Swedish foreign minister visits UK

Sweden’s foreign minister, Tobias Billström, met his UK counterpart, David Cameron, in London on Monday.

Billström told Swedish public radio broadcaster SR that the pair discussed, among other things, the crisis in the Middle East, with tension mounting between Iran and Israel. 

“We urge everyone involved to contribute to avoiding further escalation,” said Billström. He added that Israel had the right to defend itself, but continued to say that “de-escalation is important so that this conflict doesn’t turn into a war that could threaten other states in the region”.

Billström’s visit was set to continue on Tuesday, with a visit to Cambridge University. According to the foreign ministry, he was scheduled to participate in a discussion with the Baltic Geopolitics Programme followed by a keynote speech at Selwyn College, his own alma mater.

Swedish vocabulary: a keynote speech – ett linjetal

Teens to appear in court in connection with Skärholmen shooting

A 17-year-old and an 18-year-old were set to appear in court for a remand hearing on Tuesday, in connection with the murder of a 39-year-old man in Stockholm’s southern suburb Skärholmen last week. The two men are suspected of protecting a criminal.

They were set to appear at Södertörn District Court at 9am and 1.30pm.

The murder grabbed headlines after it emerged the man was gunned down in front of his son simply for telling off a group of young men. Politicians from both sides condemned the shooting, which reignited the debate about how Sweden can crack down on gang crime.

No one has yet been arrested on suspicion of carrying out the actual shooting.

Swedish vocabulary: a remand hearing – en häktningsförhandling

Swedish grocery sales leap thanks to Easter boost

Grocery sales increased 6.7 percent in March compared to the same month in 2023, according to Svensk dagligvaruhandel, a business organisation for grocery stores. The organisation credits the early Easter, which fell in March, for as much as 2.7 percent of the increase.

Lower food prices also contributed. As The Local reported last week, the cost of food in Sweden in March fell year-on-year for the first time since the summer of 2021.

The online grocery trade fell three percent and home deliveries fell 5.2 percent, according to Svensk dagligvaruhandel. Sales in brick-and-mortar stores however increased 7.2 percent.

Swedish vocabulary: grocery trade – dagligvaruhandel (literally the sale of everyday goods)

Swedish opposition slams budget as ‘a tangled mess of proposals’

Sweden’s political opposition slammed the right-wing government’s spring amendment budget bill, which allocated six billion kronor to healthcare services out of a total 17.3 billion kronor included in the bill, on top of Sweden’s main budget in autumn.

The centre-left Social Democrats’ economic spokesperson, former Finance Minister Mikael Damberg, called it “a tangled mess of proposals” and an “odd budget”, adding that it was “not a budget for the Swedish people”.

He added that the government should not just be focusing on growing the police force, but also on identifying young people who are at risk of sliding into a life of crime, so that social services can step in at an early stage.

The opposition also criticised the government for not doing enough to support Swedish regions, arguing that six billion kronor is not a sufficient investment to solve the healthcare crisis.

Swedish vocabulary: a tangled mess – ett virrvarr