Ministry stated authorities summoned the Iraqi chargé d’affaires Friday to oppose versus death sentences bied far to Swedes in Iraq.

    Swedish media reported in current days that 2 Swedes have actually been sentenced to death in Iraq after being founded guilty of eliminating a member of criminal gang there. On Friday, Sweden’s news company TT mentioned the foreign ministry in Stockholm’s verification that a minimum of someone with a Swedish passport has actually gotten a death sentence.

    “We condemn using the capital punishment. We oppose it constantly, all over and no matter the scenarios,” Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billström stated in a declaration.

    He stated authorities communicated Sweden’s demonstrations at the conference and required that the sentences not be imposed.

    TT reported that another 2 Swedes have actually been apprehended for supposed participation in the murder of a criminal in Iraq.

    The killing previously this year is thought to be connected to an internal gang war in between 2 Swedish groups that has actually led to many killings and tried murders, some happening outdoors Sweden. The Foxtrot network and its competitor, Rumba, have actually for years been associated with lethal fights.

    Sweden has actually faced gang violence for several years and criminal gangs typically hire teens in socially disadvantaged immigrant communities to perform hits. Swedish cops taped 109 shootings up until now this year, consisting of 14 deadly shootings. In 2015, 53 individuals were eliminated and 109 were injured in an overall of 363 shootings.

  • Microsoft to invest $3.2 bn in AI in Sweden

    Microsoft to invest $3.2 bn in AI in Sweden

    Microsoft stated it would train 250,000 individuals by 2027 to improve AI understanding and proficiency and likewise increase capability at its 3 information centres in Sweden. (JULIEN DE ROSA)

    Microsoft stated Monday that it would invest 33.7 billion kronor ($3.2 billion) over 2 years in cloud and expert system facilities in Sweden, its most significant financial investment in the nation.

    The group will train 250,000 individuals by 2027 to improve AI understanding and proficiency and likewise increase capability at its 3 information centres in the nation, it stated.

    “Microsoft’s biggest financial investment in our history in Sweden” would allow the Scandinavian nation “to construct world-leading AI information centre facilities,” the business’s president and vice chair Brad Smith stated at an interview with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

    “A huge part of the factor we have the ability to do this is since of Sweden’s positive energy policy, the numerous access to green energy, whether it’s carbon-free energy or renewable resource,” Smith stated.

    The United States group has in current months revealed comparable AI financial investments in other nations, consisting of in France where it promised to invest 4 billion euros ($4.3 billion), Japan where it revealed a $2.9 billion AI push, and in Indonesia and Malaysia.

    In Sweden, Microsoft will offer more than 20,000 graphic processing systems (GPUs), required for training AI designs, and will improve capability at its information centres in Sandviken, Gavle and Staffanstorp.

    “AI is a driver for lots of things,” Kristersson stated. “It will likewise assist speed up advancement in other locations. This big financial investment in Sweden has the prospective to lead the way for other financial investments.”

    Information centres, which crunch and stock huge quantities of information, need big quantities of electrical energy and water, representing about 2 percent of worldwide electrical energy usage, according to a research study by the HEC Montreal company school.

    In 2020, Microsoft stated it intended to end up being “carbon unfavorable” by 2030, however in 2023 its emissions increased by 30 percent, its information revealed.

    – ‘Increase in Russian deepfakes’ –

    Inquired about the threats and abuses related to expert system, Smith stated Microsoft was keeping track of AI-generated deepfakes “extremely carefully”.

    “Our most significant issue, to be truthful, has to do with the Russian federal government,” he stated. “We have actually seen a boost in Russian activity utilizing deepfakes.”

    “This is the type of risk for the future that we require to resolve and secure versus, which’s going to need more work.”

    He stated it would need federal governments to present brand-new legislation, in addition to brand-new abilities in the tech sector.

    “Basically, it needs using AI to resist abuses that others are advancing with AI,” Smith stated.

    AI innovation, which is anticipated to change almost every element of human life in the coming years, took a substantial leap forward with the 2022 launch of the generative tool ChatGPT, which can produce texts, images and audio files upon need.

