Swedish PM hopefuls clash over household finances in debate
Sweden's party leaders went head to head on household finances during a debate organised by the Expressen and Dagens industri newspapers.
Ahead of the upcoming election on September 13th, all parties have promised to put more money into people's pockets, but the opposition accused the governing bloc of pursuing unfair economic policies.
"Ulf Kristersson and Jimmie Åkesson have given themselves a tax cut of 6,000 kronor," said Magdalena Andersson, leader of the centre-left Social Democrats.
The prime minister and leader of the conservative Moderates, Ulf Kristersson, bristled at Andersson's tendency to "always talk about how much tax cuts benefit party leaders". Andersson also pointed out that the Liberals' campaign promise to halve state income tax would hand Kristersson a further tax cut of 15,000 kronor.
"That is unparalleled hypocrisy coming from your side," Kristersson shot back. He claimed that Andersson boosts her income by 50,000 kronor a month by taking out low-tax dividend payouts rather than drawing a salary from her company.
"That's complete piffle," Andersson hit back.
The governing parties and the opposition were also at odds over whether households are better off now than they were a few years ago.
"The only people who are much better off are those with deep pockets," said Green Party co-leader Amanda Lind.
Jimmie Åkesson of the far-right Sweden Democrats highlighted that the government has cut food VAT, electricity tax and income tax on both earnings and pensions.
"It's having an impact now. If we can just continue for at least another four years, things will keep moving in the right direction," he said.
Swedish vocabulary: household finances – hushållens ekonomi
Measles outbreak reported across Sweden after music festival
Ten cases of measles have been reported across Sweden, with all of those affected suspected to have caught the virus at the Urkult festival. The majority are under-18s, according to the Public Health Agency.
Cases have been reported from the regions of Jämtland-Härjedalen, Skåne, Stockholm, Västerbotten, Gotland and Värmland, the agency confirmed on its website.
To prevent further spread, regional health authorities are carrying out contact tracing. Information is being sent out to everyone who attended the festival, outlining what steps to take if they develop symptoms associated with measles.
On Saturday, the Public Health Agency announced that three people had tested positive for the virus after attending the festival in Ångermanland, which ran from July 30th to August 1st.
"Anyone who attended the festival should keep a close eye out for measles symptoms in themselves and their loved ones, and contact the healthcare services by phone if they suspect infection," the agency advised in a press release at the time.
Two new cases linked to the festival were confirmed in the Umeå area on Monday, according to Region Västerbotten.
Measles is highly contagious and can cause severe illness. However, the disease is rare in Sweden, as the vaccine is included in the routine childhood immunisation scheme.
Region Västerbotten has reminded the public that anyone showing symptoms should contact healthcare providers before turning up in person, to minimise the risk of spreading the virus further.
Swedish vocabulary: measles – mässling
Tidö parties fail to close ground as Swedish opposition holds ten-point lead
The centre-right parties of the Tidö coalition have failed to regain lost ground in Verian's first opinion poll on behalf of public broadcaster SVT since June, with the centre-left opposition holding onto a ten-percentage-point lead.
The Moderates, Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats and Liberals together garner 43.9 percent of the vote, while the Social Democrats, Green Party, Centre Party and Left Party reach 53.9 percent.
Per Söderpalm, head of polling at Verian, believes it will be difficult for the Tidö parties to close the gap.
"We have no historical precedent for anyone managing to stage a comeback of this scale," he told SVT.
Translated into parliamentary seats, the outlook is even more advantageous for the opposition, giving them 196 seats to the government bloc's 153. This is because the Liberals fall below the four-percent parliamentary threshold in the survey, meaning they would fail to secure any seats at all.
The Centre Party shows a clear surge, jumping from 5.4 percent in June to 8 percent in August. Changes for the remaining parties are marginal.
Verian's political barometer is based on approximately 3,000 interviews drawn from the Sifo panel – a pool recruited via randomly selected, nationally representative sampling.
Respondents were asked: "Which party would you vote for if a general election were held today?"
The survey was conducted between August 3rd and 16th.
Swedish vocabulary: the parliamentary threshold – riksdagsspärren
'Caterpillar from hell' found in Sweden
A sighting of the notorious "caterpillar from hell" has been reported in Skåne, according to local newspaper Sydsvenskan.
The oak processionary moth caterpillar has caused a major stir in Denmark in recent months due to the health risks it poses to humans.
The caterpillar can trigger allergic reactions, causing rashes and severe breathing difficulties. The outbreak in Denmark has even forced several schools to temporarily close down for pest extermination to get rid of the insect.
Now, a specimen has been found in Skåne. The last time the caterpillar was spotted in Sweden was twelve years ago, Sydsvenskan reports.
Its name stems from the insect's habit of moving in tight, single-file processions once it has completely stripped an oak tree of its leaves and sets off in search of the next one.
The caterpillars build communal nests in the oak trees. Before pupating to become moths, they shed their skin several times. The shed skins, complete with the toxic hairs, remain in the nests, and the hairs can then be carried by the wind. People standing underneath a tree with a nest risk getting the caterpillar hairs on them.
Swedish vocabulary: the caterpillar from hell – larven från helvetet