Sweden ratifies EU Lisbon Treaty
Sweden has become the 24th of the EU's 27 member states to ratify the controversial Lisbon Treaty. Sweden's parliament backed the new reform treaty after a late-night debate, with 243 votes in favour, 39 against and 67 deputies absent or abstaining.
Labels: EU, Lisbon Treaty, Sweden
European Soccer - Netherlands beats Sweden 3-1 in friendly
Robin Van Persie scored two goals Wednesday to give the injury-depleted Netherlands a comfortable 3-1 win over Sweden in an international friendly.
Wesley Sneijder took a short corner and then exchanged passes with Ryan Babel on the left flank before crossing for Van Persie, who put the Netherlands in front with a header in the 33rd minute. Van Persie scored his second in the 48th, beating Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson from 15 meters (yards) after he was played in by substitute Rafael van der Vaart. Kim Kallstrom pulled one back for Sweden in the 50th, scoring from the edge of the box, but Dirk Kuyt headed in Tim de Cler's cross in injury time to wrap up the win.
Labels: EU, Netherlands, Soccer, Sweden
Sweden - Lost in Translation? The Nobel Prize’s Secretary Snubs U.S. Lit - by Charles McGrath
If you’re John Updike, Philip Roth, Don DeLillo or Joyce Carol Oates, you don’t have to worry about whether the phone bill has been paid. You won’t be getting the call from Stockholm next week.On Tuesday, Horace Engdahl, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, the organization that awards the Nobel Prize in Literature, gave an interview to The Associated Press and, while not dropping hints about this year’s winner, seemed to rule out, pretty much, the chances of any American writer. “Europe is still the center of the literary world,” he said, not the United States, and he suggested that American writers were “too sensitive to trends in their own mass culture.” He added: “The U.S. is too isolated, too insular. They don’t translate enough and don’t really participate in the big dialogue of literature. That ignorance is restraining.”
The Swedes read, you have to give them that — they buy more books per capita than the citizens of just about any other country — and they probably care more than anyone else does about their prize. In the United States, a Nobel usually doesn’t produce even the modest uptick in sales that a Pulitzer or a National Book Award does. That fact may underlie Mr. Engdahl’s comments, and especially his observation that we don’t translate enough foreign literature. It’s true.
Labels: EU, Literature, Noble prize, Sweden
Sweden: Stockholm is the Only European Knowledge Economy Region in Global Top Ten
"Stockholm region is one of the global frontrunners in the knowledge economy, especially within sectors such as ICT, life sciences and finance. WKCI 2008 is yet another proof of that", said Sten Nordin, mayor of Stockholm and chairman of the board at Stockholm Business Region. The top rating is based upon gains across a range of indicators, in particular business R&D spending, biotechnology employment and higher educational spending.
Labels: EU, Sweden, Technology
Poland, Sweden propose new EU outreach for eastern Europe
Poland and Sweden sought support Monday from other European Union nations for a new outreach program to build closer ties with Ukraine and the EU's other former Soviet neighbors to the east. The plan would go beyond the EU's current "neighborhood policy," which groups eastern European countries such as Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus with nations in North Africa and the Middle East. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said it was important to make a distinction because the easterners are European nations who could one day apply to join the EU. Poland and Sweden presented the plan at a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Ice Hockey: Finland, Sweden open Ice Hockey Worlds with victories
Finland shook the rust off and the Swedes survived a scare as the favorites managed to prevail at the World Ice Hockey Championships on Saturday. Mikko Koivu scored a shorthanded and a power play goal as reigning silver medallist Finland beat Germany 5-1 in their opening game at the Metro Centre arena.Sweden survived the biggest scare of the day. Patric Hornqvist scored two goals as the Tre Kronor had to rally in the third period to beat underdog Belarus 6-5 at the Colisee in Quebec City. Rickard Wallin scored the winner with just under 10 minutes to go in the third period for Sweden who outshot Belarus 46-24 in the game. Dmitry Meleshko scored to give Belarus a 5-4 lead early in the third period.
