Stockholm bomber: family blame Britain for radicalisation
(Telegraph)-Taimur Abdulwahab al-Abdaly showed little interest in religion as he was growing up in Sweden, channelling his energies into sport and partying.
But after he began attending Bedfordshire University in Luton “everything changed” as he became a strict Muslim with increasingly extremist views, even naming his baby son Osama in honour of the al-Qaeda mastermind Osama bin Laden.
On Saturday he blew himself up in a street full of Christmas shoppers in Sweden’s first suicide attack, after recording a message which promised to kill “your children, daughters, brothers and sisters” partly in revenge for the country’s support role in Afghanistan.
Abdulwahab’s radicalisation during his time in Luton once again raised questions over whether British universities are doing enough to stamp out the recruiting of extremists on campus.
In other developments:
* There were fears that Abdulwahab, 28, could have radicalised dozens of students after it was claimed that he preached at his old university in 2007, having been banned from his local mosque because of his extremist views.
* MI5 was investigating whether the bomber had links to other Luton-based terrorists, including one of the ringleaders of the 2004 fertiliser bomb plot.
First Netherlands, then Sweden. Now Austria witnesses rise of far right
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/blog/2010/oct/11/vienna-far-right-gains
Heinz-Christian Strache of the Freedom Party celebrates after getting 27% of the vote in Vienna's elections. Photograph: Ronald Zak/AP
After the Netherlands and Sweden, another stunning electoral surge for the extreme right in Vienna, a city where the centre-left views governance as its birthright.
“Red Vienna” has been a socialist and then social democratic stronghold since the 1920s. There was never any chance of Michael Häupl, the incumbent and long-serving SPÖ (social democratic) mayor, losing his job. But the customary absolute majority in Vienna’s gargantuan mock-gothic town hall is gone, perhaps for a long time. That makes yesterday’s vote a bit of a watershed.
Former dental technician Heinz-Christian Strache, the loud extreme right leader who is heir to the late Jörg Haider, was the real winner of the poll. He came second with a staggering 27% to the SPÖ’s 44%. That is the social democrats’ worst result since 1996, when Haider was in his prime, and the second worst result ever.
Swedish vote ends in hung parliament
Supporters of the Moderate party cheer on the election results as they are announced in Stockholm, on September 19.
(AFP) – Sweden’s ruling centre-right coalition won the most votes in a parliamentary election but fell short of a majority, final results showed Monday, as the anti-immigrant far-right entered a hung house with a key position.
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt’s Alliance won 49.2 percent of votes and 172 seats in Sweden’s 349-seat parliament in Sunday’s vote, three short of a majority, according to a final ballot count.
The leftwing opposition coalition garnered 43.7 percent of the ballot and 157 seats, marking a crushing defeat for Social Democrat Mona Sahlin, 53.
“We have received broad support tonight,” Reinfeldt told a jubilant crowd in Stockholm, boasting that his Moderate party had seen its voter support double from 15 percent in 2002 to 30 percent on Sunday.
Yet, he acknowledged, “this is not the election result we had hoped for,” lamenting the far-right Sweden Democrats’ entry into parliament for the first time, with 5.7 percent of the vote, and 20 seats in the house.
Even with a handful of parliamentary seats, observers have cautioned the far-right party could play either kingmaker or spoiler, forcing Reinfeldt to seek new alliances or even make it so difficult to govern that snap polls are forced.
Innovations workshop marks 60 years of bilateral ties
May 25, 2010 Filed under Commerce & consulates
By Liang Meilan
Sweden and China celebrated six decades of diplomatic relations this month with a series of events, including the launch of Sweden’s first official website for Chinese users, an innovation workshop and a technology exhibition.
A workshop participant introduces the multifunctional hook she designed. Photo by Jeffrey Lan
First among websites
Sweden was the first Western country to establish diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic, so it is fitting that it also be the first to launch a website specifically designed for Chinese users.
Sweden.cn was unveiled May 15 at D Lounge club in Sanlitun by Swedish Ambassador Mikael Lindstrom and Stefan Geens, the site designer and chief creative director of the Shanghai Expo’s Sweden Pavilion.
