<p>The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officially added a new member state on Wednesday as Sweden became the 32nd country to join the alliance.</p>
<p>The entry of the Scandinavian country, which borders Russia, comes two years after Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the biggest war on the European continent since World War II.</p>
<p>&#8220;This is a historic day. Sweden will now take its rightful place at NATO’s table, with an equal say in shaping NATO policies and decisions,&#8221; said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. &#8220;After over 200 years of non-alignment Sweden now enjoys the protection granted under Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of Allies’ freedom and security.&#8221;</p>
<p>Article 5 ensures that member states are protected from attacks by requiring all member states to come to the aid of any country that is attacked. The only time that Article 5 has ever been activated was after Islamic terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001.</p>
<p>&#8220;Sweden brings with it capable armed forces and a first-class defence industry,&#8221; Stoltenberg added. &#8220;Sweden’s accession makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer and the whole Alliance more secure. Today’s accession demonstrates that NATO’s door remains open and that every nation has the right to choose its own path.&#8221;</p>
<p>Sweden&#8217;s entrance into NATO marks the end of a nearly 80-year post-World War II era of neutrality for the country.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🇸🇪 Sweden became NATO’s newest member upon depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington DC. </p>
<p>With Sweden’s accession, NATO now counts 32 countries among its members</p>
<p>&mdash; NATO (@NATO) <a href="https://twitter.com/NATO/status/1765792533378933201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2024</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Sweden is now the second country to join NATO since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the war in Ukraine as Finland <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/major-northern-european-country-to-join-nato-as-tensions-with-russia-rise">joined</a> the organization last year.</p>
<p>U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that &#8220;everything changed&#8221; for the organization after Russia invaded Ukraine and that &#8220;everything that Putin sought to prevent, he has actually precipitated by his actions, by his aggression.&#8221;</p>
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<p>&#8220;Swedes realized something very profound: that if Putin was willing to try to erase one neighbor from the map, then he might well not stop there,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that Sweden&#8217;s entrance into NATO was a &#8220;historic day&#8221; for the country.</p>
<p>&#8220;We are humbled, but we are also proud,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We will live up to high expectations from all NATO allies. United we stand. Unity and solidarity will be Sweden’s guiding light.&#8221;</p>


TOPSHOT-US-SWEDEN-DIPLOMACY-BLINKEN-KRISTERSSON

NATO Officially Adds New Member State

Europe

NATO

Sweden

Ukraine-Russia War

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After more than a year of negotiations, Sweden is set to become the 32nd member of </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nato"><span style="font-weight: 400;">NATO</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Nordic country broke with nearly 2 centuries of neutrality in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and formally applied for NATO membership in May of that year, alongside neighboring Finland, which also abandoned its longstanding policy of neutrality to join the alliance.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Joining NATO requires the unanimous consent of all current members – while most NATO nations were quick to approve the applications, Finland and Sweden both faced opposition from Hungary and Turkey. Pressure from the rest of the alliance and various concessions appear to have put those objections to rest. Finland formally joined NATO in April 2023. Turkey approved Sweden’s membership bid last month and on Monday the Hungarian parliament also approved it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The parliaments of all NATO member states have now voted in favor of Swedish accession to NATO.” Swedish Prime Minister </span><a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&amp;sca_esv=59bcec2abd4eef4d&amp;sca_upv=1&amp;rls=en&amp;q=Ulf+Kristersson&amp;stick=H4sIAAAAAAAAAONgVuLUz9U3sDQ0sDR_xGjCLfDyxz1hKe1Ja05eY1Tl4grOyC93zSvJLKkUEudig7J4pbi5ELp4FrHyh-akKXgXZRaXpBYVF-fnAQD7xV2vVgAAAA&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=2ahUKEwio6LbOjsqEAxVB_skDHZbBCKQQzIcDKAB6BAgeEAE"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ulf Kristersson</span></a> <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/sweden-to-join-nato/#:~:text=BUDAPEST%20%E2%80%94%20At%20last%2C%20Sweden%20will,vote%20to%20approve%20the%20move."><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. “Sweden stands ready to shoulder its responsibility for Euro-Atlantic security.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sweden is expected to officially join the organization in a ceremony sometime this week, after all the necessary paperwork has been finalized.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Turkey previously accused the two Scandinavian nations of being soft on Kurdish militants, who have been in conflict with Turkey’s government for decades. Turkish President </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recep Tayyip Erdoğan appears to have backed down in exchange for increased weapons sales to his country – including the </span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us-says-move-forward-with-transfer-f-16-jets-turkey-2023-07-11/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">transfer</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of American made F-16 fighter jets.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hungary’s objections appear to have been a response to past Swedish criticism of the Hungarian government under Viktor </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viktor_Orb%C3%A1n"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Orbán</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Hungary’s shift in policy also coincides with an arms deal – Hungary </span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/hungary-sign-defence-industry-deal-with-sweden-pm-orban-says-2024-02-23/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">purchased</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> four Swedish fighter jets days before ratifying its NATO bid.</span></p>
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<div id="attachment_702025" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-702025" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-702025" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Major_NATO_affiliations_in_Europe.svg_-300x230.png" alt="" width="300" height="230" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Major_NATO_affiliations_in_Europe.svg_-300x230.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/02/Major_NATO_affiliations_in_Europe.svg_.png 330w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><p id="caption-attachment-702025" class="wp-caption-text">Wikimedia Commons</p></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The expansion of NATO has been a major point of contention with Russia – one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s stated reasons for invading Ukraine was to prevent the country from joining the Western military bloc and moving its forces to the Russian border. Finland, which, like Ukraine, was also once part of the Russian Empire, has an 830 mile long land border with Russia, and with the accession of Sweden and Finland the alliance will almost totally encircle the Baltic Sea, where the Russian port of St. Petersburg strategic exclave of Kaliningrad are located.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Russia hasn’t taken direct military action against either nation, relations have cooled considerably between it and the formally neutral nations. Last year the Russian ambassador to Sweden said the country had become a “legitimate target for Russian retaliatory measures” and Finland closed its border with Russia.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;When it comes to Russia, the only thing we can expect is that they will not like that Sweden is becoming a NATO member,&#8221; Kristersson </span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/hungary-set-ratify-swedens-nato-accession-clearing-last-hurdle-2024-02-26/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. &#8220;What they do in addition to that, we cannot know. We are prepared for all sorts of things.&#8221;</span></p>


