Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Thursday
Rare flood warning as snow set to melt, Sweden and US pen new defence deal, what the Fed's latest decision means for the Swedish economy, and more in the latest news.
Flood warning as snow set to melt in central and eastern Sweden
Swedish weather agency SMHI has issued a red warning of high water discharge which occurs every 50th year on average and could cause extremely fast-flowing water in rivers and flooding.
The warning applies from midnight at the start of Saturday and until further notice, and is in place for coastal areas between Gävle and Hudiksvall on the east coast, and central Värmland.
A similar but less serious yellow warning also extends to the areas just north of Örebro, Falun, Sundsvall and all of Värmland, as well as northern parts of the Västra Götaland region.
The warning follows heavy snowfall in the past couple of days, which is expected to cause the high water discharge when the snow melts this weekend. But for now, temperatures are still below zero, and SMHI also warns of black ice in the area around Västerås, Örebro and Karlstad on Thursday.
Swedish vocabulary: black ice – blixthalka/ishalka
Sweden and US iron out new defence deal
Negotiations over a defence cooperation agreement between Sweden and the US have concluded, reports the Dagens Nyheter daily, with the chief negotiator saying the talks went “very well”.
The deal is expected to come into force by the end of next year.
A defence cooperation agreement is meant to make it easier for Sweden to more quickly be able to receive US military support. The US will have access to a number of Swedish military bases and will be able to store defence material in Sweden.
Norway, the Baltic countries, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic have similar defence cooperation agreements with the US in place.
Swedish vocabulary: an agreement – ett avtal/en överenskommelse
What the Fed's latest decision means for Sweden
The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday left its interest rate unchanged – the first time the central bank hasn’t raised the rate at two consecutive meetings since the hikes began in March 2022.
The European Central Bank also held steady at its meeting at the end of last month.
This makes it more likely that Sweden’s Riksbank will refrain from raising the interest rate for Sweden. The bank will make its next announcement on November 22nd and had previously said that it was planning for another increase of the rate, which currently stands at four percent.
But although inflation hasn’t been falling as fast as expected, the overall trend still suggests that it is on its way down. What’s more, the Swedish krona is showing signs of recovering in value.
Swedish vocabulary: to raise – att höja
Swedish police to ban ALL bags at major concerts and sporting events
Sweden will ban bags at all major events due to the heightened risk of terror attacks.
The police said that the ban would take effect “gradually” and apply to all future decisions on permits for events.
It will be decided on a case-by-case basis whether an event counts as “major”.
Some of the events covered by the ban will be concerts, festivals and sporting events such as national team competitions, and matches played in the Swedish football league and ice hockey league.
People who have a medical need to bring a bag will be exempt from the ban.
Swedish vocabulary: a ban – ett förbud
How will foreigners be affected by Sweden's new work permit threshold?
Sweden's higher work permit threshold came into force on November 1st.
The new salary threshold is 80 percent of Sweden’s median salary, which currently stands at 34,200 kronor a month.
But a total of 14,991 of current work permit holders don't meet the new threshold.
Here are the numbers showing the extent to which foreigners will be affected.
Swedish vocabulary: a threshold – en tröskel
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Flood warning as snow set to melt in central and eastern Sweden
Swedish weather agency SMHI has issued a red warning of high water discharge which occurs every 50th year on average and could cause extremely fast-flowing water in rivers and flooding.
The warning applies from midnight at the start of Saturday and until further notice, and is in place for coastal areas between Gävle and Hudiksvall on the east coast, and central Värmland.
A similar but less serious yellow warning also extends to the areas just north of Örebro, Falun, Sundsvall and all of Värmland, as well as northern parts of the Västra Götaland region.
The warning follows heavy snowfall in the past couple of days, which is expected to cause the high water discharge when the snow melts this weekend. But for now, temperatures are still below zero, and SMHI also warns of black ice in the area around Västerås, Örebro and Karlstad on Thursday.
Swedish vocabulary: black ice – blixthalka/ishalka
Sweden and US iron out new defence deal
Negotiations over a defence cooperation agreement between Sweden and the US have concluded, reports the Dagens Nyheter daily, with the chief negotiator saying the talks went “very well”.
The deal is expected to come into force by the end of next year.
A defence cooperation agreement is meant to make it easier for Sweden to more quickly be able to receive US military support. The US will have access to a number of Swedish military bases and will be able to store defence material in Sweden.
Norway, the Baltic countries, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic have similar defence cooperation agreements with the US in place.
Swedish vocabulary: an agreement – ett avtal/en överenskommelse
What the Fed's latest decision means for Sweden
The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday left its interest rate unchanged – the first time the central bank hasn’t raised the rate at two consecutive meetings since the hikes began in March 2022.
The European Central Bank also held steady at its meeting at the end of last month.
This makes it more likely that Sweden’s Riksbank will refrain from raising the interest rate for Sweden. The bank will make its next announcement on November 22nd and had previously said that it was planning for another increase of the rate, which currently stands at four percent.
But although inflation hasn’t been falling as fast as expected, the overall trend still suggests that it is on its way down. What’s more, the Swedish krona is showing signs of recovering in value.
Swedish vocabulary: to raise – att höja
Swedish police to ban ALL bags at major concerts and sporting events
Sweden will ban bags at all major events due to the heightened risk of terror attacks.
The police said that the ban would take effect “gradually” and apply to all future decisions on permits for events.
It will be decided on a case-by-case basis whether an event counts as “major”.
Some of the events covered by the ban will be concerts, festivals and sporting events such as national team competitions, and matches played in the Swedish football league and ice hockey league.
People who have a medical need to bring a bag will be exempt from the ban.
Swedish vocabulary: a ban – ett förbud
How will foreigners be affected by Sweden's new work permit threshold?
Sweden's higher work permit threshold came into force on November 1st.
The new salary threshold is 80 percent of Sweden’s median salary, which currently stands at 34,200 kronor a month.
But a total of 14,991 of current work permit holders don't meet the new threshold.
Here are the numbers showing the extent to which foreigners will be affected.
Swedish vocabulary: a threshold – en tröskel
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