“There is much information on various countries in Chinese on the Internet. But this is the first time that someone has made the site in China, made it the way Chinese people want and put it on a Chinese server,” Lindstrom said.
Like consumer products such as soft drinks and computers, a country should also have a website to showcase its “brand value,” Geens said. “Only through daily updated information online can we let others know the country more intimately … Chinese people have a positive image of Sweden, but they don’t know much about the country, therefore the website is really needed.”
The site allows netizens to listen to popular Swedish music; find information about study, work, business and travel in the Scandinavian country; learn about its famed designers, fashion icons, athletes, inventions and even recipes. The articles are original Chinese pieces and not merely translations of English or Swedish, Geens said.
He said users can “collect” their favorite parts of Sweden.cn and share them on Chinese social-networking sites like Douban, Kaixin001 and Renren. He said the site is independent of the Swedish Embassy’s own website.
Swedish prince has relationship with glamour model
Prince Carl Philip, right, and 25 year-old bikini model Sofia Hellqvist Photo: REX FEATURES / GETTY
(Telegraph)-Sweden’s playboy prince has struck up a relationship with a glamour model who posed topless with a python wrapped around her body, forcing the country’s much-loved monarchy on to the defensive.
Prince Carl Philip, who is second in line to the throne, broke off his decade-long relationship with an advertising executive after meeting the 25 year-old bikini model Sofia Hellqvist.
Miss Hellqvist shot to fame when she posed for a Swedish men’s magazine, Slitz, with only a pair of bikini bottoms and a writhing, mottled snake to preserve her modesty.
News of the love affair between the prince and Miss Hellqvist has captivated Swedish society. While he is believed to have met his new girlfriend’s family, it is understood that she has not been introduced any of his relatives.
The pair are said to have become close last summer after meeting in the exclusive seaside resort town of Bastad and they have since been said to have been on secret trips together in Sweden and New York.
However, the 30-year-old prince, who drives Porsche racing cars and is regarded as one of the world’s most eligible bachelors, has so far refused to confirm or deny the relationship.
“We have no comment to make at all,” the head of the royal press department, Nina Eldh, said.
The prince was ranked ninth in a list of “The 20 Hottest Young Royals” compiled by Forbes magazine in 2008 behind Princes William and Harry, who took places one and two, and Zara Phillips, who was third.
As the only son of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, the prince was the heir to the throne for a few months after he was born in 1979.
But in 1980 the rules of succession were changed and the principle of primogeniture was introduced, meaning that his elder sister, Crown Princess Victoria, 32, is now the rightful heir.
“He comes across as the blacksheep of the family,” a royal watcher told The Daily Telegraph. “Now that he is no longer next in line to the throne, he does his own thing.
“He’s a racing car driver and a bit of a wild child. But he also designs his own range of cutlery and he’s studying at an agricultural college in southern Sweden.”
The prince, who also carries the title Duke of Varmland, has been a regular on Stockholm’s nightclub scene after breaking up last year with his long-time girlfriend, PR executive Emma Pernald, after 10 years.
Miss Pernald told a Swedish magazine, Expressen, that she and the prince made a mutual decision to go their separate ways, but gave no further details on the exact reason for the split.
The prince’s new love, who has also appeared on the popular reality television show, Paradise Hotel, in which a group of single people are marooned in a luxury tropical resort and compete to find a partner, could cause some awkward scenes this summer when his sister, Crown Princess Victoria, marries her boyfriend, a commoner and the owner of a gym, in a church next to the royal palace in Stockholm.
The event, on June 19, will receive huge coverage in Sweden, where the last royal wedding was between the king and queen in 1976.
“Can you imagine her turning up? It could be very embarrassing if the prince tries to bring her along,” said a Swedish television journalist.
Lapland’s part in EU foreign policy
Alexander Stubb
Last weekend, Finland’s foreign minister gathered six of his colleagues and the EU’s foreign affairs chief, Catherine Ashton, in the frozen far reaches of Lapland for two days of talks on the future of European foreign policy.
As informal ministerial gatherings go, it was a rather jolly (if cold) affair, complete with a ‘family photo’ taken with a pair of nervous reindeer, a chance to see the northern lights and activities such as skiing, sledging and snow-mobiling. Some of the ministers even brought along their families.
