Sweden says to pay immigrants up to $34,000 to leave

Sweden says to pay immigrants up to $34,000 to leave
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson delivers a press conference with newly appointed foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard, in Stockholm, Sweden, on September 10, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 13 September 2024
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Sweden says to pay immigrants up to $34,000 to leave

Sweden says to pay immigrants up to $34,000 to leave
  • Immigrants who voluntarily return to their countries of origin from 2026 would be eligible to receive up to 350,000 Swedish kronor

Stockholm: Sweden plans to boost payments to up to $34,000 to immigrants who leave the nation that has been a haven for the war-weary and persecuted, the right-wing government said Thursday.
The Scandinavian country was for decades seen as a “humanitarian superpower,” but over the years has struggled to integrate many of its newcomers.
Immigrants who voluntarily return to their countries of origin from 2026 would be eligible to receive up to 350,000 Swedish kronor ($34,000), the government, which is propped up by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats, told a press conference.
“We are in the midst of a paradigm shift in our migration policy,” Migration Minister Johan Forssell told reporters, as the government presented its latest move to crack down on migration.
Currently immigrants can receive up to 10,000 kronor per adult and 5,000 kronor per child, with a cap of 40,000 kronor per family.
Immigrants groups could not immediately be reached for comment on the change.
“The grant has been around since 1984, but it is relatively unknown, it is small and relatively few people use it,” Ludvig Aspling of the Sweden Democrats told reporters.
Forssell said only one person had accepted the offer last year.
Aspling added that if more people were aware of the grant and its size was increased, more would likely take the money and leave.
He said the incentive would most likely appeal to the several hundred thousand migrants who were either long-term unemployed, jobless or whose incomes were so low they needed state benefits to make ends meet.
“That’s the group we think would be interested,” Aspling said.
A government-appointed probe last month advised the government against significantly hiking the amount of the grant, saying the expected effectiveness did not justify the potential costs.
The Nordic nation has struggled for years to integrate immigrants, and the head of the inquiry, Joakim Ruist, said that a sizeable financial increase would send a signal that migrants were undesirable, further hampering integration efforts.
Other European countries also offer grants as an incentive for migrants to return home.
Denmark pays more than $15,000 per person, compared to around $1,400 in Norway, $2,800 in France and $2,000 in Germany.
Sweden’s conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson came to power in 2022 with a minority coalition government propped up by the Sweden Democrats, vowing to get tough on immigration and crime.
The Sweden Democrats emerged as the country’s second-largest party with 20.5 percent support in that election.
Sweden has offered generous foreign development aid since the 1970s and has taken in large numbers of migrants since the 1990s.
Most of Sweden’s immigrants have come from conflict-ridden countries such as the former Yugoslavia, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran and Iraq.
In 2015 alone, at the height of the migration crisis in Europe, Sweden took in 160,000 asylum seekers, the highest per capita in the EU.
With much higher rates of unemployment among those born abroad, the situation had widened Sweden’s wealth inequalities and straining its generous cradle-to-grave welfare system.
The 2015 migration crisis proved a turning point, with the then-Social Democratic government announcing soon afterwards that it was no longer able to continue its open door policies.
A slew of measures have been taken by both left and right-wing governments since then to curb migration, including issuing only temporary residence permits to asylum seekers, tightening family reunifications requirements, and hiking income requirements for work visas for non-EU citizens.
Kristersson’s government also plans to make it easier to expel migrants for substance abuse, association with criminal groups or statements threatening Swedish values.


