European heatwave set to reach Sweden, up to 30,000 Stockholmers march in pro-Palestinian demonstration, and more than 100 Swedish housing associations went bankrupt last year. Here’s the latest news.
European heatwave set to reach Sweden, up to 30,000 Stockholmers march in pro-Palestinian demonstration, and more than 100 Swedish housing associations went bankrupt last year. Here’s the latest news.
European heatwave set to reach Sweden, up to 30,000 Stockholmers march in pro-Palestinian demonstration, and more than 100 Swedish housing associations went bankrupt last year. Here’s the latest news.
European heatwave set to reach Sweden
If you’re wondering where the summer went, don’t worry, it will be back soon.
The week is getting off to a rainy start, but mid-week onwards there’s a good chance of sun and somewhat higher temperatures.
DON’T MISS: The Local Games – find the Swedish word in WordroW and crack the daily sudoku
“It’s warmer down on the continent, and that air is being transported here,” SMHI meteorologist Therese Fougman told the TT news agency.
On Saturday, the mercury is expected to hit 23C in Malmö and Gothenburg, 25C in Stockholm and Falun, and 19C in Umeå.
Swedish vocabulary: rainy – regnig
Turnout at pro-Palestinian demonstration takes both organisers and police by surprise
A pro-Palestinian demonstration through Stockholm on Saturday unexpectedly attracted up to 30,000 people. So far, the weekly procession had seen a turnout of around a few thousands a week, and ahead of Saturday organisers had hoped for 10,000 participants at most.
“We could tell from the response on social media that a lot of people would be there, but you never know what will happen in practice. When Odenplan was starting to fill up we saw that ‘wow, this is above all expectations’. There was no chance everyone would fit,” organiser Nova Wegerif told TT.
Police had to call in extra officers from other parts of Stockholm to manage the crowds.
“The participants were significantly more than the organisers had told us, but everything went well,” said police spokesperson Ola Österling.
The demonstration was mainly aimed at the Swedish government, urging it to speak out against the war in Gaza, TT reported.
“We demand that the government act against the genocide and dare call it what it is,” said Wegerif.
The demonstration also urged Sweden to cease all arms trade with Israel and introduce sanctions.
Swedish vocabulary: a procession – ett tåg
More than 100 Swedish housing associations went bankrupt last year
A total of 117 bostadsrättsföreningar (or BRF, a kind of housing association and the by far most common form of apartment ownership in Sweden) went bankrupt last year, almost three times more than in 2023 and the highest number in the past decade, according to Sveriges bostadsrättscentrum (SBC, an umbrella organisation for BRFs) based on figures from the Swedish Enforcement Agency (Kronofogden).
That’s out of around 30,000 BRFs in Sweden, so it’s still a relatively small number, but many associations are feeling the pinch of higher interest rates in recent years – which many of them may not have taken into account when planning their budgets, according to SBC.
If a BRF is unable to pay its debts, it’s taken over by an insolvency administrator. The apartments could be turned into rented apartments (hyresrätter), and in the worst-case scenario the apartment owners have no choice but to wave goodbye to their entire investment.
It’s crucial to understand the state of the BRF’s finances before buying an apartment. One of the most important things to keep an eye out for is the so-called loan per square metre, which tells you the level of debt the BRF is in. Here’s The Local’s guide to analysing BRF finances.
Swedish vocabulary: a debt – en skuld
Swedish companies aren’t feeling confident about hiring more staff in the year ahead
The economic downturn and continued uncertainty about United States President Donald Trump’s postponed trade tariffs are still causing concern among Swedish businesses.
The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise (Svenskt Näringsliv) quizzed nearly 6,000 companies on their views on the current situation as part of their business panel.
When asked whether they think their staff will increase over the next year, six out of ten companies still believe they will remain unchanged, and one in ten believe they will have fewer employees – unchanged from the previous survey in the first quarter of the year.
And when it comes to investments, 52 percent assess the situation as unchanged.
Swedish vocabulary: to hire – att anställa