Spain beats Sweden to reach Women's World Cup final

AUCKLAND -- Olga Carmona's stunning late strike gave Spain a 2-1 win over Sweden on Tuesday to propel them into the Women's World Cup final for the first time in their history.

Spain's thrilling victory at Eden Park sets up a showdown in Sydney on Sunday with either Australia or England, who meet in the other semi-final on Wednesday.

The semi-final in Auckland seemed to be drifting towards extra time before suddenly bursting to life when substitute Salma Paralluelo put Spain ahead with nine minutes left.

Rebecka Blomqvist equalized for Sweden in the 88th minute only for full-back Carmona, Spain's captain, to score with a superb shot in off the underside of the crossbar from the edge of the box.

It has been a remarkable run for a nation who had never previously gone beyond the last 16 at a Women's World Cup, and for a team who had been in disarray in the months leading up to the tournament.

Fifteen Spanish players told their federation last September that they no longer wished to be considered for selection, principally out of unhappiness with coach Jorge Vilda, and only three of them returned for this World Cup run.

While its dream of World Cup glory remains alive, Sweden is left with a familiar feeling after going so far at another major tournament before falling short.

This is the third time in four World Cups in which they have reached the semi-finals, only to lose on each occasion.

Peter Gerhardsson's side also lost in the last four at the European Championship last year, having been beaten in the final of the Tokyo Olympics on penalties against Canada in 2021.

Super-sub Paralluelo 

Vilda decided against handing a start to Paralluelo, after she came off the bench to score the winner in the quarter-final against the Netherlands.

Instead he recalled Alexia Putellas and the reigning Ballon d'Or winner started for the first time since Spain was walloped 4-0 by Japan in the group phase.

The plan was clearly to dominate possession and make a more physically imposing Sweden do the chasing.

Spain had far more of the ball in the first half yet neither Putellas nor Aitana Bonmati were allowed the time and space to really influence the game.

The closest they came to breaking the deadlock was from long range, when Jennifer Hermoso laid the ball back to Carmona, whose shot whistled wide.

Sweden had taken the game to Japan in an impressive 2-1 win in the quarter-finals but they offered next to nothing here until suddenly they almost struck three minutes before half-time.

Nathalie Bjorn sent a hanging cross from the right to the back post for Fridolina Rolfo –- facing seven of her Barcelona club colleagues in the Spain starting line-up -– but her side-foot volley was saved by Cata Coll.

Vilda's plan was clearly to save the pacy Paralluelo for when the Swedish defense was beginning to tire, and it was just before the hour mark that he turned to the former athlete.

Paralluelo took the place of Putellas, who has still not completed 90 minutes at this World Cup as she continues to recover full fitness following a serious knee injury.

The substitute's persistence almost brought the opener for Spain with 20 minutes left as she stretched to keep the ball in play following a cross by Hermoso, but Alba Redondo turned her cutback wide.

Paralluelo then struck with nine minutes of normal time remaining, showing a killer instinct to lash a shot low into the corner.

But Sweden did not give up, drawing level in the 88th minute, thanks to two substitutes of their own.

Lina Hurtig had only just come on when she nodded down a cross for Blomqvist to fire home, raising the specter of extra time once again.

But Carmona, the Real Madrid left-back, had other ideas as she clinched victory for Spain in style.

Agence France-Presse

Spotify woos creators, adds video in revamp

SAN FRANCISCO, United States - Spotify on Wednesday introduced new tools for artists and songwriters, with a particular focus on video formats that are seen as increasingly essential as the world's biggest audio streaming service struggles to break even.

The Swedish-owned company also unveiled a significant revamp to offer a more interactive interface, including the option to hear song previews and provide more personalized recommendations using artificial intelligence.

At a live-streamed marketing event, Spotify also announced that it surpassed 500 million monthly active users, including 205 million paying subscribers at the end 2022, with 10 million creators.

"When we founded Spotify, the music industry was in a freefall. So the fundamental question everyone was asking was, is the music industry doomed or could it be reimagined and still be a sustainable career for talented artists around the world?" said Spotify founder Daniel Ek.

"And now, more than 15 years later, we know that answer is yes. More and more artists are finding success through streaming," said Ek who has handed over everyday responsibilities at Spotify to co-presidents Alex Norstrom and Gustav Soderstrom.

The platform, launched in 2006, has quickly become the world's number one audio streaming service, but has struggled to prove the viability of its business model.

In an attempt to expand beyond music, Spotify in recent years has invested heavily in podcasts, audiobooks and live audio.

With the revamp, Spotify said it would be easier for artists to sell merchandise and tickets to concerts and other live events.

They will also be able to add 30-second videos to their profile and album page to compete with clips posted on social networks like TikTok or Instagram, which "don't guarantee that the audience will then go listen to the whole song," said Sulinna Ong, a Spotify executive.

"Streaming has already democratized access to music for listeners. With these new tools, we're democratizing access to marketing for artists," she said.

The company, which said in January that it was cutting almost six percent of its workforce to reduce costs, posted a net loss of 430 million euros for 2022.

Spotify has regularly posted annual losses, despite strong subscriber growth and having had a head start on its rivals such as Apple Music and Amazon Music.

Agence France-Presse

COVID-19 deaths in Sweden pass 5,000 - Public Health Agency

STOCKHOLM - Deaths in Sweden from COVID-19 passed 5,000 on Wednesday, the Public Health Agency said, far more than in neighboring Nordic countries.

The official death toll has now reached 5,041, up from 4,939 on Tuesday.