Spiralling Sudan bloodshed sparks refugee surge into Chad

Spiralling Sudan bloodshed sparks refugee surge into Chad
Updated 10 sec ago
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Spiralling Sudan bloodshed sparks refugee surge into Chad

Spiralling Sudan bloodshed sparks refugee surge into Chad

GENEVA: Nearly three million people have fled Sudan after 18 months of war in a still-growing exodus, the UN warned, with 25,000 fleeing to neighboring Chad in the first week of October alone.
Mamadou Dian Balde, the UN’s Sudan regional refugee coordinator, told AFP that the three-million mark will likely be crossed in the next two to three weeks.
That the figure is approaching three million is a “disaster” directly linked to the increasing brutality of the conflict, he said in an interview on Tuesday during his visit to Geneva this week.
War has raged since April 2023 between the Sudanese army under the country’s de facto ruler Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Both sides have been accused of war crimes, including targeting civilians and blocking humanitarian aid.
The conflict has left tens of thousands dead and some 26 million people facing severe food insecurity, with famine declared in the Zamzam displacement camp in Sudan’s western Darfur region.
Some 11.3 million people have been forced to flee, including nearly 2.95 million who have fled across the country’s borders, according to the latest figures from UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.
In a sign of the worsening conflict in Darfur, some 25,000 people — 80 percent of whom were women and children — crossed into eastern Chad in the first week of October, a record number for a single week in 2024.
And more than 20,270 crossed into Chad in the whole of September.
Chad is host to 681,944 Sudanese refugees — more than any other country.
However, it is also one of the poorest countries on Earth and is lacking the basic services to accommodate such numbers, said Balde, while highlighting the generosity shown by Chadians toward their fleeing neighbors.
“When we see 25,000 arriving, it’s enormous,” he said.
He called for greater support from international donors.
A UN appeal for $1.51 billion to support Sudanese refugees and their hosts in the region through the end of the year remains just 27-percent funded.
“It’s not enough, because the number of refugees continues to grow,” said Balde, who also serves as the UNHCR’s East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes regional director.
Balde said he expected “very unfortunately, in the coming weeks, to have many more refugees in Chad,” due to both the conflict intensifying in Darfur and the drop in water levels as the rainy season ends.

ACCESS TO AID
With the drier conditions, the UN hopes to be able to deliver more aid to Sudan — if the parties to the conflict allow it.
Several rounds of negotiation efforts have so far failed to end the fighting.
In late August, following talks outside Geneva convened by the United States, the two factions committed to ensuring safe and unhindered access for humanitarians along two key corridors.
“This has helped us save lives,” but “not all the commitments made have been respected” — and the flow of aid remains “limited,” said Balde, deploring the persistent “barriers at the administrative level.”
In Geneva for the UNHCR’s annual executive committee meeting, he chaired a discussion on Sudan, during which he asked for support to help Sudanese refugees get into the jobs market and thereby reducing their reliance on humanitarian assistance.
“We are asking development actors to mobilize to complement” such aid, he explained, while stressing the need for peace in Sudan.
Balde warned it would be “a big mistake” to think the flow of displaced people will be limited to Sudan and the wider region.
“There are more and more who are coming toward Italy, Europe and southern Africa,” and “there are some who will go toward the Gulf countries too,” he said.


Italian navy brings first migrants to Albania centre

Italian navy brings first migrants to Albania centre
Updated 21 min 7 sec ago
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Italian navy brings first migrants to Albania centre

Italian navy brings first migrants to Albania centre
  • The Italian navy vessel arrived after a 36-hour voyage carrying 16 men from Bangladesh and Egypt
  • Migrants will be settled in prefabricated housing while their asylum requests are processed

