Sweden’s Prime Minister has insisted “we do not demolish places of worship” after a far-right politician proposed a ban on new mosques and the tearing down of existing ones.
Ulf Kristersson made the comments after the call by Jimmie Akesson, leader of the country’s far-right Sweden Democrats and a government ally. The Sweden Democrats party is not a full member of the ruling coalition but work as a co-operating partner, agreeing to help shape policy in exchange for backing in parliament.
"In the long term, we should start seizing and demolishing mosques where anti-democratic, anti-Swedish, homophobic and anti-Semitic propaganda is generating from," said Mr Akesson at the weekend. He also said the building of new mosques should not be allowed.
Mr Kristersson has dismissed the suggestion, telling Swedish news agency TT: "In Sweden, we do not demolish places of worship."
Michael Sahlin, Sweden's former ambassador to Turkey, warned Mr Akesson's remarks could complicate the country’s Nato membership bid, which has already run into problems.
Sweden and Finland requested to join Nato in May last year, only months after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raised objections at the time over what he said was the Nordic nations' protection of those who Turkey deems terrorists, as well as their defence trade embargoes.
Turkey eventually endorsed Finland's bid in April but has kept Sweden waiting, demanding it takes more steps to rein in members of the Kurdistan Workers' party (PKK), considered a terrorist group by the EU and the US.
In response, Stockholm introduced a bill that makes membership of a terrorist organisation illegal, while also lifting arms export restrictions on Turkey. It said it has upheld its part of a deal signed last year.
The bill must be approved by the Turkish foreign affairs commission before being put to a full parliamentary vote, which could come days or weeks later.
Turkey recently informed Nato the ratification of Sweden's membership bid will not come in time to allow for the country's accession ceremony at a meeting of alliance foreign ministers this week.
"Turkey already knew that Sweden Democrats said problematic things in the past but its leader talking about demolishing mosques is very extreme and unfortunate," Mr Sahlin told Swedish broadcaster SVT. "Akesson's remarks brought a different burden to Sweden's membership to Nato."
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Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Neighbourhood Watch
Tomorrow 2021
Comment on Coronavirus
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Shelina Janmohamed: Why shouldn't a spouse be compensated fairly for housework?
Samar Elmnhrawy: How companies in the Middle East can catch up on gender equality
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
Transgender report
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• News has a bright future and the UAE is at the heart of it
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OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
COMPANY PROFILE
MATCH INFO
Osasuna 1 Real Madrid 4
Osasuna: García (14')
Real Madrid: Isco (33'), Ramos (38'), Vázquez (84'), Jovic (90' 2)
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Fringe@Four Line-up
October 1 - Phil Nichol (stand-up comedy)
October 29 - Mandy Knight (stand-up comedy)
November 5 - Sinatra Raw (Fringe theatre)
November 8 - Imah Dumagay & Sundeep Fernandes (stand-up comedy)
November 13 - Gordon Southern (stand-up comedy)
November 22 - In Loyal Company (Fringe theatre)
November 29 - Peter Searles (comedy / theatre)
December 5 - Sinatra’s Christmas Under The Stars (music / dinner show)
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place play-off
Transgender report
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Company%20profile
Plastic tipping point
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Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
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INFO
Transgender report
Our commentary on Brexit
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on
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Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