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  • Sweden looks for air-defense weapons for its attack boats

    Sweden looks for air-defense weapons for its attack boats

    MILAN — Sweden prepares to obtain anti-aircraft weapons for its fast-assault boats to counter drones and helicopters, as authorities have actually alerted that the Baltic Sea might end up being a flashpoint with Russia.

    The Swedish Ministry of Defense’s devices branch, called FMV, has actually released a call to acquire 8 anti-aircraft weapons under an agreement valued at over $176 million.

    The weapons will be put on the Swedish-made Fight Boat 90, a high-speed and sharp-turning attack craft for the nation’s amphibious systems, according to just recently released tender files. The are slated to run “in all marine geographical locations of interest,” and will consist of 12 years worth of ammo developed to harm airplane.

    Anti-aircraft weapons can be a lower-cost option to rocket interceptors when it concerns securing soldiers versus drone attacks, a situation that has actually ended up being common in Ukraine’s defense versus Russian attacks.

    While some Russian boats are currently equipped with these kinds of air defenses, Moscow was likewise reported to be developing mobile anti-aircraft weapon systems, where each truck would be geared up with Soviet-era anti-aircraft cannons.

    The Swedish procurement comes in the middle of issues revealed by Micael Bydén, leader of the nation’s militaries, over Russia’s aspirations in the Baltic Sea area.

    Of particular interest, he kept in mind in a current interview with German media network RND, is the island of Gotland, situated in the middle of the Baltic Sea, around 330 kilometers from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

    “I am positive that Putin even has both eyes on Gotland – his objective is to acquire control of the Baltic Sea, and who manages Gotland manages the Baltic Sea,” Byden stated.

    Offered its tactical significance for Sweden, now a NATO member, and the broader area, the Scandinavian nation has actually stationed irreversible soldiers on the island.

    Previously this month, the Russian defense ministry drifted strategies to modify its maritime borders around the nation’s islands in the Gulf of Finland and around Kaliningrad, a relocation that would open territorial conflicts with neighboring NATO members.

  • Stockholm implicates Iran of utilizing lawbreakers in Sweden to target Israel or Jewish interests

    Stockholm implicates Iran of utilizing lawbreakers in Sweden to target Israel or Jewish interests

    COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden’s domestic security firm on Thursday implicated Iran of utilizing recognized criminal networks in Sweden as a proxy to target Israeli or Jewish interests in the Scandinavian nation.

    The allegations were raised at a press conference by Daniel Stenling, the head of the SAPO firm’s counterespionage system, following a series of occasions previously this year.

    In late January, the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm was sealed after what was then referred to as “a harmful things” was discovered on the premises of the diplomatic objective in an eastern Stockholm community. Swedish media stated the things was a hand grenade.

    The embassy was not left and the things was ultimately damaged. No arrests were made and authorities did not state what was discovered. On Might 17, gunshots were heard near the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm and the location was cordoned off. Nobody was apprehended.

    Stenling stated, without providing specifics or proof to support his assertion, that the firm “can develop that criminal networks in Sweden are utilized as a proxy by Iran.”

    “It is quite about preparing and tries to perform attacks versus Israeli and Jewish interests, objectives and activities in Sweden,” he stated and included that the firm sees “connections in between criminal people in the criminal networks and people who are linked to the Iranian security services.”

    Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer and Hampus Nygårds, deputy head of the Swedish cops’s National Operations Department, were likewise at the online press conference with Stenling.

    “We see this connection in between the Iranian intelligence services, the security services and specifically lawbreakers in the criminal networks in Sweden,” Stenling stated. “We see that connection and it likewise suggests that we require to work a lot more worldwide to get to the criminal offenses and have the ability to avoid them.”

    Stenling and the others made no reference of the current events linked to the Israel Embassy and stopped short of calling any criminal groups or suspects.

    Sweden has actually come to grips with gang violence for many years and criminal gangs frequently hire teens in socially disadvantaged immigrant communities to perform hits.

    By Might 15, cops have actually tape-recorded 85 shootings up until now this year, consisting of 12 deadly shootings. In 2015, 53 individuals were eliminated and 109 were injured in an overall of 363 shootings.