Sweden has taken a softer approach to fighting the coronavirus, leaving most schools, shops and restaurants open and relying on voluntary measures focused on physical distancing and good hygiene.

Deaths in Sweden has been far higher relative to the size of the population than in Denmark, Norway and Finland, where authorities have taken a stricter approach. But they have been lower than in Britain, Italy and Spain, where there have also been lockdowns. 

(Reporting by Johan Ahlander; editing by Johannes Hellstrom)

-reuters-

COVID-19 deaths top 4,000 in under-fire Sweden

Sweden, which has gained international attention for its softer approach to the coronavirus than many of its European neighbours, said on Monday its number of deaths passed the 4,000 mark.

The Public Health Agency said it had recorded 4,029 deaths and 33,843 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the country of some 10.3 million inhabitants, with 90 percent of the deceased over the age of 70.

Sweden's death toll has far surpassed the tolls in neighboring Nordic countries, which have all imposed more restrictive containment measures.

According to AFP's own database, Sweden's virus death rate of 399 per million inhabitants is far higher than Norway's 43 per million, Denmark's 97, or Finland's 55.

However it is still lower than for France at 435 per million, Britain and Italy, both at 542, and Spain at 615.

Critics have accused Swedish authorities of gambling with citizens' lives by not imposing strict stay-at-home measures. But the Public Health Agency has insisted its approach is sustainable in the long-term and has rejected drastic short-term measures as too ineffective to justify their impact on society.

The Scandinavian country has kept schools open for children under the age of 16, along with cafes, bars, restaurants and businesses, while urging people to respect social distancing and hygiene guidelines.

State epidemiologist Anders Tegnell of the Public Health Agency stressed countries' death tolls should be compared with caution.

"In Sweden, anybody who has the diagnosis of COVID-19 and dies within 30 days after that is called a COVID-19 case, irrespective of the actual cause of death. And we know that in many other countries there are other ways of counting that are used," he told AFP.

'Getting better'

Tegnell has repeatedly insisted that stricter measures would not have saved more Swedish lives.

Three-quarters of those who have died have been either in nursing homes or receiving at-home care.

Tegnell noted that a ban on visits to nursing homes was introduced in mid-March, but said elderly residents needed regular contact with their carers -- who were believed to have spread the virus around many nursing homes.

"I'm really not sure that we could have done so much more," he said in a weekend interview with Swedish Radio, acknowledging nonetheless that the country had ended up in a "terrible situation that highlights the weaknesses of our elderly care."

He said care homes had initially failed to respect basic hygiene rules that could have curbed the spread of the disease, but said the situation had since improved.

The Board of Health and Welfare meanwhile insisted Sweden's nursing homes were functioning well. 

It noted that a total of 11,000 nursing home residents died in January-April this year, compared with 10,000 during the same period a year ago.

And Tegnell told reporters Monday that the overall situation in Sweden "was getting better," with a declining number of people being admitted to intensive care units, a drop in the number of cases being reported in nursing homes, and fewer deaths in nursing homes.

Agence France-Presse

Sweden cracks down on bars as crowds flout corona rules

STOCKHOLM - Sweden, whose softer approach to combating the new coronavirus has garnered international attention, said Sunday it was ordering the closure of five Stockholm bars and restaurants that failed to respect social distancing guidelines.

The Scandinavian country has allowed schools for under-16s, cafes, bars, restaurants and businesses to stay open while urging people and businesses to respect social distancing guidelines.

Restaurants and bars are only allowed to provide table service, with tables spaced one to two meters apart to prevent overcrowding. 

While data suggests most Swedes are voluntarily practicing social distancing, photos have made the rounds worldwide in recent weeks of Stockholmers soaking up the spring sunshine sitting at crammed restaurant terraces, or queuing closely together outside nightclubs.

Authorities had warned last week they would be stepping up inspections to ensure establishments were respecting social distancing guidelines, but some bars and restaurants were again packed at the weekend.

Four of the five bars and restaurants are located in the trendy Sodermalm neighborhood, popular with young partygoers.

"The main problem was overcrowding, both inside the premises and outdoors," Stockholm health official Per Follin told news agency TT.

He said their closure was immediate and until further notice.

Among other restrictions Sweden has imposed are bans on visits to retirement homes and on gatherings of more than 50 people.

It has also urged people to work at home if possible, and recommended people over the age of 70 and in risk groups to limit contacts with others. 

The Swedish approach has received criticism both domestically and internationally as its death toll has leapt much higher than its Nordic neighbors, which have all instituted more restrictive containment measures.

As of Sunday, Sweden, which has 10.3 million inhabitants, reported 2,194 COVID-19 deaths, compared to 422 in Denmark and 193 in Norway, whose populations are about half the size.

Swedish officials have nonetheless insisted their plan is sustainable in the long-term, rejecting drastic short-term measures as too ineffective to justify their impact on society.

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Agence France-Presse

LGBTQ altarpiece of original sin removed from church

MALMÖ, SWEDEN - Two Eves on one side of the tree, two Adams on the other, each couple openly flirting: a Swedish diocese said Wednesday it would remove a gay depiction of original sin that hung briefly as an altarpiece.

Created by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin, the photo illustration was offered to the Saint Paul Church in Malmo where it was placed to the right of the main altarpiece on the first Sunday of Advent, December 1.

On Wednesday the diocese said it would remove it from the altar -- but not because the Lutheran Church of Sweden had a problem with the gay couples.

Perched in the tree, a transsexual woman is dressed as a serpent, dangling a snake from her hand.

"The fact that there are two homosexual couples in the artwork is completely uncontroversial," the diocese wrote in a statement.

