Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Swedish royals visit Mexico, Sweden Democrat leader to marry girlfriend, and how much has the regions' bill for healthcare interpreters grown in the past ten years? Here's the latest news.
Swedish royals visit Mexico
Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia on Tuesday arrived in Mexico for their third state visit to the country since 1982.
The four-day visit was kicked off with a welcome ceremony attended by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his wife, Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller.
The Swedish royals are on Wednesday set to visit SOS Children’s Villages and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and inaugurate Ericsson’s new offices in Mexico City. They are joined by Johan Forssell, minister for international development cooperation and foreign trade, and a delegation of business representatives from more than 35 Swedish companies.
"The aim of the State Visit is to consolidate the good relations between Sweden and Mexico and strengthen economic and political ties, focusing on innovation, partnership, trade and investment," reads a statement on the Royal Court's website.
Swedish vocabulary: a state visit – ett statsbesök
Sweden Democrat leader to marry girlfriend
Jimmie Åkesson, leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats, is set to get married this summer.
He revealed to Svensk Damtidning that he had proposed to his girlfriend, Matilda Kärnerup.
"I proposed on a cruise to Åland. It's not the most romantic, but it was very genuine," he said.
Åkesson has never before married, but he was previously sambo (a Swedish word for co-habiting couples) with fellow Sweden Democrat politician Louise Erixon, with whom he has a son.
Swedish vocabulary: to marry – att gifta sig
Regions' bills for healthcare interpreters double in one decade
The cost of providing interpreters in healthcare services has more than doubled in the past decade, according to Kvartal.
The big city regions Skåne, Stockholm and Västra Götaland have seen the biggest increases, with Skåne's costs increasing from 37 million to 208 million kronor in ten years.
In total, the total bill for Swedish region has grown from just over 370 million kronor in 2013 to 837 million kronor in 2023.
It is normally free for patients to receive help from an interpreter, but Blekinge in south-eastern Sweden this month will become the first region to introduce a fee, a move criticised by doctors and rolled out by the Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats and Moderates.
The fee will, with a few exceptions, apply to people who have had a residence permit for at least two years.
Swedish vocabulary: an interpreter – en tolk
Protesters apply to demonstrate for and against Israel at Eurovision in Malmö
Tension is mounting in Malmö after the European Broadcasting Union approved Israel's participation in this year's Eurovision Song Contest.
With less than two months to go until Eurovision gets under way in Malmö, police in the southern Swedish city have already received several permit applications for demonstrations against and in favour of allowing Israel to compete, reports the TT newswire.
Neither of the demonstrations has yet been approved by police.
In general, the default is to allow protests to go ahead under Sweden’s strong free speech laws, enshrined in the constitution. Demonstration permits may only be denied if there are concrete indications that they could pose a threat to security or public order.
A major digital sign set up in central Malmö to promote Eurovision, sporting slogans such as “United by music” and “We are one”, was vandalised in the early hours of Monday.
Red paint had been thrown at the sign, alongside the words “Free Gaza”.
Swedish vocabulary: a permit – ett tillstånd
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Swedish royals visit Mexico
Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia on Tuesday arrived in Mexico for their third state visit to the country since 1982.
The four-day visit was kicked off with a welcome ceremony attended by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and his wife, Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller.
The Swedish royals are on Wednesday set to visit SOS Children’s Villages and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and inaugurate Ericsson’s new offices in Mexico City. They are joined by Johan Forssell, minister for international development cooperation and foreign trade, and a delegation of business representatives from more than 35 Swedish companies.
"The aim of the State Visit is to consolidate the good relations between Sweden and Mexico and strengthen economic and political ties, focusing on innovation, partnership, trade and investment," reads a statement on the Royal Court's website.
Swedish vocabulary: a state visit – ett statsbesök
Sweden Democrat leader to marry girlfriend
Jimmie Åkesson, leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats, is set to get married this summer.
He revealed to Svensk Damtidning that he had proposed to his girlfriend, Matilda Kärnerup.
"I proposed on a cruise to Åland. It's not the most romantic, but it was very genuine," he said.
Åkesson has never before married, but he was previously sambo (a Swedish word for co-habiting couples) with fellow Sweden Democrat politician Louise Erixon, with whom he has a son.
Swedish vocabulary: to marry – att gifta sig
Regions' bills for healthcare interpreters double in one decade
The cost of providing interpreters in healthcare services has more than doubled in the past decade, according to Kvartal.
The big city regions Skåne, Stockholm and Västra Götaland have seen the biggest increases, with Skåne's costs increasing from 37 million to 208 million kronor in ten years.
In total, the total bill for Swedish region has grown from just over 370 million kronor in 2013 to 837 million kronor in 2023.
It is normally free for patients to receive help from an interpreter, but Blekinge in south-eastern Sweden this month will become the first region to introduce a fee, a move criticised by doctors and rolled out by the Sweden Democrats, Christian Democrats and Moderates.
The fee will, with a few exceptions, apply to people who have had a residence permit for at least two years.
Swedish vocabulary: an interpreter – en tolk
Protesters apply to demonstrate for and against Israel at Eurovision in Malmö
Tension is mounting in Malmö after the European Broadcasting Union approved Israel's participation in this year's Eurovision Song Contest.
With less than two months to go until Eurovision gets under way in Malmö, police in the southern Swedish city have already received several permit applications for demonstrations against and in favour of allowing Israel to compete, reports the TT newswire.
Neither of the demonstrations has yet been approved by police.
In general, the default is to allow protests to go ahead under Sweden’s strong free speech laws, enshrined in the constitution. Demonstration permits may only be denied if there are concrete indications that they could pose a threat to security or public order.
A major digital sign set up in central Malmö to promote Eurovision, sporting slogans such as “United by music” and “We are one”, was vandalised in the early hours of Monday.
Red paint had been thrown at the sign, alongside the words “Free Gaza”.
Swedish vocabulary: a permit – ett tillstånd
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