OPINION Governmental agencies are promoting ‘Swedish leadership’ as the country's latest export sensation, although its unlikely to succeed, Finnish professor Alf Rehn writes.

The Roskilde rock festival in Denmark has given $373,000 to humanitarian organisation DanChurchAid to fund climate projects in Malawi.

More Swedish households believe that the prices on the housing market are heading upwards while less chooses fixed interest.

• Sweden cuts interest rate to record low

Hundreds of Swedish Volvo-owners have been left by the side of the road as their V70 Flexifuel suddenly dies by the heat.

Hundreds of traffic lights in the German city of Hamburg stopped working after a power cut caused by an incident at a nuclear power station, run by Swedish Vattenfall.

Denmark's climate minister urged G8 leaders meeting this week in Italy to take firm steps toward a new climate treaty to be hammered out in Copenhagen in December.

• Environment ministers to meet in Greenland

Finland put an end to Estonia's 11-year reign and took gold and bronze on Saturday at the annual Wife-Carrying World Championships.

Sweden - the European Union president -  on Sunday condemned recent executions in Iran after the Islamic republic hanged 20 people for drug trafficking over the weekend.

• Sweden summoned Iran's ambassador    • Swedens PM “worried” over Iran

Sweden, the current holder of the European Union presidency, summoned Iran's ambassador Friday as part of a coordinated EU protest over the detention of British embassy employees in Tehran.

Two freight ships carrying raw uranium and methanol collided Friday in a strait between Sweden and Denmark.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso will have to wait until later this year to find out if he keeps his job, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt said on Friday.

•  Swedish PM: No July decision on Barroso

Swedish Arise Windpower, with chairman PG Gyllenhammar, has signed a $187 million contract with General Electrics. 

Swedish bank SEB’s bond issue was oversubscribed by 50 percent as more than 150 investors subscribed to the issue.

• SEB lands fat profit after debt buy-back

Sweden’s military vehicles manufacturer BAE Systems Hägglunds has filed an appeal against the Swedish army over a controversial armored cars order.

• Swedish army buys Finnish military vehicle

Volvo Trucks in India has landed an order for 125 trucks, its largest order since being established in the country.

• Volvo’s sale in reverse

Swedish Ericsson has landed contracts with the three telecom operators in China to provide fixed broadband access.

Arne Sörensen, a retired Danish doctor with the looks of a British lord, flips through thousands of pages of notes scribbled over 50 years of research and issues his diagnosis: Napoleon died of a kidney disease.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Stockholm Friday for talks on Europe with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.

• French President brushes off Sweden

People who live alone in middle age face nearly double the risk of developing cognitive problems in later life compared with married or cohabiting counterparts, according to a Swedish study.

Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt will meet with the lawyer of the former Bosnian Serb leader's Radovan Karadzic over a war crimes trial.

• Carl Bildt won't help wartime leader

EU is "ready to take action" if Iran does not free British embassy staff still detained in Tehran, the Swedish EU presidency warned.

• Swedens PM “worried” over Iran   
• Iran summons Swedish ambassador after attack

All EU countries with embassies in Honduras have withdrawn their ambassadors following the coup last weekend that ousted President Manuel Zelaya.

Sweden is facing problems due to its strained ties with Russia, with Moscow opposing plans to hold a key summit in Stockholm.

• Ukraine celebrates Swedish-Russian battle     • “Russian gas a security threat to Europe”

Sweden's central bank said Thursday it would cut its key interest rate to a new record-low 0.25 percent in a bid to boost the country's economy.

• Swedish industry heading for growth

The planned Nord Stream gas pipeline moved a step forward Thursday after a Finnish environment agency approved the project but told its backers to provide more information on potential environmental damage.

• Tension increases between Sweden and Russia

The skimming attacks against Shell’s gas stations in Sweden are swelling as more people report money missing on their credit card accounts.

Sweden kicked off its six-month European Union presidency Wednesday amid fears the bloc's unresolved institutional woes may overshadow its priorities of tackling climate change and the economic crisis.

• "Europe needs better financial supervision"     • Sweden tells EU members to cut spending     • Sweden calls for national carbon taxes

Iceland's Nordic neighbours Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway has signed loan agreements of €1.78 billion for the crisis-stricken country.

IMF: Iceland economy will bounce back

Joost, an online video portal founded by Swedish Niklas Zennström which has failed to live up to the buzz surrounding its launch, has announced a management shakeup and layoffs.

Arctic nations must cease their posturing for control of the icy north and "act collectively" to tap its purported vast undiscovered resource riches, a Russian diplomat said.

• Russia defys Norway and Denmark over the Arctic