February 14, 2012
The following articles have been tagged with "Freivalds":
Lifestyle: 13 Oct 11
With the finals of Swedish Idol in full swing, contributor Katherine Dunn catches up with Lilla Lovis, a candy-haired Swedish singer whose lyrics detailing oral sex and female rape make her an entirely different flavour of pop star.
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National: 24 Apr 09
The government led by former Prime Minister Göran Persson knew that Sweden was used as a transit destination for clandestine CIA flights transporting suspected terrorists, according to reports that emerged on Friday.
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Business & Money: 17 Dec 07
Ryanair has settled out of court its dispute with Göran Persson and Laila Freivalds.
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Society: 23 Nov 07
Sami reindeer herders are calling on Sweden to take action against Norway.
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Lifestyle: 15 Oct 07
Sweden's former Minister of Justice Thomas Bodström has taken adavantage of his new-found surplus of free time to write a crime novel. "There will be some revelations," he tells The Local.
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Politics: 15 Aug 07
The Local speaks to a former Swedish journalist - codename König - who spied for the East German Stasi for the twenty year period leading up to the fall of the Berlin Wall. 'I never spied on Sweden,' he says.
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National: 21 Jun 07
A Swedish Sami group involved in a protracted territorial dispute with Norway has indicated that it is staying put: 'If the Norwegian authorities bring in a helicopter to drive away our reindeer, we're going to make sure to get our own helicopter'.
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National: 15 Jun 07
Sweden's government failed to realize that thousands of Swedes were caught up in the 2004 Asian tsunami until it received a tearful call from its ambassador in Bangkok, more than 24 hours after the event.
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Politics: 10 Apr 07
Former Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds says that she personally informed Göran Persson about the sequence of events that led to the closure of a rival party's website. Persson claims to have read about it in a memo.
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Politics: 26 Mar 07
In the final installment of an interview series with Göran Persson, the former prime minister speaks out about his antipathy towards Dagens Nyheter in general and one of its columnists in particular.
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Politics: 9 Feb 07
Six ministers in Sweden's former government are still being paid full salaries of nearly 100,000 kronor a month, without having to do anything for their money. Ex-minister Jens Orback says the deal is fair.
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Politics: 17 Jan 07
Laila Freivalds wrote a letter to Yemen's foreign minister apologising for the disrespect shown by the Sweden Democrat party towards the Muslim world. The letter was published today by a Swedish newspaper. Which is strange, because it "never existed".
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Politics: 13 Jan 07
It was the apartment that caused her resignation as justice minister, after she bought it in contravention of government policy. But Laila Freivalds can comfort herself with a profit of 5 million kronor.
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National: 3 Jan 07
Laila Freivalds was forced to step down as justice minister in 2000 when her property dealings ran counter to government policy. Now its payback time.
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Politics: 29 Aug 06
Göran Persson's closest aide, Lars Danielsson, obstructed an official investigation into the government's handling of the tsunami crisis. He did not lie, but he failed to cooperate as he should, the Justice Ombudsman says.
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Analysis & Opinion: 8 Aug 06
By the end of September, the four parties of the Alliance could well be ruling Sweden. But how can they ensure success, and how will they govern together if they win? David Stavrou finds out.
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Politics: 15 Jun 06
A former Social Democratic housing minister is being accused of hypocrisy for buying his rental apartment, seemingly going against the principles he promoted when in office.
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Analysis & Opinion: 29 May 06
The economy is growing well, official unemployment is falling, and the welfare state is still supported by most Swedes. Are Social Democrats a victim of their own success, asks David Stavrou.
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National: 25 Apr 06
Jan Eliasson has started work at the Swedish foreign ministry, a month after his appointment by Göran Persson. Government supporters hope he will bring stability and gravitas to the troubled department.
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Politics: 6 Apr 06
Sweden's prime minister and former foreign minister are suing Ryanair after the low cost airline used a picture of them in an advertisement without their permission.
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Politics: 31 Mar 06
The opposition Alliance continues to lead in the run-up to the September election, buoyed by increased support for the Christian Democrats, according to the latest survey of voters' intentions.
