Sweden Democrats party have surged in opinion polls ahead of elections due next month.
Once barred from politics due to their neo-Nazi ties, the Sweden Democrats are currently Sweden’s third-largest party, bolstered by a rising anti-immigrant sentiment in the public.
(Andres Kudacki / AP)
Anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats party has said it wants to spend $2.3 billion on strengthening the justice system and withdraw grants for immigrants who do not adopt the country’s culture.
The party’s leader, Jimmie Akesson, called it “a classic assimilation policy" and said he envisions the construction of special "Sweden centres" in marginalised areas.
“There you can let the Swedish way of being and Swedish heritage become very accessible in a part of the country where it is currently very inaccessible,” he said.
Akesson was speaking to the media while visiting the party’s stronghold of Ange municipality.
Once barred from politics due to their neo-Nazi ties, the Sweden Democrats are currently Sweden’s third-largest party.
They have surged in opinion polls ahead of elections due next month.
READ MORE:Clashes erupt again over anti-Muslim rally in Sweden
Far-Right, Anti-Immigrant SD is now the second-largest party in Sweden. The election is only 19 days away. pic.twitter.com/ntkyXP6Nqd
Growing support for anti-immigration policies
The party has the second-largest share of voter support ahead of the September 11 vote, trailing the ruling Social Democrats, which have dominated Swedish post-war politics.
The Sweden Democrats polled between 20 and 23 percent in three different surveys published this week, overtaking the conservative Moderate party in the close race.
Candidates have been vying for support among voters who say that crime is a top concern, followed by immigration and segregation issues.
Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson's Social Democrats enjoyed a lead with around 30 percent of voter support, according to the polls.
Her party, long defenders of the country's cherished welfare state, has in recent years curbed immigration and campaigned on tackling gang-related crime.
The conservative Moderate party, traditionally the second most popular party, came in third with between 16 and 18 percent of voter support.
Moderates leader Ulf Kristersson is challenging Andersson for the post of prime minister.
Sweden has struggled to contain deadly shootings and bombings that have soared in recent years, many linked to gang rivalries or organised criminals battling over the drug market.
The far-right Sweden Democrats have been shunned since entering parliament in 2010 but with violence and crime dominating voters' concerns, the right-wing bloc, made up of the Moderates, Christian Democrats and Liberals, is now ready to cooperate with the Sweden Democrats to wrest power from the Social Democrats.
The Social Democrats are meanwhile relying on support from the Left, Centre and Green parties, with the two blocs neck-and-neck in the polls.
Far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats in Sundbyberg district of Stockholm running ad demanding bridge connecting their district to Rinkeby be demolished. Why? Rinkeby is a poorer district w/large immigrant community. Hard to imagine more open example of forced segregation. pic.twitter.com/q52Xbf6G8C
Akesson for PM?
In an interview with Swedish Radio, Akesson refused to say whether he would request to be prime minister if his party ends up at the top of the polls.
“I don’t think I should have to sit and draw any red lines about what the government should look like at the moment. We’ll have to decide that after the elections. If I had my way, I’d be in a majority government, but I don’t get to do that on my own,” he said.
In this year’s election campaigning, all Swedish political parties pledged tougher stances on immigration, crime and integration, which are the core issues for the Sweden Democrats.
READ MORE:Why do Sweden’s authorities stand accused of kidnapping Muslim children?
Something that's not talked about much is that young men in Sweden are OVERWHELMINGLY right-wing. About 60% would vote for the conservative and nationalist parties.
The United States has announced nearly $3bn in new military aid to Ukraine, with President Joe Biden saying the assistance aims to help the country defend against Russia’s invasion.
According to international media, in a statement on Wednesday, as Ukraine marked its independence from the Soviet Union, Biden said the $2.98bn package would allow Kyiv to acquire air defence systems, “artillery systems and munitions, counter-unmanned aerial systems, and radars”.
This is the single largest US aid package for Ukraine since Russian forces began their full-scale military invasion of the country in February.
“I know this independence day is bittersweet for many Ukrainians as thousands have been killed or wounded, millions have been displaced from their homes, and so many others have fallen victim to Russian atrocities and attacks,” Biden said in the statement.
For months, Russia has warned the US and European nations against providing heavy weaponry to Ukraine. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other government officials have urged their allies to send more assistance to help the country stave off Russian forces.
In total, the US has committed approximately $10.6bn in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration in January 2021, international media reported.
Turkish President Erdogan and UN chief Guterres meets with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy in a high-stakes bid to ratchet down the Ukraine conflict that has entered its 176th day.
President Biden to use Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the president to authorise the transfer of excess weapons from US stocks
(AP)
Thursday, August 18, 2022
US to release extra $800M security aid for Ukraine
President Joe Biden's administration is readying about $800 million of additional military aid to Ukraine and could announce it as soon as Friday, three sources familiar with the matter said.
Biden would authorise the assistance using his Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows the president to authorise the transfer of excess weapons from US stocks, the sources told Reuters news agency.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that an announcement could slip into next week, cautioning that weapons packages can change in value before they are announced. The White House declined to comment.
Russian munitions depot ablaze near Ukraine border
Two Russian villages have been evacuated after a fire broke out at an ammunition depot near the border with Ukraine, local authorities said.