Hungarian parliament approves Sweden’s NATO bid, last member of alliance that had not given green light

Sweden Set To Officially Join NATO

<p><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sweden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sweden</a> is turning to its military to curb violent crime that has soared alongside immigrant gang activity across the country.</p>
<p>Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on Friday that he planned to ask the country’s military to step in and aid police in combatting surging shootings and bomb attacks. The prime minister also said he would look into legislation that would give the military greater authority to engage in police activities, according to the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/6b470a3a-178b-4f9a-95af-2d4a59b4c982" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Financial Times</a>.</p>
<p>The prime minister’s announcement followed remarks he made the day before condemning the surge in violence and saying that Sweden’s immigration policies are largely to blame. Police officials in the Scandinavian country have said the security situation in Sweden is the worst it has been since World War II.</p>
<p>“I cannot emphasize enough how serious the situation is. Sweden has never seen anything like it before. No other country in Europe sees anything like it currently,” Kristersson said Thursday night, according to FT.</p>
<p>“It is political naivete and cluelessness that has brought us here,” he continued. “It is an irresponsible immigration policy and failed integration effort that has brought us here.”</p>
<p>Criminal gangs in Sweden have preyed upon children and teens, enticing or forcing them to commit crimes because the penalties against underage criminals are less severe than against adults.</p>
<p>“Social exclusion and parallel societies feed the criminal gangs. There they can ruthlessly recruit children and train them as future killers,” Kristersson said.</p>
<p>The effort to involve the military in curbing gang violence appears to have drawn support across the political spectrum in Sweden. Before Kristersson, a center-right politician, Sweden’s former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, who is center-left and in the opposition, <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/sweden-ex-pm-andersson-urges-send-troops-to-stop-gang-violence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Thursday that the military should be leveraged against the gangs.</p>
<p>“Surveillance performed by police officers could be carried out by the military. In addition, there is technical know-how with the military that they could assist with,” the former prime minister said. Her comments came after a violent 24 hours in which three people were killed in shootings and bombings.</p>
<p>Earlier in the week, two explosions <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sweden-explosions-gang-violence-hasselby-linkoping-shootings-c7b7f1f907d0bbd662c7e2b33c4cadb6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ripped</a> through buildings in a suburb of Sweden’s capital and Linkoping, 110 miles southwest. The bombs injured at least three people. A Swedish newspaper reported that both explosions are suspected of being connected to gang activity.</p>
<p>National Police Commissioner Anders Thornberg <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/sep/13/sweden-gang-violence-shootings-explosions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last month that violence across Sweden has reached an “unprecedented scale.”</p>
<p>“Several boys aged between 13 and 15 have been killed, the mother of a criminal was executed at home, and a young man in Uppsala was shot dead on his way to work,” Thornberg said. “Citizens are afraid, insecurity is increasing. And this at a time when we have raised our terrorist alert level in the country.”</p>