Shëngjin, Albania: A navy boat carrying migrants intercepted in Italian waters docked at Shengjin port in Albania Wednesday, AFP journalists saw, the first arrivals under a new deal between Rome and Tirana.
The Italian navy vessel arrived after a 36-hour voyage carrying 16 men from Bangladesh and Egypt.
They will be settled in prefabricated housing while their asylum requests are processed.
Italy’s two processing centers in Albania, surrounded by high walls and security cameras, are at Camp Gjader, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the port.
They will be operated under Italian law, with Italian security and staff, and judges hearing cases by video from Rome.
If an applicant’s asylum request is refused, cells have been set up on site.
Human rights groups have questioned whether there will be enough protection for asylum seekers. They have expressed doubts, too, as to whether it complies with international law.
But Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni brushed aside criticism in comments on Tuesday.
“It is a new, courageous, unprecedented path, but one that perfectly reflects the European spirit and has everything it takes to be followed also with other non-EU nations,” she said.
The arrangement between the two countries is a European first, which other leaders in the region are watching closely.
The project was agreed in a November 2023 deal between Italy and Albania. Set to last five years, it will cost Italy an estimated 160 million euros a year.
The centers will have a capacity of 1,000 initially growing to 3,000 in the long term.
Its critics say that given such numbers, the scheme cannot be justified.
“Over the last three years, more than 1,600 migrants have landed in Italy,” migration researcher Matteo Villa of Datalab Europe posted on X. “An Italian navy vessels is taking 16 to Albania.
“I don’t think I need to add anything else.”


EU holds first summit with Gulf states

EU holds first summit with Gulf states
Updated 16 October 2024
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EU holds first summit with Gulf states

EU holds first summit with Gulf states
  • EU aims to make the relationship with six Gulf states more strategic
  • EU partnership with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE would cover trade and investment, renewable energy, regional security and citizen issues

BRUSSELS: The European Union holds its first summit with the Gulf states on Wednesday, part of an EU diplomatic push as it enlists international support to isolate Russia.
Since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the 27-member EU has reached out to other regional blocs, holding its first summit with ASEAN countries and its first for eight years with the CELAC community of Caribbean and Latin American countries.
Its aim in meeting the six Arab states in the Gulf Cooperation Council is to make the relationship more strategic, recognizing those countries’ influence particularly in conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
“The Gulf region is at the crossroads between Asia, Europe and Africa. It plays a very important role in many of the crisis of today,” a senior EU official said.
An EU partnership with Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates would cover trade and investment, renewable energy, regional security and citizen issues such as visas.
Though Brussels wants the GCC partners to agree strong language on Russia’s military assault on Ukraine, it is not expecting them to fully adopt its position in blaming Moscow. The two blocs are arguably closer on the Middle East, where the EU is calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and broader de-escalation.
Talks on an EU-GCC free trade agreement, which began 35 years ago, have been suspended since 2008, with disagreement over the openness of public tenders and on oil products. However, EU officials said there were other avenues for trade and investment cooperation.
One request from the Gulf side is visa liberalization. Currently, no EU visas are required for short stays for UAE citizens, while those of other Gulf nations need to secure a visa valid for five years.


Indonesia to check grocery shelves as deadline for halal labels nears

Indonesia to check grocery shelves as deadline for halal labels nears
Updated 16 October 2024
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Indonesia to check grocery shelves as deadline for halal labels nears

Indonesia to check grocery shelves as deadline for halal labels nears
  • World’s biggest Muslim-majority country adopted a measure in 2014 requiring the labeling for restaurants and food products
  • An October 17 deadline was set to ensure items are suitable for consumption under Islamic law

JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities plan to inspect grocery store shelves to check compliance with a law requiring halal labels on food items from Friday, officials said, although some importers and restaurants face hurdles in complying.
The world’s biggest Muslim-majority country adopted a measure in 2014 requiring the labeling for restaurants and food products, setting an Oct. 17 deadline to ensure items are suitable for consumption under Islamic law.
While most businesses in the nation of 280 million have complied, along with some major global food producers, others say they need more time.
“They (some members) want to be part of Indonesia’s strong market for halal products, but are still encountering complex supply chains and lack of clear guidelines,” said Lydia Ruddy, managing director of the American Chamber of Commerce.
“These potentially can lead to trade disruptions and higher costs,” she told Reuters, adding that AmCham was in talks with the government on the matter.
She called for more foreign certifiers to speed inspection of products and raw materials abroad so as to help the affected AmCham members.
The law requires products or restaurants without the certification to declare they do not comply with Islamic law, a step that could hit sales.
Islamic law prohibits consumption of pork or intoxicants such as alcohol, while meat can only be eaten if the animals were slaughtered by prescribed methods.
The halal certifying body BPJPH has asked the government for a two-year waiver on some raw materials used in the food and beverages industry, as well as products of small businesses, but the president has yet to sign off, its head, Aqil Irham, said.
With Indonesia’s President-designate Prabowo Subianto set to take over from the incumbent Joko Widodo next weekend, it was not clear if such a dispensation could be issued in time.
The presidential office did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The trade ministry deferred questions on the waiver to the BPJPH.
Authorities plan inspections on Friday to check compliance and issue a formal warning to producers of items that lack clear labels, said domestic trade official Moga Simatupang.
“We will take administrative action against non-compliance, so we urge importers to immediately register to get halal labels,” he added.
In the absence of compliance, such products will be removed from stores, he added, without setting a timeframe.
Most of the 400 members of the Indonesian Food and Beverage Industries Association have complied, but restaurants and hotels face difficulties because authorities need time to check menu offerings, said Adhi Lukman, the group’s chairman.
Conservative interpretations of Islam have gained ground in Indonesia in the past few years, ushering in major changes to the economy, across industries from entertainment to banking.


Musk gave $75 million to pro-Trump group, becoming a Republican mega donor

Musk gave $75 million to pro-Trump group, becoming a Republican mega donor
Updated 16 October 2024
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Musk gave $75 million to pro-Trump group, becoming a Republican mega donor

Musk gave $75 million to pro-Trump group, becoming a Republican mega donor

WASHINGTON: Elon Musk gave around $75 million to his pro-Donald Trump spending group in the span of three months, federal disclosures showed on Tuesday, underscoring how the billionaire has become crucial to the Republican candidate’s efforts to win the Nov. 5 presidential election.
America PAC, which is focused on turning out voters in closely contested states that could decide the election, spent around $72 million of that in the July-September period, according to disclosures filed to the Federal Election Commission.
That is more than any other pro-Trump super PAC focused on turning out voters. The Trump campaign is broadly reliant on outside groups for canvassing voters, meaning the super PAC founded by Musk — the world’s richest man — plays an outsized role in the razor-thin election between Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.
Musk, the CEO of electric car manufacturer Tesla, was the sole donor to the group in that period.
Musk, who has said he has voted for Democratic presidential candidates in the past, has taken a sharp turn to the right this election. He endorsed Trump in July and appeared with him at a rally in Pennsylvania earlier this month.
On Wednesday, Musk said in a post on X that he will be “giving a series of talks” throughout Pennsylvania, less than two weeks after his appearance with Trump in the state.
He said people only needed to sign a petition on his America PAC website to attend his talks from “tomorrow night through Monday.”
Reuters reported, quoting a source, last week that Musk planned more campaigning for Trump in Pennsylvania, considered a crucial state for both Trump and his Democratic opponent Harris in the race for the White House.
Musk’s donations to America PAC propel him into the exclusive club of Republican mega donors, a list that also includes banking heir Timothy Mellon and casino billionaire Miriam Adelson.
However, Reuters reported earlier this month that Musk has secretly funded a conservative political group for years, well before his public embrace of Trump.
America PAC declined to comment on the Musk donations. Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
America PAC is focused on encouraging Americans who like Trump but don’t always vote to cast ballots this cycle, a high-risk, labor-intensive strategy by the Trump campaign.
The group, which started its work later in the election than other PACs, has encountered some problems with hiring and its contractors. Since July, it has fired two major contractors it has hired to knock on doors.
It has also struggled to hire door knockers in several battleground states in part because by the time the PAC became operational many other canvassing groups had already staffed up, a half-dozen sources briefed on the issues told Reuters.
The group had around $4 million left on hand by the end of September, the filings show.
Separate filings earlier on Tuesday showed that Miriam Adelson, the casino magnate, donated $95 million to another pro-Trump super PAC, Preserve America PAC, in the same period.