"But the fact that there is a snake, which traditionally symbolizes evil, and that it turns into a transperson could lead to the interpretation that a transperson is evil or the devil."

"The Swedish Church can absolutely not stand for that."

The pastor of Saint Paul, Sofia Tunebro, regretted the decision.

"We've been marrying gay couples for 10 years, and with this artwork, it was a bit like hanging up a wedding photo in the church," she told AFP.

"Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin has done so much for the integration and representation of (LGBTQ people) in the Christian world," said Tunebro, who was ordained 12 years ago.

The 58-year-old artist -- who made headlines 20 years ago with her controversial Ecce Homo exhibit, featuring among other things Jesus in stilettos surrounded by 12 transvestite apostles -- said she too was disappointed.

"My calling has been to create Christian works which LGBTQ people can identify with," she told AFP.

The Church of Sweden, headed by a female archbishop since 2014, was among the first in the world to ordain female priests in 1958, and to marry homosexuals, in 2009.

Also in 2009, Eva Brunne was elected the first openly lesbian bishop in the world, according to Swedish media.

"The Church of Sweden wants to be a modern church and follow changes in society," Magdalena Nordin, a professor of religion at the University of Gothenburg, told AFP.

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Agence France-Presse

Sweden's Ericsson to pay $1 billion over bribery allegations: US gov't

WASHINGTON - Swedish telecoms firm Ericsson has agreed to pay more than $1 billion to resolve allegations of bribery spanning Asia and the Middle East, the US Justice Department announced Friday.

An Egyptian subsidiary also pleaded guilty in a federal court in New York to a charge of conspiring to violate the 1977 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

"Ericsson's corrupt conduct involved high-level executives and spanned 17 years and at least five countries, all in a misguided effort to increase profits," Brian Benczkowski, head of the Justice Department's criminal division, said in a statement.

US law grants jurisdiction over corruption by companies whose shares are sold on American stock markets or if the crime touches the country's territory or its financial system.

Prosecutors say that between 2000 and 2016, the company engaged in a scheme to pay bribes, falsify its books and records and ensure company officials turned a blind eye to the corruption, according to the Justice Department statement.

Alleged corruption occurred in Djibouti, China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Kuwait.

Among other examples, Ericsson admitted that during those years it channeled tens of millions of dollars through consultants and service providers in China, creating a slush fund to lavish gifts, travel and entertainment on foreign officials in order to win business from state-owned telecoms companies.

In a statement on its website, the company said it would not comment on the matter other than to say the figure of $1.2 billion, disclosed in September, "is still its current estimate of the amounts needed to cover the monetary sanctions" and other costs.

The funds are to be split between the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to the Justice Department.

The two agencies jointly enforce US foreign bribery laws.

The company has also agreed to retain a third-party monitor to oversee its compliance for three years.

A total of 44 countries have enacted laws criminalizing the payment of bribes to foreign officials to win business, but the United States has long been the most active in punishing international corruption.

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North Korea breaks off nuclear talks with US in Sweden

STOCKHOLM -- Working-level nuclear talks in Sweden between officials from Pyongyang and Washington have broken off, North Korea's top negotiator said late on Saturday, dashing prospects for an end to months of stalemate.

The talks, at an isolated conference center on the outskirts of Stockholm, were the first such formal discussion since US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in June and agreed to restart negotiations that stalled after a failed summit in Vietnam in February.

The North's chief nuclear negotiator, Kim Myong Gil, who spent much of the day in talks with an American delegation, cast the blame on what he portrayed as US inflexibility, saying the other side's negotiators would not "give up their old viewpoint and attitude."

"The negotiations have not fulfilled our expectations and finally broke off," Kim told reporters outside the North Korean embassy, speaking through an interpreter.

The US State Department said Kim's comments did not reflect "the content or spirit" of more than 8-1/2 hours of talks, and Washington had accepted Sweden's invitation to return for more discussions with Pyongyang in 2 weeks.

"The US brought creative ideas and had good discussions with its DPRK counterparts," spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. North Korea is also known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

She said the US delegation had previewed a number of new initiatives that would pave the way for progress in the talks and underscored the importance of more intensive engagement.

"The United States and the DPRK will not overcome a legacy of 70 years of war and hostility on the Korean peninsula through the course of a single Saturday," she added.

"These are weighty issues, and they require a strong commitment by both countries. The United States has that commitment."

North Korea's Kim downplayed the US gestures.

"The U.S. raised expectations by offering suggestions like a flexible approach, new method, and creative solutions, but they have disappointed us greatly and dampened our enthusiasm for negotiation by bringing nothing to the negotiation table," he said.

Swedish broadcaster TV4 said the US Special Representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, who led the team, had arrived back at the U.S. embassy in central Stockholm.

The Swedish foreign office declined to give details on the invitation for new talks, or whether Pyongyang had accepted.

Since June, US officials had struggled to persuade North Korea, which is under sanctions banning much of its trade, due to its nuclear program, to return to the table, but that appeared to change this week when the North abruptly announced it had agreed to talks.

On Saturday, negotiator Kim accused the United States of having no intention of solving difficulties through dialogue but said a complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula was still possible.

It would only happen "when all the obstacles that threaten our safety and check our development are removed completely without a shadow of a doubt," he said, in an apparent reference to North Korea's desire for Washington to ease economic pressure.

On Sunday, China's President Xi Jinping and the North's leader exchanged messages to reaffirm the neighbors' relationship on the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. China is the North's only major ally.