Ulf Kristersson

Sweden Turns To Its Military For Help Fighting Violent Immigrant Gangs

Crime

<p><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/holy-s-britney-spears-reacts-to-collab-with-elton-john-soaring-to-number-one-spot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elton John</a> officially ended his more than 50 years of touring on Saturday, sending a message to his fans that his legendary career would not have been possible without them.</p>
<p>The 76-year-old singer&#8217;s Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour&#8217;s final show took place at Tele2 Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, where he closed out his final set with &#8220;Your Song&#8221; and &#8220;Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,&#8221; then addressed the crowd, <a href="https://pagesix.com/2023/07/09/elton-john-thanks-fans-for-52-years-of-pure-joy-as-he-retires-from-touring/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Page Six</a> reported.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve had the most wonderful career, beyond belief,&#8221; the legendary singer said. &#8220;52 years of pure joy playing music, how lucky am I to play music?&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;But, ya know, I wouldn&#8217;t be sitting here and talking to you if it wasn&#8217;t for you,&#8221; he added. &#8220;You bought the singles, the albums, the CDs, the cassettes, but more importantly, you bought the tickets to the shows and you know how I love to play live.&#8221;</p>
<p>Following his concert, the five-time Grammy winner told <a href="https://www.etonline.com/elton-john-performs-emotional-final-farewell-show-as-he-retires-from-touring-207683" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Entertainment Weekly</a> he was still &#8220;trying to process&#8221; that his touring days are officially over.</p>
<p>&#8220;I don&#8217;t think it will sink in for a while yet that I&#8217;ve finally finished touring,&#8221; he added. &#8220;I can&#8217;t tell you how much I&#8217;m going to miss the fans and how much their support has humbled me — it will stay with me forever.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;When we set off on my final tour in 2018, I couldn&#8217;t have foreseen in my wildest dreams the twists and turns and the highs and lows this tour — and the whole world — would have experienced in the next five years,&#8221; John continued. &#8220;And every step of the way, my fans have been there. They have stuck with me, they have supported me, they have been patient, and they have kept turning out for every single last show.&#8221;</p>
<p>Ahead of the show, the &#8220;Tiny Dancer&#8221; hitmaker, who has been touring since 1970, posted a message on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CucC7nWAQ8K/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Instagram</a>.</p>
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<p>&#8220;What a journey this tour has been and now we find ourselves at the end of it,&#8221; John captioned his post. &#8220;Tonight is the final night.&#8221;</p>
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B75950BE-10F8-42EC-873A-606497E0AE1D_1_201_a

Elton John Ends 50+ Years Of Touring With Message To Fans

Elton John

Entertainment

Music

singer

World

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Archeologists in Sweden have uncovered 40 stone carvings that they believe date back roughly 2,700 years, according to a </span><a href="https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/vast/ovantade-hallristningsfyndet-i-kville-storsta-vi-har-hittat?fbclid=IwAR0x3EyJSPAIxzpi5C1IQMceAG-KO_LSgWbRlihjoYPu8XwFFsG28xu1Tko" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">report</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> from Swedish news outlet Sveriges Television.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The petroglyphs, which were covered by a layer of moss, include depictions of people, ships, and animals. They were located near Kville, Sweden, by researchers with the Foundation for Documentation of Bohuslän&#8217;s Rock Carvings in early May. According to researchers, the granite rock that the carvings are on once made up an island, which means whoever carved them would have likely been on a boat or platform, the outlet notes. Today, the rock <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/93ka7z/archaeologists-discover-dozens-of-mysterious-ancient-stone-carvings-hidden-under-moss" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sits</a> in a grassy field. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;What makes the rock carving completely unique is that it is located 3 meters above today&#8217;s ground level on a steep rock surface which, during the Late Bronze Age, was located on a small island,” the foundation said in a Facebook </span><a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/93ka7z/archaeologists-discover-dozens-of-mysterious-ancient-stone-carvings-hidden-under-moss" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">post</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. “The rock carving must have been made from a boat when the sea level was approximately 12 meters above today&#8217;s sea level.&#8221;</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Researchers were first alerted to the rock because of what looked to be manmade lines under the moss, LiveScience </span><a href="https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/2700-year-old-petroglyphs-depicting-people-ships-and-animals-discovered-in-sweden" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Once removed, the depictions — each between 12 and 16 inches — were revealed. One of the carvings shows what researchers believe to be multiple horses, and the largest petroglyph, which measures 13 feet long and depicts a ship, the outlet notes. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;On the basis of the repetition of the motifs, it is possible that this collection of figures forms a narrative,&#8221; researcher James Dodd told LiveScience, explaining that similar rock carvings in the region have portrayed a narrative. Dodd explains that the depictions of chariots, carts, and other figures were repeated in the carvings, prompting his belief that it could be a narrative. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because of the steepness of the rock on which the petroglyphs are located, researchers were forced to use a platform to study the carvings and perform other archeological work on the find. Martin Östholm, a project manager for the foundation, told LiveScience that to achieve carvings like this, people would strike hard stones on the rock’s surface — exposing a white layer that allows the shape to be visible. One reason for carvings of this type would be a mark of ownership, Östholm explained. </span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kville is located in the Bohuslän province on the west coast of the country. The region is <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/557/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> known for its rock carvings — one area of Bohuslän is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its abundance. The organization says carvings in Tanum, Sweden, roughly 10 miles from Kville, “reveal the life and beliefs of people in Europe during the Bronze Age and are remarkable for their large numbers and outstanding quality.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The archeologists are planning to continue researching the carvings and the surrounding areas. </span></p>


Large boulder, mountain stream and hill

‘Completely Unique’: Archeologists Unearth Dozens Of 2,700-Year-Old Rock Carvings That May Form ‘A Narrative’

Archeologists Unearth Dozens Of 2,700-Year-Old Rock Carvings That May Form ‘A Narrative’

