Russia

The following articles have been tagged with "Russia":

Turkey PM hails 'friend' Reinfeldt

National: 17 Mar 10
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's decision to distance himself from a Swedish parliament vote on the massacre of Armenians by Ottoman Turks has been hailed as "very positive" by his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. READ »

Auschwitz theft suspect awaits extradition

National: 11 Mar 10
Former Swedish neo-Nazi Anders Högström is to be extradited to Poland in connection with the theft of the "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign from the Auschwitz death camp, Stockholm district court ruled on Thursday. READ »

Sweden helping Chechen 'bandits': Russia

Politics: 9 Mar 10
Russian president Dmitry Medvedev hit out at Sweden for providing a home for Chechen "bandits" as leading politicians from the two countries met at the Kremlin on Tuesday. READ »

Trove of shipwrecks found in Baltic Sea

National: 9 Mar 10
A dozen previously unknown shipwrecks have been found on the bed of the Baltic Sea; some of them are thought to up to 1,000 years old, the Swedish National Heritage Board said on Monday. READ »

Government opposes plan to scale down domestic defence

National: 7 Mar 10
A squabble evidently is in the making between the government and Swedish Armed Forces, that is calling for reduced spending on home defence. READ »

Saab's Russian backer seeks clean slate

Business & Money: 4 Mar 10
Vladimir Antonov, the Russian businessman and backer of Spyker Cars' takeover of Saab, has launched a campaign to clear his name from allegations of money laundering and organised crime. READ »

Sweden sets sights on easing Russian relations

Politics: 3 Mar 10
A diplomatic thaw between Sweden and Russia appears to be imminent. On Tuesday Fredrik Reinfeldt and Carl Bildt will head to Moscow to meet prime minister Vladimir Putin and president Dmitrij Medvedev. READ »

Lagerbäck appointed Nigeria coach

National: 27 Feb 10
Following his resignation from the Swedish football team in October 2009, Lars Lagerbäck has been appointed Nigeria's coach until the end of the World Cup in South Africa, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced on Saturday. READ »

Swedes strike gold in cross country relay

Sport: 25 Feb 10
Sweden claimed the 4x10 kilometres cross country relay gold on Wednesday, for a record fifth time. Norway settled for silver with the Czechs taking the bronze. READ »

'Saab purchase delayed': Spyker CEO

Business & Money: 23 Feb 10
The purchase of Swedish car maker Saab by Spyker, scheduled to be completed on Tuesday, could be delayed by another day, the Dutch firm's CEO Victor Muller said on Tuesday. READ »

Swedes claim silver in cross country sprint

Sport: 23 Feb 10
Sweden claimed a valiant silver behind Germany in the women's cross country team sprint event at Vancouver Winter Olympics on Monday, the team's fifth medal in the sport. READ »

Ikea forecasts 'flat' profits for 2010

Business & Money: 22 Feb 10
In a rare comment on Swedish furniture giant Ikea's financials Monday, the firm's CEO reported flat profits for 2009 with more of the same forecast for 2010. READ »

Swedes beat Finland to reach hockey last eight

National: 22 Feb 10
Sweden clinched a place in the last eight of the Vancouver Winter Olympic hockey tournament with a 3-0 win over Finland on Sunday evening. READ »

Sweden and Norway in sprint clash

Sport: 22 Feb 10
Old rivals and neighbours Sweden and Norway will meet in both the men's and women's team sprints to decide who gets the cross-country bragging rights at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic games. READ »

Antonov pledges $100 million for Saab deal

National: 19 Feb 10
Vladimir Antonov, the Russian businessman and backer of Spyker Cars, has pledged that he is ready to lend $100 million to the Dutch car maker in order to finance their takeover of Saab. READ »

Ikea founder 'cried like a baby' over Russian bribery scandal

Business & Money: 19 Feb 10
Ikea's founder Ingvar Kamprad on Friday expressed "distress" over a bribery affair which has led to the firing of the Swedish furniture giant's two top managers of its Russian division. READ »