    2 primary gangs — the Foxtrot network headed by Rawa Majid, who resides in exile in Turkey, and its competitor, Rumba — have actually for years been associated with fatal fights. Ankara had actually turned down Sweden’s demand to have Majid, a Swedish person, extradited since he likewise holds Turkish citizenship.

    Stenling stated there was no factor to alter the fear danger level in Sweden.

    In 2015, it was increased to “high,” the 4th of 5 levels, for the very first time given that 2016 as the security degraded after public burnings of Islam’s holy book, the Quran, that set off demonstrations in the Muslim world.

  • Sweden to contribute $1.23 billion in military help to Ukraine

    Sweden to contribute $1.23 billion in military help to Ukraine

    COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Swedish federal government stated Wednesday that it will contribute 13 billion kronor ($1.23 billion) in military help to Ukraine, in the biggest bundle of support Sweden has actually up until now contributed.

    “It includes devices that is at the top of Ukraine’s concern list,” Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch stated. It consists of air defense, weapons ammo and armored cars.

    Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonsson repeated that the nation has actually eliminated in the meantime sending out any Swedish-built JAS 39 Gripen jets to Ukraine, stating the concentrate on the Ukrainian side is on carrying out a F-16 fighter jet program.

    Numerous nations have actually stated they wish to contribute F-16s. On Tuesday, Belgium vowed 30 F-16 jets to Ukraine.

    Jonsson stated Sweden “is still dealing with potentially having the ability to contribute with the Gripen system later on.”

    The contribution likewise consists of 2 Swedish-made SAAB ASCC air-borne early caution and control planes, which Jonsson stated would have the “biggest impact on the Ukrainian air defense” due to the fact that it would match and strengthen the guaranteed contributions of American F-16 fighter jets.

    “You can recognize inbound cruise rockets, you can recognize drones and recognize targets both on land and at sea,” he stated.

    “The total evaluation is that a contribution of the ASCC 890 radar reconnaissance and command airplane would be the most impactful for the Ukrainian Flying force today,” Jonsson included.

    The contribution of the 2 air-borne early caution and control planes suggests “a short-term decrease in the Swedish defense ability,” Jonsson stated.

    The contribution likewise consists of a rocket system that can be utilized both on airplane and in ground-based air defense systems, he stated. It will be contributed to Ukraine through cooperation with the United States, Jonsson stated.

    The assistance bundle is the 16th from Sweden considering that Russia’s major intrusion of Ukraine started.

  • Sweden looks for to respond to anxious trainees’ concerns about NATO and war after its neutrality ends

    Sweden looks for to respond to anxious trainees’ concerns about NATO and war after its neutrality ends

    STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) — The instructor’s opening concern to trainees in Stockholm is blunt: “Has signing up with NATO increased the hazard to Sweden?”

    Sweden ended up being the Western military alliance’s 32nd member in March. The abrupt end to the Scandinavian nation’s 200 years of neutrality following Russia’s full-blown intrusion of Ukraine, and authorities’ cautions about the Russian hazard to Sweden itself, stress lots of. Teens are no exception.

    Masai Björkwall assisted develop a nationwide program to inform trainees on the history and geopolitics of the North Atlantic Treaty Company after trainees at Viktor Rydberg Junior high previously this year anxiously asked if war may pertain to Sweden.

    Their worries had actually been stimulated by remarks from the nation’s leading military leader and the civil defense minister that there was a danger of war which Swedes should prepare. The declarations spread out rapidly, and the nationwide kids’s customer service reported a boost in concerns about war.

    Sweden’s last war ended in 1814.

    “Naturally we need to handle the trainees’ fret about danger for dispute and war, and describe why we signed up with. We have had the policy of neutrality for so long, a number of a century,” Björkwall stated. “So I need to teach about what has actually occurred worldwide, what has actually altered that made us alter our policy.”

    For teenagers not familiar with NATO, war and world politics, Björkwall’s brand-new curriculum looks for to debunk subjects his trainees see online.

    One lesson consisted of a conversation of the ramifications of NATO’s Short article 5, the alliance’s cumulative defense stipulation under which an attack versus one ally is thought about an attack versus all allies. The conversation worried that the stipulation doesn’t cause an automated military reaction.

