🇸🇪 New Swedish campaign to stop refugees from coming

The Swedish government is launching an " international information campaign " aimed at foreign authorities and other authorities with foreign contact areas to communicate tighter rules for family immigration and stricter requirements for citizenship.

Targeted campaign

According to the Minister of Migration Maria Malmer Stenergard, from the Moderate Party, the purpose of this campaign is that fewer people come to seek asylum in Sweden.

This communication campaign will be directed to foreign news media agencies and foreign embassies in Sweden. It will include an English translation and links to more information on the government website. The aim is for more people to know how the Swedish migration policy will look from now on and, additionally, to stop migrants from putting their lives in the hands of refugee smugglers.

As promised

In Sweden, the number of newly arrived migrants and asylum seekers increased sharply in 2022, both across the central Mediterranean and other routes in Europe. Almost 17,000 asylum seekers arrived in Sweden, compared with about 11,000 the year before.

One of the government’s election campaign promises was to reduce the number of refugees arriving in Sweden.

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by Niklas Svahn/TT, Anja Haglund/TT | edited by Riedia

Finland may move forward with its NATO application without Sweden. This scenario would be impractical, but not completely unreasonable. However, according to Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, it is still important that both countries join the coalition together.

Hardened tone

Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO countries that have not yet ratified the Swedish and Finnish applications. And while the tone from Turkey has hardened, Hungary has signaled that it is in favor of Sweden and Finland in NATO. Approval is expected in the Hungarian Parliament this spring.

Turkey’s requirements

Last summer, Sweden and Finland came to an agreement with Turkey on a number of points that must be met in order for Turkey to give the green light to their NATO applications.

As future NATO countries, Sweden and Finland are committed to supporting Turkey with regard to threats to its national security. For instance, both countries are forbidden to provide any support to the Kurdish YPG/PYD or the Gülen movement, and shall unequivocally condemn all terrorist attacks on Turkey.

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by TT | edited by Riedia

In August, anonymous prepaid cards were banned in order to hinder secret communication among criminals and facilitate police work.

New regulations

After February 1st, it will no longer be possible to continue having unregistered prepaid cards for mobile phones or mobile broadband. The operator must now register the subscriber's name, postal address, and social security number for the cash card to be sold and refilled.

If you have a bank ID, you can register on your telephone operator's website. If you do not have a bank ID, you can register with a valid ID provided by your mobile service company. Now, if you do not have a Swedish social security number, you can either go to the website of your mobile communications services and register, or go directly to a store or mobile dealership.

Just a precaution

The person with a protected identity may, after registration, still have a secret number, according to the operators.

The money on prepaid cards will not be lost, even if they are not registered before February. However, since new rules came into force in August 2022, it will be illegal to have a non-registered prepaid mobile card from February 1st and onwards. Additionally, it is also not allowed to transfer a prepaid card to someone else without re-registering it.

The aim of the new rules on anonymous prepaid cards is to make secret communication between criminals more difficult and to make it easier for the police. For instance, the police need to be able to connect a person to a telephone number in order to obtain permission for secret interception.

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by Martina Karpmyr/TT | edited by Riedia

The German defense manufacturer Rheinmetall can supply 139 Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the company says. At the same time, Germany continues to delay making a decision on the Leopard.

Ready to deliver

Germany is under heavy pressure from countries waiting for the green light to send the German-produced Leopard tanks to Ukraine. So far, Germany has come up with only non-answers - including during Tuesday's press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, when Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said he expected to give an answer "shortly." In a press conference, Stoltenberg said that he expected a solution soon.

While the German government delays its decision, Germany’s largest arms manufacturer Rheinmetall says that the company is ready to deliver 139 Leopard tanks within the next year. A number of other European countries also have Leopard tanks in their possession, but they need German approval to give them to Ukraine.

Leopard tank facts

Almost 20 countries have had, have, or will receive leopard tanks, including Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Turkey, and Sweden. Sweden bought two Leopard 2 systems in 1994, named Stridsvagn 121 and 122.

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by TT | edited by Riedia

👶 According to the National Board of Health and Welfare, from now on, all newborns should be screened for spinal muscle atrophy (SMA). Children with the disease often die before their second birthday without treatment.

🇺🇦 Sweden will extend its defense cooperation with Ukraine. The government has granted the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) the right to negotiate and use Swedish contract structures and procedures to help Ukraine defend its country and purchase military equipment.

🍗 Around 30 Swedish municipalities produce so little food that it would only be enough for their own inhabitants for a week, if the municipalities were to be isolated. This is particularly true in municipalities around Stockholm and Gothenburg and in several forest municipalities without arable land.

🇺🇸 At least seven people have been killed in a mass shooting in Half Moon Bay south of San Francisco in the USA. The suspect, a 67-year-old man, has been arrested. The shooting occurred less than 48 hours after a lone perpetrator shot 11 people dead at a dance studio in Monterey Park, California during the Lunar New Year celebrations.

🏥 The WHO reported that over 300 children died from contaminated cough medicine in 2022. The cough medicines in question contained high levels of glycols of the types diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, a substance that is lethal in even small amounts. The WHO now calls on its member states to take immediate action to prevent more deaths.

🌱 The German government is being sued by the environmental organization Friends of the Earth. The group claims that the German government has failed to meet its climate targets. The lawsuit outlines the German government’s failures, such as a lack of planning for the transport and construction sectors.

🚨 A 16-year-old boy has been charged with shooting a man in a gym in central Stockholm in March 2022. Three other people have been also charged for their involvement in the murder. The charge is linked to other investigations into serious public destruction in Södermalm, when a hand grenade was thrown into a restaurant.

🏫 A secondary school in Nacka, east of Stockholm, will be closed on Wednesday after a social media rumor of a school shooting. School administrators say that the probability that the threat will be carried out is low, but that they are taking precautions.

🎡 Gröna Lund has started to announce which artists will perform this summer at Grönan Live. Some of the confirmed artists are Macklemore (May 11th), Hooja (June 6th), and Disturbed (June 14th). Seasonal concert passes can be purchased on Gröna Lund’s website .

🚗 The growth in electric cars in Sweden is outpacing the growth in charging stations. The number of electric cars on the roads increased by 79% in 2022, but the number of charging points only increased by 27%.

💸 The food prices in Sweden increased by 20% in the last year, according to the annual price survey conducted by National Pensioners' Organisation (PRO). This is hitting pensioners hard and the association has received many complaints from its members. Goods such as rapeseed oil and Bregott have increased by 45% and 42% respectively. The survey also shows that prices are higher in small stores, and in northern Sweden.

⛽ Uganda has begun drilling oil at the Chinese-owned Kingfisher oil field in the western parts of the country, with the goal to produce oil on a large scale by 2025. The country is believed to have 1.4 billion barrels of oil, which attracted Chinese oil company CNOOC to invest in the country. However, the EU has criticized the project, warning it could lead to the displacement of 100,000 people and environmental degradation.

🇸🇪 Refugee stats in Sweden

Sweden is a relatively small country, having just recently passed the 10 million population mark in 2017.

However, in terms of proportion, Sweden ranks number 7 globally and number 1 in Europe for the most refugees received in relation to its population. According to data from the Norwegian Refugee Council, the number of refugees Sweden accepts is equal to about 2.6 percent of its overall population.

In 2015, when Europe experienced a massive refugee influx, Sweden introduced a temporary law that limited the rights of refugees to the minimum Sweden was required to under international conventions. Despite this, Sweden still accepts a large number of refugees in comparison to other European countries.

by Julia Powanda/Riedia