Xi, who has met Kim 5 times in the past year, said they had "reached a series of important consensuses, leading China-North Korea relations into a new historical era," the official Xinhua news agency said.

Kim replied the 2 leaders would "resolutely safeguard the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula and the world," Xinhua reported.

TENSIONS

The delegation from North Korea arrived in Sweden on Thursday. Analysts have said both countries' leaders had growing incentives to reach a deal, but it was unclear if common ground could be found after months of tension and deadlock.

The readout from the talks did not sound very promising, said Jenny Town, a managing editor at 38 North, a Washington-based North Korea project.

"I think (North Korea's) expectations were too high that the removal of Bolton would provide more flexibility on what the US wants as initial steps," she said, referring to Trump's hardline former aide John Bolton, abruptly fired last month amid disagreements on how to tackle foreign policy challenges.

"While certainly, it removes some pressure for an all or nothing deal, it seems the gap between what the 2 sides want as a baseline and are willing to reciprocate still has not narrowed," Town added.

An official at South Korea's presidential office said the talks in Sweden were nevertheless the beginning of negotiations, and that South Korea hoped the United States and North Korea would keep the momentum of the dialogue.

Only a day after announcing the new talks, North Korea said it had test-fired a new ballistic missile designed for submarine launch, underscoring the need for Washington to move quickly to negotiate limits on Pyongyang's growing arsenal.

Speaking in Athens on a tour of southern Europe while the talks were still underway, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said he was hopeful of progress.

"We are mindful this will be the first time that we've had a chance to have a discussion in quite some time and that there remains to be a lot of work that will have to be done by the 2 teams," he told a news conference.

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Climate striker Greta Thunberg wins Swedish rights prize

STOCKHOLM - Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg on Wednesday won the Right Livelihood Award, sometimes called the "alternative Nobel Prize", the jury for the Swedish human rights prize said.

Thunberg was honored "for inspiring and amplifying political demands for urgent climate action reflecting scientific facts," the Right Livelihood Foundation said in a statement.

"Her resolve to not put up with the looming climate disaster has inspired millions of peers to also raise their voices and demand immediate climate action," it added.

Thunberg's global climate movement "Fridays for Future" began in August 2018 when she started sitting alone outside Sweden's parliament with her now iconic sign reading "school strike for the climate". 

The message has struck a chord with youths around the world. Last Friday, an estimated four million plus people took to the streets in over 150 countries to join the "Global Climate Strike" protest, demanding action from politicians against climate disaster.

This year's Right Livelihood Award also honors three others, including Sahrawi human rights activist Aminatou Haidar "for her steadfast non-violent action, despite imprisonment and torture, in pursuit of justice and self-determination for the people of Western Sahara".

Lawyer Guo Jianmei received the award for her "pioneering and persistent work" for women's rights in China.

The Brazilian Hutukara Yanomami Association and its leader Davi Kopenawa were also honored for their "courageous determination to protect the forests and biodiversity of the Amazon, and the lands and culture of its indigenous peoples." 

The Right Livelihood Award was created in 1980 by Swedish-German philatelist Jakob von Uexkull after the Nobel Foundation behind the Nobel Prizes refused to create awards honoring efforts in the fields of the environment and international development.

The award consists of a cash prize of one million Swedish kronor ($103,000 or 94,000 euro) for each laureate, meant to support the recipient's work. 

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Pre-school panic in Sweden: child brings grenade to class

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - A young child sparked panic at his Swedish pre-school when he brought in a grenade he found on a military firing range to show his friends, local officials said Wednesday.

The child arrived with the grenade in his hand at the school in the southern town of Kristianstad on Tuesday.

A teacher who saw the grenade contacted police.

Police officers were able to determine it was a "dangerous" grenade the boy had picked up this summer at the Rinkaby firing range, located outside Kristianstad.

They blocked off the area and the national bomb squad neutralized the ammunition at the scene several hours later.

"We don't know how bad the damages would have been" if it had exploded, a police spokesman told AFP.

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H&M suspends Brazil leather purchases over Amazon fires

STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Fashion giant H&M on Thursday announced it was suspending leather purchases from Brazil in response to the Amazon fires that have provoked a global outcry.

The ban comes after US-based VF Corporation, which owns a string of brands including Timberland, Vans and The North Face, announced late last month it would no longer buy leather from Brazil over concerns about the destruction of the world's largest rainforest.

H&M said it was imposing a temporary freeze on orders until it had confidence the leather was not causing "environmental harm."

"Due to the severe fires in the Brazilian part of the Amazon rainforest, and the connections to cattle production, we have decided to place a temporary ban on leather from Brazil," the Swedish clothing retail firm said in a statement to AFP.

"The ban will be active until there are credible assurance systems in place to verify that the leather does not contribute to environmental harm in the Amazon," it said.

The blazes that have engulfed parts of the world's largest rainforest—crucial for maintaining a stable global climate—have sparked a diplomatic spat between Brazil and Europe that threatens to torpedo a major trade deal.

French President Emmanuel Macron has accused his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro of lying to him about his commitments on climate change and vowed to block the EU-Mercosur trade deal involving Brazil that took decades to negotiate.

Bolsonaro last week signed a decree to ban burning throughout the country for 2 months.

H&M was last year among dozens of top fashion industry firms to pledge at UN climate talks to reduce their combined greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2030. 

The 43 firms agreed to prioritize "climate-friendly" materials and low-carbon transport, and to stop installing coal-fired boilers at manufacturing sites from no later than 2025.