    Trainee Linnea Ekman didn’t see any increased hazard, explaining that Short article 5 does not need sending out soldiers.

    Another trainee, Edith Maxence, was worried about the world ending up being more divided as Sweden takes sides.

    “I feel safe that Sweden is with NATO, however I feel hazardous that (…) it may begin a war,” stated the 14-year-old.

    She isn’t alone. Kid’s Rights in Society, which runs the nationwide kid customer service, has actually seen increasing varieties of calls from kids asking whether NATO subscription increases the danger to Sweden.

    Callers seldom inquired about war before Russia released its full-blown intrusion of Ukraine in 2022. However the secretary-general of BRIS, Magnus Jägerskog, stated that almost 20% of calls had to do with war in the week after military primary Micael Bydén and Civil Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin made their remarks in January highlighting the danger.

    Attending to such issues is where the program Björkwall assisted style can be found in.

    Together with UR, an openly financed civic education firm that develops instructional material for instructors and trainees, he and others produced a series of video programs on NATO in addition to mentor products. Released in March, these programs have actually now reached an approximated 100,000 Swedish kids.

    For his final-year trainees, Björkwall has a more tough concern: Should Sweden line up with authoritarian nations? He utilizes as examples Turkey and Hungary — NATO allies that postponed Sweden’s subscription for months after Nordic next-door neighbor Finland had actually signed up with.

    The class is divided, with almost half of the trainees not sure.

    “We discovered it tough to make one conclusion,” stated 15-year-old Adam Sahlen however acknowledged that “the military gets more powerful and much better if we work together with others, specifically Turkey for instance.”

    Björkwall stated he takes care to prevent promoting one position over another: “I desire them to be fully grown, democratic residents that can vote knowingly later.”

  • Germany, Nordic nations pledge Ukraine aid ‘for as long as it takes’

    Germany, Nordic nations pledge Ukraine aid ‘for as long as it takes’

    As Russia’s offensive in north-eastern Ukraine escalates, Germany and the Nordic countries affirmed their commitment to bolster arms support for Ukraine during talks held in Sweden on Monday.

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz joined the prime ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway for discussions in Stockholm.

    Scholz said, “We stand united in our support for Ukraine in its defence against the ongoing Russian aggression. We will continue to provide our support to Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

    Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said the situation on the battlefield was critical, emphasizing the need for swift action from the West to prevent a situation like Mariupol from occurring in Kharkiv.

    Mariupol is a Russian-occupied port city in south-eastern Ukraine which was destroyed and seize in the first months of the war in 2022.

    A few days ago, Russian troops launched an offensive in the region around Kharkiv and are putting massive pressure on the Ukrainian armed forces there.

    Earlier on Monday, the Ukrainian military conceded that Russian forces are making progress in their offensive in the north-eastern Kharkiv region.

    Despite the discussions in Stockholm, no specific new commitments, such as Patriot missile systems, were announced.

    The German government is actively seeking to arrange additional Patriot systems for Ukraine, having recently supplied an additional unit, bringing the total to three.

    However, six to seven more are still urgently needed. Besides Germany, six other EU nations possess these US-made air defence systems, including Sweden, which currently operates four.

    Since the start of the war in Ukraine more than two years ago, Germany has provided or promised to provide Kiev with military aid worth €28 billion ($30.2 billion), Scholz said.

    Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson refrained from outlining his country’s future support commitments, noting, “We have already taken over parts of the air defence and will continue to do so. How exactly and to what extent will be announced at a later date.”

    Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen emphasized the critical importance of aid for Ukraine, characterizing the pressure on the country as unbearable.

    “We must continue to support Ukraine so that it can defend itself and the rest of Europe,” Frederiksen said.

    The prime ministers also visited the technology company Ericsson with the German chancellor.

    Scholz is expected to continue his visit to Sweden on Tuesday and meet with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson for bilateral talks.