Archaeology

<p>A male <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/beluga-whale-alleged-be-russian-spy-appears-have-ashe-schow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">beluga suspected of being trained to be a Russian spy</a> reappeared off the coast of a yet another country, according to a group that tracks the whale.</p>
<p>Hvaldimir, as the whale is known, swam around <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/norway" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Norway</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Isrg8IGi4qs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showed up</a> in the waters of neighboring <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sweden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sweden</a> where local authorities are helping to look after the creature, the OneWhale organization <a href="https://www.kron4.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/636386619/sweden-takes-swift-action-upon-arrival-of-world-famous-spy-whale/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced in a statement</a> Monday.</p>
<p>“After four years of swimming south down the coast of Norway, Hvaldimir – known worldwide as the ‘Russian spy’ beluga whale – is now in Swedish waters,” the group said.</p>
<p>The whale first made headlines in 2019 when it was spotted in Norwegian waters wearing a harness with GoPro camera mounts and clips that said, &#8220;Equipment off St Petersburg,&#8221; <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/30/europe/russian-spy-whale-sweden-scli-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CNN</a>.</p>
<p>Norwegian intelligence officials conducted an investigation and told <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65753749" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the BBC</a> the whale was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/norwegians-found-beluga-whale-harness-now-they-ashe-schow" target="_blank" rel="noopener">likely trained by the Russian military</a>. Russia&#8217;s Defense Ministry has denied the existence of programs to train sea mammals for surveillance purposes, even though <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/05/30/beluga-spy-whale-hvaldimir-sweden-norway/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post notes</a> that it published an advertisement several years back seeking to recruit dolphins.</p>
<p>In the years since Hvaldimir showed up in Norwegian waters, the beluga has become a local celebrity. As reported by the BBC, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65753749" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hvaldimir&#8217;s name</a> combines the Norwegian word for whale, &#8220;hval,&#8221; and the first name of Russian President Vladimir Putin.</p>
<p>OneWhale <a href="https://www.onewhale.org/home/?_gl=1*us179h*_gcl_au*MTg3MDY0OTEzOC4xNjg1NTU0NjM1#meethvaldimir" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says on its website</a> that Hvaldimir likes to hang around industrial salmon farms, but a &#8220;dramatic&#8221; increase in unregulated tourism aimed at the whale has led to the creature being injured by boat propellers and fishing hooks.</p>
<p>Hvaldimir &#8220;is a friendly, tamed, displaced, formerly captive whale who relies on humans for social interaction. Belugas are highly social whales and he has been living all alone the past four years,&#8221; the group said in its Monday statement.</p>
<p>Sebastian Strand, a marine biologist with OneWhale, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/29/suspected-russia-trained-spy-whale-reappears-off-swedens-coast" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told The Guardian</a> that Hvaldimir, who is believed to be between 13 and 14 years old, is at an age where hormones are &#8220;very high&#8221; and therefore the whale may be searching for other belugas.</p>
<p>Now, according to the OneWhale, there are plans to move the whale north to arctic waters and the group is working with the Norwegian port city of Hammerfest to create a reserve to hold Hvaldimir until he can be released back into a wild beluga population.</p>
<p>“Hvaldimir’s situation remains an extremely vulnerable one as Sweden is a highly populated country, but we are very grateful Swedish authorities have quickly taken action to care for the whale,&#8221; said OneWhale President Rich German.</p>


Beluga whale tale

Suspected Russian Spy Whale Spotted Near Coast Of Sweden

Animals

General

Russia

Spying

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Video footage of a camera crane knocking down a </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/environmentalism" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">climate protester</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> during a live </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/television" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">dance show</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is going viral online.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It all went down on the </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sweden" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Swedish</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> version of “Dancing with the Stars,” which is called “Let’s Dance.” Charlotte Kalla, an Olympic skier, and her partner Tobias Karlsson were dancing on stage when climate activists suddenly appeared, holding up a banner and throwing yellow powder. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kalla and Karlsson didn’t stop dancing, video footage shows, but it’s the camera operator who’s really getting attention.</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="sv" dir="ltr">2023 högsta löneförhöjning måste gå till kameramannen. <a href="https://t.co/H5xHkqQKA2">pic.twitter.com/H5xHkqQKA2</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Rasim Reiz (@RasimReiz) <a href="https://twitter.com/RasimReiz/status/1662738412011507712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A short clip of the interaction shows an activist holding a banner that says “</span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Återställ Våtmarker</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">,” which translates to &#8220;Restore Wetlands.&#8221; In just a few seconds, that person was knocked down by a camera crane. Immediately after, all of the protestors were ushered off the stage by security. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The activist group posted footage of the incident on </span><a href="https://twitter.com/vatmarker/status/1662534555226587136" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> with a caption that said, according to Google Translate, &#8220;LET&#8217;S DANCE IS DISRUPTED BY RESTORE WETLANDS &#8211; I&#8217;m only 18 years old. Those in power sit completely passive and watch as my future burns up, says Otis who was one of the people on stage.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Climate protestors organizing publicity stunts are nothing new. In recent months, activists have been shutting down busy highways, ruining priceless art, and vandalizing historic landmarks to raise awareness of their causes. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Earlier in May, a group of climate protesters poured diluted charcoal in Rome&#8217;s Trevi Fountain to protest fossil fuels, as The Daily Wire previously </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rome-mayor-says-climate-activists-cause-environmental-damage-after-turning-trevi-fountain-water-black-using-charcoal" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">reported</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Their actions turned the water black and might have caused permanent damage to the world-famous fountain.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Enough of these absurd attacks on our artistic heritage. Today smeared the #FontanadiTrevi,&#8221; Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri wrote on Twitter. &#8220;Expensive and complex to restore, hoping that there is no permanent damage. I invite activists to compete on a confrontational terrain without putting the monuments at risk.&#8221;</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In October 2022, German climate change activists smeared mashed potatoes over Monet’s &#8220;Les Meules” before gluing their hands to the wall below the painting. This was similar to another act of vandalism in October when a pair of activists </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-global-warming-protesters-vandalize-one-of-worlds-most-iconic-art-masterpieces" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">threw tomato soup</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> at the priceless Van Gogh painting “Sunflowers” to protest fossil fuel usage. </span></p>


