Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
Find out what's going on in Sweden today with The Local's short roundup of the news in less than five minutes.
Weather warnings issued as storm batters southern Sweden
Tens of thousands of households in western, southern and central Sweden were plunged into darkness in the early hours of Monday as a January storm caused power blackouts, closed bridges and cancelled trains and ferries.
National weather agency SMHI issued a warning of slippery roads in southern Sweden on Monday morning, and police urged people to be careful and stay at home if possible.
The windy weather is expected to subside later in the day.
Swedish vocabulary: windy weather – blåsigt väder
Swedish police investigate drone sightings
Police are investigating a series of observations of drones on various spots in Sweden, including at nuclear power station Forsmark and Oskarshamn. Swedish media reported that a drone had also been spotted at Ringhals, but police could not confirm that.
The Expressen tabloid also reported that a drone had been spotted in central Stockholm, flying over the Royal Palace, on Saturday. It is forbidden to fly over certain state buildings, such as the Royal Palace, but a police spokesperson told the TT newswire that similar incidents are regularly reported – with tourists usually being the culprits.
The drone sightings came amid heightened tension in the Baltic, so they sparked headlines in Sweden over the weekend. Details were however scarce on Monday and police could not confirm potential links between any of the reported incidents.
Swedish vocabulary: a nuclear power station – ett kärnkraftverk
Sweden rolls out tanks on Baltic island over Russia tensions
Sweden deployed armoured combat vehicles and armed soldiers to patrol streets on the island of Gotland over the weekend, located strategically in the Baltic Sea. The move came after three Russian landing ships sailed into the Baltic Sea through the Great Belt Strait in Denmark last week, and amid increased tensions between Russia and Nato.
But Swedish Armed Forces chief of operations, Michael Claesson, told AFP the units deployed to Visby were from the garrison already stationed on the island, denying it was a “show a force.” He told AFP: “This doesn’t have to been seen as particularly dramatic, but this is a natural way of adapting the military presence.”
Claesson told Swedish public radio broadcaster SR on Monday that the Russian ships were leaving the Baltic Sea again. He said that the fact that Russia, as one of the nation bordering the Baltic Sea, travelled through the region was not unusual in and of itself.
Swedish vocabulary: a soldier – en soldat
Would you like to see your cat on a Swedish stamp?
Do you have the prettiest, ugliest, happiest, most mischievous, or something else, cat of Sweden? Swedish postal service Postnord is now asking cat owners to submit their favourite pictures of their pets – and five feline winners will get their face on a stamp.
Cat snaps can be submitted between January 24th and February 13th, alongside a description of why your cat should be picked, and a jury will select the top cats.
Swedish vocabulary: a cat – en katt
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Weather warnings issued as storm batters southern Sweden
Tens of thousands of households in western, southern and central Sweden were plunged into darkness in the early hours of Monday as a January storm caused power blackouts, closed bridges and cancelled trains and ferries.
National weather agency SMHI issued a warning of slippery roads in southern Sweden on Monday morning, and police urged people to be careful and stay at home if possible.
The windy weather is expected to subside later in the day.
Swedish vocabulary: windy weather – blåsigt väder
Swedish police investigate drone sightings
Police are investigating a series of observations of drones on various spots in Sweden, including at nuclear power station Forsmark and Oskarshamn. Swedish media reported that a drone had also been spotted at Ringhals, but police could not confirm that.
The Expressen tabloid also reported that a drone had been spotted in central Stockholm, flying over the Royal Palace, on Saturday. It is forbidden to fly over certain state buildings, such as the Royal Palace, but a police spokesperson told the TT newswire that similar incidents are regularly reported – with tourists usually being the culprits.
The drone sightings came amid heightened tension in the Baltic, so they sparked headlines in Sweden over the weekend. Details were however scarce on Monday and police could not confirm potential links between any of the reported incidents.
Swedish vocabulary: a nuclear power station – ett kärnkraftverk
Sweden rolls out tanks on Baltic island over Russia tensions
Sweden deployed armoured combat vehicles and armed soldiers to patrol streets on the island of Gotland over the weekend, located strategically in the Baltic Sea. The move came after three Russian landing ships sailed into the Baltic Sea through the Great Belt Strait in Denmark last week, and amid increased tensions between Russia and Nato.
But Swedish Armed Forces chief of operations, Michael Claesson, told AFP the units deployed to Visby were from the garrison already stationed on the island, denying it was a “show a force.” He told AFP: “This doesn’t have to been seen as particularly dramatic, but this is a natural way of adapting the military presence.”
Claesson told Swedish public radio broadcaster SR on Monday that the Russian ships were leaving the Baltic Sea again. He said that the fact that Russia, as one of the nation bordering the Baltic Sea, travelled through the region was not unusual in and of itself.
Swedish vocabulary: a soldier – en soldat
Would you like to see your cat on a Swedish stamp?
Do you have the prettiest, ugliest, happiest, most mischievous, or something else, cat of Sweden? Swedish postal service Postnord is now asking cat owners to submit their favourite pictures of their pets – and five feline winners will get their face on a stamp.
Cat snaps can be submitted between January 24th and February 13th, alongside a description of why your cat should be picked, and a jury will select the top cats.
Swedish vocabulary: a cat – en katt
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