    (L-R) Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo speak during a press conference after the Nordic Council meeting in Sweden. Michael Kappeler/dpa

    (L-R) Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo speak during a press conference after the Nordic Council meeting in Sweden. Michael Kappeler/dpa

    (L-R) Bjarni Benediktsson, Prime Minister of Iceland, Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Finland, Jonas Gahr Store, Prime Minister of Norway, Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Sweden, stand together for a group photo at the Nordic Council meeting in Sweden. Michael Kappeler/dpa(L-R) Bjarni Benediktsson, Prime Minister of Iceland, Petteri Orpo, Prime Minister of Finland, Jonas Gahr Store, Prime Minister of Norway, Mette Frederiksen, Prime Minister of Denmark, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Sweden, stand together for a group photo at the Nordic Council meeting in Sweden. Michael Kappeler/dpa

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  • Germany’s Scholz heads to Sweden to talk security with Nordic leaders

    Germany’s Scholz heads to Sweden to talk security with Nordic leaders

    German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to travel to Sweden on Monday to hold talks with the prime ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway.

    The main topics of discussion are expected to be the security situation in Europe, support for Ukraine in its defence against Russia, but also so-called hybrid threats such as cyberattacks and sabotage.

    The group of leaders are also scheduled to visit the Swedish technology company Ericsson together. A press conference is planned for the early evening.

    Scholz is expected to continue his visit to Sweden on Tuesday and plans to meet Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson for bilateral talks.

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  • Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters march in Malmo against Israel’s Eurovision participation

    Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters march in Malmo against Israel’s Eurovision participation

    MALMO, Sweden (AP) — Not everyone in Malmo was welcoming the Eurovision Song Contest to town.

    Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested in the Swedish port city on Thursday against Israel’s participation in the pan-continental pop competition.

    Protesters waving green, white and red Palestinian flags packed the historic Stortorget square near Malmo’s 16th-century town hall before a planned march through the city for a rally in a park several miles (kilometers) from the Eurovision venue.

    Chanting “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” and “Israel is a terror state,” the demonstrators set off smoke flares in the Palestinian colors during a noisy, peaceful rally to criticize Israel and call for a cease-fire. There was a large police presence, with a hovering helicopter, and officers on rooftops with binoculars.

    “It’s important to be here,” said Amani Eli-Ali, a Malmo resident of Palestinian heritage. “It’s not OK for Sweden to arrange this Eurovision and have Israel in the contest.”

    The Israel-Hamas war, which has killed almost 35,000 Palestinians, has brought a jarring juxtaposition to Eurovision week in Malmo. Music fans in colorful sequined outfits or draped in their national flags mixed in the streets with supporters of the Palestinian cause in keffiyeh scarves.

    Palestinian flags fly from windows and balconies along a pedestrianized thoroughfare that has been temporarily renamed “Eurovision street.”

    Pro-Palestinian groups plan to march again on Saturday, the day of the Eurovision final.

    Israel’s government warned its citizens of a “tangible concern” Israelis could be targeted for attack in Malmo during the contest.

    Contest organizers, who try to keep Eurovision a non-political event, have rejected calls to bar Israel over the conduct of its war against Hamas.

    But they told Israel to change the lyrics of its entry, originally titled “October Rain” in apparent reference to Hamas’ cross-border Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 Israelis and triggered the war. The song was renamed “Hurricane” and Israeli singer Eden Golan was allowed to remain in the contest.

    She will compete in Thursday’s semi-final. Some audience members attending a dress rehearsal on Wednesday could be heard to boo during Golan’s performance.

    Critics of the decision to let Israel compete point out that Russia was kicked out of Eurovision in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Belarus was ejected a year earlier over its government’s crackdown on dissent.

    “We’re supposed to be united by music but we’re not united, because Israel is participating,” said Malmo resident Anders Trolle-Schultz, who attended the protest.

    “I think Malmo should have kept Eurovision, but we should have told Israel either ‘Stay away,’ or maybe even say, why don’t we invite a Palestinian music group to participate? That would be fair.”

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  • Sweden’s Eurovision brings kitsch in the shadow of Gaza

    Sweden’s Eurovision brings kitsch in the shadow of Gaza

    After a run-up in the shadow of the war in Gaza, the Eurovision Song Contest final gets underway on Saturday in Sweden’s Malmo, where representatives from 26 countries will compete.

