Swedish News

Grey zone under the table. Sweden #1 ICT nation. Elin Nordegren demands: No girlfriends in front of the kids. Swedish food close to EU average in price. Swedes have low confidence in “Försäkringskassan”. No nationalists in final election debate.  

  • Grey zone under the table
    Undeclared work is a controversial social phenomenon often perceived as threatening Sweden. But some forms are nonetheless accepted. "If it occurs to a lesser extent and if it is for private use where people have a closer and personal relationship, it is considered okay," says Lotta Björklund Larsen at the University of Stockholm, in a recent thesis. She explains that people justify under the table work as pure exchange or buying cheaply. Many Swedes, she writes, think they pay so much tax that cheating a bit gets something back. "In this way, they achieve a sense of balance and fairness," notes Björklund.

  • Elin demands: No girlfriends in front of the kids
    Elin Nordegren promises not to talk publicly about the scandal that brought her marriage to Tiger Woods down, if he in turn promises not to have any girlfriends in front of their two young children. The details surrounding the divorce come from the British paper Sun, which also reveals that Elin Nordegren is to receive 61 million SEK ($7,855,748.87). Thus Tiger is paying for her to keep mum. She may never talk about his affairs in TV or in newspapers, not even if he should pass away before her. Tiger may not flaunt any girlfriends in front of the children unless he marries. Elin also gets to keep their home in Windermere in Florida (a house worth 36 million SEK - $4,635,821.76), also the house in Stockholm’s archipelago goes to her. Woods on the other hand keeps their house on Jupiter Island in Florida as well as their Los Angeles apartment. “Everything’s signed and Elin is ready to ask for a divorce and will do so within a week,” the source tells Sun.

  • Sweden #1 ICT nation
    Followed by Singapore and Denmark, Sweden topped the ninth consecutive annual rankings in the Global Information Technology Report 2009-2010 from the World Economic Forum. The report measures the role of ICT as an enabler of an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable world. Switzerland comes fourth and the USA is fifth. Canada, Hong Kong and the Netherlands are also on the top 10 among 133 economies worldwide on the report, whose ratings reflect the impact of nations' ICT on the development process and the competitiveness.

  • Swedish food close to EU average in price
    Of all Scandinavian countries, Sweden is the cheapest when it comes to buying food. According to a survey from Eurostat, Swedish food is only 4% more expensive than the European Union average. Alcohol and tobacco is not included in the survey. Norway is the most expensive country in Europe, 54% above the average in EU.

  • Swedes have low confidence in “Försäkringskassan”
    Among Swedes there’s not a lot of trust in Försäkringskassan (the Swedish Social Insurance Agency), which deals with health-and parental insurances. According to a survey from the SOM Institute, the public’s confidence in Försäkringskassan is at a record low, while the general trust in other authorities has increased.

  • No nationalists in final election debate
    The Swedish television and Swedish radio have decided not to invite the nationalistic Sweden Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna - SD) to the national debates before the general election in September. SD is currently not in the parliament but SvT has previously sometimes invited parties outside parliament if many polls show they have big chances to gain representation.