Russian businessman finances Saab deal

National: 18 Feb 10
Vladimir Antonov, the Russian businessman forced to step aside as a condition of the takeover of Saab by Dutch Spyker, has claimed that his banks have financed the first downpayment to General Motors. READ »

Swedes irked by biathlon hold up

Sport: 16 Feb 10
Sweden's coaching team was left fuming on Wednesday as 10km pursuit medal hopeful Anna-Carin Olofsson-Zidek was held up at the starting line. READ »

Spyker chief opens door to Russian owner

Business & Money: 16 Feb 10
Spyker CEO Viktor Muller has declared that he would welcome the return of controversial Russian financier Vladimir Antonov to the firm, which recently announced the takeover of Sweden's Saab Automobile. READ »

Forsberg defies age and injury to lead Sweden

Sport: 16 Feb 10
Swedish ice-hockey's talisman, Peter Forsberg, reports that he is winning his fight to be fit to seek his third Olympic crown with the Tre Kronor national team. READ »

Söderling sets sights on top 5 after Rotterdam win

Sport: 15 Feb 10
Swedish tennis player Robin Söderling has set his sights on claiming a top five spot in the ATP world rankings after on Sunday becoming the first Swede in almost two decades to win the Rotterdam Open. READ »

Swede denies Auschwitz sign theft charges

National: 12 Feb 10
One-time neo-Nazi leader Anders Högström has denied the charges against him following his arrest on Thursday in connection with the theft of the "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign from Auschwitz. READ »

Swedbank reports heavy losses

Business & Money: 9 Feb 10
Swedbank has reported a bigger than expected operating loss of 1.6 billion kronor ($226.7 million) for the final quarter of 2009, yet the bank's CEO Michael Wolf sees opportunities for profits in 2010. READ »

Swedes draw Dutch and Finns in Euro 2012 qualifiers

Sport: 7 Feb 10
Sweden face Holland, Hungary and neighbours Finland in a Euro 2012 qualification group that gives Erik Hamrén's side a chance to settle old scores. READ »

Kalla shows Olympic form in Nordic skiing win

Sport: 6 Feb 10
Charlotte Kalla has triumphed. In a freestyle Nordic skiing race she outclassed the overall World Cup champion in an impressive victory. READ »

Russian officer denies Swedish dumping report

National: 5 Feb 10
The former commander of the Russian navy's Baltic fleet denied on Friday that Russia dumped radioactive and chemical waste into Swedish waters in the Baltic Sea in the early 1990s. READ »

Reinfeldt seeks answers on Russian dumping

National: 5 Feb 10
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has asked for an explanation from the previous Social Democrat government over Russia's release of toxic waste into Swedish waters in the Baltic Sea. READ »

Russian nuclear waste dumped off Sweden

National: 4 Feb 10
The Russian military is suspected of having dumped chemical weapons and radioactive waste off the Swedish island of Gotland in the beginning of the 1990s. READ »

Electrolux stock falls on gloomy forecast

Business & Money: 3 Feb 10
Swedish appliances firm Electrolux reported solid 2009 profits on Wednesday. But a weak forecast pushed the company's stock into a nosedive. READ »

Sweden and Poland push for nuclear arms cuts

Politics: 2 Feb 10
Sweden and Poland have joined forces in calling on the United States and Russia to sharply reduce their nuclear weapons arsenals in Europe. READ »

Sky darkens over Spyker-Saab funding

Business & Money: 2 Feb 10
Spyker CEO Victor Muller is missing a third of the funds required to complete the purchase of Saab from GM as questions mount over the secret financiers rumoured to be backing the deal. READ »

Government probe halted Saab-Spyker deal

National: 30 Jan 10
An investigation ordered by the Swedish government into the workings of Spyker and its Russian investors landed on the desk of the FBI and put a temporary stop to the Saab deal being reached. READ »

