Sweden’s Social Democrats shut down Twitter account

Sweden’s ruling Social Democrat party is to shut down its Twitter account, saying it aimed “to focus on being out on the streets and in public squares to meet people”. 

“We will instead be on the streets and in squares, talking in workplaces and in stairwells and knocking on doors. You will even find us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube,” the party wrote on Twitter. 

Detta konto är inte längre aktivt. Vi finns istället på gator och torg, för samtal på arbetsplatser och i trappuppgångar när vi knackar dörr. Du hittar oss även på Facebook, Instagram och YouTube.

— Socialdemokraterna (@socialdemokrat) May 2, 2022

Johannes Svensson, a press spokesperson said that the party no longer felt that the “debate climate” on Twitter was “productive”. 

The party set up its account on the microblogging site in 2007. 

Swedish vocab: ett samtalsklimat – a debate climate 

Swedish opposition wants parliament to have role in Nato decision

Opposition parties are calling on Sweden’s government to today spell out the parliament’s role in handling a decision on whether or not to join the Nato security alliance.

Hans Wallmark, foreign policy spokesperson for the opposition Moderate Party, told the TT newswire that he expected an announcement to be made after the fifth meeting of the cross-party security policy analysis group, which is helping draw up the government’s new analysis of the changed security situation.

However, no announcement was made, and a press conference foreign minister Ann Linde had called for at 5pm was cancelled at short notice.

Swedish vocab: ett krav – a demand 

Swedish game publisher Embracer buys rights to ‘Tomb Raider’ and ‘Deux Ex’

Swedish video game publisher Embracer said on Monday that it had acquired three development studios responsible for hit games such as “Tomb Raider” and “Deus Ex” from Japanese publisher Square Enix.

The acquisition of the three North American studios Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montreal and Square Enix Montreal, totalled $300 million (285 million euros) and affects around 1,100 employees, Embracer said in a statement.

It also included the intellectual properties (IPs) for several best-selling franchises, such as “Tomb Raider,” starring British adventuring archeologist Lara Croft, who has been a video game character icon since her debut in 1996.

“We are thrilled to welcome these studios into the Embracer Group. We recognise the fantastic IP, world class creative talent, and track record of excellence that have been demonstrated time and again over the past decades,” Lars Wingefors, co-founder and CEO of Embracer, said in a statement.

Swedish vocab: att förvärva – to purchase 

Price of detached houses in Malmö and Stockholm falls three percent 

The price of detached houses in greater Malmö and greater Stockholm fell by three percent in April, showing signs that the property market in Sweden may be entering a downturn. 

“That it swings a bit up and down in some months isn’t so strange, but we are up at three percent, so that’s a pretty big change,” said Robert Boije, an economist at the state-owned mortgage lender SBAB. “The interesting thing now will be how durable it is.”  

The price of houses and apartments across the whole of Sweden fell just 0.8 percent. 

Swedish vocab: varaktig – durable