Sweden faces call to halt international adoptions after inquiry finds abuses and fraud
STOCKHOLM — A Swedish commission recommended Monday that international adoptions be stopped after an investigation found a series of abuses and fraud dating back decades.
Sweden is the latest country to examine its international adoption policies after allegations of unethical practices, particularly in South Korea,
The commission was formed in 2021 following a report by Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter detailing the Scandinavian country's problematic international adoption system. Monday's recommendations were sent to Minister of Social Services Camilla Waltersson Grönvall.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Officers in Minneapolis raid wore distinct patches. One was authorized, another wasn't, feds say.
A patch referencing St. Paul on an ICE agent's uniform was authorized, but that wasn't the case for an ATF agent's patch that people noticed during a federal law enforcement operation in Minneapolis this week, the agencies said Friday. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer wore a circular patch on the arm of his uniform reading 'St. Paul Field Office Special Response Team.' Each of the 25 ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Special Response Teams across the U.S. has a unique patch, an ICE spokesperson said Friday. The St. Paul patch is intended to depict an 'ancient Scandinavian warrior and a Vegvisir, or 'wayfinder,' and ties into the regional identifiers for Minnesota including a nod to the Scandinavian heritage of many of the early European settlers in Minnesota,' the spokesperson said in a statement. The imagery raised questions for some people. Brandon Schorsch, who took video of the patch and posted a photo of it on social media, wrote: 'I am deeply concerned about this patch.' The vegvisir has been co-opted by some far right extremist groups, according to a senior research analyst with the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project, though more information has to be known about a person's intentions to determine the significance of the image in a particular use. The ICE patch 'is in no way an affiliation to an extremist group,' the agency spokesperson said. On Tuesday, a large federal law enforcement presence drew protests in South Minneapolis from people concerned it was an immigration raid. Officials from the FBI, ATF and the Department of Homeland Security gathered with tactical vehicles at the corner of Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue late in the morning. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said it 'was related to a criminal search warrant for drugs and money laundering and was not related to immigration enforcement.' It was one of eight search warrants 'for a transnational criminal organization,' according to Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt. 'Federal investigators conducted a groundbreaking criminal operation today — Minnesota's first under the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) umbrella — marking a new chapter in how we confront complex, multidimensional threats,' Jamie Holt, ICE Homeland Security Investigations special agent in charge for St. Paul, said in a statement. Derrick Thompson guilty of all charges in Minneapolis high-speed crash that killed 5 young women Minneapolis man sentenced for stabbing, hanging St. Paul woman's dog after argument Stillwater: Lift Bridge rescue call was false alarm, authorities say St. Paul police name detective, officer, employee of the year Verdict awaits after closing arguments in Derrick Thompson's trial for crash that killed 5 Schorsch, of Minneapolis, heard from his wife about armored vehicles and the large amount of law enforcement gathered Tuesday. 'That's going to make people feel frightened,' he said. He went to the area and was recording video when he noticed the ICE agent wearing the patch. He had an audible, 'Ohhh,' reaction on the video when he saw it. 'In my job, I do look out for things like this,' said Schorsch, who works as the combatting hate organizer for Jewish Community Action, though he was not there in his work capacity on Tuesday. The Southern Poverty Law Center says there are Neo-Völkisch groups that 'rely on a romanticized Viking aesthetic and mythos — imagery they use to perpetuate their belief in white racial superiority. This adaptable and covert messaging, anchored by a nationwide network of 'kindreds,' has allowed these groups to grow in recent years.' More people are on the lookout for symbols that may have nefarious meanings, Schorsch said. An ICE agent was seen last week in Martha's Vineyard, Mass., with a tattoo of a Valknot on his arm. The symbol is used in Norse mythology. 'Some white supremacists, particularly racist Odinists, have appropriated the Valknot to use as a racist symbol,' according to the Anti-Defamation League. Schorsch also saw two ATF agents on Tuesday with a small patch on their uniforms that said, 'The Others,' and he photographed one of them. The agent seen in the photo is an ATF special agent assigned to a sheriff's office taskforce, said Ashlee Sherrill, a spokeswoman in the ATF's St. Paul Field Division, in response to a reporter's questions. 'The patch in question is not an authorized part of the ATF uniform and has been addressed internally,' Sherrill said, adding that she couldn't provide further information on personnel matters. It's not clear what the patch was meant to convey. St. Paul police name detective, officer, employee of the year Don't pay for traffic tickets over text: DPS warns of scam messages Who's in charge? CDC's leadership 'crisis' apparent amid new COVID-19 vaccine guidance DOC commissioner asks for patience from Stillwater prison families, dismisses idea of reopening Appleton prison Measles vaccination rates drop after COVID-19 pandemic in counties across the US
Elle
13 hours ago
- Elle
'Dept. Q' Filming Locations: All Of The Scottish Backdrops From Edinburgh To East Lothian
Currently holding Netflix's second position is Dept. Q, Scott Frank's intensely sharp crime thriller which sees a police detective in tasked with the responsibility of forming a unit of officers to solve a cold murder cases. Adapted for TV and based on the book series by Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen, the story was initially located in Copenhagen within the books, however Frank decided to swap the Scandinavian scenery for Scotland, earning the increasingly popular series countless fans not only for its stellar storytelling, but also its refreshing backdrop in Edinburgh and East Lothian. To find out exactly where filming took place, keep on reading below. FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE Much of the series takes places throughout the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland's capital city, many of its landmarks can be seen in a number of episodes, for example we see St Mary's Episcopal Church, the Royal Mile and the City Chambers. As well as this, at the beginning of the series, we see a glimpse of the shootout which scarred Carl and resulted in the death of his fellow officer. This takes places in a housing estate in The Calders, in Wester Hailes. In addition to this, scenes that show the outside of Carl's home were filmed in Link's Place, in Leith. If you've already watched the series, you'll know that Merritt and William's house was pretty luxe. This was filmed in Lysander House in Dirleton, which used to be a former radar station, but was transformed to portray the wealthy couple's home. Another East Lothian location featured in the series was the Staggs Bar in Musselburgh, which was shown when Carl and Akram meet the journalist who vocalises a number of accusations against Sam Haig. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE.
Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
NATO Ally Reveals Mass Act of Unexplained Sabotage
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. There were around 30 as yet unexplained sabotage attacks on telecommunications infrastructure in Sweden, mostly along the same major road, authorities in the country have revealed. Nothing is stolen in the attacks on masts, but cables are cut and fuses and other technical equipment destroyed, Sweden's national public broadcaster SVT Nyheter reported, citing investigators. Swedish investigators have not publicly identified a suspect so far. The attacks are part of a broader trend of sabotage against Swedish telecoms infrastructure, and come amid reports from NATO allies of a significant increase in Russian espionage. The attacks began over Easter weekend, but have not led to major disruptions. However, it "stands out and is more than usual," Roger Gustafsson, head of security at the Swedish Post and Telecom Authority (PTS), told SVT. Investigators are working on the theory that a single actor is behind the attacks, which mostly targeted infrastructure along the E22 in Sweden. The E22 is also known as the European Road, and is part of a road transport network that stretches for more than 3,300 miles, connecting the U.K. in the west to Russia in the east. Swedish security services are monitoring the investigation, and Detective Superintendent Håkan Wessung, head of serious crime in Sweden's Kalmar, told SVT that "we don't rule anything out". This is a developing article. Updates to follow.
