Liberals vow to block Magdalena Andersson's return as prime minister
Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist has begun the assignment given to her by the speaker of parliament: to explore the prospects for a centrist government led by Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson, which would include the Social Democrats, Greens, Centre Party, Liberals and Christian Democrats.
But the Liberals have already discarded the Centre Party's centrist dream as dead on arrival, with Liberal leader Simona Mohamsson pledging to vote against Andersson as prime minister.
"The centre in Swedish politics is not led by Magdalena Andersson, but by Ulf," she told the TT newswire of Moderate leader Ulf Kristersson. "Elisabeth is more than welcome to come over to the centre-right camp."
Andersson has already been rejected in one prime ministerial vote. Three remain before a snap election must be called.
Thand Ringqvist refused to be disheartened by the setback, however.
"I am going to meet Simona and talk to her this week, and I look forward to it," she told TT.
"It's not going to be a case of me convincing anyone this week, but I will get a better understanding of where things stand."
She is set to meet all party leaders this week and report back to the speaker on Monday.
Swedish vocabulary: more than welcome / really welcome – jättevälkommen
Third teenager arrested following fatal shooting at Stockholm sports hall
A third teenage boy has been arrested following the murder of a 24-year-old woman in Älvsjö, southern Stockholm.
"He is suspected of aiding and abetting murder, as well as aiding and abetting the preparation of murder," prosecutor Lukas Tigerstrand told TT.
Two boys, aged 16 and 17, were remanded in custody yesterday on suspicion of murdering the woman, who was shot at a sports hall in Älvsjö on Friday evening.
At the time of a shooting, both a floorball match and a football match were taking place nearby, with many present on the site.
The two boys are also suspected of planning a murder of another individual.
"These are two separate sets of suspicions. And the individual we arrested this afternoon is suspected of aiding and abetting both offences," said Tigerstrand.
The remanded teenagers deny the charges. According to reports by public broadcaster SVT, the boys have no known gang ties, but Tigerstrand declined to confirm this.
"We are not commenting on those matters at present. That is something we are investigating," he said.
There are no indications suggesting the murdered woman had any links to criminal networks.
"I had no knowledge of who she was until Saturday. And so far, my impression is that she was an ordinary citizen who worked with young people in southern Stockholm. From what I have seen so far, I can't see any connection to criminal circles," Tigerstrand told TT.
Swedish vocabulary: a murder – ett mord
Swedish central bank to raise interest rates in next three meetings: SBAB
The Riksbank, Sweden's central bank, will have to raise its key interest rate in all three coming meetings, with the rate set to rise from 1.75 percent to 2.5 percent by next February, SBAB, the state-owned mortgage bank, has predicted.
"We have a toxic cocktail for inflation with several negative external factors and where we do not see any hopeful signs whatsoever," the mortgage provider's chief economist, Robert Boije, said in a press release.
This, he said, would increase the interest on a mortgage worth two million kronor by 15,000 kronor a year. He said mortgage holders should be ready for rates as high as 3.5 to 4 percent, but warned they could be higher still.
Swedish vocabulary: ett bolån – a mortgage
Sweden's preparations for impact of climate change 'too slow': report
Investment in climate adaption is much too slow and uneven, raising the risk that Sweden will struggle to handle future impacts like torrential rain, heatwaves, landslides, a reduction in snow cover and a longer growing season, a new report by the Swedish Expert Council on Climate Adaptation has found.
“There is a very broad range of risks. Swedish society is largely built for a climate that we no longer have,” said Karin Lundgren Kownacki, lead author of the report Follow-up and Evaluation of National Climate Adaptation Efforts. “Historically, climate adaptation has been seen as an environmental issue. But it is actually a question of everyone’s security."
The report concludes that Sweden's climate adaptation efforts have moved forward, but that progress is too slow and uneven, with some municipalities much more active than others.
“The picture is that some have come a very long way and are working both proactively and reactively. Then there are those who have still not started at all, which is not good because these events do not follow geographical boundaries. The work becomes inefficient when it is so uneven.”
Swedish vocabulary: en riskbild – a range of risks (literally "risk picture")