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Rapper A$AP Rocky back in Los Angeles from Sweden: reports

LOS ANGELES -- US rapper A$AP Rocky has returned to Los Angeles after a Swedish court released him pending the verdict of an assault trial, US media reported Saturday.

The 30-year-old artist, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, arrived around midnight Friday aboard a private jet on a flight from Stockholm, ABC and CBS reported.

"The rapper was ecstatic," celebrity news website TMZ said, describing the rapper smiling, taking photos and hugging supporters.

"He actually stayed in the private terminal parking lot for around 45 minutes, talking and joking most of the time," TMZ added.

Mayers had been held in Sweden since July 3 when he was arrested following a brawl in Stockholm on June 30, which saw him and his crew embroiled in a fight with a 19-year-old plaintiff.

The case had even prompted President Donald Trump to call for Mayers to be freed -- drawing complaints of interference from Swedish politicians.

Mayers and two others had been held in custody ahead of their trial because the court deemed him a "flight risk." 

On Friday, the Stockholm district court's presiding judge Per Lennerbrant said that Mayers could be released pending the verdict, which will be delivered on August 14.

His detention has sparked a campaign for his release by his fans and fellow artists, with an online petition called #JusticeForRocky garnering more than 640,000 signatures. Social media campaigns have even urged fans to boycott Swedish brands such as Ikea.

The New York-born rapper made no official announcement of his return to the United States on his social media accounts.

Earlier, however, he thanked his fans via Instagram for their support after his release.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of my fans, friends and anyone across the globe who supported me during these last few weeks, I can't begin to describe how grateful I am for all of you," the post said.

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Rapper A$AP Rocky to face trial in Sweden on assault charge

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - U.S. rapper A$AP Rocky will be tried for assault in Sweden starting on July 30 over his alleged involvement in a street brawl in central Stockholm last month, the Swedish public prosecutor announced on Thursday.

Best known for his song “Praise the Lord”, the 30-year-old performer, producer and model, whose real name is Rakim Mayers, was detained about three weeks ago following an altercation with two men on June 30.

Mayers has said he is innocent and that the men provoked him and his two companions who have also been charged with assault. If convicted, they could face up to two years in jail.

Over half a million people, including fellow artists Nicki Minaj and Post Malone, have signed an online petition calling for his release on bail.

Last week U.S. President Donald Trump urged Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven to free Mayers and said he would personally vouch for his bail. Sweden does not have a bail system. Lofven has said he will not influence the rapper’s case.

Public prosecutor Daniel Suneson said he had begun criminal proceedings against Mayers and two others for suspected assault causing actual bodily harm, despite claims of self defense and provocation.

“The artist is the one who threw the victim to the ground and then, together with two other suspects, dealt him blows and kicks. A bottle was used during the assault and there are cuts on the arms and (on) the plaintiff’s ear,” Suneson told Reuters.

“Provocation is something that I, as prosecutor, must always take into account, but I still believe that what they have done constitutes a crime,” he said.

Suneson declined to say which of the suspects had wielded the bottle in the fight. Court documents described the plaintiff as a person needing a Persian translator, but did not provide any further details.

TO PLEAD NOT GUILTY

Mayers’ lawyer said the rapper would plead not guilty at the trial when it begins on Tuesday.

“Mayers is extremely marked by the time he has been detained. It is tough to be basically isolated,” lawyer Slobodan Jovicic said at a news conference.

“We have to be humble but I definitely think there are grounds for an acquittal,” he said.

Suneson said he would seek a sentence of less than 2 years. He said he had looked at evidence including text messages and video footage that has not been made public.

Before his arrest, Mayers had uploaded videos on Instagram of the alleged altercation, saying the two men had followed his team and that he had not wanted any trouble.

Mayers, also known by the pseudonym Lord Flacko, was in Stockholm to perform at the Smash hip-hop festival. His detention has forced him to cancel a dozen shows scheduled as part of his Europe tour.

Mayers shot to fame with his 2011 debut mixtape “Live.Love.A$AP”, gaining recognition as much for his experimental approach to music as for his unpredictable fashion style that made him the first person of color to front luxury brand Dior Homme.

His latest album, “Testing”, bagged the No. 4 spot on the Billboard 200 charts on its release last year.

Reporting by Esha Vaish and Johan Ahlander in Stockholm, additional reporting by Edward Baran, Helena Soderpalm and Johannes Hellstrom; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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World Cup final with extra-time rocket

LYON, France - A long-range strike from Jackie Groenen sent European Champions the Netherlands into their first women's World Cup final as they edged Sweden 1-0 after extra time in their last-four clash on Wednesday.

The 24-year-old midfielder scored in the 99th minute when she collected a deflected pass outside the box and struck it expertly into the bottom right corner of the goal to put the Dutch into Sunday's final against holders the United States.

"I saw a nice angle. We've been discussing this for a couple of weeks now, that I need to take shots more often. The ball just came really nicely, and I thought, 'Let's do this',” the goalscorer said.

"We are going to rest a lot first but now first a party. Sunday in the final -- unbelievable," said coach Sarina Wiegman, herself a former Netherlands midfielder who amassed more than 100 caps in a 14-year playing career.

That was before the Dutch, playing in only their fifth major tournament, became the force they are now.

The game marked the first time a women's World Cup semi-final had gone to extra time and it proved a tight contest between the two sides, who last met in the quarter-finals of Euro 2017 when the Dutch won 2-0 before going on to win the competition.

While the 48,452 spectators in attendance fell a few thousand short of those who watched the U.S. beat England 2-1 the previous evening, there was still a cacophony from 'ultras' of both Sweden and the Netherlands behind each goal.

