Sweden

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Nordic Nations Release War Prep Pamphlets

As Russia-Ukraine war rages on, Sweden, Norway, Finland issue advice on how to prep themselves

(Newser) - "Keep this brochure in a safe place." That's the directive on a 32-page document that will be distributed in Sweden starting on Monday, warning citizens that "we live in uncertain times" and that the booklet issued by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, or MSB, will help...

He Was Officially Declared Dead. Now He's Suing

Swedish man was locked out of accounts for weeks after somebody filed form with fake signature

(Newser) - Jonathan Ravelin was officially dead for a week last year and becoming officially alive again wasn't easy. The Swedish man says he was locked out of his bank account after a government agency declared him dead and he had to borrow money to feed his family for the six...

Sweden, Denmark to Bar Cousins From Marrying

They're the latest countries to do so

(Newser) - Soon, it will be illegal for cousins in all of Scandinavia to marry each other. Advocates of the move hope more nations follow suit. Last week, Sweden moved to ban cousin marriages starting in 2026, reports the Local , and Denmark announced its own coming ban the following day. Both are...

See the Highest Pole Vault in History
'Mondo Flies Over Paris!'

'Mondo Flies Over Paris!'

Pole vaulter Armand 'Mondo' Duplantis breaks an Olympic record, then breaks his own record

(Newser) - Armand "Mondo" Duplantis, a Louisiana native competing in the Summer Olympics in Paris for his mom's native country of Sweden, had already clinched the gold medal in men's pole vaulting on Monday night when he set out to achieve his next goal: breaking the Olympic record of...

In This Nation, Getting to Work Takes Just 17 Minutes

Denmark boasts shortest commute time in the world, per AHTI Games stats

(Newser) - Looking for the shortest, sweetest commute? Consider Scandinavia. That's per AHTI Games, which crunched the numbers to figure out how long it takes to get from home to work across the globe, per Digital Journal . Denmark tops the list, with an average commute time of just 17 minutes. Neighbor...

Sweden Takes Another Big Step in Parental Leave

Grandparents can now get paid to take care of their grandkids

(Newser) - Sweden launched a groundbreaking new law on Monday that allows grandparents to step in and get paid parental leave while taking care of their grandchildren for up to three months of a child's first year. The development comes after the Swedish parliament approved last December the government's proposal...

ABBA Reunites for Knighthood
ABBA Reunites for Knighthood

ABBA Reunites for Knighthood

Sweden reassembles hitmaking quartet for honor

(Newser) - Sweden honored one of its greatest cultural exports on Friday, conferring the Royal Order of Vasa on ABBA. King Carl XVI Gustaf presented the knighthood at the Royal Palace in Stockholm for "outstanding efforts in Swedish and international music," the Guardian reports. The quartet has sold more than...

And Now We Have Egg-Hoarding
And Now We Have
Egg-Hoarding

And Now We Have Egg-Hoarding

With Easter approaching, an egg shortage drives Norwegians across the border to Sweden

(Newser) - A shortage of eggs in shops during Holy Week has led Norwegians to flock to supermarkets across the border in Sweden and hoard the traditional Easter favorite, reports the AP . Norwegian news outlet Nettavisen said Thursday that the Nordby shopping center in Sweden, located just off the border about 62...

Here's Why Swedes Are Scarfing Down Waffles Today

Mispronunciation led to breakfast item being folded into the Christian Feast of the Annunciation

(Newser) - It's Waffle Day on Monday, at least in certain parts of Scandinavia. The National Day Calendar notes that Norway and Denmark celebrate the scrumptious-sounding celebration, but it's "especially popular" in Sweden, where March 25 also marks the Feast of the Annunciation , or "Our Lady's Day....

It's Official: We Have a New NATO Member

Sweden officially joins military alliance in blow to Russia's Putin

(Newser) - Sweden on Thursday formally joined NATO as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality as concerns about Russian aggression in Europe have spiked following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, per the AP . Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and US Secretary of...