Charlotte Kalla

WATCH: Camera Crane Knocks Climate Protester Down During Live Swedish Dance Show

Climate Change

Environmentalism

Protesters

Television

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/finland" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Finland</a> is expected to officially join <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nato" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NATO</a> in the coming days as tensions between Europe and Russia remain high over the war in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ukraine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ukraine</a>. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finland&#8217;s entrance into the intergovernmental military organization comes after Turkey became the final NATO member to approve the Nordic country’s application for membership, which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/finland-moves-to-join-nato-despite-russian-warnings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was first filed</a> in May 2022. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Finland will formally join our Alliance in the coming days. Their membership will make Finland safer and NATO stronger. I look forward to also welcoming Sweden as a full member of the NATO family as soon as possible,” <a href="https://twitter.com/MarinSanna" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary general. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The move, which was opposed by Russia, comes as Sweden is also attempting to join the alliance, which has vigorously opposed Russia during its war with Ukraine. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“NATO membership will strengthen Finland’s security and improve stability and security in the Baltic Sea region and Northern Europe,” Finland’s government <a href="https://twitter.com/FinGovernment/status/1641549957864857601" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> after Turkey approved their membership. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Turkey had <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/31/finland-to-formally-join-nato-within-days-nato-announces" target="_blank" rel="noopener">voiced</a> objections to Finland’s support for certain Kurdish groups which it opposes. Those concerns were apparently rectified before Turkey voted to accept Finland. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has been supportive of allowing both Finland and Sweden into the organization. “Both countries have taken significant, concrete actions to fulfill their commitments, including those related to the security concerns on the part of our ally, Turkey,” he </span><a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-finland-government-united-states-sweden-d15bd339dd4c5a01dd8dcba23ba1efe0" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">said</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in December. “As their membership process continues, the United States is fully committed to Finland and Sweden’s accession.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sanna-marin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sanna Marin</a> first announced their intent to join NATO nearly a year ago at a joint news conference in Helsinki. The long-neutral nation shares an 830-mile-long border with Russia, which has spooked neighboring nations with its attack on Ukraine.</span></p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">NATO was founded in 1949 to counter the threat from the Soviet Union. Russian President Vladimir Putin has complained that it is encroaching on his country and blamed Ukraine’s desire to join as one of the reasons for the ongoing invasion. The last country to join was North Macedonia in 2020. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to NATO stipulations, an attack on one is an attack on all, meaning that all member countries are obligated to get involved when one is attacked. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Stoltenberg <a href="https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_213124.htm?selectedLocale=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently said</a> that he believes that NATO members need to increase military production of weapons and ammunition to sustain “support for Ukraine.” </span></p>