The match build-up had focused on the talented Netherlands forwards such as all-time top scorer Vivianne Miedema (60 goals) and the pacy attack of 2016 Olympic silver medallists Sweden, featuring Stina Blackstenius who had scored the winner against Germany in the previous round.

However, it was the goalkeepers who found themselves the busiest players throughout the regulation 90 minutes.

Sweden were the brighter side in the first half but could not find a way past Netherlands stopper Sari van Veenendaal.

The captain routinely tipped over dangerous inswinging corners and instinctively saved with her foot a close-range toe poke from Lina Hurtig shortly before halftime.

CLOSE CHANCES

The Netherlands had to replace Lieke Martens, still suffering with a toe injury, with Jill Roord at the break but then the match began to open up.

Sweden defender Nilla Fischer hit the post 10 minutes after the restart and Miedema had her header tipped on to the bar by the fingertips of Hedvig Lindahl.

The 36-year-old keeper, who most recently played for Chelsea in England, was equal to the threat of a Dutch side who grew in confidence, particularly with the introduction of Olympique Lyonnais's Shanice van den Sanden who flew down the right wing.

Lindahl tipped over a fierce strike from the pink-haired Van den Sanden in second-half stoppage time. However, her resistance was finally broken by an excellent quickfire strike from Groenen in the first period of extra time.

The midfielder, who will feature for Manchester United in England's top flight next season, chose the perfect time to register her first shot on target and first goal of the tournament.

Despite playing in only their second World Cup, the Netherlands keep their incredible journey going with a final date against the record three-time world champions on Sunday. They already have a prize in a guaranteed place at their first Olympic Games next year in Tokyo.

Sweden, meanwhile, will take on England in the third-place match in Nice on Saturday but they may be without striker Kosovare Asllani who fell awkwardly in the closing stages and had to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher.

"Now it's about the medal. Ending up third of course feels a lot better than ending up fourth. We'll do everything in our power to try to do that," Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson said. 

(Reporting by Christian Radnedge Editing by Clare Fallon)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Air India plane hits building at Stockholm airport

STOCKHOLM - An Air India plane carrying 179 passengers struck a building at Stockholm's Arlanda airport with its wingtip as it taxied to gate on Wednesday, but no injuries were reported, police said.

"The 179 passengers could disembark from the plane on a mobile staircase and thereafter enter the terminal," police wrote in a statement.

The cause of the accident was not immediately known, police said.

It occurred at 5:45 pm (1645 GMT), about 50 meters (yards) from Terminal 5, the main terminal for international flights.

Pictures from the scene showed the Boeing aircraft parked on the runway with the very tip of its left wing stuck in the side of a building.

Several police cars and fire trucks were parked by the plane.

According to airport operator Swedavia's website, the flight had originated in New Delhi.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Ikea bets big on India but keeps meatballs off the menu

MUMBAI - Furniture giant Ikea is set to open its first store and restaurant in India after years of trying but arguably its most famous item is off the menu -- Swedish meatballs.

Ikea, the world's biggest furniture retailer, will next month cut the ribbon on a massive 37,000 square meter outlet in the southern city of Hyderabad, complete with a 1,000-seater cafeteria.

The restaurant will be Ikea's largest and will cater to local tastes, with religious sensitivities in India dictating that beef and pork, staples of Swedish meatballs, will not be served.

"There will be chicken meatballs and vegetarian balls," Patrik Antoni, Ikea's deputy country manager for India, told AFP during an interview in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai.

"Fifty percent of the food will be Swedish inspired, salmon and shrimp dishes and so on. We'll also have quite a few Indian dishes like dal makhani, biryani, samosas," he added.

The Swedish multinational, which revolutionized household furnishings with its range of affordable ready-to-assemble products, is betting big on India as it seeks new revenues away from its key Western markets.

Ikea plans to invest $1.5 billion in Asia's third-largest economy as it seeks to lure price-sensitive Indians away from satisfying their furniture needs at local, family-run shops.

Ikea has already spent close to $750 million procuring sites for four stores, including the Hyderabad one which will open in July on a date that is yet to be announced.

Outlets in Mumbai, Bangalore and the capital New Delhi will follow, Antoni said, without putting a timescale on them. He added that Ikea will then look at Pune, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Surat and Kolkata.

"We are very bullish and excited about the Indian market. Normally, we would test a market by opening one store but in India, we are going all out and expanding," said Antoni.

At 37,160 square meters the Hyderabad store will be comparable in size to an average Indian shopping mall. It will have 850 employees and is expected to attract several million visitors a year.

Spice and all things nice

As well as its wide range of international items Ikea will also sell goods uniquely suited to the Indian market.

Alongside its popular Billy bookcases and Poang chairs, Ikea will also offer spice boxes and kitchen appliances to make traditional Indian staples such as idlis (rice cakes).

"We have done over a thousand home visits and interviewed people to try to understand their needs, dreams, aspirations and how they feel about their home," explained Antoni.

More than 1,000 products priced under 200 rupees ($2.94) will be on sale.

India, with its abundant supply of cheap labor, is not known for its "DIY" culture so Ikea has teamed up with UrbanClap, an online platform that helps connect handymen with consumers.

Ikea, founded in 1943 by late Swedish entrepreneur Ingvar Kamprad, operates 418 stores in 49 markets. In May it announced that it would expand into South America with stores in Chile, Colombia and Peru.

The home goods behemoth first tried to enter India in 2006 but was foiled by strict foreign direct investment (FDI) rules that required foreign companies to sign up with a local partner.

