Government extends ID checks
(National) The government has extended identity checks conducted on buses, trains and ferries to Sweden for another three months. The decision made today comes just days prior to the current expiration date of Nov 4. Identity checks have been a controversial topic, especially in Skåne. Last week, the European Commission approved extensions of border controls for another three months.

EU to create universal asylum law
(European Union) The European Union is proposing the creation of universal asylum laws. Swedish migration courts are critical of several recommendations including one which would allow decision making powers to be transferred from Sweden to the EU, reports Swedish Radio. The EU would be responsible for determining which countries would be called safe for failed asylum seekers to return to — this decision is presently being made on an individual basis in Sweden. Swedish authorities are also unhappy that they would not be able to return to a policy of allowing asylum seekers to receive permanent residency.

Swede released after years in prison
(National) Daniel Bakke, 41, was released on Nov. 1 after a 4-year imprisonment at one of Tunisia’s worst prisons, Mornaguia, which has been cited by several human rights organizations. He and Per-Åke Helgesson, 56, were arrested four years ago, accused of abducting a child. The Swedes worked for a Norwegian security company that stated they were in Tunisia to help a Norwegian woman whose 4-year-old daughter had been abducted and taken to Tunisia. Helgesson has not yet been released.

Decades-old grenade causes village evacuation
(Dalkarlsberg) The entire village of Dalkarlsberg was evacuated on Nov. 2 as a precaution while authorities detonated an 80-year-old grenade found in the garden of a residence. The grenade is believed to have remained intact since the 1930s. Residents prepared for the blast by digging trenches and taping windows. Eighty-eight households were evacuated.

Burglar falls asleep at the scene
(Gothenburg) At approximately 7 a.m. on Nov. 2, Gothenburg police received a call about a possible robbery at one of the city’s landmark buildings, The Lipstick. Arriving on the scene, police found a man sleeping in a car full of tools, likely stolen from the nearby construction site. The man was arrested on suspicion of burglary. According to witnesses, the robber fell asleep in his car after having forgotten his keys at the scene of the crime. The value of the tools is estimated at SEK 200,000 ($22,400).