    Up to 30,000 demonstrators are expected to protest against Israel’s participation in the competition over its offensive in Gaza on Thursday, when the country’s representative Eden Golan takes part in the second semi-final.

    In the big line-up of original acts, Croatia, Switzerland and Ukraine are favourites to win the affair distinguished by kitsch and rhinestones.

    Inside the Malmo Arena, it’s all neon lights, bright costumes and upbeat melodies.

    Outside, despite the colourful decorations lining the streets, the mood is more sombre as heavily armed police patrol the city.

    The Gaza war was sparked by Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

    Militants also took about 250 hostages. Israel estimates 128 of them remain in Gaza, including 36 who officials say are dead.

    Israel in response vowed to crush Hamas and launched a military offensive that has killed at least 34,844 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

    Since October, pro-Palestinian rallies have been a regular occurrence in Malmo, which is home to the majority of Sweden’s population of Palestinian origin.

    Throughout the port city of more than 360,000 inhabitants, brightly coloured banners compete for attention with Palestinian flags hanging from windows and balconies.

    Organisers have banned all flags other than those of the participating countries inside the arena, as well as all banners with a political message.

    – ‘Politics is everywhere’ –

    Last year, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which oversees the competition, banned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from speaking in the arena in order to protect the neutrality of the event.

    This neutrality was challenged on Tuesday during the first semi-final by Swedish singer Eric Saade, who took part in the opening number of the competition wearing a keffiyeh around his arm.

    Swedish broadcaster SVT and the EBU condemned his gesture, insisting on the apolitical nature of the popular music festival — which is more often associated with flashy performances.

    “It’s just its complete own world. It’s a very joyful, colourful world, a world where I feel safe,” said Nemo, a Swiss artist who identifies as non-binary and is one of the favourites.

    Malmo is expecting up to 100,000 visitors, and for fans of the contest “it’s what’s on stage that is important”, Andreas Onnerfors, professor of the history of ideas and a Eurovision specialist, told AFP.

    Nearly 70 years old, Eurovision is “a colourful mix of people, a demonstration of European tolerance that doesn’t exist in any other form or place”, he stressed.

    However, for the artists representing Ukraine, “politics is everywhere”.

    “Culture is a part of politics, so every song is political,” rapper Aliona Savranenko, known by her artist name alyona alyona, told AFP over the weekend.

    “There should be demonstrations, people should voice their opinions, people should boycott,” Magnus Bormark, who is competing for Norway with his group Gate, told AFP.

    Gate, like eight other contestants, have publicly called for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.

    Representatives of some countries considered boycotting the competition to protest Israel’s participation, but decided against it in the end.

    – ‘Intensification’ –

    Security is a major concern, especially as Sweden raised its terror alert level last year following a series of protests involving desecrations of the Koran.

    Security checks have been stepped up, in particular for access to the various sites, where bags will mostly be prohibited.

    The police presence has also been strengthened, with reinforcements coming from Norway and Denmark.

    But police spokesman Jimmy Modin said the first days of Eurovision week were calm and that there was no threat directed at the competition.

    Some members of the Jewish community are planning to leave the city for the weekend.

    “With Eurovision, there’s a kind of intensification. The feeling of insecurity increased after October 7, and many Jews are worried,” said Fredrik Sieradzki, a spokesman for local group The Jewish Community of Malmo.

    “I can’t really be happy about Eurovision, even though as a congregation we think it’s good that everyone is welcome here in Malmo, including Israel,” he added.

    Security around the synagogue has been stepped up, while on social networks, threats have been directed at Israel’s singer Golan.

    As the final starts at 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Saturday, activists will be organising the first edition of Falastinvision in solidarity with the Palestinian people.

    cbw/jll/imm/smw

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  • Eurovision Tightens Security Amid Pro-Palestinian Protests

    Eurovision Tightens Security Amid Pro-Palestinian Protests

    Fahree featuring Ilkin Dovlatov representing Azerbaijan with the song “Özunle apar” perform on stage during the first rehearsal for the first semi-final of the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest at the Malmo Arena, in Malmo, Sweden, on May 6, 2024. Credit – Jessica Gow—TT News Agency/AFP/Getty Images

    Performers from across Europe and beyond will compete in the first semi-final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest on Tuesday, amid heightened security prompted by pro-Palestinian protesters objecting to Israel’s participation in the competition.