EU Leaders Convene For Special Meeting As Russia Invades Ukraine

Major Northern European Country To Join NATO As Tensions With Russia Rise

Antony Blinken

Finland

Global Politics

Sanna Marin

Turkey

Ukraine

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sweden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sweden</a> published new treatment guidelines that abandon the model of care that &#8220;affirms&#8221; a child&#8217;s chosen transgender identity with medication.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (NBHW) </span><a href="https://www.socialstyrelsen.se/om-socialstyrelsen/pressrum/press/uppdaterat-kunskapsstod-for-vard-vid-konsdysfori-hos-unga/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">published</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> new treatment guidelines for youth with gender dysphoria last week that explicitly instruct medical providers that psychosocial support should be the first line of treatment. The updated guidelines follow a 2021 </span><a href="https://segm.org/Sweden_ends_use_of_Dutch_protocol" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">policy change</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that jettisoned the use of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to treat gender dysphoric youth, outside of a clinical research setting.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Psychosocial support that helps the young person live with the body&#8217;s pubertal development without medication needs to be the first option when choosing care measures,” the guidelines read, according to the Society for Evidence-based Gender Medicine. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The NBHW “deems that the risks of puberty suppressing treatment with GnRH-analogues and gender-affirming hormonal treatment currently outweigh the possible benefits, and that the treatments should be offered only in exceptional cases.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sweden seemed to dismiss the West’s preference for &#8220;gender identity&#8221; ideology, a set of beliefs that are not recognized by science, for gender dysphoria, a well-documented psychiatric condition.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The NBHW still considers that gender dysphoria rather than gender identity should determine access to care and treatment,” the report said.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The update is a marked detour from Sweden&#8217;s prior 2015 guidelines that relied on World Professional Association of Transgender Health&#8217;s (WPATH) “Standards of Care 7,” parting ways with a &#8220;gender affirming&#8221; model for a more cautious approach that emphasizes the importance of psychotherapy.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">WPATH has since been </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-declaration-launches-opposition-to-leading-transgender-health-association" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">denounced</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> internationally by medical and mental health professionals for its “adherence to ideological views unsupported by evidence, its exclusion of ethical concerns, and its mischaracterization of basic science.”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Three key reasons listed for the change were a lack of reliable scientific evidence, evidence of detransition, and an unexplained sharp rise in prevalence of youth gender dysphoria, especially in adolescent girls without prior history of gender distress.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&#8220;Although the prevalence of detransition is still unknown, the knowledge that it occurs and that gender confirming treatment thus may lead to a deteriorating of health and quality of life (i.e. harm), is important for the overall judgment and recommendation,&#8221; the guidelines said.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adolescents &#8220;will need to be offered other care than hormonal treatments,&#8221; and only in exceptional cases where gender incongruence that begins in childhood and persists until puberty, and causes &#8220;psychological strain&#8221; will puberty blocking drugs and cross-sex hormones be considered, provided only in research settings. Six Swedish pediatric gender clinics are set to be merged into three.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Society for Evidence Based Gender Medicine (</span><a href="https://segm.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">SEGM</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">) gave a </span><a href="https://twitter.com/segm_ebm/status/1604233730473590784?s=20&amp;t=UceAWzRh2deFpRiQjncQDg" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">preliminary analysis</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of the 6-page English summary and is currently translating the full document for a more detailed analysis.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sweden, along with health authorities in Finland and the </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/englands-national-health-service-abandons-gender-affirming-model-of-care" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">U.K.</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">are part of a growing international consensus that minors experiencing gender dysphoria should be treated with psychotherapy first, not medical interventions.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the United States, with the </span><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/every-tomboy-is-tagged-transgender-transsexual-gender-dysphoria-children-hormones-clinic-terminology-expectations-11663872092" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">broadening of the definition</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> of what it means to be “transgender,” as determined by &#8220;gender identity&#8221; ideology rather than persistent gender dysphoria, more children are in danger of becoming lifelong medical patients.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The gender-affirmation model, applied widely across the U.S., prevents medical professionals from questioning a child’s self-reported transgender identity, and from exploring possible underlying factors causing their dysphoria. The standard protocol for gender affirmation is administering puberty blockers, followed by cross-sex hormones and then surgery, if desired.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to such influential American organizations and medical institutions as Planned Parenthood, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, their websites now define “transgender” as an “umbrella term” that includes mere gender nonconformity, or the rejection of stereotypical preferences and behaviors commonly associated with one’s sex.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At least </span><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hospitals-clinics-are-promoting-services-to-gender-nonconforming-kids-here-are-47-of-them" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">47 pediatric gender clinics</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, many at prominent children’s hospitals, have broadened the scope of their patient criteria to include not only transgender-identified children, but those they describe as “gender creative,” “gender diverse,” or “gender nonconforming.” Some of these programs see patients as young as two and three years old.</span></p>


Swedish nation flag in sunlight

Sweden’s New Pediatric Treatment Guidelines Ditch ‘Gender-Affirming’ Medication For Psychotherapy

Sweden's New Pediatric Treatment Guidelines Ditch 'Gender-Affirming' Medication For Psychotherapy