Swede awarded UN top job in Afghanistan

National: 28 Jan 10
Long-serving Swedish diplomat Staffan de Mistura has been appointed by UN chief Ban Ki-moon as his new envoy to Afghanistan. READ »

'Auschwitz wasn't on another planet'

Analysis & Opinion: 27 Jan 10
On the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Stockholm-based Israeli journalist David Stavrou reflects on the importance of memory and self-examination, in Sweden and beyond, if we are to avoid recurrences of a catastrophe that was entirely man-made. READ »

The inside track: Spyker

Analysis & Opinion: 26 Jan 10
Dutch luxury sportscar maker Spyker, which is to buy Sweden's Saab from US auto giant General Motors, is a minnow in the global automotive industry. READ »

Trading in Spyker halted on Dutch exchange

Business & Money: 26 Jan 10
Trading in Dutch sports car maker Spyker has been halted on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange as speculation mounts about a takeover of Saab Automobile. READ »

Dutch billionaire could save Saab: report

Business & Money: 25 Jan 10
Dutch billionaire businessman Marcel Boekhoorn has upped his investment in Saab suitor Spyker, replacing the Russian bankers who represented a stumbling block to the deal for General Motors, according to Swedish media reports. READ »

Swede gives millions to German anti-Islam party

National: 25 Jan 10
Swedish far-right businessman Patrik Brinkmann has announced he will pour €5 million ($7.1 million) into the coffers of Pro NRW, an anti-Islam populist party based in Cologne, Germany. READ »

Four years in jail for Indian smuggling ring

National: 21 Jan 10
A 38-year-old man has been jailed for four years for his part in running a smuggling ring specialized in spiriting Indians through Sweden to other countries in Europe. READ »

Police hunt for double murder suspect

National: 19 Jan 10
Police in southern Sweden have put out a warrant for the arrest of a 35-year old man for the murder of two men found in the trunk of a burning car near Halmstad on Sweden's west coast earlier this month. READ »

Swedes claim surprise double in Nordic skiing World Cup

Sport: 18 Jan 10
Sweden picked up an unexpected pair of victories in the men’s and women’s Nordic skiing World Cup competition in Estonia on Sunday. READ »

Moderate in the poo over immigrant labour claims

Politics: 11 Jan 10
An aide to Sweden's prime minister was put on the defensive on Monday following a Facebook passage in which he praised pro-employment policies that resulted in immigrant labourers cleaning up faeces on the weekend. READ »

Spyker confirms revised Saab bid

National: 8 Jan 10
Dutch sports car maker Spyker has confirmed that it submitted a renewed bid for Saab Automobile before the expiry of General Motors' Thursday evening deadline. READ »

Spyker to submit third Saab bid: report

National: 7 Jan 10
Dutch luxury car maker Spyker is planing to approach General Motors on Thursday with a third bid for the US car maker's Swedish unit Saab Automobile, according to media reports. READ »

GM extends deadline for Saab sale: report

Business & Money: 30 Dec 09
General Motors has extended its December 31st deadline for the sale of Saab Automobile, according to a Saab official. Meanwhile, Swedish unions have turned to Washington for help in urging GM to sell the Swedish automaker. READ »

Spyker chief 'very optimistic' over Saab bid

National: 29 Dec 09
Saab suitor Spyker remains hopeful that it can snap up the iconic brand from General Motors despite previous reports of a rebuttal from the Swedish car maker's US owner. READ »

China's Geely: from fridge parts to car giant

Business & Money: 23 Dec 09
The Geely group, which US auto giant Ford said Wednesday had agreed to terms for buying its Swedish brand Volvo, began as a refrigerator parts supplier but, in just two decades, has grown into one of China's largest private carmakers. READ »

Swedish unions upbeat after Spyker talks

National: 22 Dec 09
Representatives for two of Sweden's formost trade unions met with with Spyker on Monday to discuss the Dutch sports car maker's last gasp bid for GM's beleaguered Saab Automobile unit. READ »