Sweden/Germany/Hungary: Scholars run down more clues to a Holocaust mystery - by Arthur Max and Randy Herschaft
Sweden - Budapest, November 1944: Another German train has loaded its cargo of Jews bound for Auschwitz. A young Swedish diplomat pushes past the SS guard and scrambles onto the roof of a cattle car.Ignoring shots fired over his head, he reaches through the open door to outstretched hands, passing out dozens of bogus "passports" that extended Sweden's protection to the bearers. He orders everyone with a document off the train and into his caravan of vehicles. The guards look on, dumbfounded. Raoul Wallenberg was a minor official of a neutral country, with an unimposing appearance and gentle manner. Recruited and financed by the U.S., he was sent into Hungary to save Jews. He bullied, bluffed and bribed powerful Nazis to prevent the deportation of 20,000 Hungarian Jews to concentration camps, and averted the massacre of 70,000 more people in Budapest's ghetto by threatening to have the Nazi commander hanged as a war criminal.
Wallenberg's rescue mission inevitably placed him in a vortex of intrigue and espionage involving the Hungarian resistance, the Jewish underground, communists working for the Soviets, and British, U.S. and Swedish intelligence operations. He also had regular contact with Adolf Eichmann and other Nazis running the deportation of Jews.After the Red Army arrived in January, Wallenberg went to see the Russian military commander to discuss postwar reconstruction and restitution of Jewish property. Two days later he returned under Russian escort to collect some personal effects, then was never seen in public again. And what did his country — or his influential cousins — do about it? In the mid-1950s, the Swedes pursued the case more aggressively, prompting a memorandum from Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko in 1957 that Wallenberg had died of heart failure in detention 10 years earlier — at age 34. As more testimony came in that Wallenberg was still alive, Stockholm periodically raised the issue with Moscow — but without results, said Magnusson, interviewed in the Netherlands where he is now ambassador.
Labels: EU, Holocaust, Hungary, Raoul Wallenberg, Sweden
Swedish researchers find world's oldest living tree
The world's oldest living tree on record is a nearly 10,000 year-old spruce that has been discovered in central Sweden, Umeaa University said on Thursday.Researchers had discovered a spruce with genetic material dating back 9,550 years in the Fulu mountain in Dalarna, according to Leif Kullmann, a professor of Physical Geography at the university in northwestern Sweden. That would mean it had taken root in roughly the year 7,542 BC.
Scientists had previously believed the world's oldest trees were 4,000 to 5,000 year-old pine trees found in North America.
China, Sweden to deepen bilateral cooperation
Premier Wen Jiabao met with visiting Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on Monday in Beijing. They agreed to deepen bilateral cooperation. Premier Wen said their bilateral trade volume has grown rapidly, especially in recent years.China is Sweden's largest trade partner in Asia. Wen Jiabao said enhancing bilateral cooperation is in the fundamental interests of the two countries and is conducive to promoting the China-EU strategic partnership. Their talks were followed by a signing ceremony for a number of agreements between Sweden and China. The biggest deal was Ericsson's contracts with Chinese mobile operators China Mobile and China Unicom, worth a total of 90 million euro's (1.44 billion US dollars).
Swedish town prides itself as environmental role model
The Swedish town of Vaexjoe will be "green" or will not be at all. That's the slogan in this town that has become a world leader in environmental protection and has even loftier goals. While the European Union (EU) aims to raise its share of renewable energy consumption to 20 percent by 2020, Vaexjoe, a town of 80,000 people nestled between lakes and forests in Sweden's south, can boast of already exceeding 50 percent -- and 90 percent when it comes to heating. Carbon dioxide emissions per inhabitant dropped by 30 percent between 1993 and 2006.
