Nobel Committees investigated for bribery

Swedish prosecutors have launched a preliminary investigation into possible bribery after revelations that members of three Swedish Nobel Committees received free trips to China from the Chinese government.

Earlier in December, Sveriges Radio reported that members of the three Nobel Committees for natural science – medicine, physics, and chemistry – traveled to China at the invitation of the country’s government to speak about what it takes to receive a Nobel Prize.

Now public prosecutor Nils-Erik Schultz has decided to look into the matter more closely to determine whether any of the Nobel representatives who accepted the paid trips to China could be charged with bribery.

“As of now [the investigation] isn’t directed at any particular person, but at a set of procedures. In the first instance we need to focus on a few trip to China,” Schultz told Sveriges Radio.

http://www.thelocal.se/16418/20081218/

Segregation 'widespread' for Swedish immigrants

A study released on Thursday by Statistics Sweden (SCB) reports widespread segregation in the fields of education, housing, employment and politics. In 2008, net immigration into Sweden reached record levels, with more than 100,000 people entering the country and projections that the foreign-born population will reach 14 percent by the end of the year.

The report, released on International Migration Day, illuminates how pronounced the differences in living conditions are between native Swedes and the country’s immigrant populations, particularly those born in Africa and Asia.

"We have seen that people born in these countries are well behind those born in the EU or other Nordic countries. The differences can be seen in education, the job market, and living arrangements," SCB’s Lotta Persson told The Local."I was surprised at how widespread segregation was in Sweden," Persson added.

http://www.thelocal.se/16452/20081218/

Swedish School hires teacher convicted of sexual harassment

A Swedish school teacher previously convicted for sexual harassment of two 14-year-old girls has received a new teaching assignment in southern Sweden. While teaching at another school, the man had sent naked pictures of himself to the girls and written several sexually-charged text messages, writes the Barometer newspaper.

http://www.thelocal.se/16304/20081212/

Swedish beauty queen arrested for assault

Anna Anka, the former beauty queen and Swedish wife of US entertainer Paul Anka has been arrested for assaulting her husband, 29 years her senior. The pair clashed at their luxury home in California on November 28th. The 37-year-old former Miss Sweden runner-up became so angry while the couple argued that she launched a piece of ice at her husband's head. The ice struck home and left the 67-year-old one time teen idol needing hospital treatment for a head wound.

http://www.thelocal.se/16338/20081214/

Swedish Steelmaker SSAB to cut 1,300 jobs

Swedish steelmaker SSAB announced plans on Monday to reduce staff by 1,300 employees as part of a billion kronor ($122 million) savings programme. The cuts will affect all divisions and subsidiaries." I regret that we must announce this reduction in personnel. But demand for steel has fallen sharply in the autumn and we must adapt our costs to the new conditions," said SSAB CEO Olof Faxander in a statement. The company said the programme would be implemented in 2009, with the full impact expected to be felt in 2010.

http://www.thelocal.se/16202/20081208/

Forgotten patient dies in Stockholm emergency room

A patient admitted to the emergency room of a Stockholm hospital later died after being forgotten by hospital staff for more than an hour. The incident, which occurred at Stockholm South General Hospital (Södersjukhuset), has been reported to the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen), the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper reports.

Staff first performed an initial diagnosis on the patient, who suffered from multiple illnesses including early stage dementia and came to the hospital one afternoon complaining of abdominal pains.The patient was then led to an examining room for additional evaluation to be carried out within the next thirty minutes.An hour later, the patient was found unconscious, splayed out on the bed, and covered in vomit.

http://www.thelocal.se/16134/20081204/

Swedish texts 'filled with ideological bias'

Several books used to teach Swedish as a second language are plagued with ideological bias, according to a recent academic study. For a doctoral dissertation to be published on Friday, Jörgen Mattlar from Uppsala University examined five text books used to teach Swedish to both young people and adults who have moved to Sweden, as well as to students born and raised in Sweden.

http://www.thelocal.se/16128/20081204/