Latest news with #ROT
Local Sweden
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Local Sweden
Inside Sweden: Our interview with Migration Minister Johan Forssell
The Local's editor Emma Löfgren rounds up the biggest stories of the week in our Inside Sweden newsletter. Advertisement Hej, On Wednesday morning I happened to spot that Migration Minister Johan Forssell was going to Malmö in southern Sweden, where the majority of our reporters, including deputy editor Becky Waterton, are currently based. The questions we usually manage to ask Forssell tend to come at the end of a long press conference when he is tired of answering questions from reporters and his press secretary is keen to whisk him off to the next event, so we often don't get a lot of minutes to press him on issues that matter to our readers. It perhaps sounds counter-intuitive, but when ministers are out of Stockholm, they usually have more time, so Becky called his press secretary to ask if we could get a sit-down interview with the minister on Wednesday afternoon. The answer was yes – success! So we sent Becky down to Region Skåne's International Office in Malmö, which Forssell was visiting to find out more about their work to help healthcare workers with foreign qualifications have their credentials approved, where she managed to get 15 minutes with him. She asked readers on LinkedIn if they had any questions for Forssell, and I think managed to put most of them to him. Here's the full interview – and I'd be really interested in hearing your opinions about what he said. Please feel free to comment under the article or send us an email to share your thoughts. He also confirmed that the government hasn't yet made a formal decision to raise the work permit salary threshold to 100 percent of the median salary. It was already looking pretty obvious that it wasn't going to happen by June 1st anyway, which had been the original plan. Question is: will it happen at all? You can also listen to some of the interview (and our analysis of what he had to say) in the latest episode of The Local's Sweden in Focus podcast. Advertisement In other news Sweden is considering making it harder for foreigners to qualify for social insurance, including parental benefits and child support, with an inquiry proposing tougher rules. I dug into what the inquiry actually means for our readers, which turned out to be a more difficult task than I thought. We also got hold of new figures from the Swedish Migration Agency this week, which suggest that the awarding of citizenships has slowed down radically since the government ordered it to impose stricter security checks at the start of April. Sweden has launched a number of initiatives in recent months aimed at foreign researchers, but what do researchers themselves think Sweden should be doing to make the country a more attractive choice for academics? Sweden's ROT deduction, which gives you a discount on household renovations, will go up on May 12th. How does it work, and what else can you get deductions for? We've done our best to explain it in this article. Advertisement Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson just can't catch a break when it comes to his national security advisers, as the latest one quit before even starting his job after the DN daily revealed he had failed to disclose Grindr pictures. Stockholm officials are hitting back after the US embassy wrote to the city council's planning office, demanding it sign a contract confirming that it does not work to promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). This week's episode of Sweden in Focus Extra for Membership+ subscribers features an interview with Jamil Walli, a Syrian-Swedish painter and filmmaker. And finally: The Local's new puzzles are out! Don't miss our crossword, which looks at the week that's just been, and don't miss our new word search either. Have a great weekend, Emma Löfgren Editor, The Local Sweden Inside Sweden is our weekly newsletter for members which gives you news, analysis and, sometimes, takes you behind the scenes at The Local. It's published each Saturday and with Membership+ you can also receive it directly to your inbox.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'They shot my dad in front of me' - African refugees eye Olympics