Mystery Dutch billionaire behind Spyker bid: report

Business & Money: 22 Dec 09
A Dutch billionaire is the main financier behind Spyker's latest bid for Swedish automaker Saab, according to several insider sources. READ »

Spyker extends Saab deal deadline

National: 21 Dec 09
Dutch car maker Spyker has dropped its Monday evening bid deadline and remains in talks with General Motors over the possible purchase of Saab. Sweden's government has pledged to aid Saab workers if the deal falls through. READ »

Spyker and GM in last ditch Saab talks

National: 21 Dec 09
The head of Dutch sports car maker Spyker met with General Motors on Monday afternoon in a final attempt to convince the US auto company to sell Saab Automobile, the iconic Swedish brand facing an imminent wind-down. READ »

Analysts wary of Spyker bid amid crisis talks

National: 21 Dec 09
Sweden's government held crisis talks with union representatives in Stockholm on Monday as the clock ticks down on Saab Automobile's stay of execution. READ »

No deal with Spyker due to Russian owner

National: 19 Dec 09
An insider source with information about the Saab closure claims that US car maker General Motors did not sell its Swedish unit to Dutch Spyker due to concern about too many inconsistencies surrounding Russian joint owner Vladimir Antonov. READ »

Swedish Rail Destinations: the surreal attractions of Piteå

Travel: 17 Dec 09
From sunbathing at midnight in summer to long walks over frozen ice in winter, Piteå is never short on fun and surreal activities. READ »

Diplomat and wife jailed for smuggling cigarettes

National: 16 Dec 09
A North Korean diplomat and his wife have been sentenced to eight months in prison by a court in Stockholm for attempting to smuggle more than 230,000 cigarettes into Sweden. READ »

Plot thickens over Russian pantyhose probe

National: 16 Dec 09
The mystery surrounding why exactly a Swedish diplomat was selling smuggled pantyhose in a Moscow kiosk grew on Tuesday as the Swedish foreign ministry alleged the Russian media portrayal of the incident was a deliberate smear attempt. READ »

World's children ask Santa for video games and puppies

Society: 15 Dec 09
Boys and girls around the world have video games, Lego and pets at the top of their Christmas wish lists this year, according to the Swedish postal service, which has steamed open letters addressed to Santa Claus in Tomteboda. READ »

Swedish envoy in Russian pantyhose probe

National: 15 Dec 09
A Swedish diplomat has left his post in Moscow after police interrogated him about allegedly selling women's stockings smuggled from Belarus, according to Russian television. READ »

Swedish one-two in World Cup biathlon sprint

Sport: 11 Dec 09
Returning mum Anna-Carin Olofsson-Zidek and last year's number one Helena Jonsson finished top of the pile in Friday's World Cup sprint event at Hochfilzen in Austria. READ »

Professor trashes Saab suitor Spyker

Business & Money: 11 Dec 09
Dutch luxury sports carmaker Spyker, which has expressed its interest in buying Saab Automobile, is an even less reliable potential suitor than Koenigsegg, claims a professor in industrial organization. READ »

Müller slams Russia at Nobel awards ceremony

Society: 11 Dec 09
While the glittering Nobel Prize ceremony opened to a trumpet fanfare, Herta Müller, winner of the Nobel Literature Prize, criticized a number of countries, including Russia, for their lack of commitment to human rights. READ »

Swedish students falling behind in maths: study

Education: 9 Dec 09
Swedish high school students’ skills in maths and physics have declined considerably in the last decade, according to the results of an international study. READ »

Thousands of Iraqis granted Swedish asylum

National: 8 Dec 09
Sweden granted protection to 8,700 asylum seekers in 2008, with Iraqis accounting for almost half the total, according to new figures from EU statistics office Eurostat. READ »

December in Sweden: From candle-head girls to jellied veal

Lifestyle: 1 Dec 09
The Year in Sweden - December: Journalist Kim Loughran sketches a month by month account of the country he has called home ever since his accidental migration in 1966. READ »

