Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Prosecutor names 13-year-old boy killed in gang conflict, central bank warns of further interest rate hikes, and police reject Quran-burning in Malmö. Here's Sweden's latest news.
13-year-old Milo killed in gang conflict
A 13-year-old boy who was found murdered in a forested area in Haninge, south of Stockholm, last week was shot in the head as part of an ongoing gang conflict, the prosecutor has said.
The boy, named by the Aftonbladet tabloid as Milo, was reportedly previously unknown to police.
Police suspect, reports Aftonbladet, that he was killed in another location and then moved to the area where he was found. The family had reported him missing just a day or two previously.
Police have issued a plea to the public to get in touch at 114 14 with any information they have, or observations if they saw Milo in Bagarmossen or Haninge centrum on Friday evening.
Swedish vocabulary: att misstänka – to suspect
Sweden's central bank raises key interest rate to 4 percent
Sweden's central bank hiked the key interest rate on Thursday by 0.25 percentage points from 3.75 to 4 percent, while flagging that further rate hikes are likely.
This is the eighth interest rate hike in a row, and was broadly expected by Swedish banks and financial experts. Sweden's key interest rate has not been this high since October 2008.
The bank also warned in a statement that Thursday's interest rate hike may not be enough to curb inflation, and that more hikes are likely.
According to its prognosis for the coming years, the bank expects the average key interest rate to hit 4.03 percent in the last quarter of 2023 and 4.10 percent by the third quarter of 2024, before dropping slightly to 4.04 percent by the third quarter of 2025.
It expects the average key interest rate to dip under the 4 percent mark in 2026, with an average rate of 3.69 percent in the third quarter of that year.
Swedish vocabulary: styrränta - key interest rate
Centre Party threaten vote of no confidence against environment minister
The Centre Party has threatened to trigger a vote of no confidence against Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari, due to the government's budget causing increased emissions.
"The government should be working to decrease emissions and if they do the opposite, then they're breaking the law. In that case, we need to use the most powerful tools we have," Centre Party spokesperson Rickard Nordin said.
The new budget, which includes a tax cut on fuels, will result in increased emissions in 2024 and 2025, and would mean that Sweden would miss its short-term climate goals for lowering emissions in 2030, as well as long-term goals for 2045.
The Centre Party only have 24 MPs in parliament, and a vote of no confidence requires the backing of at least 35, so they would need backing from other parties to initiate a vote.
Swedish vocabulary: misstroendevotum - a vote of no confidence
Police reject Quran-burning application in Malmö
The police have rejected an application from repeat Quran-burner Salwan Momika to burn the Islamic holy book in the Rosengård area of Malmö on Saturday, public broadcaster Sveriges Radio reports.
Police were unable to guarantee safety and security at the proposed site, and suggested an alternative site, which Momika rejected.
In the beginning of September, Momika burned a Quran on Värnhemstorget in Malmö, which triggered violent riots in Rosengård later in the day.
Cars and garages were set on fire and stones were thrown at police.
Swedish vocabulary: att avslå en ansökan - to reject an application
Comments
See Also
13-year-old Milo killed in gang conflict
A 13-year-old boy who was found murdered in a forested area in Haninge, south of Stockholm, last week was shot in the head as part of an ongoing gang conflict, the prosecutor has said.
The boy, named by the Aftonbladet tabloid as Milo, was reportedly previously unknown to police.
Police suspect, reports Aftonbladet, that he was killed in another location and then moved to the area where he was found. The family had reported him missing just a day or two previously.
Police have issued a plea to the public to get in touch at 114 14 with any information they have, or observations if they saw Milo in Bagarmossen or Haninge centrum on Friday evening.
Swedish vocabulary: att misstänka – to suspect
Sweden's central bank raises key interest rate to 4 percent
Sweden's central bank hiked the key interest rate on Thursday by 0.25 percentage points from 3.75 to 4 percent, while flagging that further rate hikes are likely.
This is the eighth interest rate hike in a row, and was broadly expected by Swedish banks and financial experts. Sweden's key interest rate has not been this high since October 2008.
The bank also warned in a statement that Thursday's interest rate hike may not be enough to curb inflation, and that more hikes are likely.
According to its prognosis for the coming years, the bank expects the average key interest rate to hit 4.03 percent in the last quarter of 2023 and 4.10 percent by the third quarter of 2024, before dropping slightly to 4.04 percent by the third quarter of 2025.
It expects the average key interest rate to dip under the 4 percent mark in 2026, with an average rate of 3.69 percent in the third quarter of that year.
Swedish vocabulary: styrränta - key interest rate
Centre Party threaten vote of no confidence against environment minister
The Centre Party has threatened to trigger a vote of no confidence against Climate and Environment Minister Romina Pourmokhtari, due to the government's budget causing increased emissions.
"The government should be working to decrease emissions and if they do the opposite, then they're breaking the law. In that case, we need to use the most powerful tools we have," Centre Party spokesperson Rickard Nordin said.
The new budget, which includes a tax cut on fuels, will result in increased emissions in 2024 and 2025, and would mean that Sweden would miss its short-term climate goals for lowering emissions in 2030, as well as long-term goals for 2045.
The Centre Party only have 24 MPs in parliament, and a vote of no confidence requires the backing of at least 35, so they would need backing from other parties to initiate a vote.
Swedish vocabulary: misstroendevotum - a vote of no confidence
Police reject Quran-burning application in Malmö
The police have rejected an application from repeat Quran-burner Salwan Momika to burn the Islamic holy book in the Rosengård area of Malmö on Saturday, public broadcaster Sveriges Radio reports.
Police were unable to guarantee safety and security at the proposed site, and suggested an alternative site, which Momika rejected.
In the beginning of September, Momika burned a Quran on Värnhemstorget in Malmö, which triggered violent riots in Rosengård later in the day.
Cars and garages were set on fire and stones were thrown at police.
Swedish vocabulary: att avslå en ansökan - to reject an application
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.