Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
An airspace violation, May Day election promises, and a party ban for Ebba Busch. Find out what's going on in Sweden on Monday with The Local's short roundup.
Sweden accuses Russian spy plane of violating airspace
A Russian reconnaissance plane briefly violated Sweden's airspace on Friday, Swedish defence officials said on Saturday, as the country considers its bid for Nato membership after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The ministry said the plane was flying east of Bornholm, a Danish island in the Baltic, before it headed towards Swedish territory.
"It is totally unacceptable to violate Swedish airspace," state broadcaster SVT quoted Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist as saying.
"This action is unprofessional and given the general security situation, very inappropriate. Swedish sovereignty must always be respected."
Carl-Johan Edström, air force chief, also told SVT that they had followed the plane for a long time.
"I think it is irresponsible and unprofessional to fly so close to a country's borders with military aircraft. There is no reason to fly so close that you can accidentally enter a country's territory, you may well be 10-15 kilometres from the border, then things like this do not have to happen", Edström said.
Swedish vocab: kränkning – violation
Christian Democrat leader barred from Elle party
Christian Democrat leader Ebba Busch had her invite to Friday's gala for Elle magazine retracted after her controversial comments in which she said police should have used "live ammunition" to deter rioters over the Easter weekend.
Newspaper Dagens Nyheter were first to report the Elle party snub, which Christian Democrat press secretary Joel Apelthun told the newspaper was a decision taken by the magazine after Busch's controversial comments in last Saturday's interview on public radio SVT Ekot.
Jennie Knutsson, communications officer at Aller Media, the company behind Elle, confirmed reports to tabloid Expressen, adding that the decision to retract Busch's invite came from editorial staff at Elle.
"Elle values diversity, and we oppose violence in all forms. Recent comments from the Christian Democrat leader oppose these values and are not something we wish to take focus off the gala," Knutsson wrote.
Although Busch did not directly address the gala snub, she posted a series of pictures on Instagram coinciding with the gala, wearing a black ballgown designed by a Ukrainian designer, holding a Ukrainian flag outside the Russian Embassy in Stockholm.
Swedish vocab: portad – kicked out, snubbed
Social Democrats pledge to hike unemployment benefits to 80 percent of salary
Sweden's Social Democrats have pledged to hike unemployment benefits if they get elected in September's election, in their first major new election pledge.
In her May Day speech in Stockholm, Sweden's prime minister Magdalena Andersson said that everyone who earns up to 33,000 kronor a month will receive 80 percent of their salary if they become unemployed.
"A-kassa [unemploment benefit] is not strong enough in Sweden," she said. "This is about thousands of kronor a month. This could make the difference between whether you can pay your rent or not."
The new policy will cost the Swedish state about five billion kronor a year.
Swedish vocab: en höjning – a raise
Swedish foreign minister 'pretty certain' Finland will join Nato
Swedish foreign minister Ann Linde has said she is 'pretty certain' that Finland will join Nato in an interview with Swedish state broadcaster SVT.
In her May Day speech prime minister Magdalena Andersson said that Sweden would be 'more exposed' if Finland were to join Nato without Sweden.
"If they choose to join Nato, that will increase the tension in our neighbourhood. Sweden will be more exposed if we don't become a member," she said.
Swedish vocab: utsatt – exposed
Comments
See Also
Sweden accuses Russian spy plane of violating airspace
A Russian reconnaissance plane briefly violated Sweden's airspace on Friday, Swedish defence officials said on Saturday, as the country considers its bid for Nato membership after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The ministry said the plane was flying east of Bornholm, a Danish island in the Baltic, before it headed towards Swedish territory.
"It is totally unacceptable to violate Swedish airspace," state broadcaster SVT quoted Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist as saying.
"This action is unprofessional and given the general security situation, very inappropriate. Swedish sovereignty must always be respected."
Carl-Johan Edström, air force chief, also told SVT that they had followed the plane for a long time.
"I think it is irresponsible and unprofessional to fly so close to a country's borders with military aircraft. There is no reason to fly so close that you can accidentally enter a country's territory, you may well be 10-15 kilometres from the border, then things like this do not have to happen", Edström said.
Swedish vocab: kränkning – violation
Christian Democrat leader barred from Elle party
Christian Democrat leader Ebba Busch had her invite to Friday's gala for Elle magazine retracted after her controversial comments in which she said police should have used "live ammunition" to deter rioters over the Easter weekend.
Newspaper Dagens Nyheter were first to report the Elle party snub, which Christian Democrat press secretary Joel Apelthun told the newspaper was a decision taken by the magazine after Busch's controversial comments in last Saturday's interview on public radio SVT Ekot.
Jennie Knutsson, communications officer at Aller Media, the company behind Elle, confirmed reports to tabloid Expressen, adding that the decision to retract Busch's invite came from editorial staff at Elle.
"Elle values diversity, and we oppose violence in all forms. Recent comments from the Christian Democrat leader oppose these values and are not something we wish to take focus off the gala," Knutsson wrote.
Although Busch did not directly address the gala snub, she posted a series of pictures on Instagram coinciding with the gala, wearing a black ballgown designed by a Ukrainian designer, holding a Ukrainian flag outside the Russian Embassy in Stockholm.
Swedish vocab: portad – kicked out, snubbed
Social Democrats pledge to hike unemployment benefits to 80 percent of salary
Sweden's Social Democrats have pledged to hike unemployment benefits if they get elected in September's election, in their first major new election pledge.
In her May Day speech in Stockholm, Sweden's prime minister Magdalena Andersson said that everyone who earns up to 33,000 kronor a month will receive 80 percent of their salary if they become unemployed.
"A-kassa [unemploment benefit] is not strong enough in Sweden," she said. "This is about thousands of kronor a month. This could make the difference between whether you can pay your rent or not."
The new policy will cost the Swedish state about five billion kronor a year.
Swedish vocab: en höjning – a raise
Swedish foreign minister 'pretty certain' Finland will join Nato
Swedish foreign minister Ann Linde has said she is 'pretty certain' that Finland will join Nato in an interview with Swedish state broadcaster SVT.
In her May Day speech prime minister Magdalena Andersson said that Sweden would be 'more exposed' if Finland were to join Nato without Sweden.
"If they choose to join Nato, that will increase the tension in our neighbourhood. Sweden will be more exposed if we don't become a member," she said.
Swedish vocab: utsatt – exposed
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.