Swedish News

Sweden is best! Swedes don’t smoke much. No wedding for Princess Lillian.  

• Sweden is best!
  As if we needed to tell you! But sometimes you need to hear what’s obvious, right? And since we just celebrated Sweden’s National Day (June 6), it’s OK to brag a little. “I’m not saying we’re perfect,” says Bo Ekman at Tällberg Foundation. “But the results are interesting.” Ekman is referring to the list of lists, brought together by Tällberg Foundation, and culled from sixteen different indexes made by the UN as well as various universities and organizations and foundations in order to show different countries and their position when it comes to a variety of aspects. Taken into account is human rights, environment, democracy, corruption, freedom of press, equality, the peace and happiness of the people, and competitiveness. And Sweden tops that list. “I believe it’s the result of a very long development that has to do with allemansrätten (the right of public access), women’s rights, our legislation, and the fact that we’re on friendly footing with other countries. The Swedish soul is pragmatic and firm and that creates a society which has a good balance when it comes to environment and economy,” Ekman continues. The one point where Sweden is not on top is environment for enterprise. The countries are given numbers, the smaller the number the better the placement. Sweden’s number is 4.44, followed by Norway (6.44), Denmark (7.44), Finland (10.56), Iceland (10.56) and Switzerland (13.50). Germany’s number is 14.81 and the US 25.06.

• Swedes don’t smoke much
  Not only is Sweden best in the world, Swedes don’t smoke much either. Of all nations in Europe, Sweden smoke least of all, followed by the Finns. In Sweden, the number of smokers is 16%, in Finland it is 21%. In Greece, as much as 40% smoke, and there are almost as many smokers in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Turkey. Among those in Sweden who have quit smoking, one out of four have used snus (oral moist snuff) to help quitting. Health, family, and friends are what most motivate Swedes who want to quit smoking.

• No wedding for Princess Lillian
  Born in Swansea, Wales in 1915, Princess Lilian is the widow of Prince Bertil, an uncle of King Carl XVI Gustaf. The 95-year old former fashion model will not attend Victoria and Daniel’s wedding, the marshal of the court Elisabeth Palmstierna reveals. Princess Lilian is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and this is the reason she is not going to be there.