Train service suspended between Stockholm and Gothenburg
Train service between Gothenburg and Stockholm has been suspended since 6:25 am Friday morning.
According to the Swedish Transport Administration, the suspension is due to an incident in Herrljunga. Current predictions are that the issue will be resolved by 11:00 am.
On its website, the Swedish Transport Administration says that they will update with more information as soon as possible.
Swedish vocabulary: tågtrafiken ‒ train service
Swedish gang member crashes car in Ireland en route to contract killing
Two Swedes are suspected of having travelled to Ireland to carry out a contract killing, but on the way there they crashed in a violent car accident.
One of the men died instantly, the other managed to escape and was chased by police.
"This is one of the strangest and most high-profile gang cases we've had in years," said Irish Times journalist Conor Lally to Swedish newswire TT.
The incident was first reported as a car accident southwest of Limerick on the evening of June 8th. Three cars collided at an intersection, and a dead man was found in the back seat of one of the cars. The man was wearing a balaclava and a loaded gun was at his feet.
The deceased was identified as a Swedish man in his 30s and according to police the driver was also Swedish. Irish media reports that the man left a mobile phone in the car when he fled, and police are said to know who they are looking for.
The police theory is that the men had been hired to commit a murder in an ongoing conflict in the area, and that they were on their way to carry it out when the accident happened, according to media reports.
“The preliminary investigation is being conducted in Ireland and we will assist if necessary. We are therefore referring all questions to the Irish police at this time,” wrote Rebecka Sallroth, acting head of serious crimes in the Stockholm North police district, in a comment to TT.
The Irish police have declined to comment on the investigation for TT.
Swedish vocabulary: ett kontraktsmord ‒ a contract killing
Heat returning to many parts of Sweden
Summer in Sweden has seemed rather less than summery recently, with hail, torrential rain and strong winds in much of the country. But now the heat is coming back in many areas.
Along the west coast and in Skåne, temperatures are expected to be between 22 and 28 degrees over the next few days.
"It is not impossible that we will talk about a heat wave if the temperature stays above 25 degrees for at least five days in a row," said Kristin Sahlström, meteorologist at Swedish weather servie SMHI.
The temperature will generally rise over the next few days. The exception is northern Sweden, which will get some rain on Saturday, keeping the temperature down.
"After that, it will be more stable in the north, while in the south there is a risk of heavier showers from Sunday – but with continued high temperatures," said Sahlström.
Swedish vocabulary: värmen ‒ the heat
Risk of water shortage across much of central and southern Sweden
People in Sweden are being advised to shower in the sea and pee in the bush as the risk rises for water shortage in groundwater reservoirs and in watercourses in eleven counties.
On Tuesday, SMHI issued a notice of risk of water shortage in groundwater reservoirs in Stockholm, Uppsala, Halland and Östergötland counties. And a similar risk notice had previously been given for Västra Götaland, Jönköping, Kalmar, Gotland, Skåne, Kronoberg and Blekinge counties.
In Västra Götaland, in addition to low groundwater levels, there are also low river flows in the larger rivers Tidan, Viskan (downstream of Kinna) and Ätran. Low flows in watercourses are also found in some other counties.
DON'T MISS: The Local Games – find the Swedish word in WordroW and crack the daily sudoku
According to SMHI, the risk of water shortage in the eleven counties will persist for at least a few weeks to come.
"But it is governed by the weather. It cannot be ruled out that there will be more announcements about the risk of water shortages in the future," said Julia Zabori, hydrologist on duty at SMHI.
Swedish vocabulary: en vattenbrist ‒ a water shortage
Harder to get a place in higher education this autumn
Today 307,000 applicants to Swedish higher education institutions will receive notification that they have been accepted to a study programme this autumn.
Compared to last autumn, competition has become tougher, as a record number of applicants applied but fewer were accepted.
The total number of eligible applicants this year was just over 414,000 – an increase of 1.3 percent compared to last year, according to a compilation made by the Swedish Council for Higher Education (UHR) and seen by TT.
But there are not as many educational places this year. This means that around 10,000 fewer were accepted in the first selection compared to 2025 – a decrease of 3 percent.
The result is that approximately one in four eligible applicants is still without a place and that competition has become tougher for a wide range of programmes.
"Overall, more people have applied and more are on reserve. Therefore, you can really say that the competition is higher, especially for the attractive programs," said Robin Johansson, head of unit at UHR.
The fact that so many people have applied for the fall programs can be explained by large youth cohorts and a tough situation in the labour market.
"The economy is a factor – the universities have savings requirements," said Johansson.
Everyone who receives a positive or reserve decision today and still wants to study in the fall must reserve their place.
"Everyone must remember to accept by July 20th. No place is final in the first selection. This applies regardless of whether you are on reserve or admitted," said Johansson.
Swedish vocabulary: högskoleutbildning ‒ higher education