Puberty blockers

Social Issues

Transgender

<p>Authorities in <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/denmark" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Denmark</a> revealed on Tuesday that “powerful explosions” caused damage last month to the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/nord-stream-pipeline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nord Stream</a> pipeline system.</p>
<p>The pipelines, which carried <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/oil-and-gas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">natural gas</a> under the Baltic Sea from <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/russia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Russia</a> to <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/germany" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Germany</a>, have been the center of geopolitical strife since the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/ukraine-russia-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">invasion of Ukraine</a>. Russia nixed shipments through Nord Stream 1 several weeks ago, while Germany blocked the adjacent Nord Stream 2 from beginning shipments days before the war started. Sweden and Denmark <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nord-stream-pipelines-see-unprecedented-damage-after-cia-warned-german-government-of-sabotage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> damage to the pipelines on September 26 as the system operator confirmed that the destruction was “unprecedented.”</p>
<p>The Danish Police Intelligence Service released a <a href="https://politi.dk/koebenhavns-politi/nyhedsliste/pet-og-k%C3%B8benhavns-politi-neds%C3%A6tter-f%C3%A6lles-efterforskningsgruppe-i-sagen-om-gasl%C3%A6kager-i-%C3%B8sters%C3%B8en/2022/10/18" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> announcing that preliminary investigations of the “crime scenes” confirm “extensive damage” to the pipelines caused by “powerful explosions.”</p>
<p>Denmark suggested that cooperation with the United Nations’ International Court of Justice, headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, could be on the table as other countries carry out their own investigations. Swedish authorities said that evidence “has strengthened the suspicions of gross sabotage,” while the “continued preliminary investigation must show whether someone can be served with suspicion and later prosecuted.”</p>
<p>Footage shot by a Norwegian robotics company and <a href="https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/forsta-bilderna-fran-sprangda-gasroret-pa-ostersjons-botten/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> this week by the Swedish newspaper Expressen showed a massive tear in Nord Stream 1, with parts of the pipeline lodged in the seabed and over 50 meters of the system missing.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_451870" style="width: 992px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-451870" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-451870 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GettyImages-1243616290-982x576.jpg" alt="" width="982" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/GettyImages-1243616290-982x576.jpg 982w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/GettyImages-1243616290-300x176.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/GettyImages-1243616290-768x451.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/GettyImages-1243616290-1536x901.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/GettyImages-1243616290.jpg 2032w" sizes="(max-width: 982px) 100vw, 982px" /><p id="caption-attachment-451870" class="wp-caption-text"><em>Gas leak causes bubbles on the surface of the water at Sea in Sweden on September 30 (Swedish Coast Guard Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)</em></p></div>
<p>Meanwhile, the European Commission announced <a href="https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_22_6238" target="_blank" rel="noopener">details</a> of a proposal meant to increase security for infrastructure in the European Union. Ministers are encouraged to conduct stress tests on entities operating critical infrastructure while authorities in Brussels assume a “stronger support and coordination role” among member states and allies.</p>
<p>While some European ministers said Russia may have destroyed its own pipelines to increase gas prices, others <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tucker-carlson-fuels-suspicion-u-s-behind-nord-stream-sabotage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blamed</a> the United States for the damage, which caused natural gas to spew toward the surface of the Baltic Sea. Disabling the pipelines would remove the possibility of Germany caving to Russia and ending sanctions in time to import energy for the winter.</p>
<p>Footage of President Joe Biden threatening to oppose the Nord Stream 2 pipeline days before the beginning of the war <a href="https://twitter.com/Partisangirl/status/1574685985115607040?s=20&amp;t=exDoFSWQyGXDG_Cpl8TgOQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resurfaced</a> on social media after the pipelines suffered damage. The commander-in-chief had initially <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-sanctions-russian-owned-company-behind-nord-stream-2-pipeline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">waived</a> sanctions against the Russian-owned company behind Nord Stream 2, although he reimposed sanctions shortly before the conflict began.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div id="attachment_451871" style="width: 992px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-451871" decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-451871 size-large" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/GettyImages-1243616157-982x576.jpg" alt="" width="982" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/GettyImages-1243616157-982x576.jpg 982w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/GettyImages-1243616157-300x176.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/GettyImages-1243616157-768x451.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/GettyImages-1243616157-1536x901.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2022/10/GettyImages-1243616157.jpg 2032w" sizes="(max-width: 982px) 100vw, 982px" /><p id="caption-attachment-451871" class="wp-caption-text"><em>A fourth leak was reported on September 30 in the Nord Stream gas pipelines off the coast of Sweden (Swedish Coast Guard Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)</em></p></div>
<p>“If Russia invades, that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine again, there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it,” Biden said earlier this year. After a reporter pressed him, Biden responded: “I promise you, we will be able to do it.”</p>
<p>The destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline system threatens to worsen the energy supply crisis facing much of Europe. Natural gas shipments from Russia, which had already paused exports through Nord Stream 1 before the pipeline suffered damage, accounted for 40% of the European natural gas supply last year, a rate that had <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/european-union-social-market-economy-might-redistribute-fossil-fuel-profits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped</a> to 9% as of last month. Germany, the continent’s largest economy, has seen dependence on Russian natural gas decrease from 55% to 35%.</p>
<p>The European Union is currently weighing <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/european-union-questions-russian-oil-price-cap-considers-making-fossil-fuel-companies-pay-a-solidarity-contribution" target="_blank" rel="noopener">various measures</a>, such as consumption limits, to help member states triage their power supplies through the winter. Several nations, including France and Spain, have already called for residents to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/french-president-calls-for-10-cut-in-energy-use-will-ration-power-as-a-last-resort" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reduce</a> power consumption.</p>


Denmark reports leak in Russian Nord Stream 2 offshore gas pipeline

Danish Police Reveal Cause Of Nord Stream Pipeline Damage

Preliminary Investigation Shows Nord Stream Pipeline Destroyed By 'Powerful Explosions'

