Swedish News:

Åkesson returns to politics. Politically correct dictionary. Another royal wedding. Automatic weapons in Gothenburg. 

  • Jimmie Åkesson in 2014, just before he went on sick leave for five months. He returns to politics on April 1, 2015.
  • Åkesson returns to politics
    March 23, 2015 — After a five-month sick leave, the Sweden Democrats (SD) party leader Jimmie Åkesson will return to work on April 1. This Friday, March 27, after a social media gaffe pre-empted his news, he will appear on Swedish television's entertainment news program "Skavlan" at 9 p.m. Åkesson is expected to discuss his chronic fatigue syndrome and whether his return to politics includes continuing as SD party leader. While members of the party know his plans already, they can only say "the party is in for a change." Following Skavlan, Åkesson will officially announce his return in a 10 p.m. press conference in the parliament building. Watch the Skavlan broadcast after 4 p.m. EST (9 p.m. UTC): http://www.svtplay.se/skavlan

  • Two people killed and eight hospitalized after a gang-related shooting on Hisingen in Göteborg. Not your usual news from Sweden's second largest city. Above: The building the locals call the lipsticck in Göteborg is one of many symbols of the popular tourist desination.
  • Politically correct dictionary
    When the Swedish Academy's dictionary is released on April 15, 2015, it will include a series of changes, in part for its efforts toward making the Swedish language more politically correct. The new edition of the Swedish Academy Glossary SAOL 14, which is being customized to align with current debates on everything from gender to racism, will contain 126,000 words, of which 13,000 are new. 9,000 obsolete or insulting words were removed since the last edition, including words such as "neger" (negro) and “zigenarblod” (gypsy blood). Several offensive words will still be included but provided with warnings. More gender adaptations mean the new gender-neutral pronoun "hen" is in the glossary, and “he" and "she" are used in exactly the same number of examples that describe words.

  • All thirteen editions of Svenska Akademiens ordlista (The Swedish Academy's dictionary). New dictionaries are released every 10 years.
  • Another royal wedding
    H.R.H. Prince Carl Philip and Sofia Hellqvist have announced their wedding date, set for Saturday, June 13, 2015 in the Royal Chapel at the Royal Palace in Stockholm. Following the wedding, the bride and groom will parade through the area by horse and carriage from the Royal Palace, along the Outer Courtyard and past Castle Hill, Castle Quay, Harbour Street, Nybroplan and Power Bridge, ending at Logården. There, a 21-shot salute will come from Skeppsholmen. The wedding celebrations begin the night before with a private dinner for invited guests.

  • The wedding date for Prince Carl Philip and Miss Sofia Hellqvist has been set for June 13, 2015. Image: Still from SVT
  • Automatic weapons in Gothenburg
    Two people were killed and eight were hospitalized after what’s believed to be a gang-related shooting in a Gothenburg restaurant. A witness said at least two men came into the restaurant a little after 10 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, and began firing automatic weapons at restaurant patrons, killing two men in their 20s and injuring more. The suspects, who wore skull masks, took photos of their victims then fled in a car. At least three people are suspected to be behind the killing, but police have not yet arrested anyone. There are indications that the shooting is gang-related, perhaps fueled by a growing segregation within parts of the city. International media have drawn attention to the fatal shooting, which is largely unprecedented in Sweden. Shock and concern follow, especially if it was gang related: "There will be retaliations," said TV4 criminal commentator Hasse Aro.