Seven years later the rules were relaxed to allow foreign businesses to own retail stores operating under a single brand, clearing the way for Ikea's entry into India.

The Swedish company hopes its walk-in stores and famed restaurant will be a unique selling point as it goes up against popular Indian online furniture retailers Pepperfry and Urban Ladder. 

It will also have to contend with Walmart. The world's largest retailer has agreed to buy a majority stake in Indian e-tailer Flipkart, which sells a wide range of home furnishings.

Ikea's global sales grew by five percent on-year in 2017 as it recorded annual revenues of 38 billion euros ($47 billion).

The firm hopes access to India's growing middle class in the country of 1.25 billion people will open up new revenue streams.

Analysts, however, warn it faces a long journey in a crowded market.

"Profitability will take some time for Ikea in India," Sowmya Adiraju, an analyst at research firm Euromonitor, told AFP. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Zara and H&M shore up defenses as internet threatens

CORUNNA, Spain - Logistics investments, new technology... Faced with fierce online competition from the likes of Amazon, affordable fashion giants Zara and H&M are shoring up their defenses, trying to use their stores to boost internet sales.

Separated by thin partitions, 15 little photo studios used exclusively to update the website line up in a corner of Zara's huge headquarters near Corunna in Spain's northwest.

Under a constant barrage of camera flashes, models strike pose after pose to get seven photos showing the piece of clothing under all angles.

In total, 1,500 photos are put on line twice a week to match the speed at which articles of clothing are replaced in-store.

AMAZON, ALIBABA COMPETITION

"Online sales are becoming an element that is contributing significantly to the company's growth," said Pablo Isla, CEO of the Inditex group which owns Zara among other brands like Massimo Dutti, said this week at the annual results' presentation.

In 2017, these represented 10 percent of sales, a figure unveiled this week after years of secrecy over a crucial sector that Inditex only entered in 2010, on the late side.

Sergio Avila Luengo, an analyst at IG Markets, said gaining "more visibility online" was the main challenge for Inditex if it wants to remain "competitive on the long term".

He said the retail giant started having trouble clearing its stocks for the first time in 2017 due to competition from Amazon, which sells everything from books to clothes.

For its part Sweden's H&M, Inditex's arch-rival, has recognised that a drop in profits in 2017 was due in large part to online competition.

The clothing market "is in big transformation," CEO Karl-Johan Persson said in February.

"It is happening fast and it is challenging everyone.

"We know about the big online platforms, I'm thinking Amazon and (China's) Alibaba, affecting our industry," he said, adding smaller niche online players were also "a force to be reckoned with".

In the United States, Amazon was in 2016 the top online clothes vendor.

It holds 11 percent of the global clothing market, and this is expected to rise to 19 percent in 2020, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

German online clothing and shoes platform Zalando and Britain's Asos, meanwhile, saw their European sales leap 25 percent and 34 percent respectively between 2012 and 2015, according to the Ecommerce Foundation.

MAJOR LOGISTICS CHALLENGED

Faced with this threat, H&M devoted 45 percent of its investment to internet in 2017, or close to 600 million euros ($736 million), for a new photo studio and personalized apps for its clients.

Inditex is also investing, but would not unveil how much.

Both groups are gradually offering the possibility for next-day or even same-day delivery of online orders, as well as the possibility to easily pick up and return clothes to stores.

These services may be crucial for customers but they represent a major logistics challenge, especially when faced with Amazon which already has "a much bigger logistics structure, already adapted to all sorts of different products," said IG Markets analyst Avila Luengo.

As it counter-attacks, Inditex has opened 19 warehouses in the world dedicated only to the internet, which are managed like stores. H&M is soon to follow suit.

Both are also taking advantage of their thousands of stores, including for client delivery.

When online sales are launched in new markets, "we get to profitability really quick," H&M financial director Jyrki Tervonen told investors in February.

He said this was "thanks to the fact we already have a store network, we are a well-known brand, appreciated among the consumers."

Inditex has invested a lot in the renovation of its stores, removing the smallest ones in favour of huge flagship shops in city centres.

Both groups are implementing systems to avoid missing out on a sale if for instance the size isn't available for a customer, by telling him or her that the item is available online.

Gildas Minvielle, head of the economic observatory at the French Fashion Institute, said their strategy was to combine both sales methods.

"Distributors that develop their stores and their online sales perform quite well," he said.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Spotify hit with new copyright suit in US

NEW YORK - A music publisher is seeking at least $1.6 billion from Spotify for alleged copyright violations, the latest lawsuit to hit the fast-growing streaming company.

Wixen Music Publishing, Inc -- which holds rights to songs of major artists including Neil Young, The Doors, Tom Petty and Santana -- charged in a lawsuit that Spotify failed to seek licenses for significant parts of its 30 million-song catalog.

"While Spotify has become a multibillion dollar company, songwriters and their publishers, such as Wixen, have not been able to fairly and rightfully share in Spotify's success, as Spotify has in many cases used their music without a license and without compensation," said the lawsuit filed last week in a federal court in Los Angeles.

The lawsuit said that Spotify initially tried to work with record labels but, "in a race to be first to market, made insufficient efforts to collect the required musical composition information."

Wixen, which is seeking a jury trial against the Swedish company, presented a list of 10,784 songs for which it questioned Spotify's permission to stream.

The publisher said it was seeking the maximum allowed $150,000 in damages for copyright damages for each song, meaning an award of at least $1.6 billion, along with the fees of its lawyers.

