TOP NEWS

The coronavirusCovid research  

Covid vaccine is linked to increased risk of diseases 

Covid vaccine may be linked to a small but increased risk of suffering from certain medical conditions. This is shown by a study by a global research network, several media outlets write. The researchers reviewed data from 99 million people in eight countries, making the study the largest of its kind to date.

According to the study, there is a slightly increased risk of suffering from inflammation of the heart muscle, so-called myocarditis, after the first, second and third dose of Pfizer's and Moderna's vaccine. Astra's vaccine has in turn been linked to rare cases of blood clots in the brain.  

Jacob Glanville, CEO of the biotech company Centivax and not involved in the study, tells Forbes that the risks of suffering from the ailments are "much, much" higher for those infected with covid-19.  

- So getting vaccinated is still a far safer choice, he says.  

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The ship attacks 

Sweden sends military personnel to the Red Sea  

Sweden is sending military personnel to an EU mission in the Red Sea, says Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) to TT. 

- It is important for a country like Sweden that is dependent on exports with safe shipping routes.  

Initially, it is about four staff officers who can work in different management functions, but Jonson does not rule out that in the long run Sweden can also send armed forces.  

The staff officers are to be part of the joint EU effort, which goes by the name Aspides. The aim is to protect civilian ships from the Houthi rebels, who have for some time attacked passing ships.  

The government has a mandate to make the decision on its own, but if in the future there is talk of armed forces, the support of the Riksdag is also required.

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Gang violenceCrime  

Norway singles out Swedish gangs as a serious threat  

 

Foreign criminal networks can make Norway a transit country for narcotics. It is a threat that is pointed out in a new report from the Norwegian National Criminal Police, Kripos.  

 

According to NRK, Kripos warns that a "cocaine tsunami" from South America can hit Norway with full force. Moroccan drug networks are seen as the biggest threat. 

 

Swedish criminal gangs are also seen as a serious threat. 

 

- Several of these have direct contact with drug cartels in South America, and supply Norwegian criminal networks with narcotics. They are highly professionalised, and deliver different types of services in the criminal value chain, says Eivind Borge, head of the investigation department at Kripos.

 

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The flight to Europe Migrants rescued by Italy to be sent to Albania 

 

Migrants rescued by Italy in international waters in the Mediterranean are to be housed in Albania. Meanwhile, Italy processes their asylum applications. The proposal got the green light in the Albanian parliament today, AP writes.  

 

The agreement was signed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in November, and has the support of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. However, it has received harsh criticism from human rights groups.  

 

The agreement is considered controversial because it means that asylum seekers must be held in centers outside the EU. Albania is not part of the Union but has the status of a candidate country.