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António Guterres during the speech. Richard Drew / AP  

 

UN chief: "The world situation is derailing"  

 

In his opening speech at the UN General Assembly, the organization's Secretary-General António Guterres says that the world situation "is derailing", AP reports. 

 

Guterres says that the world is increasingly divided and that the economy is approaching a "big crack". He also calls the international community's response to the climate crisis "terribly bad".  

 

A large part of the speech was spent talking about the ongoing wars around the world. He also criticizes the world's institutions, which according to him have not changed at the same pace as the rest of the world.  

 

- We cannot effectively deal with problems when the institutions do not reflect the world as it is. Instead of solving problems, we risk becoming part of them, he says.  

 

WFP stock in Ethiopia. AP  

 

The food shortage in the world  

 

The government is increasing support for the UN's food programme  

 

The government is increasing support to the UN's food program WFP by SEK 239 million, announced the Minister for Aid and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell (M) in a press release. 

 

 "More people than ever around the world suffer from hunger. Sweden must help break and reverse this negative development," he says.  

 

Thus, Sweden's total support to WFP in 2023 amounts to over SEK 1.35 billion.  

 

The announcement comes a day after the EU announced it was halting payments to the WFP in Somalia, after a UN investigation revealed widespread theft and embezzlement of WFP money in the country.

Erna Solberg and Sindre Finnes. Tuva Åserud / NTB  

 

The political situation in Norway  

Solberg's husband rejects suspicions of insider trading  

 

Norwegian opposition leader Erna Solberg's husband Sindre Finnes dismisses all suspicions of insider trading in a long statement, Norwegian media reports. 

 

 "At no time during this period have I become aware of information about the government's decision, which can be described as insider information," the statement reads, among other things.  

 

In addition to Sindre Finnes being accused of insider trading, Ernas Solberg's Høyre party has also been accused of withholding information about the share purchases until after the election on 11 September.  

 

Høyre has therefore published a timeline of how they have handled the issue. E24 writes that Høyre is trying to prove Solberg's innocence with the list. 

 

Illustration image. TT 

  

Swedish law enforcement  

Customs: Sweden has a reputation as a low-risk country 

 

Sweden has become a transit country for narcotics to several EU countries, the Swedish Customs Service tells Ekot. 

 

- We have a reputation as a low-risk country. We need to tighten security, for example, in our ports, says the authority's director general Charlotte Svensson.  

 

Last year, the Customs Service stopped 822 kilos of cocaine at Sweden's borders - more than three times as much as the year before. Seizures of other drugs are also increasing sharply. 

 

In Wednesday's budget proposal, there is a proposal for more money for the Swedish Customs Service for the fight against narcotics.  

 

The Mindanao region of the Philippines, where Socorro is located, was hit by a severe earthquake in 2019, fueling the cult's popularity, according to the Senate Committee on Women and Children. Andreas Ståhl/TT  

 

Philippine 'doomsday sect' accused of rape 

 

Several minors who claim to have escaped from a "doomsday sect" in the mountains outside the city of Socorro in the Philippines testify to organized rape and child marriage, reports Al Jazeera. 

 

- We have to put an end to this. As the spokesperson of the Senate Committee on Women and Children, and as a mother, I pray that we do not allow this monstrosity to continue, Senator Risa Hontiveros said in a speech on the Senate floor Monday night, according to the state-run Philippine News Agency.  

 

According to government sources, the sect, known as Omega de Salonera, has 3,500 members, almost half of whom are children.  

 

A spokesperson for the group denied the accusations, which he called "unfair", in an interview on local radio on Tuesday.