Sweden's government was saved from political downfall on Tuesday after promising a Kurdish-born MP that it would not cave to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a stand-off over Nato membership.
Independent MP Amineh Kakabaveh, the kingmaker in a knife-edge confidence vote, rescued ministers by abstaining but issued a warning in parliament: "It is in this hall that Sweden's laws should be enacted, not in Ankara".
Her abstention meant the opposition fell one vote short of passing a no-confidence motion in Justice Minister Morgan Johansson. Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson had said the whole government would resign if it passed.
Ms Kakabaveh announced her decision after Ms Andersson's Social Democrats promised her that a deal made last year to back a Kurdish party in exchange for her support would not be watered down.
That issue has taken on an international dimension as Mr Erdogan threatens to hold up Sweden and Finland’s applications to join Nato, over what he describes as their support for Kurdish terrorists.
Both Nordic countries turned their back on decades of military neutrality to submit applications for Nato last month, seeking protection from Russian aggression after the invasion of Ukraine.
But Turkey’s objections have dashed hopes of a quick accession process, with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg seeking to broker an agreement between the two sides.
Ms Kakabaveh, who is of Iranian Kurdish origin, has sought assurances that the government will not cave in to Turkish demands — making her a focal point in Swedish politics.
Last year she agreed to support Ms Andersson’s government in exchange for deeper co-operation between her Social Democrats and a Kurdish party in Syria, the PYD, and wider solidarity with Kurds.
The centre-right opposition controls 174 seats in parliament, one short of the majority needed to oust the government, making her the kingmaker in any confidence vote.
Turkey’s ambassador to Sweden was quoted last month as saying that Ms Kakabaveh should be extradited, although he later said the report was a misunderstanding.
Tobias Baudin, the secretary of Sweden’s Social Democrats, told news agency TT that nothing had changed in the party’s agreement with Ms Kakabaveh last year.
The motion against Mr Johansson was launched by right-wing MPs who accuse him of failing to get a grip on rising gang violence in Sweden, where gun deaths have steadily risen over the past decade.
“We have reached a point where the single most important crime policy measure is to give Morgan Johansson an early retirement," said MP Henrik Vinge from the far-right Sweden Democrats.
Ms Andersson said the opposition ploy was “completely irresponsible” and could “create a situation with a political mess and insecurity” at a sensitive time for the country.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
SPECS
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
