Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Joe Biden to meet Nordic leaders after Nato summit, Turkey refuses to ratify Sweden until after the summer, and a preschool teacher has been locked up over indecent images of children.
Biden to meet Nordic leaders in Helsinki
US President Joe Biden was set to meet Nordic heads of state or government on Thursday, after arriving in Helsinki on Wednesday evening, straight from the Nato summit in Vilnius.
He was to meet Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö for a bilateral meeting, followed by a meeting with Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Fredriksson and Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir.
The meeting is not expected to result in any concrete outcomes, but the Nordic countries are becoming increasingly important partners to the US, especially since Finland joined Nato. The countries also have their support of Ukraine in common, as well as green tech development.
Swedish vocabulary: important – viktig
Nato’s statutes burned at demonstration in southern Sweden
A 29-year-old man who had requested permission to protest against Sweden’s decision to seek Nato membership, by burning a copy of a holy book in Helsingborg, changed his mind at the last minute.
To Aftonbladet he apologised to everyone who had been hurt by his plans.
Instead he burned a copy of the statutes of Nato in the southern Swedish city on Wednesday.
Around 200 people had gathered to watch the demonstration, which according to the police took place without any disturbances to public order.
His protest comes after a series of burnings of the Quran in Sweden in 2023, which have enraged Muslim countries, including Turkey, and threatened to derail Sweden’s application to join Nato.
Swedish vocabulary: to burn – att bränna
Preschool teacher jailed over indecent images of children
A 29-year-old preschool teacher in Malmö has been jailed for committing sexual crimes against children, including child pornography. The man had filmed children at the preschool he was working at on around 80 occasions and had shared indecent images of children online.
He was caught after the organisation National Center for Missing and Exploited Children contacted Swedish police in January to report that Swedish IP addresses had been used to share indecent images of children online.
The man pleaded guilty to all the charges, according to a court statement.
A unanimous Malmö District Court on Wednesday sentenced the man to four years and six months in jail, and ordered him to pay almost half a million kronor in damages to known victims.
Swedish vocabulary: unanimous – enig
Turkey won’t let Sweden join Nato until after the summer
Turkey will not ratify Sweden’s Nato membership until at least October when the Turkish parliament returns after its summer recess, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
”There are many international agreements, there are many legislative proposals that need to be discussed. We take them up in the order of their importance. But our goal is to finish this process as soon as possible,” the AFP news agency quoted Erdogan as telling reporters.
At the same time, media in Hungary expect the country to move faster, calling back parliament from its summer recess for a special vote on ratifying Sweden's membership.
According to the country's ATV broadcaster, Hungary's government will hold a three-day meeting later this week in which it will discuss when the parliament can hold its final vote on ratifying Sweden's Nato membership. The country's Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, will then brief the meeting on his return from Nato's summit in Vilnius on his discussions at the summit.
Swedish vocabulary: to finish – att avsluta
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Biden to meet Nordic leaders in Helsinki
US President Joe Biden was set to meet Nordic heads of state or government on Thursday, after arriving in Helsinki on Wednesday evening, straight from the Nato summit in Vilnius.
He was to meet Finland’s President Sauli Niinistö for a bilateral meeting, followed by a meeting with Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Fredriksson and Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir.
The meeting is not expected to result in any concrete outcomes, but the Nordic countries are becoming increasingly important partners to the US, especially since Finland joined Nato. The countries also have their support of Ukraine in common, as well as green tech development.
Swedish vocabulary: important – viktig
Nato’s statutes burned at demonstration in southern Sweden
A 29-year-old man who had requested permission to protest against Sweden’s decision to seek Nato membership, by burning a copy of a holy book in Helsingborg, changed his mind at the last minute.
To Aftonbladet he apologised to everyone who had been hurt by his plans.
Instead he burned a copy of the statutes of Nato in the southern Swedish city on Wednesday.
Around 200 people had gathered to watch the demonstration, which according to the police took place without any disturbances to public order.
His protest comes after a series of burnings of the Quran in Sweden in 2023, which have enraged Muslim countries, including Turkey, and threatened to derail Sweden’s application to join Nato.
Swedish vocabulary: to burn – att bränna
Preschool teacher jailed over indecent images of children
A 29-year-old preschool teacher in Malmö has been jailed for committing sexual crimes against children, including child pornography. The man had filmed children at the preschool he was working at on around 80 occasions and had shared indecent images of children online.
He was caught after the organisation National Center for Missing and Exploited Children contacted Swedish police in January to report that Swedish IP addresses had been used to share indecent images of children online.
The man pleaded guilty to all the charges, according to a court statement.
A unanimous Malmö District Court on Wednesday sentenced the man to four years and six months in jail, and ordered him to pay almost half a million kronor in damages to known victims.
Swedish vocabulary: unanimous – enig
Turkey won’t let Sweden join Nato until after the summer
Turkey will not ratify Sweden’s Nato membership until at least October when the Turkish parliament returns after its summer recess, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
”There are many international agreements, there are many legislative proposals that need to be discussed. We take them up in the order of their importance. But our goal is to finish this process as soon as possible,” the AFP news agency quoted Erdogan as telling reporters.
At the same time, media in Hungary expect the country to move faster, calling back parliament from its summer recess for a special vote on ratifying Sweden's membership.
According to the country's ATV broadcaster, Hungary's government will hold a three-day meeting later this week in which it will discuss when the parliament can hold its final vote on ratifying Sweden's Nato membership. The country's Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, will then brief the meeting on his return from Nato's summit in Vilnius on his discussions at the summit.
Swedish vocabulary: to finish – att avsluta
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