Swedish party leaders face off in TV debate

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was accused of breaking promises to healthcare staff in a televised party leader debate on Sunday evening, in which the leaders of Sweden’s eight parties also went head to head on the war in Gaza, schools, defence and the climate. 

“The government has chosen not to earmark the money that’s needed,” said Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar. The government allocated an extra six million kronor to healthcare services in its spring amendment budget, but around 6,000 layoffs are still expected this year.

But according to Kristersson, who represents the conservative Moderates, he never promised there wouldn’t be layoffs.

“I said that we would do our part so that people wouldn’t be laid off in Swedish healthcare,” he said, making the point that healthcare is ultimately governed on a regional level, and not by the state. 

The full leadership debate can be watched on SVT Play. 

Swedish vocabulary: a promise – ett löfte

European intelligence agencies warn of Russian-backed sabotage

European governments have been warned by their intelligence services that Russia is plotting violent acts of sabotage in their countries in a concerted effort to destabilise the continent, including covert bombings, arson and attacks on infrastructure, reports the Financial Times (FT).

The report comes just days after prosecutors arrested two German-Russian men on suspicion of spying for Russia and planning attacks in Germany to undermine military support for Ukraine. There have been similar alleged incidents in several other European countries. FT also writes that security services in Sweden suspect that a series of recent railway derailments may be acts of state-backed sabotage. 

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson told Swedish news agency TT that the reports did not come as a surprise to him.

“Russia is prepared to go further and carry out operations and sabotage on other countries’ territory,” he said.

But when asked whether such acts of sabotage had taken place in Sweden, he said that wasn’t the case.

“We haven’t seen any such signs for now, but we are on our toes. Other countries have seen things where they know or believe that there are such connections,” Kristersson said.

Swedish vocabulary: on our toes – på tårna

Drone trio faces fine after breaking Malmö’s Eurovision no-fly zone

Three people have been questioned by police after they flew drones at various spots in Malmö on Friday evening. Large parts of the southern Swedish city are currently covered by a temporary no-fly zone due to Eurovision week, which kicked off on Saturday.

They now risk having to pay a fine, police told Swedish news agency TT. 

“Three of the drone pilots have been localised and have been interrogated, a police spokesperson told TT.

Breaking the no-fly regulations by for example flying a drone could lead to fines. Other criminal offences that could possibly apply are endangering other people, aviation negligence and, if applicable, operating a drone while under the influence of alcohol. 

Swedish vocabulary: a drone – en drönare

Researcher given 728,000 kronor to quit job at Malmö University

An experienced researcher at Malmö University who sparked controversy after praising Iran, Russia and the Talibans in Afghanistan has been given 728,000 kronor – 16 monthly wages – by the university in exchange for quitting their job, writes local newspaper Sydsvenskan.

The researcher is said to have claimed that Russia does not bomb civilian targets in Ukraine but Ukraine bombs Russian targets, reports the newspaper. They are also accused of unprofessional behaviour and of telling white students they had to undergo a “de-whitening process”. 

The researcher also took part in a conference in Iran in 2023 against the university’s orders. 

A staff discipline board has not been able to reach a decision on the case and the researcher claims they’ve done nothing wrong, writes Sydsvenskan. But after the financial settlement with the university they will now leave their position.

Swedish vocabulary: a researcher – en forskare

Record number of apartments listed for sale in Sweden

A record number of apartments were available on Sweden’s main property listings site last month.

A total of 32,233 apartments were listed for sale on Hemnet in April, 40 percent more than the same month last year and the highest number ever for a single month. A lot of these ads are however for upcoming sales rather than apartments that are already up for public viewings.

“The high supply is an effect of a long period of a sluggish market rather than a risk factor for new price drops. This spring we’ve been seeing both rising prices and more activity. Especially as a result of the fact that we appear to be at peak interest rate and that the first interest cut is drawing near,” writes Hemnet market analyst Erik Holmberg in a comment quoted by TT.

The previous record month was October 2023, when a total of 31,985 ads were posted on Hemnet.

Swedish vocabulary: an apartment – en lägenhet