But as well as a relaxing weekend staying in luxurious cabins 250 km inside the Arctic Circle in the village of Saariselka, what exactly is the point?
Alexander Stubb, Finland’s young and energetic foreign minister, well know for doing triathlons and for his near-permanent grin, says such retreats help foreign ministers get to know each other better and allow them to discuss critical issues without outside pressure. First, they don’t have to worry about reaching hard-headed decisions, and equally they don’t have advisers whispering in their ears or minute-takers holding them to their every word. It’s an open-ended chat among colleagues about topics close to their heart.
France’s foreign minister, Bernard Kouchner, and his Italian counterpart, Franco Frattini, certainly backed up that impression as they relaxed in jeans and open-necked shirts and chatted openly with a handful of journalists also invited along. They went snow-mobiling and celebrated Frattini’s 53rd birthday.
In terms of discussions, the participants — who also included the foreign ministers of Sweden, Spain, Turkey and Estonia — covered everything from the EU’s role in the world to sanctions on Iran, developments in the Middle East and the setting up of a European diplomatic corps. Over dinner of reindeer steaks and Lapland cloudberries, they sought to put the world to right.
Sweden: Innovation sustains society
February 25, 2010 Filed under Feature
By Zhang Dongya
Sweden is known for novel inventions like the ATM machine, safety matches, ball bearings and the refrigerator. At the Shanghai Expo 2010, it carries forward that spirit of innovation and ties it to sustainability.
The Swedish Pavilion is shaped like a large square quartered by a cross: a recreation of the Swedish national flag. Three sections represent urban areas and the fourth is an open-air terrace representing nature.
SWECO, a Swedish architectural firm established over 50 years ago, designed this year’s pavilion. The firm has worked in China on sustainable urban development since 2001, and has helped crate many new architectural concepts.
Three keywords were established as Expo cornerstones: innovation, sustainability and communication. These were further developed into Sweden’s theme for the Expo: the Spirit of Innovation.
The theme seeks to capture Sweden’s desire to solve problems, improve the urban environment and demonstratethe importance of communication under a new technological situation.
“Both nature and the cityconveyed in the pavilion are sources of inspiration and innovation,” Christer Stenmark, project manager and team leader, said. “The building is designed to offer surprising meetings with innovative perspectives and to deliver a social content that demonstres openness and interaction.”
Symbolizing the city, the pavilion facade is made of perforated metal and patterned to resemble the street plan of downtown Stockholm, Sweden’s capital. The inner walls are decorated withscenic images from the countryside.
“The design is founded on this three-way relationship. We used urban-rural interaction as a starting point and developed a concept based on a meeting between the city, man and nature. Webelieve that making the leap to sustainable society and a ‘Better city, Better life’ demands creativity in developing innovative solutions that enable city, nature and man to grow together,” Stenmark said.
“It will convey a promise that we are committed to making the world a better place for the next generation,” he said.
The International Noise conspiracy (Sweden)
September 30, 2009 Filed under Yu Shanshan
Comments Off
Event information
Tagline:Let’s Make History!
Host:Yugong Yishan
TypeMusic – Concert
Time and place
Date:6 October 2009
Time:22:00 – 4:00
Location:Yugong Yishan
Street:Zhang Zizhong Road 3-2
Neighbourhood:东城区(Dongcheng)
Phone:64042711
E-mail:info@yugongyishan.com
Description:
THE (INTERNATIONAL) NOISE CONSPIRACY (SWEDEN)
Supporting Acts :
Guai Li, Soviet Pop (new project from 2/3 of Carsick Cars)
Let’s Make History!
Prepare to witness one of the wildest and most uncompromising live acts out there as P.K.14, together with Maybe Mars and Modern Sky are bringing The (International) Noise Conspiracy back to China to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of their first groundbreaking China tour in May 1999. Apart from performing October 4th at the Modern Sky festival, they will stay in Beijing for one extra club show at Yugong Yishan.
Having also stopped over in Beijing in 2005, filling the original Yugong Yishan to the rafters for an unforgettable night, The (International) Noise Conspiracy is back to let you know that they’ve got nothing but their chains to lose, and a world to win. Get ready.
