Man shot dead on Södermalm in central Stockholm
Several suspects are being held after a man in his late 30s was shot dead on Södermalm, Stockholm’s “hipster island”, on Monday evening.
The shooting happened at around 6.20pm in front of several witnesses and a huge police operation was immediately launched.
Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT reports that the victim is a 38-year-old man with links to gang crime, although police said it was too early to say whether the shooting was connected to a gang conflict.
Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet reports that at least one of the suspects is a man in his 20s, with a police record of a series of minor offences but no violent crime convictions.
Swedish vocabulary: a witness – ett vittne
Tesla slammed for bringing in foreign strike breakers
Twenty-four workers from countries such as Belgium, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and the UK have on 41 occasions since February been flown in to work at one of Tesla’s service centres in Sweden, reports Dagens Arbete, citing public documents from the Work Environment Authority.
IF Metall, Sweden’s metalworkers union, launched a full-scale strike against Tesla in October, demanding that the US car manufacturer sign a collective bargaining agreement. Several other unions in Sweden have also launched solidarity action against Tesla in response.
The fact that Tesla is bringing in people from other countries shows that the industrial action is having an effect, argues Peter Lydell, an ombudsman for IF Metall. He criticised the company for using strike breakers, a practice that hasn’t happened in Sweden since the 1930s.
“Sometimes we see them arriving by taxi and carrying suitcases. Or they get picked up by someone at Arlanda and go directly to the garage,” he told Dagens Arbete.
Swedish vocabulary: a strike breaker – en strejkbrytare
Tens of thousands of Ukrainians to receive personnummer in November
Ukrainians in Sweden under the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive will be able to become registered residents in Sweden and receive a Swedish personal identification number earlier than before, the right-wing government announced at a press conference.
A personal number (personnummer) is a ten-digit code that opens a range of services in Sweden. It makes healthcare visits easier, banking easier, and even gives the holders easier access to everyday things like getting a library card, a phone contract or gym membership.
Ukrainians will now be able to receive a personal number after they’ve been in Sweden for 12 months, if it can be assumed that they will stay here for at least another six months. This puts them much more on par with other foreign residents in Sweden than they were before.
According to the government, it means that around 33,000 Ukrainians will be added to the population register from November 1st.
Swedish vocabulary: Temporary Protection Directive – massflyktsdirektivet
Sweden and Denmark strike new deal for Öresund commuters
Sweden and Denmark have penned a new agreement for Öresund commuters, the governments announced.
The original deal came into force in 2003 and regulates how taxes paid by those who live in one country but work in the other are divided up between Denmark and Sweden. Previously, the deal was seen to mainly benefit Denmark, but the terms have now been renegotiated.
The agreement will now also apply to people employed in the public sector, who will also be allowed to work remotely.
The rules for remote work are also changing. Those who work from home currently have to declare every three months exactly how and where they’ve spent those three months, but that time period is now changing to one year, to ease the workload for commuters, employers and the countries’ tax agencies.
Around 16,000 people commute between Sweden and Denmark. The new deal is expected to come into effect in 2025.
Swedish vocabulary: Öresund commuters – Öresundspendlare
Since when is 38 in the 40’s ?
You’re right, it’s my bad! The Swedish press initially had it as “40-årsåldern” so at first I went with that until we had more details on his exact age, but “40-årsåldern” isn’t exactly the same as “in their 40s” so I should have been more careful. The Swedish version just means “around the age of 40”. Thanks! /Emma, Editor