    The international songwriting competition kicked off over the weekend in Malmo, Sweden. The city already expected about 100,000 fans to visit, and amped up security for the event in anticipation of thousands of people protesting Israel’s participation in the contest. Protests are expected to take place Thursday and Saturday, coinciding with the competition’s second semi-final and the grand final, Associated Press reported.

    “I think it’s obvious that the world’s insecurity has also affected Eurovision,” Malmo Police Chief Petra Stenkula told BBC a few days before the event began. “In Sweden, and Malmo in particular, there have been protests against Israel taking part in the competition.”

    While Stenkula told BBC that there were no specific threats to the contest, additional security officials have been called in from across Sweden, in addition to Denmark and Norway. Some officers may carry larger weapons as a precaution, and officials have also set up cameras around the venue.

    Sweden had already been “on a terror level of four out of five,” Stenkula told BBC. The country increased the alert level in August 2023, after a spate of Quran-burning incidents sparked outrage and triggered protests in many Muslim-majority countries.

    More than 150 million people from around the world watch Eurovision. Organizers insist the event is apolitical, and recently branded it with the slogan “United by Music.” Organizers have long banned most flags and signs from the contest—the only exceptions are participants’ national flags and the pride flag, meaning that Palestinian flags and pro-Palestinian symbols are not allowed inside the Malmo Arena venue.

    Jean Philip De Tender is the deputy director general of the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the competition, and he told Sky News that barring Israel from the competition “would have been a political decision, and as such (one) which we cannot take.”

    Organizers did previously tell Israel to change the lyrics of its song, initially called “October Rain,” because of its apparent reference to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis. Organizers had said that they would disqualify participants who didn’t abide by Eurovision’s apolitical nature, according to Reuters. Israeli singer Eden Golan will still perform the song at Eurovision, but it’s since been renamed to “Hurricane,” Associated Press reported.

    The war in Gaza has killed nearly 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Ministry of Health.

    Contact us at letters@time.com.



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  • Sweden should spend more on defense and increase the number of conscripts, lawmakers recommend

    Sweden should spend more on defense and increase the number of conscripts, lawmakers recommend

    COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Sweden should increase its military budget by nearly 54 billion kronor ($5 billion) until 2030 to strengthen its air defenses and beef up the number of conscripts, a Swedish parliamentary committee recommended Friday.

    The Scandinavian country joined the NATO alliance in March, moving away from a decades-long policy of neutrality in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

    The report by the Defense Committee which is made up of representatives of the eight political parties sitting in the Swedish parliament, said that NATO membership and the serious security situation require higher ambitions. “An armed attack against Sweden or our allies cannot be ruled out,” the commission said in its report entitled “Strong defense capability, Sweden as an ally.”

    Sweden’s air defense must also be expanded to meet threats from unmanned flying craft, more hunting and cruise missiles must be purchased and the navy should receive more personnel, according to the nearly 300-page report which also suggested that the number of conscripts should gradually be increased to 12,000 in 2032. Presently there are about 8,000 conscripts in Sweden.

    The recommendation follows similar moves in its two Scandinavian neighbors, both of them longstanding NATO members. Earlier this month, Norway said it would gradually increase the number of conscripted soldiers from 9,000 at present to 13,500 by 2036. Meanwhile, Denmark last month said it wants to increase the number of young people doing military service by extending conscription to women and increasing the time of service from four months to 11 months.

    Sweden’s current military budget is about 119 billion kronor ($11 bilion).

    The center-right, three-party coalition of Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is likely to follow most of the commission’s recommendations in the report, which was presented Friday.

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  • 1.4 tons of cocaine confiscated in one of Sweden’s “biggest seizures ever made”

    1.4 tons of cocaine confiscated in one of Sweden’s “biggest seizures ever made”

    Swedish customs made one of the country’s biggest-ever cocaine seizures after confiscating around 1.4 tons of the drug last week in a port near Stockholm, an official told Swedish television on Tuesday.