A scar on the right side of James Lokidichi's head serves as a permanent reminder of the conflict he fled when he was a child, carrying his younger brother with him. Yet pain remains buried deeper inside as, holding back tears, he recounts the day in 2011 that family members were killed by armed men and he was forced from his home in what is now South Sudan. "They shot my dad and my uncle in front of me," the 23-year-old told BBC Sport Africa. "They burnt the house and I got burnt too while I was crying for my dad and uncle. They shot my mum in the hand. She ran away and left us. "I grabbed my brother when my mum ran away. They (the fighters) said 'Leave these boys'." The pair have never seen their mother again. The brothers eventually found their way to neighbouring Kenya, and Lokidichi is now one of almost 300,000 residents in the Kakuma Refugee Camp. After his childhood trauma, he believes sport can be a stepping stone to a better life and is chasing a place in the Refugee Olympic Team (ROT). The middle-distance runner was among over 100 attendees at trials at the Lornah Kiplagat Sports Academy on the outskirts of Iten last week, where the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was scouting talented runners, judokas and taekwondo athletes to support via scholarships. Lokidichi, inspired by Kenyan marathon great Eliud Kipchoge, hopes to provide motivation for fellow residents in the refugee camp in the north-west of the country. "When we get successful, we will go assist those who remained behind. We will advise others in the camp," he said. "We will demonstrate to them there is help and hope for the future. We keep on fighting together as a team." The ROT made its inaugural appearance at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016, and Cameroon-born Cindy Ngamba became the team's first medal-winner last year when she took bronze in the women's middleweight boxing at Paris 2024. A first-ever refugee squad is now being assembled for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics - the first major IOC event to be staged on African soil. Teenager Laurence Namukiza hopes to secure a place among that cohort and her three taekwondo victories at the trials could help her achieve that aim. The 15-year-old is a student at a school in Kakuma established by and named after Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, a United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) goodwill ambassador. The hardship of life in the camp - where monthly handouts to residents were reduced from 1500 Kenyan shillings ($11.60, £9.20) to 950 Ksh ($7.40, £5.80) per month - compelled Namukiza to take up the discipline when it was introduced to her school in the middle of last year. "I promised myself I will perform well so that I am able to assist my family," she said. "You will find a family of 16 but the food distributed is for five people. "Getting work is difficult if you do not have a formal education and certificates. My mum [is] suffering to feed us. "When I am successful, I will get them out of Kakuma to a better place." Namukiza was still a baby when her family was forced to leave their home in Uvira, DR Congo, in 2010. The fourth-born in a family of nine children, taekwondo has instilled the values of discipline and resilience. It has also helped her challenge gender stereotypes and provided self-defence skills. "I remember people telling me 'Why are you taking up this sport? It's for boys'," she recalled. "With taekwondo training, now I know how to fight. I believe in myself and I can protect myself against anyone who wants to harm me, and I can also help other girls in Kakuma. "But I am here to prove that sports is for all." The ROT trials were held in collaboration with Kenya's National Olympic Committee (NOC), Athletics Kenya and the UNHCR as well as World Athletics and corresponding judo and taekwondo federations. A range of emotions were on show amid a competitive atmosphere, with anticipation, anxiety and resilience etched on faces. There was also an overwhelming sense of freedom. "When we remove them for one day or two days out of the Kakuma camp, they feel appreciated and validated," Paul Tergat, the president of Kenya's NOC, told BBC Sport Africa. "That is why it's very important to give them the opportunity and exposure." Former 800m world champion Janeth Jepkosgei, now an ROT coach with World Athletics, is well aware of the unifying power of sport. "I would like to take these athletes to the next Olympics and I would love to see them reach the finals," the 41-year-old said. "We would like to change that sad moment to happiness when they cross the line and be winners." The latest figures released by the UNHCR show that Kenya is home to over 820,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers. With a civil war continuing in Sudan and fighting escalating in eastern DRC, that figure could grow. "No-one wants to be a refugee," Tergat added. "We want to use sports to give them dignity and honour. They are our brothers and sisters, so we need to give them this opportunity to grow their talent and encourage them." At the end of the trials, the winners were recognised but one thing was clear - that victory did not mean automatic selection for an IOC scholarship. The athletes returned to Kakuma and wait to see whether fate will shine on them. Until then, they are holding on to hope. The orphaned refugee planning to make Olympic history Refugees competed as 'equal human beings'
BBC News
18-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'They shot my dad in front of me' - African refugees eye Olympics