Labels: Alternative Energy, Environment, EU, Sweden
Prostitution in Europe - Can you outlaw the oldest profession? - by Dan Bell
In December, British Women's Minister Harriet Harman said paying for sex should be made illegal. The argument is that if you stamp out demand, then you will stamp out the trade. But is it possible to legislate the oldest profession out of existence? One country that has tried is Sweden. In 1999 Sweden outlawed paying for sex. Anyone who is caught is liable for a fine or a six-month prison sentence. The Swedish government says there has been a decrease in street prostitution, kerb crawling and the number of women entering the trade.
Labels: EU, Prostitution, Sweden
Sweden demands EU role for leaders of future presidency countries - by Lucia Kubosova
Swedish Prime Minister Frederik Reinfeldt has said the EU should outline a list of co-chairing tasks for leaders of future presidency countries after the new post of EU president is established. Speaking to journalists after his address to the European Parliament on Tuesday (19 February), the Mr Reinfeldt suggested that if there is no role for EU leaders in the future, it could have a negative impact on their engagement with the bloc's agenda.
Mr Reinfeldt, for his part, insisted that enlargement is "close to the hearts of the Swedish people," arguing it should not be marred by "critical voices" from some quarters. "Without continuing enlargement, we would run the risk of instability on our own continent. Enlargement is the most important strategic instrument for disseminating the values that European cooperation is founded on," he said. "We demolished one wall in Europe. We should not start building a new wall against Turkey or other European countries." Some criticised the fact that different countries publicly hold very different positions on EU membership hopefuls. "You should speak to your colleague Sarkozy about Turkey," said the leader of the Socialists, Martin Schulz. "It can't go on like this, with different prime ministers sending different messages" to candidate countries, said the German MEP.
Sweden - Texus 44 - ESA's first launch in 2008
The sounding rocket Texus 44 was successfully launched today from the Swedish Space Corporation’s launch facility Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden. The launch took place at 11:30 (UT) and the rocket provided 376 seconds of weightlessness time for the 4 experiments on board. The Texus project is a sounding rocket programm with the primary aim to investigate the properties and behaviour of materials, fluids and biological samples in a weightlessness environment. Texus 44 is funded by ESA (European Space Agency) and carried out jointly by DLR, EADS Astrium, Kayser-Threde and Swedish Space Corporation.
Labels: EU, Space Exploration, Sweden
Sweden blocks EU plans to stop court 'shopping' for divorces
Sweden blocked Saturday European Union plans to stop divorcing couples from fighting over which EU court to legally settle their separation in. EU Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini said it was "mainly Sweden opposing" the move, out of concern that the laws of other nations would not provide the same protection to the most vulnerable partners in a divorce. Divorces between couples from different EU countries make up about 20 percent of all divorces in the bloc. At the moment, the first member of a couple to act can choose which court will handle the case.
Labels: divorce laws, EU, Sweden
Young Swedes Flock to Newly Rich Norway for Work - by Ivar Ekman
Long a poor cousin in Scandinavia, Norway has surpassed Sweden to become one of the richest countries in the world — to the point where it has become a magnet for young Swedes ready to work hard to make quick money, and lots of it. “When I was young, Swedes had whiter teeth, clearer skin, Abba and Bjorn Borg. We had lots of fish, and not much more,” said Thomas Hylland Eriksen, a professor of social anthropology at the University of Oslo, “Today, Swedes have been cut down to size,” he said. “And I would say that many Norwegians enjoy the fact that so many Swedes are here doing menial jobs.” The number of Swedes living and working in Norway almost doubled between 1990 and 2007 and is now about 35,000. Studies have shown that the number of Swedes commuting to work in Norway has also grown quickly.
Most Swedes who come are 18 through 25, and are prepared to work hard. Mikael Svensson, a Swede who recruits countrymen for the staffing company Adecco, said Swedes are very popular among Norwegian employers. Many, like Jenny Eriksson, 22, pack food in warehouses. Others, like Sofia Falk, 21, and Pernilla Bergstrom, 19, work in the restaurant industry. Both admit that they were drawn here by the money — 120 to 250 kronor, or $22 to $46, per hour for the kind of jobs most Swedes do, close to double the pay in Sweden.