    “If it is as big as we think, it is one of the biggest seizures ever made,” Stefan Granath of Swedish customs told broadcaster SVT, adding they were still waiting for a precise figure of how much was found.

    The drug was discovered in a container in the Nynashamn port, south of Stockholm, on April 18, Granath said. Six men have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in its transport.

    Granath said the drug likely was meant for the European market and that Sweden was only a transit country.”Just five to 10 years ago, it was very unusual to seize only 100 kilograms,” Granath told SVT.

    A report published earlier this month found that criminal networks in the European Union are penetrating legal businesses across the 27-nation bloc. The networks are primarily involved in drug trafficking and corruption, according to the report. 

    In recent months European investigators have found large amounts of cocaine stashed in unique locations. Portuguese investigators found 1.3 tons of cocaine hidden in frozen fish shipments in March. Dutch investigators found 17,600 pounds of cocaine hidden inside crates of bananas last August – the largest haul ever collected in Rotterdam’s port, authorities said.

    Profits from drug and arms trafficking have been invested in real estate, supermarkets, hotels and other commercial activities, the report said.

    The volume of cocaine seized by Swedish customs peaked in 2022, when 822 kilograms were confiscated, according to official figures. This was more than 300 kilograms more than the previous record set in 2018.

    Swedish radio said the figure reflected more efficient search methods and an increase in the flow of drugs in general.

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  • Protests, heightened terror threat mean tight security at Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden

    Protests, heightened terror threat mean tight security at Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden

    COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Security will be tight during next month’s Eurovision Song Contest in the southern Sweden city of Malmo, police said Wednesday, citing demonstrations that could lead to unrests and a heightened threat of terrorism in the Scandinavian country.

    “The security is going to be rigorous,” Petra Stenkula, head of police area in Malmo, said according to Swedish broadcaster TV4.

    Pro-Palestinian activists who want Israel out of the Eurovision Song Contest have announced large rallies in downtown Malmo, several kilometers (miles) from the Malmo Arena contest venue.

    Last year Sweden heightened its terror threat level one notch to “high,” the fourth of five levels, for the first time since 2016 amid a deteriorating security situation following recent burnings of the Quran that triggered protests in the Muslim world.

    Police said Wednesday that an application to stage a demonstration in Malmo to burn a copy of the Quran before the song contest had been handed in.

    There is no law in Sweden specifically prohibiting the burning or desecration of religious texts. Like many Western countries, Sweden doesn’t have any blasphemy laws.

    “Freedom of expression is strong in Sweden,” Stenkula said, according to the Malmo newspaper, Sydsvenska. “Now we first have to assess the application that has been received, then we have to see if it gets permission.”

    She told a press conference that Swedish police will get reinforcements from across the country as well as from Norway and Denmark. She didn’t provide details.

    “We have terror threat level four, so we cannot empty the whole of Sweden of police officers” during the song contest, Stenkula said.

    The live televised final is scheduled for May 11, with semi-finals on May 7 and May 9.

    Pro-Palestinian activists have planned two large demonstrations to protest Israel’s participation, as conflict in the Middle East threatens to overshadow the feelgood pop music festival. Activists and some musicians have urged the European Broadcasting Union, the event organizer, to drop Israel from the event over its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza, triggered by the militant group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

    Last week, EBU Deputy Director General Jean Philip De Tender said that the organization understood “the depth of feeling and the strong opinions” that this year’s Eurovision Song Contest has provoked, but ““firmly oppose any form of online abuse, hate speech, or harassment directed at our artists or any individuals associated with the contest.”

    Launched in 1956 to foster unity after World War II, Eurovision has become a campy, feel-good celebration of pop music with an audience of hundreds of millions around the world. It has grown from seven countries to almost 40, including non-European nations such as Israel and Australia.

    Organizers strive to keep politics out of the contest, not always successfully. Russia has been banned since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

    Sweden won last year’s contest in Liverpool, England, with the power ballad “Tattoo” by singer Loreen. The host country usually is the winner of the previous year’s event.

    Malmo, Sweden’s third largest city, hosted Eurovision in 1992 and 2013.

    ___

    Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

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