Can fika help Busch mend rift with Sweden Democrats?
Christian Democrat leader Ebba Busch altered her campaign tour route to have coffee with Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson in his hometown of Sölvesborg, after the latter criticised her in his summer speech.
"Can you trust the Christian Democrats and Ebba Busch, or does a vote for the Christian Democrats risk being a vote for Magdalena Andersson," the TT news agency quoted him as saying, referring to overtures made between Busch and the Social Democrat leader, and increasing rumours that Andersson may potentially try to form a government with the Centre Party, Green Party and Christian Democrats after the election.
But Busch insisted she was committed to the right-wing Tidö coalition.
"Many are wondering where we're heading. We are heading towards a right-wing victory," she said from a stage in Sölvesborg.
She confirmed she had had a cup of coffee and a slice of sponge cake (or sockerkaka as it's known in Swedish) with Åkesson.
"Jimmie Åkesson was wondering where we're heading. There's no better place to answer that than right here. It's always better to talk directly to one another," Busch said.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of the Moderates appeared to be unbothered by the mood among his Tidö allies and said he maintained full trust in Busch.
"She would never pull an Annie Lööf and suddenly pave the way for a Social Democrat government," Kristersson said, referring to the former Centre Party leader, who after Sweden had been without a new government for months following the 2018 election struck a deal with the Social Democrats, Green Party and Liberals, which allowed Social Democrat Stefan Löfven to stay on for a second term as prime minister.
Kristersson noted that an election campaign involves both "hugs and squabbles".
Swedish vocabulary: hugs and squabbles – kramar och kiv
Swedish PM vows to abolish preschool fees in major election promise
Kristersson told public broadcaster SVT's interview programme Utfrågningen that he has "never understood" why parents have to pay a fee to send their children to preschool.
"In practice, it's an extra tax on work," he said.
Less than a week ago, the Moderate Party announced an election pledge to make preschool and afterschool care (fritids) free of charge. According to the Moderates, scrapping the fees entirely for parents would cost around 10 billion kronor.
Preschool is already relatively inexpensive in Sweden compared to many other countries. Exactly how much you pay depends on how much you earn and whether your child is in preschool part time or full time, but it's capped at 1,547 kronor a month for the first child (1,031 kronor for the second child and 516 kronor for the third child).
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According to Kristersson, there is no longer any reason for charging to put children in preschool, given how vital a role it plays in a child's education.
"Preschool should be seen as an important, integrated part of the Swedish school system. I have never understood why we charge fees for such an essential part of education, which help young children hit the ground running once they start primary school, and that young children who don't speak Swedish at home get better language opportunities to help them do better in school," he said.
"We have long believed that these [fees] should be abolished."
Swedish vocabulary: a fee – en avgift
Swedish krona drops 4 percent against US dollar after strong 2025
Following last year's strong rally, the Swedish krona has so far this year performed the worst against the US dollar among the world's most traded currencies.
With an exchange rate of 9.61 kronor to the dollar, the krona has fallen by 4.15 percent so far this year, according to Bloomberg's weekly dollar index.
That makes it the worst performer among the so-called G10 currencies – the most heavily traded and liquid currencies in the world.
Other G10 currencies that have lost ground against the US dollar include the Japanese yen, which is down 2.11 percent, and the Swiss franc, which has dropped 2.04 percent.
The Norwegian krone is instead the strongest, up 7.61 percent against the dollar. The Australian and New Zealand dollars have risen by 7.36 and 2.73 percent, respectively.
Swedish vocabulary: to lose ground – att backa
Sweden's population could shrink by four million by 2100, government report warns
Low immigration, fewer births and an aging population could see Sweden's population shrink by four million people, according to a new report commissioned by the government.
By the year 2100, the number of people living in Sweden could drop by four million under one of several scenarios outlines in the report, public radio broadcaster SR Ekot reports.
"If you isolate the effect of a shrinking population, it would have quite serious consequences for the Swedish economy," Åsa Hansson, associate professor of economics and the lead author of the report, told Ekot.
"We need to try to shift focus and dedicate more resources to making life easier for young adults in Sweden," she added.
Sven-Olov Daunfeldt, chief economist at the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise, argues that Sweden needs to boost labour migration.
"We currently have many shortage occupations where we will need labour migration to manage the demographic challenge ahead of us."
Swedish vocabulary: four million – fyra miljoner
Here is how much costs have dropped for Swedish homeowners
Owning a house in Sweden is again getting cheaper. Comparison site Zmarta's homeowner index for the second quarter shows that the average yearly running cost for a house now stands at just over 160,000 kronor.
That marks a drop of just over 9,000 kronor compared to the previous quarter.
The drop is primarily driven by lower electricity prices and falling property prices. The average homeowner's annual electricity bill came in at roughly 27,400 kronor, a decrease of almost 5,600 kronor.
Swedish vocabulary: a house – ett hus
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