Swedish News

SAS sells Estonian Air. Far from equal in Swedish film biz. Mankell makes theater of Palme. Madeleine back in Sweden. A 'King of herrings' found in Sweden, a first after 131 years, 

  • SAS sells Estonian Air.
    SAS disinvests, Estonia looks for new owner for its tiny national carrier.A few weeks ago it looked as if Scandinavian Airlines was about to take over the Baltic air carrier, not so anymore. Estonian Air's fleet of six planes will go back to national ownership according to plans drawn up between the country's government in Tallinn and Scandinavian Airline SAS early this week. Estonian Air was created as a state owned carrier in 1991, the year the Baltic nation of 1.3 million people gained independence from the crumbling Soviet Union. Estonia's Economy Minister Juhan Parts signed the preliminary accord with SAS executives and hopes to complete the takeover in June or July.
    SAS currently holds a 49% stake in Estonian Air. The government owns 34% and the remaining 17% belongs to Cresco, an Estonian investment company. A ministerial statement said that the nation does not intend to remain the carrier's principle owner and will seek a new strategic investor.

  • Far from equal in Swedish film biz.
    The message from Swedish female directors to the Swedish Film Institute goes something like this: “You talked the talk, now walk the walk!” In Sweden there are many female film directors, and most of them are also well-educated, yet rarely do they get a chance to show what they can do when it comes to both feature films and made-for-TV movies. Five years ago, twelve people signed a film deal trying to fulfill one of the paragraphs which states that 60-40 of either gender must be represented among those directors, script writers and producers who receive support from the Swedish Film Institute. The goal was set for December 2009. The deal was never fulfilled. So, what went wrong? That question comes up every now and then, but it is mostly directed to the women themselves. And where are they? What are they doing to change their position? Why aren’t they more aggressively grabbing what they want? Film director Lisa Siwe got a Guldbagge (a Swedish Oscar) for her film “I taket lyser stjärnorna”, yet at the recent Swedish film festival in New York City, a festival that showed both old and new Swedish films but with a clear focus on newer films, it was not included. Neither was Teresa Fabik’s “Prinsessa”, a film nominated for a Guldbagge. Women in Film and Television (WIFT) now ask Cissi Elwin Frenkel, CEO of the Swedish Film Institute, to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. They say: “Open the windows and let other stories and voices in – those of women! Half of the money - half of the space, please!”
    About time, isn’t it?

  • Mankell makes theater of Palme.
    Henning Mankell, the renowned Swedish crime writer best known for a series of mystery novels starring Inspector Kurt Wallander, tells media that he has just finished a play about former Swedish prime minister Olof Palme. The name of the play is “Politik” (Politics). “The thought came when I wrote ‘Den orolige mannen’ (‘The Troubled Man’),” he explains. “That book deals with submarines in territorial waters, and my play begins on a submarine and then travels forward in time to after the death of Palme.” Mankell hopes that Michael Nyqvist wants to star in the new play. Nyqvist plays Mikael Blomkvist in the Millenium films, based on Stieg Larsson’s books. Olof Palme was the leader of the Swedish Social Democratic Party from 1969 until his assassination in 1986. He was also the Prime Minister of Sweden twice during that period, heading a Privy Council Government from 1969 to 1976, and a cabinet government from 1982 until the time of his death. Palme’s murder was the first of its kind in modern Swedish history, and had a great impact across Scandinavia. It remains unsolved.

  • Madeleine back in Sweden.
    She’s back in Sweden again, Princess Madeleine, after having licked her wounds in New York City. Her time in the Big Apple was calm and peaceful, just what she wanted it to be. “I suppose that’s why she likes New York so much because few people recognize her. Americans aren’t as interested in European royalty,” said Richard Johnson, editor at New York Post, which recently captured the Princess lunching at the trendy Le Bilboquet on 63rd Street. Madeleine flew back with best friend Lovisa de Geer by her side and seemed, according to eyewitnesses, to be in good spirits. While Madeleine was away, her former fiancé Jonas Bergström moved out of their apartment. A reconciliation between the two is unlikely.

  • A 'King of herrings' found on Sweden's west coast.
    131 years since the Giant Oarfish has been seen in Sweden. Last seen in Swedish waters 131 years ago, a herring known as the Giant Oarfish showed up on a west coast island beach this week and was discovered by a 73 year old Gothenburg fisherman. When he came to his fishing shanty, the dead animal lay floating in the water. At close to 12 ft (3.5 meters) in length, it was hard to miss. Although none has been seen in their lifetimes, experts say that the Giant Oarfish can reach a staggering 50 feet in length and weigh up to 272 kilos. Coming to the surface only when dead, it is usually found in open ocean waters at a depth of 300-600 meters, and the last time it appeared on Swedish shores was in 1879. The Swedish Natural History Museum in Stockholm is considering preservation of the rare herring find.
    One of the four species of the oarfish family is called the king of herrings (Regalecus glesne), considered the longest bony fish alive, at up to 17 metres (56 ft) in length.