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Analysis & Opinion: 30 Mar 06
In the immediate aftermath of the tsunami tragedy, Swedes on the ground in Thailand were vocal in their criticism of the lack of assistance from the Swedish government. Now a parliamentary committee has delivered its verdict.
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Politics: 30 Mar 06
ANALYSIS: WHO DIDN'T DO WHAT
The inquiry by the parliamentary constitution committee into the Swedish government's response to the tsunami disaster closed on Thursday with damning criticism of six ministers, including prime minister Göran Persson.
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Politics: 27 Mar 06
President of the UN General Assembly Jan Eliasson has been named as Sweden's new foreign minister. The announcement was made by Göran Persson at a press conference at Rosenbad on Monday morning.
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National: 24 Mar 06
Neither the Foreign Office (UD) nor the security police (Säpo) broke censorship laws when a website was shut down for publishing drawings of the prophet Muhammad, says the Chancellor of Justice.
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Politics: 21 Mar 06
Senior foreign ministry aide Hans Dahlgren formally resigns, but may get to resume his post. Bosse Ringholm will not remain foreign minister for long, Göran Persson makes it clear.
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Analysis & Opinion: 21 Mar 06
After a year of unrelenting criticism over her handling of the tsunami disaster and latterly of the Muhammad cartoons, Persson had little choice but to accept Laila Freivalds' resignation.
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Politics: 21 Mar 06
ANALYSIS: WHY FREIVALDS HAD TO GO
Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds has resigned, said Prime Minister Göran Persson at a press conference at Rosenbad on Tuesday morning. She said the situation was "damaging to the government, to the party and to the foreign ministry".
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Smörgåsbord: 20 Mar 06
Despite her claim to the contrary, foreign minister Laila Freivalds knew her department was to contact the company which closed down the web site of the Sweden Democrats. She should resign, say opposition leaders.
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Society: 9 Mar 06
Sweden is to send three young Swedish Muslims to the Middle East to counteract the impression that the country is anti-Islamic. There is a need to exchange experiences, says Laila Freivalds.
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Politics: 16 Feb 06
One of the government’s key allies says that the foreign minister should resign for her handling of the tsunami disaster. The Greens’ stance has the potential to force Laila Freivalds out.
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Politics: 16 Feb 06
Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds was not following the news on the day of the tsunami, she tells the parliamentary committee's inquiry into the Swedish government's response to the tsunami disaster. "I have to show my family that they don't always come second," she said.
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Politics: 15 Feb 06
FEATURE: PREACHERS, FASCISTS AND CARTOONISTS
The foreign ministry official who acted to close a website that had published pictures of Muhammad has been publicly rebuked by Göran Persson. But it was fine for Säpo to act, says the prime minister.
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Lifestyle: 15 Feb 06
Freedom of speech or the right not to be offended? Sweden, with large immigrant groups and a liberal free-speech culture, has been wrestling with these issues long before the Muhammad cartoons burst onto the international scene.
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Politics: 14 Feb 06
See also: Tsunami: health minister blames foreign ministry
Minister for International Development Carin Jämtin tells the inquiry into the Swedish government's response to the tsunami disaster that she was most concerned with sending aid to Sri Lanka - and that she did not want to disturb foreign minister Laila Freivalds.
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National: 10 Feb 06
SEE ALSO: SWEDEN DRAGGED INTO CARTOON ROW
A far-right Swedish website was taken down last night after security service Säpo contacted the site's hosting company. But the Sweden Democrats say they have moved the site to another server.
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Smörgåsbord: 9 Feb 06
A Swedish far-right party has published caricatures of the prophet Muhammad on its website, apparently causing uproar in Syria. Sweden's foreign minister has called on the party to act responsibly.
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Politics: 7 Feb 06
Sweden's ambassador to Thailand says he spoke to the Foreign Ministry in Stockholm up to 30 times on the day of the South Asian tsunami, which killed 543 Swedes. They seemed to understand what had happened, says Jonas Hafström.
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National: 6 Feb 06
Sweden's party leaders back the government's stance on the publication of pictures of the prophet Muhammad in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten. But the crisis has led the travel company Apollo to cancel charter trips from Sweden to Egypt.
