Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
Swedish police union calls for gang crime crisis commission, university hospital threatens to cut 450 jobs, and meteorologists warn of heatwave as temperatures set to rise. Here's the latest news.
Swedish police union calls for action to crack down on violence
The Swedish police union is calling on the government to appoint a national crisis commission to stop Sweden’s escalating gang violence, after two people, including a 15-year-old boy, were shot dead in the Farsta suburb of Stockholm.
Two men are being held on suspicion of firing a machine gun into the crowd in Farsta, with 21 empty casings found on the scene after the shooting.
Police union chairwoman Katharina von Sydow hailed her colleagues’ arrests of the suspects, but told the TT news agency that more preventive work was needed from all parts of society to stop gangs from recruiting new members.
She criticised the political parties for “mouthing off” at each other rather than sitting down together and with civil society to come up with an action plan.
Swedish vocabulary: the police union – polisfacket
Swedish university hospital threatens to cut 450 jobs
Sweden’s Karolinska University Hospital have given notice of layoffs of 450 employees working in administration, 2.8 percent of the hospital’s entire staff.
Hospital chief Björn Zoëga insisted in a press release that because the potential layoffs didn’t include healthcare jobs such as doctors and nurses, the hospital would be able to “maintain availability and quality for our patients”.
Karolinska recorded losses of 400 million kronor after the first four months of the year. It explained its economic woes by inflation and rising pension costs.
Swedish employers have by law to give notice to employees that layoffs may be on the table, after which the employers enter negotiations with the trade union. This means that a full 450 jobs won’t necessarily be cut in the end.
Swedish vocabulary: a notice – ett varsel
Warning of high temperatures in Stockholm area
Sweden’s weather agency SMHI has issued a warning of high temperatures from Tuesday and several days ahead, with over 26C expected.
This applies to cities such as Uppsala, Västerås, Eskilstuna, Södertälje and just west of Stockholm City, and western Sweden just east of Gothenburg.
Temperatures are expected to remain high for the rest of the week.
A risk of wildfires now also covers all of Sweden, as the tinder-dry conditions continue. There’s an up-to-date map of all weather warnings on SMHI’s website.
Swedish vocabulary: high temperatures – höga temperaturer
Swedish regions impose stricter fire bans as drought continues
Regions across central Sweden have tightened their bans on campfires, bonfires and barbecues, as the dry spell heightens the risk of forest fires.
Stockholm’s stricter ban came into force at noon on Monday, Gotland's stricter ban came into force at 1.30pm, and Västmanland's at 2pm. Jönköping is putting a stricter ban in place from Tuesday, while several municipalities in Västra Götaland, Dalarna, Kalmar, and Kronoberg already have stricter bans in place.
The stricter bans mean there is a ban on lighting barbecues using solid fuel at fire pits and other barbecue places set up by regional governments in forests, by lakes and at other beauty spots.
Barbecues which use gas or liquid fuel are, however, still allowed, even at public barbecue spots outside of built up areas.
Barbecues can also still take place in built-up areas, but the barbecue must be set up in such a way as to reduce the risk of fire spreading, such as placing it on a surface that is not at risk of catching fire.
Swedish vocabulary: a fire ban – ett eldningsförbud
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Swedish police union calls for action to crack down on violence
The Swedish police union is calling on the government to appoint a national crisis commission to stop Sweden’s escalating gang violence, after two people, including a 15-year-old boy, were shot dead in the Farsta suburb of Stockholm.
Two men are being held on suspicion of firing a machine gun into the crowd in Farsta, with 21 empty casings found on the scene after the shooting.
Police union chairwoman Katharina von Sydow hailed her colleagues’ arrests of the suspects, but told the TT news agency that more preventive work was needed from all parts of society to stop gangs from recruiting new members.
She criticised the political parties for “mouthing off” at each other rather than sitting down together and with civil society to come up with an action plan.
Swedish vocabulary: the police union – polisfacket
Swedish university hospital threatens to cut 450 jobs
Sweden’s Karolinska University Hospital have given notice of layoffs of 450 employees working in administration, 2.8 percent of the hospital’s entire staff.
Hospital chief Björn Zoëga insisted in a press release that because the potential layoffs didn’t include healthcare jobs such as doctors and nurses, the hospital would be able to “maintain availability and quality for our patients”.
Karolinska recorded losses of 400 million kronor after the first four months of the year. It explained its economic woes by inflation and rising pension costs.
Swedish employers have by law to give notice to employees that layoffs may be on the table, after which the employers enter negotiations with the trade union. This means that a full 450 jobs won’t necessarily be cut in the end.
Swedish vocabulary: a notice – ett varsel
Warning of high temperatures in Stockholm area
Sweden’s weather agency SMHI has issued a warning of high temperatures from Tuesday and several days ahead, with over 26C expected.
This applies to cities such as Uppsala, Västerås, Eskilstuna, Södertälje and just west of Stockholm City, and western Sweden just east of Gothenburg.
Temperatures are expected to remain high for the rest of the week.
A risk of wildfires now also covers all of Sweden, as the tinder-dry conditions continue. There’s an up-to-date map of all weather warnings on SMHI’s website.
Swedish vocabulary: high temperatures – höga temperaturer
Swedish regions impose stricter fire bans as drought continues
Regions across central Sweden have tightened their bans on campfires, bonfires and barbecues, as the dry spell heightens the risk of forest fires.
Stockholm’s stricter ban came into force at noon on Monday, Gotland's stricter ban came into force at 1.30pm, and Västmanland's at 2pm. Jönköping is putting a stricter ban in place from Tuesday, while several municipalities in Västra Götaland, Dalarna, Kalmar, and Kronoberg already have stricter bans in place.
The stricter bans mean there is a ban on lighting barbecues using solid fuel at fire pits and other barbecue places set up by regional governments in forests, by lakes and at other beauty spots.
Barbecues which use gas or liquid fuel are, however, still allowed, even at public barbecue spots outside of built up areas.
Barbecues can also still take place in built-up areas, but the barbecue must be set up in such a way as to reduce the risk of fire spreading, such as placing it on a surface that is not at risk of catching fire.
Swedish vocabulary: a fire ban – ett eldningsförbud
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