Today in Sweden: A round-up of the latest news on Tuesday

People in Sweden travelled less this Christmas compared to last year

Long journeys fell 40 percent around Christmas compared to last year, according to Telia mobile data reported by public broadcaster SVT. The corresponding decrease for short journeys (within municipalities) was 17 percent.

The sharpest year-on-year drops in activity were seen in city centres and popular shopping areas during the week of December 21st-26th.

Stockholm saw half as much activity around the Hötorget square as in a normal year, while Gothenburg saw a 64 percent decrease in the Nordstan area, and Malmö a 41 percent decrease around Triangeln.

But when it came to Swedish ski resorts, there was little change in terms of the level of activity, which was more or less unchanged in the areas that Telia tracked in Jämtland and Sälen. The top journeys to those destinations started in nearby municipalities, but people also came from further afield, a Telia data analyst told SVT.

Swedish vocabulary: travel – resa

Record-low mortgage rates

Fixed-rate mortgages are at record-low levels in Sweden. In November, the rate of new mortgages, locked in between one and five years, stood at 1.29 percent, according to Statistics Sweden. That's the lowest level since its record began in 2005.

Variable-rate mortgages (three months) meanwhile stood at 1.48 percent, which is the lowest since 2018.

Here's The Local's guide to how to get the best deal on your mortgage in Sweden.

Swedish vocabulary: mortgage – bolån

Domestic abuse increased in 2020

The number of cases where a woman reported being assaulted by a person she knew – which includes a partner, friend or colleague – increased in 2020. In November, the year-on-year increase was 11 percent, and in summer the increase was 9 percent.

But it is not possible to say whether this is linked to the pandemic (fears had been raised that domestic abuse would increase as a result of more people staying at home) or not. Similar increases were noted in January and February, reports Swedish public radio SR.

Swedish vocabulary: assault – misshandel

To report a crime in Sweden, contact 114 14, or 112 in case of an emergency. Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT

Donald Duck just set a new record for Sweden's most-watched TV show

More than 4.5 million people – almost half of Sweden's entire population – watched Donald Duck on Christmas Eve, making its 2020 incarnation Sweden's most watched TV show since modern records began.

The dubbed cartoon compilation, which also features Disney icons such as Cinderella, Mickey Mouse and Ferdinand the Bull, has been shown in Sweden every year since 1959. It is regularly Sweden's most watched TV show every year, competing only with Melodifestivalen – Sweden's try-outs for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Swedish vocabulary: Donald Duck – Kalle Anka

Sweden's new pandemic law could come into force in two weeks

A new pandemic law that would give the Swedish government increased powers to fight the coronavirus outbreak is being fast-tracked to come into force in two weeks.

The Swedish parliament has been recalled from its Christmas recess to process the government's bill in the first week of January. If approved, the temporary law would apply from January 10th until September, Health Minister Lena Hallengren told a press conference on Monday.

The law is meant to make it easier for the government to make decisions – or delegate such decisions to local authorities when appropriate – on limiting numbers at, or as a last resort closing, shopping centres and other venues, and limiting public transport.

Swedish vocabulary: law – lag