In Blow to Putin, Sweden Is Headed for NATO Membership

Hungary proved to be a lengthy holdout, but it finally gives a thumbs-up

(Newser) - Hungary's Parliament voted Monday to ratify Sweden's bid to join NATO, bringing an end to more than 18 months of delays that have frustrated the alliance as it seeks to expand and deal Vladimir Putin a blow in response to Russia's war in Ukraine. The vote, which...

Decision Nears on Who Will Control Web's .nu Suffix

Niue says the issue goes to its sovereignty

(Newser) - Niue could use a revenue stream. The population of the island nation is about one-third what it was in the 1960s, after people left for places with greater economic opportunity. The remote nation would like to be less dependent on tourism and foreign aid. A ruling by Sweden's Supreme...

Hungarian Officials Decline to Meet With US Senators

Bipartisan delegation lobbied for ratification of Sweden's NATO bid

(Newser) - A bipartisan delegation of US senators made an official visit to Hungary's capital Sunday and called on the nationalist government to immediately approve Sweden's request to join NATO. Hungary is the only one of NATO's 31 members not to have ratified Sweden's bid. The Hungarian government...

Freezer Failure Wipes Out Decades of Research Samples

Cryogenic tanks at Sweden's Karolinska Institutet lost supply of liquid nitrogen over Christmas

(Newser) - Sweden's Karolinska Institutet experienced the very opposite of a Christmas gift in December: the destruction of research samples gathered over decades and worth millions. Samples from multiple institutions were stored at -190 degrees Celsius in 16 cryogenic tanks at the Stockholm medical university when the supply of liquid nitrogen...

Sweden Moves Big Step Closer to NATO Membership
Turkey Lifts Hurdle to
Sweden's NATO Membership
UPDATED

Turkey Lifts Hurdle to Sweden's NATO Membership

Hungary is now the only holdout

(Newser) - Turkish legislators on Tuesday endorsed Sweden's membership in NATO, lifting a major hurdle on the previously nonaligned country's entry into the military alliance. The legislators ratified Sweden's accession protocol by 287 votes to 55, with four abstentions. The ratification will come into effect after its publication in...

Finland, Sweden Are Seeing Record Freezing Temps

Just another day in frigid paradise on Tuesday as cold snap puts Nordic countries on blast

(Newser) - Finland and Sweden recorded the coldest temperatures of the winter Tuesday as thermometers plummeted to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit as a result of a cold spell prevailing in the Nordic region. In Nikkaluokta, a small village inhabited by the Indigenous Sami people in northern Sweden, thermometers showed temps of minus...

Tesla's Latest Lawsuit Targets Swedish Postal Workers

Automaker says that striking postal workers in Scandinavian nation are delaying license plates

(Newser) - Tesla on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Swedish state via Sweden's Transport Agency as striking postal workers in the Scandinavian country halted the delivery of license plates of new vehicles manufactured by the Texas-based automaker. Tesla is nonunionized globally, but the Swedish workers are demanding that the carmaker...

Cheeky Ad Helps World Separate Sweden, Switzerland

No, they are not the same, as Visit Sweden so artfully explains

(Newser) - President Biden made headlines when he mixed up Sweden and Switzerland last year. But he's not the only one. Apparently the countries' "vaguely similar names and flags with crosses on them" have created quite the confusion, per Politico . In the last year, 85,000 US Google searches asked,...

You'll Never Believe How Long It Took to Finish This Dictionary

Swedish Academy Dictionary took 140 years to complete, with nearly 140 staffers working on it

(Newser) - The Swedish Academy is kept pretty busy at managing its annual Nobel Prize roster, but the group is also tasked with completing the Swedish Academy Dictionary (SAOB) , a 39-volume, 33,000-page resource that the Guardian calls "the Swedish equivalent of the Oxford English Dictionary." But while the Nobels...

Sweden Fines Greta Thunberg Again
Greta Thunberg Back in Court

Greta Thunberg Back in Court

Climate activist says 'We have the science on our side and we have morality on our side'

(Newser) - A Swedish court on Wednesday fined climate activist Greta Thunberg once again for disobeying police during an environmental protest in July in southern Sweden, reports the AP . The Malmo District Court ordered her to pay a 2,250 kroner ($206) fine. Thunberg, who already had been fined for a similar...

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