Swedish News

Increase in domestic violence. Alfredsson’s A-listers. You – Lisbeth Salander? Littorin steps down - rumors of crime.  

• Increase in domestic violence
  Domestic violence in Sweden continues to increase. According to the National Crime Prevention Council, the number of women reporting that they have been beaten by their partner has increased by 11 % since last year. For men the same figure was 9 %. “It is hard to know if it is a real increase or an increase in the tendency to notify the police,” investigator Jessica Svedlund said.

• Alfredsson’s A-listers
  His “Let the Right One In” was an international success, and in October Tomas Alfredson (he is the younger son of Hasse Alfredson, the actor, film director, writer and comedian) will start shooting a film based on John Le Carré’s thriller “Tinker, tailor, soldier, spy”. And Alfredson gets some of the best actors to act in his movie: Michael Fassbender, Colin Firth, Ralph Fiennes and Gary Oldman. Alec Guinness played the part of Smiley the spy when the book was turned into a movie back in 1979, this time around it’s played by Gary Oldman.

• You – Lisbeth Salander?
  The hottest stars are lining up for this dream role of dream roles: To play the part of Lisbeth Salander in the American film version of “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”. Kristen Stewart is one of them, Carrie Mulligan another. But maybe you should play Lisbeth Salander? Why not? Stagepool, a Swedish audition and casting service, published an ad looking for somebody to play the next Lisbeth Salander. The rights to the American screen version belongs to Sony Pictures, but if it is Sony that took out the ad or not is something that the CEO of Stagepool, Anna-Clara Blixt Modin, won’t say: “They want to remain anonymous, which is very often the case. They have hired a Swedish casting director and screen tests are taking place right now. I can’t say more than that. If they choose someone from Sweden, you will all hear about it.” She added that she had no clue whether or not Noomi Rapace had sent in her resume.

• Littorin steps down - rumors of crime
  Sven-Otto Littorin, Sweden’s Minister of Employment, is leaving his post immediately just months before the election due to “private reasons”. Littorin, who is involved in a legal fight with his former wife over the custody for their three children, said: “I am not ready to pay this price anymore. It is for me, my fiancé, and my children that I step down.” But Aftonbladet, a daily newspaper, claims that there might be more to Littorin’s stepping down. According to Aftonbladet, Littorin was presented with information linking him to a crime the day before he resigned. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has said only, that Littorin gave “several reasons” for his leaving. Aftonbladet published claims that it had gotten information that it found reliable proof indicating that Sven Otto Littorin has committed a crime. When confronted by the paper, Littorin refused to answer – for 16 hours he kept mum, then he resigned. According to Aftonbladet the crime Littorin is guilty of is punishable with prison. The crime, which according to the paper was committed in central Stockholm during the election campaign in 2006, took place while Littorin was in the middle of divorce, but has no connection to his family. When he resigned, a teary eyed Littorin said: “I’ve gone through depressions and I have done things I am not proud over.” Minister of Migration, Tobias Billström, will take over Littorin’s post.