Denmark

Nord Stream Pipeline

Oil and Gas

<p>Superstar Drake got everyone&#8217;s attention when he shared a post about being &#8220;detained&#8221; in Sweden after his team denied reports that the rapper had a run-in with police.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/drakes-rep-denies-reports-rappers-been-arrested-in-sweden">35-year-old</a> Canadian star&#8217;s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CgHcMDsNBY0/">Instagram post</a> Sunday included a photo of a letter with the Swedish word for police at the top and a message that read, &#8220;Information for Those Suspected of a Crime and Subsequently Detained.&#8221;</p>
<p>The image the performer — born Aubrey Drake Graham — shared talked about detainee&#8217;s rights as well as those of a person who is &#8220;not a Swedish citizen.&#8221; The letter in the photo noted what one can expect during detainment, including that there is a maximum number of hours you can be interrogated for before you are &#8220;taken into custody&#8221; or released.</p>
<p>The photo of the police form also stated that should be a person be requested to stand for a &#8220;court trial,&#8221; the court &#8220;must examine the matter of your detention&#8221; no later than &#8220;96 hours&#8221; after being arrested or &#8220;otherwise detained.&#8221;</p>
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<p>The superstar performer&#8217;s post also included a handful of pictures assumed to have been taken during his trip in the country. He captioned his post, &#8220;I wanna see Ibiza Chubbs fam …&#8221; The reference to Chubbs pertains to a video he shared showing his pal Chubbs dancing at a club, <a href="https://pagesix.com/2022/07/18/drake-posts-about-being-detained-in-sweden-after-arrest-denial/">Page Six</a> noted.</p>
<p>The rapper&#8217;s comments seemed puzzling following an earlier report that the &#8220;Jimmy Cooks&#8221; hitmaker&#8217;s team &#8220;categorically&#8221; denied the arrest reports, as the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/drake-not-arrested-sweden-1235180976/">Hollywood Reporter</a> previously noted.</p>
<p>The outlet wrote that, Drake&#8217;s team said the Grammy winner was in his hotel in the Swedish capital and that he had not been arrested, as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/drakes-rep-denies-reports-rappers-been-arrested-in-sweden">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported.  It is worth noting that the rapper&#8217;s team said nothing about if the rapper had been detained.</p>
<p>It came after the singer started trending on social media with the hashtag #FreeDrake going viral as speculation surfaced about his possible run-in with authorities Thursday night at a nightclub in Stockholm, <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2022/07/17/drake-confirms-swedish-police-encounter-after-team-denies-arrest/">TMZ</a> noted.</p>
<p>The superstar reportedly started sharing posts on Instagram Wednesday showing him in the country after landing at Sweden&#8217;s Arlanda airport courtesy of &#8220;Air Drake,&#8221; his personal baby blue Boeing 767, the report noted. After the rapper arrived, local media reports stated that Drake had stopped by the trendy Ostermalm district of Stockholm and hit up Ciccio&#8217;s restaurant.</p>


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Drake Shares Post About Being ‘Detained’ In Sweden After Rep Denies Run-In With Police

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<p>Superstar Drake&#8217;s representative is shooting down claims that the &#8220;God&#8217;s Plan&#8221; rapper was arrested Thursday night at a nightclub in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/sweden">Sweden</a>.</p>
<p>The 35-year-old Canadian star, born Aubrey Drake Graham, lit up social media when his rap name started trending with posts claiming the &#8220;Jimmy Cooks&#8221; hitmaker had been arrested by police at a club in Stockholm, the <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/drake-not-arrested-sweden-1235180976/">Hollywood Reporter</a> reported in a piece published Friday.</p>
<p>The outlet noted that, Drake&#8217;s team &#8220;categorically&#8221; denied the arrest reports and said the Grammy winner was in his hotel in the Swedish capital.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Drake’s Team Denies Rapper Was Arrested in Sweden <a href="https://t.co/hhQ2k0eEfo">https://t.co/hhQ2k0eEfo</a></p>
<p>&mdash; The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) <a href="https://twitter.com/THR/status/1547804104868503555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 15, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The hitmaker reportedly started sharing posts on Instagram Wednesday showing him in the country after landing at Sweden&#8217;s Arlanda airport courtesy of &#8220;Air Drake,&#8221; his personal baby blue Boeing 767, the report noted.</p>
<p>Not long after, local media reports stated that Drake had stopped by the trendy Ostermalm district of Stockholm and hit up Ciccio&#8217;s restaurant.</p>
<p>The report noted it is unclear exactly what the entertainer&#8217;s plans are in the country.</p>
<p>Earlier this week, Drake appeared on a video on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1tpGn_TV5k&amp;feature=emb_title">YouTube</a> showing him and fellow rapper and pal French Montana at the roulette table and winning upwards of $25 million, <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/drake-won-25-million-help-235958851.html">Yahoo.com</a> noted.</p>
<p>Drake noted that he started out the night with $8.5 million in his online casino Stake account. Then he won $12.96 million and $11.95 million on separate bets on the same number.</p>
<p>&#8220;You know what that deserves? Ah haaan!&#8221; Drake shouted in reference to Montana&#8217;s signature adlib. &#8220;And I got my special guest in the building, take a seat. Ladies and gentlemen, I&#8217;m here with my brother, my twin, my lookalike Montega.&#8221;</p>
<p>However, as the evening went on the winning came to an end with Drake ending the night with $1,879 in his Stake account, the piece noted.</p>
<p>On Wednesday, the superstar performer shared details about an upcoming music festival being held in his hometown of Toronto next month. The &#8220;October World Weekend&#8221; is set to take place July 28-Aug. 1, and includes such stars as Chris Brown and Lil Baby, along with a reunion with Young Money featuring Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj.</p>
<p>Last month, Drake dropped his seventh-studio album titled &#8220;Honestly, Nevermind,&#8221; which debuted at the top of the Billboard 200, the report noted.</p>


Drake’s Rep Denies Reports Rapper’s Been Arrested In Sweden

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