Economy

Fuel prices
The conflict drives up Swedish petrol prices

Swedish supermarkets raise petrol and diesel prices by 20 öre per litre, TT reports.

Oil prices have risen due to the escalated conflict in the Middle East which has led to concerns about supply disruptions. The new price of petrol will be SEK 16.99, while diesel costs SEK 16.94 according to recommended prices at manned stations, writes the news agency.

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Employee at nuclear power company linked to China's regime

An employee of the nuclear power company Studsvik has been active in the Chinese Communist Party's United Front for several years. He has also been recruited to the dictatorship's research program Tusen talanger, reports TV4's Kalla fakta.

According to the FBI, those participating in the program are encouraged to steal foreign technology.

- Recruits of a thousand talents are required to support the transfer of knowledge, usually in cutting-edge technology. It is a very serious problem for countries that are exposed, says former CIA director William Hannas.

Cold facts state that the man has a security-sensitive role as a technical expert at Studsvik.

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Volvo and Ikea hope for a quick solution

Volvo and Ikea, among others, are at risk of being severely affected by today's announcement that 45,000 dock workers in the US have gone on strike. However, Volvo's press manager Claes Eliasson believes that the company is well prepared.

- We have been aware that this has been going on and have been able to build security stocks, he says to SR.

If, however, the strike is prolonged, it could have an impact on the company's production capacity, says Eliasson without going into details and adds that the company hopes for a quick solution.

Ikea states that it is still unclear to what extent the company will be affected, but that it is following developments carefully.

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The US port strike has begun - billions of dollars are expected

Around 45,000 port workers on the US East Coast are going on strike on Tuesday morning. No agreement was reached between the union and the employers before midnight in Philadelphia - and already before twelve o'clock, a dozen or so workers gathered in the port with signs that read "stop the automation", AP writes.

The strike could cost up to 4.5 billion dollars per day, corresponding to roughly 45 billion kroner. That estimate is made by analysts from JP Morgan, according to Reuters.