A scar on the right side of James Lokidichi's head serves as a permanent reminder of the conflict he fled when he was a child, carrying his younger brother with pain remains buried deeper inside as, holding back tears, he recounts the day in 2011 that family members were killed by armed men and he was forced from his home in what is now South Sudan."They shot my dad and my uncle in front of me," the 23-year-old told BBC Sport Africa."They burnt the house and I got burnt too while I was crying for my dad and uncle. They shot my mum in the hand. She ran away and left us."I grabbed my brother when my mum ran away. They (the fighters) said 'Leave these boys'."The pair have never seen their mother again. Chasing a sporting future The brothers eventually found their way to neighbouring Kenya, and Lokidichi is now one of almost 300,000 residents in the Kakuma Refugee Camp., externalAfter his childhood trauma, he believes sport can be a stepping stone to a better life and is chasing a place in the Refugee Olympic Team (ROT).The middle-distance runner was among over 100 attendees at trials at the Lornah Kiplagat Sports Academy on the outskirts of Iten last week, where the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was scouting talented runners, judokas and taekwondo athletes to support via inspired by Kenyan marathon great Eliud Kipchoge, hopes to provide motivation for fellow residents in the refugee camp in the north-west of the country."When we get successful, we will go assist those who remained behind. We will advise others in the camp," he said."We will demonstrate to them there is help and hope for the future. We keep on fighting together as a team." Dreams of Dakar 2026 The ROT made its inaugural appearance at the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016, and Cameroon-born Cindy Ngamba became the team's first medal-winner last year when she took bronze in the women's middleweight boxing at Paris 2024.A first-ever refugee squad is now being assembled for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics - the first major IOC event to be staged on African Laurence Namukiza hopes to secure a place among that cohort and her three taekwondo victories at the trials could help her achieve that 15-year-old is a student at a school in Kakuma established by and named after Hollywood star Angelina Jolie, a United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) goodwill hardship of life in the camp - where monthly handouts to residents were reduced from 1500 Kenyan shillings ($11.60, £9.20) to 950 Ksh ($7.40, £5.80) per month - compelled Namukiza to take up the discipline when it was introduced to her school in the middle of last year."I promised myself I will perform well so that I am able to assist my family," she said."You will find a family of 16 but the food distributed is for five people."Getting work is difficult if you do not have a formal education and certificates. My mum [is] suffering to feed us."When I am successful, I will get them out of Kakuma to a better place." Namukiza was still a baby when her family was forced to leave their home in Uvira, DR Congo, in fourth-born in a family of nine children, taekwondo has instilled the values of discipline and has also helped her challenge gender stereotypes and provided self-defence skills."I remember people telling me 'Why are you taking up this sport? It's for boys'," she recalled."With taekwondo training, now I know how to fight. I believe in myself and I can protect myself against anyone who wants to harm me, and I can also help other girls in Kakuma."But I am here to prove that sports is for all." Hope for the future The ROT trials were held in collaboration with Kenya's National Olympic Committee (NOC), Athletics Kenya and the UNHCR as well as World Athletics and corresponding judo and taekwondo federations.A range of emotions were on show amid a competitive atmosphere, with anticipation, anxiety and resilience etched on was also an overwhelming sense of freedom."When we remove them for one day or two days out of the Kakuma camp, they feel appreciated and validated," Paul Tergat, the president of Kenya's NOC, told BBC Sport Africa."That is why it's very important to give them the opportunity and exposure."Former 800m world champion Janeth Jepkosgei, now an ROT coach with World Athletics, is well aware of the unifying power of sport."I would like to take these athletes to the next Olympics and I would love to see them reach the finals," the 41-year-old said."We would like to change that sad moment to happiness when they cross the line and be winners."The latest figures released by the UNHCR show that Kenya is home to over 820,000 registered refugees and asylum a civil war continuing in Sudan and fighting escalating in eastern DRC, that figure could grow."No-one wants to be a refugee," Tergat added."We want to use sports to give them dignity and honour. They are our brothers and sisters, so we need to give them this opportunity to grow their talent and encourage them."At the end of the trials, the winners were recognised but one thing was clear - that victory did not mean automatic selection for an IOC athletes returned to Kakuma and wait to see whether fate will shine on then, they are holding on to hope.