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National: 6 Feb 06
Syria apologises over Swedish embassy fire
Swedish embassy attacked in Syria
Violence following the publication of cartoons depicting Mohammed has prompted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to warn Swedes against travelling to Syria and Lebanon. Security at embassies is also to be increased.
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Smörgåsbord: 5 Feb 06
See also:Swedish embassy attacked in Syria
Sweden's foreign minister Laila Freivalds has spoken to her Syrian counterpart about the burning of the Swedish embassy in Damascus as part of the protests over the Danish cartoons. "He sincerely apologised," she said.
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Smörgåsbord: 4 Feb 06
Swedish foreign minister Laila Freivalds said she would protest to the Syrian government after a building housing the Swedish and Danish embassies was attacked in Damascus.
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National: 26 Jan 06
As Hamas sweeps to power in the Palestinian election, Sweden's foreign minister Laila Freivalds warns that cooperation with the EU will be impossible without some serious policy changes.
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Politics: 26 Jan 06
As public hearings open Sweden into the heavily-criticized handling of the December 2004 tsunami crisis, it has emerged that the government refused to participate in an emergency drill just three months before the disaster.
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Sport: 17 Jan 06
Saudi Arabia has backed down on barring women from attending an international football match with Zlatan and co in Riyadh this week after its decision caused uproar across Sweden.
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Politics: 16 Jan 06
Sweden's Moderate Party won't push for Sweden to join Nato if it wins the election, leader Fredrik Reinfeldt has said. But, he said, he was still in favour of joining in principle. Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds says Sweden should retain its neutrality.
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National: 15 Jan 06
Sweden's army plans to go on joint exercises with a Russian brigade accused of war crimes in Chechnya. That is the accusation of a Swedish human rights group, which says the government is legitimizing human rights abuses.
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National: 26 Dec 05
Sweden, which suffered more deaths in the Indian Ocean tsunami than any nation outside Asia, remembers the 543 Swedish victims in ceremonies at home and in Thailand. Foreign minister Laila Freivalds did not attend.
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Society: 22 Dec 05
Swedish survivors of the Asian tsunami are still trying to come to terms with the events that left 543 holidaying Swedes dead last year. Now, hundreds of survivors are returning to Thailand to mark the first anniversary of the disaster.
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National: 14 Dec 05
The most senior civil servant in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Hans Dahlgren, stopped an emergency relief effort from the Swedish Rescue Services Agency on the first day of the tsunami catastrophe, it was revealed on Wednesday. A misunderstanding, he says.
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National: 11 Dec 05
Swedish king presents Nobel prizes
The theme of Saturday's Nobel banquet was 'Nordic' and Sweden's royal family glittered among the intellectual elite. The evening also provided a brief respite for beleaguered foreign minister Laila Freivalds.
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National: 9 Dec 05
Sweden's travel industry has often won plaudits for the way it dealt with the tsunami disaster, while the government has been slammed in the press and in last week's report. Now foreign minister Laila Freivalds is trying to turn the tables.
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Politics: 8 Dec 05
Divisions have emerged between Sweden's four main opposition parties over how to hold the government to account over the tsunami catstrophe. We want a confidence vote now, says the Centre Party.
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Politics: 6 Dec 05
Sweden's opposition parties have agreed to hold fire on a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Göran Persson until the completion of a Constitutional Committee inquiry in the spring.
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Politics: 3 Dec 05
The target for Swedes' dissatisfaction with the the government's response to the tsunami catastrophe is Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds. And despite Prime Minister Göran Persson's admission of responsibility, most voters are happy for him to remain in office.
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Analysis & Opinion: 2 Dec 05
What Sweden needed after the tsunami was leaders who would bang heads together and deliver a wake-up call. But they were caught sleeping, and should pay the price.
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Politics: 2 Dec 05
Swedish government slammed in tsunami report
Göran Persson apologises for his government's failure to respond to last year’s tsunami disaster, in which over 500 Swedes died. But despite "the strongest criticism of a government in modern times", he insists that nobody will be fired.
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Politics: 1 Dec 05
Göran Persson and Laila Freivalds come in for criticism for the way they handled the tsunami catastrophe last December, in a report on Sweden's response to the disaster in which over 500 Swedes died.