"An ammunition depot caught fire near the village of Timonovo," less than 50 kilometres from the Ukrainian border in Belgorod province, the region's governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said in a statement.
No casualties were reported, but residents of Timonovo and the nearby village of Soloti were "moved to a safe distance", he said, adding that authorities were investigating the cause of the fire.
A video posted on social media showed a huge fireball billowing a thick column of black smoke. Another video showed several explosions in quick succession in the distance.
Russia says UN proposal to demilitarise nuclear plant 'unacceptable'
Russia's Foreign Ministry has dismissed a proposal by United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to demilitarise the area around the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine.
During a press briefing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ivan Nechaev said the proposals were "unacceptable".
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant was captured by Russia in March, shortly after it ordered tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in what it calls a "special military operation".
Türkiye, Ukraine, UN discuss ways to end Ukraine conflict
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan says he has discussed possible ways of ending the conflict between Ukraine and Russia in a trilateral meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and UN chief Antonio Guterres.
Speaking after the meeting in Ukraine's Lviv, Erdogan said they discussed using the positive atmosphere created by a Türkiye-brokered grain export deal to establish lasting peace.
He also said they discussed the exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia and that he would later raise the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Zelenskyy rules out any 'peace' with Russia without troop withdrawal
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out peace with Russia unless it withdraws its troops from Ukraine, speaking after talks with his Turkish counterpart, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
"First they should leave our territory and then we'll see," Zelenskyy told reporters.
Türkiye's President Erdogan:
- War will eventually end at negotiating table - Türkiye temporarily hosting nearly 325,000 Ukrainians - Exchange of prisoners of war discussed pic.twitter.com/VV8AQDOqkZ
Russia says nuclear weapons use possible only in emergencies
Russia's foreign ministry has said that Moscow would only use its nuclear arsenal in "emergency circumstances" and that it has no interest in a direct confrontation with NATO and the United States.
Russia's defence minister had said on Tuesday that Moscow had "no need" to use nuclear weapons during its military campaign in Ukraine, describing media speculation that Moscow might deploy nuclear or chemical weapons in the conflict as "absolute lies".
Speaking at a briefing on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ivan Nechaev said nuclear weapons would be used solely as a "response" measure.
Russian tourists banned from entering Estonia
Estonia's visa ban on Russian tourists has come into force, according to local media.
Russian nationals holding Schengen visas issued by Estonia for tourism, business, sport, or cultural purposes will not be allowed to cross the Baltic country's border, reported public broadcaster ERR.
Russians whose visa was issued by another member of the Schengen area or who were already in the Schengen area will still be able to enter the country, which shares a border with Russia, added the report. Some exceptions to the measure were made.
Russia says 3 MiG warplanes moved to Kaliningrad region
Russia's Defence Ministry has said three MiG-31E warplanes equipped with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles have been relocated to its Kaliningrad region, Interfax has reported.
Russian state-owned news agency RIA cited the ministry as saying that the MiG jets would be on round-the-clock duty.
Kaliningrad, a Russian Baltic coast exclave located between NATO and European Union members Poland and Lithuania, became a flashpoint after Lithuania moved to limit goods transit to the region through its territory, with Russia promising retaliation.
Russian jets suspected of violating Finnish airspace: defence ministry
Two Russian MiG-31 fighter jets have been suspected of violating Finnish airspace near the coastal city of Porvoo on the Gulf of Finland, the Finnish defence ministry has said.
The suspected violation happened at 0640 GMT and the jets were westbound, communications chief Kristian Vakkuri said, adding the aircraft were in Finnish airspace for two minutes.
"The depth of the suspected violation into Finnish airspace was one kilometre," he said, but would not elaborate on whether the planes were escorted out.
Turkish President Erdogan meets with Ukraine's Zelenskyy in Lviv ahead of trilateral talks with UN chief Guterres. Yusuf Erim has more pic.twitter.com/twbgiCZHl3
Over 622,000 tonnes of shipments carried via Ukraine grain corridor
More than 622,000 tonnes of grain have been shipped from Ukrainian ports since August 1 as part of a recent grain export deal signed between Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine.
A total of 43 vessels have sailed for grain shipments, according to Türkiye’s National Defence Ministry.
The ministry said on Twitter that 25 of them have departed from Ukrainian ports and 18 went to Ukrainian ports for grain shipment.
One dead, over a dozen injured in shelling of Ukraine's Kharkiv
One person died and 18 were wounded in pre-dawn shelling of a residential area in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Oleh Synehubov, the regional governor has said.
"At the moment, there are 18 wounded, among them two children, one person died," Synehubov wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
A day earlier six people died and another 16 were wounded in a Russian rocket attack on the city.
One more grain ship leaves Ukrainian port: Türkiye
One more ship has left a Ukrainian port under the Istanbul grain export deal, the Turkish National Defense Ministry said.
Belize-flagged ship carrying corn departed from the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk, the ministry said on Twitter.
It added that four ships will go to Ukraine for grain exports. Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal last month to resume grain exports from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports of Yuzhny, Chornomorsk, and Odessa, which were halted due to the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its sixth month.
For live updates from Wednesday (August 17), click here