Russia bans imports of Swedish meat

National: 1 Dec 09
Nine Swedish meat processing facilities have had their licences to export to Russia revoked after failing Russian meat inspections carried out last spring. READ »

Söderling falls in ATP semis

Sport: 29 Nov 09
Swedish tennis star Robin Söderling lost his semi-final in the ATP World Tour tennis championships in London on Saturday in a dramatic three set match against Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro. READ »

Defeated Söderling marches on to ATP semis

Sport: 28 Nov 09
Swedish tennis star Robin Söderling was beaten by Russia's Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets on Friday at the ATP World Tour Finals in London. But two heavyweight wins earlier in the week secure his semi-final place. READ »

Wife's pregnancy blamed for prostitute visit

Society: 26 Nov 09
A high-ranking manager at a Swedish state-owned company has admitted he paid for sex with a prostitute because he hadn’t had sex with his pregnant wife for five months. READ »

Söderling upends Nadal in London ATP finals

Sport: 23 Nov 09
Swedish tennis star Robin Söderling claimed a two set victory over world number two Rafael Nadal at the ATP World Tour Finals in London on Monday. READ »

North Korean diplomats' smuggling scheme up in smoke

National: 20 Nov 09
Two North Korean diplomats are being held on suspicion of trying to smuggle 230,000 cigarettes from Russia into Sweden. READ »

Reinfeldt pushes for consensus on EU leader

Politics: 19 Nov 09
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt made a last ditch effort on Wednesday night to get EU leaders to agree on a candidate to become the European Union’s first president. READ »

EU expresses Russia human rights concerns

Politics: 18 Nov 09
Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt expressed concern on Wednesday over human rights deficiencies in Russia. Reinfeldt, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, was speaking at the end of an EU-Russia summit. READ »

Sweden hopes gas talks don't turn poisonous at EU-Russia summit

Analysis & Opinion: 16 Nov 09
EU and Russian leaders will open summit talks in Sweden on Wednesday in an atmosphere clouded by uneasy relations between Moscow and Stockholm over human rights and last's year's war in Georgia. READ »

TeliaSonera in new bid to end Turkcell dispute

Business & Money: 12 Nov 09
Nordic telecom operator TeliaSonera and Russia’s Altimo have decided to combine their stakes in MegaFon and Turkcell in an attempt to end a long-running ownership dispute. READ »

Dating site singles out Swedes as world's most beautiful men

Society: 12 Nov 09
Swedish men have been judged as the world’s best looking by a dating website especially for beautiful people, while blokes from Britain have landed near the bottom of the list. READ »

Sweden calls summit over EU top jobs

Politics: 11 Nov 09
Sweden, which currently hold the rotating EU presidency, has called an extraordinary meeting in Brussels next week with the aim of presenting candidates for the new positions of president and foreign policy chief. READ »

Swedish swimmers shine while Phelps disappoints in Stockholm

Sport: 11 Nov 09
Swedish swimmer Stefan Nystrand set a new national record at the short-course World Cup in Stockholm on Tuesday, while American Olympic sensation Michael Phelps failed to live up to expectations. READ »

Social Democrats slam Nord Stream approval

Business & Money: 6 Nov 09
Sweden’s decision to allow the Russian-led Nord Stream gas pipeline to pass through its territorial waters has prompted a scathing response from the political opposition. READ »

Sweden to pay more asylum seekers to leave

National: 6 Nov 09
Sweden has decided to expand a programme which gives unsuccessful asylum seekers money to voluntarily return to their homelands, at the same time as the number of refugee applications continues to drop. READ »

Boxers pin passenger in mid-air scare

National: 5 Nov 09
A Swedish prosecutor is pushing for a longer sentence for a Latvian man who was jailed for eight months after attempting to open a cabin door on board a Ryanair plane. The man was restrained by two professional boxers. READ »

Sweden gives all clear to Baltic Sea gas pipeline

National: 5 Nov 09
The Swedish government on Thursday gave its permission for German firm Nord Stream AG to lay down pipelines for transporting natural gas from Russia to Germany through the Swedish economic zone of the Baltic Sea. READ »