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Smörgåsbord: 18 Nov 05
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National: 18 Nov 05
SEE ALSO: Sweden begins "quick" CIA plane investigation
Foreign minister Laila Freivalds has dismissed claims that CIA planes could have landed at Swedish airports, saying "the whole story is as flat as a pancake". The media aren't so sure.
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National: 3 Nov 05
Sweden's government is to give 15 million kronor to boost peace efforts in the crisis-ridden Darfur region in Sudan.
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Politics: 1 Nov 05
Schools minister Ibrahim Baylan and trade minister Thomas Östros are voted onto the Social Democrats' Executive Committee - but Gothenburg will no longer be represented at the top table.
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National: 15 Oct 05
Sweden's foreign minister Laila Freivalds signs an agreement with the US ambassador which breathes new life into cooperation between the Swedish National Space Board and NASA.
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National: 11 Oct 05
Thomas Hammarberg has been made head of a major European human rights watchdog, joining a long and distinguished line of Swedes who have led international organizations.
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Politics: 30 Sep 05
Swedish Foreign Minister Laila Freivalds rejects an Austrian call to reword the European Union negotiating framework for accession talks with Turkey set to start next week.
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National: 27 Sep 05
"No guarantees" said the Swedish government when Mehdi Ghezali was released from the Guantanamo base on Cuba. But according to a TV programme, Sweden agreed to keep Ghezali under observation and to report back to the United States.
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National: 7 Sep 05
Russia has denied a visa extension to a Swedish journalist, Bert Sundström, who works for the public TV channel SVT. Cue a flurry of Swedish diplomacy - and no comment from Russia.
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Smörgåsbord: 7 Jul 05
The prime minister and the foreign minister break off their holidays as fears rise that some of the 40,000 Swedes living in London were caught up in Thursday's terrorist attacks.
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Society: 21 Jun 05
The UN's human rights commissioner has turned down Sweden's request to investigate what happened when two terror susptects were deported to Egypt. It's already clear that Sweden were in breach of the convention against torture, said the commissioner.
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Smörgåsbord: 15 Jun 05
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National: 7 Jun 05
A report from the catastrophe commission backs up months of criticism: despite a desperate need for assistance in Thailand after the tsunami on Boxing Day last year, the Swedish healthcare authorities reacted too slowly.
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National: 15 Apr 05
The Swedish government is facing renewed criticism for the deportation of two Egyptian terrorist suspects in 2001. "Sweden now has no authority to talk to other countries about human rights," says Human Rights Watch.
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National: 29 Mar 05
Two young Swedish holidaymakers are missing as the west coast of Indonesia suffers its second huge earthquake in three months. There was no tsunami this time, but many hundreds are still feared dead. It looks like the Swedish government have learned from their mistakes, however, as they give a textbook response.
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Politics: 21 Mar 05
Sweden’s centre-right coalition would win a clear majority if a general election were held today. And Fredrik Reinfeldt’s Moderates have overtaken the ruling Social Democrats for the first time in over five years.
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Politics: 22 Feb 05
Prime Minister Göran Persson’s office submits a “very thin” report to the commission investigating the tsunami disaster. Meanwhile, the foreign ministry’s submission outlines failures in the department’s leadership.
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Politics: 13 Feb 05
Sweden’s foreign minister reopens the debate into her handling of the South Asian tsunami disaster. She says that she reacted slowly to events in Thailand because she did not realise that Phuket was a popular destination for Swedes.
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Politics: 30 Jan 05
The ski resort of Åre in northern Sweden is to play host to a Nato conference attended by some of the world's most powerful politicians. Is Sweden's cooperation with Nato moving to a new level?
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Politics: 27 Jan 05
Laila Freivalds gets round-the-clock protection from the security police as, following the government's handling of the tsunami catastrophe, she remains the focus of public fury - and a Magnus Uggla song.
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Politics: 18 Jan 05
Sweden’s Prime Minister and his Nordic colleagues extract a promise from Thai authorities to help find their countrymen in the wake of the tsunami disaster, while Swedish lawmakers move to speed up the process of death declarations.