Sweden approves Dubai's OMX offer
Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority has approved Borse Dubai's 32 billion crown (euro 3.6 billion) cash offer for Nordic stock exchange operator OMX AB, Borse Dubai said in a statement on Saturday. This translates into an 'all-cash offer' at euro 28.21 for each share to the shareholders of OMX, Borse Dubai said in the statement. The bid has also been recognised by the financial supervisory authorities in Iceland and Finland.
The move comes a few days after the US authorities cleared the deal involving Nasdaq. Once the offer is completed, Nasdaq will buy all of Borse Dubai's shares in OMX, through a combination of cash and new Nasdaq shares.
Biogas-Powered Train in Sweden -by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau
The city of Linkoeping in Sweden (south of Stockholm) will be linked to the city of Västervik 80 kilometers away (50 miles) by the first train to run entirely on biogas that comes from organic waste. A small one-carriage train that can carry 54 passengers has been converted: its diesel engines have been replaced by two Volvo gas engines. "The train is equipped with eleven canisters containing enough gas to run for 600 kilometers (375 miles) before needing a refill, and can reach a maximum speed of 130 kilometers (80 miles) per hour".
Labels: Environment: climate change, EU, Sweden, Trains
How three Swedish geeks became Hollywood's Number One enemy - by Bobbie Johnson
Operating under the sign of a Jolly Roger, The Pirate Bay website hopes to evoke a buccaneer spirit: swashbuckling swordsmen, or perhaps the pirate radio stations of the 1960s. But as the internet's number one destination for illegal downloads, it has raised the hackles of the entertainment industry and elevated its founders to the top of Hollywood's most wanted list. With more than two million visitors every day, The Pirate Bay has become one of the sharpest thorns in the side of the media business. Its controversial success has caused havoc in the music, TV and film industries.
Current top downloads include The Bourne Ultimatum, Die Hard 4.0 and Knocked Up all showing in cinemas, but available to watch on a computer screen for those willing to take the risk.
Labels: Counterfeiting, EU, Hollywood, Sweden
Sexual provocativeness as Swedish Lutheran Church to join Stockholm Gay Pride parade
The Swedish Lutheran Church will march for the first time in the Gay Pride parade in Stockholm under the slogan "Love is stronger than everything", the Church announced on Thursday. "For the first time ever, the parade at the Pride festival will have a delegation from the Swedish Church," it said in a statement.
The parade will go through the streets of the Swedish capital on Saturday. The Church said the delegation would include about 30 people including two deans from the Stockholm and Uppsala cathedrals. It said it also wanted to "break the masses' big silence" regarding gays, bisexuals and transsexuals.
Labels: EU, Lutheran Church, Moral Decay, Sexual provocativeness, Sweden
Sweden’s green role model city - by David Wiles
The Swedish city of Växjö has reduced its emissions of carbon dioxide per inhabitant by nearly a quarter, and is aiming to go lower still. Now it has won a Sustainable Energy Europe Award for its environmental efforts.
Biogas is produced at the municipal sewage works, the university is heated by pellets and the city’s swimming pool has solar panels on its roof. Cycle paths have been extended at the expense of roads, and residents and companies can receive subsidies to buy environmentally friendly cars, and can then park for free.
Labels: Environment: climate change, EU, Sweden
Swedish woman jailed for sex with boy
A Swedish woman has been sentenced to six months in jail for sexually abusing a child. The woman, who is said to be a high profile company director, was traveling abroad six years ago when she met the boy and began a sexual relationship. At that time he was twelve years old and she married with two children.
Swedish-German cooperation concerning the automotive industry
Sweden and Germany are to set up an expert group to study what must be done to create a joint European and US automotive market. Inter-ownership back and forth across the Atlantic and US problems with the car industry's lack of profitability mean that an interest should exist, writes Minister for Foreign Trade Sten Tolgfors.
Labels: Automotive Industry, EU, Germany, Sweden, US
European Weather - Amsterdam
