Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Swedish minister hits back at climate criticism, tax agency ditches plastic and prosecutors are taking a controversial case to Sweden's Supreme Court. Here's some of the latest news.
Fewer teenage mums in Sweden
More children in Sweden are now born to mothers over the age of 45 than under the age of 19, reports the TT newswire, citing figures by number crunchers Statistics Sweden.
A total of 410 children were born to teenage mothers in Sweden last year, and mothers aged 45 or older gave birth to 537 children.
In 1968, almost 8,800 children were born to a teenage mother.
Swedish vocabulary: a mother – en mor, or more commonly, en mamma
Swedish tax agency ditches plastic
This year’s paper version of Sweden’s tax declaration form will not be sent out wrapped in plastic, for environmental reasons, says the Tax Agency.
Those who want to declare their taxes via the paper form are recommended to post it by April 26th so that it reaches the Tax Agency by the final deadline of May 2nd.
It is also possible to file your taxes online, and you can do so even if you haven’t yet received the paper form. Here’s more information, and if you submit it online before March 30th without making changes, you will get any rebate you’re owed in early April.
Swedish vocabulary: tax – skatt
Swedish minister hits back at climate criticism
Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari hit back at criticism that the government is not doing enough to cut Sweden’s emissions of greenhouse gases.
“No one should worry about our ambition. However, you also have to adapt to reality, that the war [in Ukraine] has pushed our fuel prices up enormously in combination with a reduction obligation which has affected supply and demand,” Pourmokhtari told TT, insisting that the government was still working towards its climate targets.
Sweden aims to cut its net emissions to zero by 2045. But a new report by leading climate scientists on the IPCC states that greenhouse gases must be halved globally in seven years to stand a reasonable chance to bring global warming down to 1.5C.
“We don’t believe Sweden’s climate target is in line with the 1.5C target,” TT quoted David Mjureke, an expert for the Swedish branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), as saying. “But what we’re seeing from the government is instead policies that increase emissions and risk making it impossible to reach the targets.”
Swedish vocabulary: greenhouse gas – växthusgas
Prosecutors take ‘snippa’ case to Sweden’s top court
Swedish prosecutors are taking to the Supreme Court an appeals court’s controversial decision to clear a man of raping a 10-year-old girl, after it could not confirm whether the girl’s use of the word snippa referred to the internal or external female genitals.
They want the Supreme Court – the top court in Sweden – to dig into the responsibility of a court to clarify the terms that are used, especially when it comes to children. Critics have argued that if the judges were confused over the meaning of the word snippa, they should have gone to greater lengths to seek clarity.
Prosecutors also want the Supreme Court to comment on the responsibility of a court to bring up alternative charges even if the prosecutor hasn’t. The man was cleared of rape because it could not be established whether or not he had penetrated the girl with his finger. Critics have said it is possible he could have been convicted of a lower-degree offence such as sexual molestation if he had been charged with that as an alternative.
The Supreme Court has not yet said whether it will try the case.
Swedish vocabulary: Supreme Court – Högsta domstolen
Comments
See Also
Fewer teenage mums in Sweden
More children in Sweden are now born to mothers over the age of 45 than under the age of 19, reports the TT newswire, citing figures by number crunchers Statistics Sweden.
A total of 410 children were born to teenage mothers in Sweden last year, and mothers aged 45 or older gave birth to 537 children.
In 1968, almost 8,800 children were born to a teenage mother.
Swedish vocabulary: a mother – en mor, or more commonly, en mamma
Swedish tax agency ditches plastic
This year’s paper version of Sweden’s tax declaration form will not be sent out wrapped in plastic, for environmental reasons, says the Tax Agency.
Those who want to declare their taxes via the paper form are recommended to post it by April 26th so that it reaches the Tax Agency by the final deadline of May 2nd.
It is also possible to file your taxes online, and you can do so even if you haven’t yet received the paper form. Here’s more information, and if you submit it online before March 30th without making changes, you will get any rebate you’re owed in early April.
Swedish vocabulary: tax – skatt
Swedish minister hits back at climate criticism
Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari hit back at criticism that the government is not doing enough to cut Sweden’s emissions of greenhouse gases.
“No one should worry about our ambition. However, you also have to adapt to reality, that the war [in Ukraine] has pushed our fuel prices up enormously in combination with a reduction obligation which has affected supply and demand,” Pourmokhtari told TT, insisting that the government was still working towards its climate targets.
Sweden aims to cut its net emissions to zero by 2045. But a new report by leading climate scientists on the IPCC states that greenhouse gases must be halved globally in seven years to stand a reasonable chance to bring global warming down to 1.5C.
“We don’t believe Sweden’s climate target is in line with the 1.5C target,” TT quoted David Mjureke, an expert for the Swedish branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), as saying. “But what we’re seeing from the government is instead policies that increase emissions and risk making it impossible to reach the targets.”
Swedish vocabulary: greenhouse gas – växthusgas
Prosecutors take ‘snippa’ case to Sweden’s top court
Swedish prosecutors are taking to the Supreme Court an appeals court’s controversial decision to clear a man of raping a 10-year-old girl, after it could not confirm whether the girl’s use of the word snippa referred to the internal or external female genitals.
They want the Supreme Court – the top court in Sweden – to dig into the responsibility of a court to clarify the terms that are used, especially when it comes to children. Critics have argued that if the judges were confused over the meaning of the word snippa, they should have gone to greater lengths to seek clarity.
Prosecutors also want the Supreme Court to comment on the responsibility of a court to bring up alternative charges even if the prosecutor hasn’t. The man was cleared of rape because it could not be established whether or not he had penetrated the girl with his finger. Critics have said it is possible he could have been convicted of a lower-degree offence such as sexual molestation if he had been charged with that as an alternative.
The Supreme Court has not yet said whether it will try the case.
Swedish vocabulary: Supreme Court – Högsta domstolen
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.