Engineering firm ABB sees profits rise as expected

Business & Money: 29 Oct 09
Net profits at Swedish-Swiss engineering group ABB jumped 12 percent in the third quarter to $1.03 billion, the company announced on Thursday. READ »

Swedish historian touts Nordic power bloc

Politics: 27 Oct 09
Sweden and its four Nordic neighbours should consider forming a federation in order to increase the region’s international weight, a Swedish historian proposes. The 'bloc of ice' would be headed by Denmark's Queen Margrethe. READ »

Sahlin demands answers over KGB revelations

Politics: 26 Oct 09
Social Democrat leader Mona Sahlin has called on writer Jan Guillou to lift the lid on any information he may have passed to the KGB about her party. Guillou has confessed to working for the KGB but insists his assignments were of a journalistic nature. READ »

Injury forces Söderling out of Stockholm Open

Sport: 25 Oct 09
Robin Söderling was forced to pull out of his semi-final match on Saturday due to an elbow injury, ending hopes of a first tournament victory for the home favourite. READ »

Writer Guillou admits KGB connection

National: 24 Oct 09
Prominent Swedish author and journalist Jan Guillou had liaisons spanning five years with the Soviet intelligence service in the 1960s. Guillou maintains he was trying to reveal how the KGB was operating in Sweden. READ »

Swedes discover British WWI sub in Baltic Sea

Science & Technology: 23 Oct 09
A British submarine which disappeared in the Baltic Sea during the First World War has been discovered by a Swedish expedition off the Estonian island of Dagö. READ »

Söderling cruises into second round at Stockholm Open

Sport: 22 Oct 09
Robin Söderling continued his quest to gain a spot in next month's ATP finals, defeating Giovanni Lapentti 6-3, 6-0 on Wednesday in the first round of the Stockholm Open. READ »

ABB forecasts profits of one billion dollars

Business & Money: 19 Oct 09
Swedish-Swiss engineering group ABB expects third quarter net profits to hit one billion dollars, the company announced on Monday. READ »

Swedish secret agent's 15th century castle up for auction

Society: 13 Oct 09
A 15th century castle in southern Sweden belonging to a man who once supplied secret Russian technology to the Swedish military, is set to go up for auction in November. READ »

Swedish firm snaps up Russian farmland

Business & Money: 12 Oct 09
A Swedish company is aiming to help meet the world's growing grain needs by buying up vast swathes of highly arable "black earth" land in Russia. READ »

Pakistan Swedes arrive home

National: 11 Oct 09
The four Swedes deported from Pakistan arrived at Stockholm Arlanda airport late on Saturday night. They were met by plain clothes police and appeared tired from their ordeal. READ »

Terror suspect Swedes freed from Pakistan

National: 10 Oct 09
The Swedish foreign ministry has confirmed that four Swedish citizens, arrested in Pakistan in August as terrorist suspects, have been released and put on a flight to Stockholm. READ »

Pakistan to free Swede held in terror probe

National: 7 Oct 09
The 19-year-old Safia Benaouda and her two-year-old son, who have been imprisoned in Pakistan since August, are to be released “shortly”, according to the Swedish foreign ministry. READ »

Arctic Sea sister ship runs aground off Sweden

National: 4 Oct 09
A freighter belonging to the owners of the hijacked cargo vessel Arctic Sea has run aground off Sweden, a Swedish coastguard official said on Saturday. READ »

Sweden pushes India and China to act on climate

Politics: 26 Sep 09
Sweden is calling for less talk and more action from major emerging economies in climate issues after Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt raised concerns over progress while addressing world leaders this week. READ »

Woman 'not a suspect' in Pakistan terror probe

National: 17 Sep 09
The head of the Muslim Council of Sweden, Helena Benaouda, expressed relief on Thursday that her daughter, arrested three weeks ago along with her child and two other Swedes, is not considered a terror suspect by Pakistani authorities. READ »