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Politics: 12 Jan 05
The prime minister says civil servants are to blame for his failure to act quickly after the South East Asian disaster. But critics ask why he needed a fax from Bangkok to realise the situation was serious.
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Politics: 11 Jan 05
Göran Persson may have broken Sweden's constitutional law by not keeping the king abreast of developments in Asia. And it turns out that foreign minister Laila Freivalds' infamous theatre trip came after two faxes warning of Swedish deaths in Thailand.
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National: 10 Jan 05
In a moving speech King Carl Gustaf reminds victims of the tsunami that he knows how it feels to grow up without a father and "like the king in the fairytale" wishes he could make everything all right. But in a newspaper interview he reveals that it took the government 36 hours to brief him on events in Asia.
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Politics: 6 Jan 05
The government goes on the defensive as the foreign secretary expresses her regret over "that theatre visit" on the day the tsunami struck. Göran Persson also admits that maybe the government didn't get everything right while the press tries to find out what really happened at the UD and Harpsund.
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Politics: 30 Dec 04
Sweden's shock and sorrow is turning to anger as newspapers reveal the government's lack of disaster preparation, failure to grasp the scale of the crisis and incompetence in organising relief to stranded Swedes as the effects of Sunday's tsunami became clearer.
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National: 29 Dec 04
The Prime Minister declares New Year's Day a national day of mourning and warns that the death toll "will increase significantly".
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National: 28 Dec 04
Sweden's foreign minister begins preparing the country for the worst as she sets off for the disaster zone and Göran Persson expresses his "deep sympathy for those who are still living with the anxiety" of uncertainty about loved ones.
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National: 27 Dec 04
At least ten Swedes are confirmed dead, 80 are injured and many more are still missing after tsunami triggered by a massive earthquake rip through tourist resorts popular among Scandinavians.
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National: 13 Dec 04
Two 'terror suspects' were allegedly hooded, chained and drugged as they were deported to Egypt from Sweden by US agents in the aftermath of September 11 2001. The Swedish government knew about it, but kept quiet for fear of rocking the boat with Egypt.
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Politics: 25 Nov 04
The Green Party clarifies its opposition to an EU army by supporting the government's proposal to commit Swedish soldiers to an EU army, while the leader of the Left Party explains how "Sweden has become an accessory to the violence against Iraqi civilians".
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Politics: 5 Nov 04
It was a generally underwhelming response from Sweden's politicians and press to George W Bush's victory in this week's US election. Only the Greens, the Left and Aftonbladet got off the fence to say just how upset they were.
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Smörgåsbord: 30 Sep 04
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Smörgåsbord: 8 Sep 04
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Politics: 1 Sep 04
At last the Swedish government gets stuck into the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. About time, say critics.
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Politics: 6 Aug 04
A new pair of scandals for the government this week. One black sheep returns to the ministerial fold after her business fails and Bosse Ringholm forgets to collect some taxes - from the football club where he is the chairman.
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National: 9 Jul 04
Mehdi Ghezali is released from Guantanamo Bay after two and a half years' imprisonment.
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Smörgåsbord: 18 Jun 04
Fabulous footballers, Sweden's man in Baghdad, a murderous wife and a long-haired loon. The heroes and villains of the week - and not a pip about Knutby.
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Politics: 23 Apr 04
Don't panic - it's just an eye-catching headline. But with talk of NATO, a proper army and an embassy attacked, you never know...
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As diverse as Sweden is, there are a few societal norms that are distinctly Swedish. Understanding a handful of them will hopefully prepare you culturally before you relocate. When you're invited home to a Swede, you better be on time and take your shoes off, writes expat Lola Akinmade-Åkerström. Read more »
Sweden is a country where almost everyone can speak English. So why bother to learn Swedish? Edina Varnagy from Hungary managed with English for a whole year but then found that Swedish could open doors – to a job, a social life and greater understanding. Read more »
"The ice dripped in the winter sun. It was the first day when the light had been intense enough to cause dripping in the sunlight. To hear it was an extraordinary wakeup call. The cycle was happening again as it always does, always will (or so we think). I imagined that on my summer island, the bees..." READ »
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fin
adjective
Fin means anyhting from sweet to proper. When someone says, Du är så fin it's quite a compliment.
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