Sweden

STOCKHOLM, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Ericsson (ERICb.ST) informed the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) about an internal investigation into payments in Iraq when it signed a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) in 2019 to settle resolve separate corruption probes, sources familiar with the matter said.

The Swedish company's shares fell 14% on Wednesday over concerns that the company might be subject to another fine by the DoJ.

STOCKHOLM (AP) — Sweden has halted wide-scale testing for COVID-19 even among people showing symptoms of an infection, putting an end to the mobile city-square tent sites, drive-in swab centers and home-delivered tests that became ubiquitous during the pandemic and provided essential data for tracking its spread.

STOCKHOLM, Feb 4 (Reuters) - There is no evidence that foreign powers were behind drones sighted at Swedish nuclear plants in January, the prosecutor leading the investigation told publicly funded Swedish Radio.

Police in Sweden deployed patrols and helicopters in mid-January to the Forsmark nuclear plant to hunt for a drone seen flying over the site, but were unable to catch the unmanned vehicle. 

STOCKHOLM, Feb 3 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sweden will lift pandemic restrictions next week despite record levels of infections as it banks on booster shots and high rates of past COVID-19 infections to keep hospitalisation rates manageable.

Current restrictions, which include bars and restaurants having to close early and a cap of 500 people inside larger indoor venues, were extended last month until Feb 9.

“It’s time to open Sweden up again,” Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson told a news conference.

STOCKHOLM, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Sweden's Security Service has taken over an investigation regarding unauthorized drones at three Swedish nuclear power plants on Friday, it said in a statement on Monday.

Police in Sweden deployed patrols and helicopters to the Forsmark nuclear plant to hunt for a drone seen flying over the site late on Friday, but were unable to catch the unmanned vehicle. L1N2TV06U

Police said the drone was large and able to operate despite high winds at the Forsmark plant.

STOCKHOLM, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Sweden's military said on Thursday it was ramping up its visible activities on the Baltic Sea island of Gotland amid increased tensions between NATO and Russia and a recent deployment of Russian landing craft in the Baltic.

Moscow has spooked the West by massing troops near Ukraine, sparking fears that it is considering invading. Moscow denies any such plans, saying it can deploy forces on its territory however it chooses.

STOCKHOLM, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has tested positive for COVID-19, her press secretary said on Friday.

Andersson's press secretary told local media that she is fine under the circumstances and will carry out her duties from home.

Following a debate session in the parliament earlier this week which the prime minister also attended, two other party leaders announced that they were infected.

Earlier this month, the Royal Court confirmed that King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden had tested positive for COVID-19.

STOCKHOLM, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Sweden will introduce more measures to stem a rising number of COVID cases that have placed a greater burden on the healthcare system, Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said on Monday.

Sweden has seen the fastest spread of COVID cases in recent weeks as the Omicron variant has surged through the country. A record 60,000 cases were detected last week, despite limited testing capabilities. 

"The situation has deteriorated, without doubt. The level of infections in Sweden is at a historically high level," Andersson told a news conference.

STOCKHOLM, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Sweden's security strategy would be entirely undermined if NATO agreed to refrain from expanding further and curb some of its activity in Europe, as Russia has demanded, Sweden's top military commander said.

The Russian demands, listed last month, have unnerved European non-NATO members including Sweden, which has strengthened ties with the alliance even if it has no plans to join at present.

02 Jan 2022; MEMO: Sweden granted citizenship to over 27,000 Syrian refugees in 2021, remaining one of the most welcoming European countries for asylum seekers and migrants.

According to a report by the Swedish Migration Agency, a total of 85,000 people were granted Swedish citizenship last year. 27, 340 of them were Syrians, 4,067 were Somalis and 3,471 were Eritreans.