Spotify did not immediately comment on the latest suit. In May, it reached an agreement to settle a pair of two similar lawsuits under which Spotify said it would set up a $43.45 million fund to compensate songwriters.

Wixen called the settlement, which still needs final approval from a judge, "grossly insufficient" and said that it would opt out of the deal insofar as possible.

Even if unsuccessful, lawsuits amount to a headache for Spotify as the company considers going public.

Spotify, which has been valued at anywhere from $8 billion to $16 billion, has maintained its dominance as streaming rapidly grows and transforms the recorded music market.

Spotify said in July that it had 60 million users worldwide who pay for subscriptions, with 80 million more using its free tier.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

3 killed by truck driven into crowd in Swedish capital

A truck plowed into a crowd on a shopping street and crashed into a department store in central Stockholm on Friday, killing three people and wounding eight in what the prime minister said appeared to be a terrorist attack.

Swedish police said no-one had been arrested in connection with the attack. They showed a picture of a man wearing a grey hoodie and said they were looking for him. They did not rule out the possibility that other attackers were involved.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

"I turned around and saw a big truck coming towards me. It swerved from side to side. It didn't look out of control, it was trying to hit people," Glen Foran, an Australian tourist in his 40s, told Reuters.

"It hit people, it was terrible. It hit a pram with a kid in it, demolished it," he said.

"It took a long time for police to get here. I suppose from their view it was quick, but it felt like forever."

Part of central Stockholm was cordoned off and the area was evacuated, including the main train station. All subway traffic was halted on police orders. Government offices were closed.

"Sweden has been attacked. Everything points to the fact that this is a terrorist attack," Prime Minister Stefan Lofven told reporters during a visit in western Sweden. He was immediately returning to the capital.

Many police and emergency services personnel were at the scene, said a Reuters witness who saw policemen put what appeared to be two bodies in body bags. Bloody tyre tracks on Drottninggatan (Queen Street) showed where the beer truck had passed.

The truck had been stolen while making a delivery to a restaurant further up Drottninggatan, Spendrups Brewery spokesman Marten Lyth said. A masked person jumped into the cab, started the truck and drove away.

"We were standing by the traffic lights at Drottninggatan and then we heard some screaming and saw a truck coming," a witness who declined to be named told Reuters.

"Then it drove into a pillar at Ahlens City (department store) where the hood started burning. When it stopped we saw a man lying under the tyre. It was terrible to see," said the man, who saw the incident from his car.

Several attacks in which trucks or cars have driven into crowds have taken place in Europe in the past year. Al Qaeda in 2010 urged its followers to use trucks as a weapon.

In London on March 22, a man in a car ploughed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four, and then stabbed a policeman to death before being shot by police.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack in Nice, France, last July, when a truck killed 86 people celebrating Bastille Day, and one in Berlin in December, when a truck smashed through a Christmas market, killing 12 people.

Radio Sweden reporter Martin Svenningsen said he saw three dead people on Friday "but probably more". Police confirmed three deaths and eight people injured.

"Our thoughts are going out to those that were affected, and to their families," Sweden's King Carl Gustaf said in a statement.

The attack was the latest to hit the Nordic region after the 2015 shootings in Copenhagen, Denmark, that killed three people and the 2011 bombing and shooting by far right extremist Anders Behring Breivik that killed 77 people in Norway.

Sweden has not been hit by a large-scale attack, although in December 2010, a man blew himself up only a few hundred yards from the site of the latest incident in a failed suicide attack.

Swedish authorities raised the national security threat level to four on a scale of five in October 2010 but lowered the level to three, indicating a "raised threat", in March 2016.

Police in Norway's largest cities and at Oslo's airport will carry weapons until further notice following the attack. Denmark has been on high alert since the February 2015 shootings.

"An attack on any of our member states is an attack on us all," European Union chief executive Jean-Claude Juncker said in Brussels.

"One of Europe's most vibrant and colourful cities appears to have been struck by those wishing it -- and our very way of life -- harm.

Neutral Sweden has not fought a war in more than 200 years, but its military has taken part in U.N peacekeeping missions in a number of conflict zones in recent years, including Iraq, Mali and Afghanistan.

The Sapo security police said in its annual report it was impossible to say how big a risk there was that Sweden would be targeted like other European cities, but that, if so "it is most likely that it would be undertaken by a lone attacker".

source: news.abs-cbn.com

WikiLeaks' Assange faces questioning by prosecutors

LONDON - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces questioning by prosecutors Monday at the Ecuadoran embassy in London in a twist in the long-running legal battle over a rape allegation against him.

An Ecuadoran prosecutor will quiz the founder of the secret-spilling website at the red-brick building where he has been holed up for more than four years, with Swedish prosecutor Ingrid Isgren and a Swedish police inspector also attending, officials said.

The 45-year-old Australian sought refuge in the central London embassy in June 2012 after Swedish prosecutors issued a European arrest warrant against him, over allegations of rape and sexual assault filed by two women who met Assange during a 2010 trip to Sweden.

He denied the claims, saying they were politically motivated, and insisting his sexual encounters with the two women were consensual.

He has refused to travel to Sweden for questioning, fearing he would be extradited to the United States over WikiLeaks' release of 500,000 secret military files on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Swedish prosecutors dropped the sexual assault probe last year after the five-year statute of limitations expired.

But they still want to question him about the 2010 rape allegation, which carries a 10-year statute of limitations.

A Swedish official source said the questioning was expected to begin at around 1000 GMT. The investigators intend to take a DNA sample, subject to his agreement.

"It's planned to last a few days," Assange's lawyer Per Samuelsson told AFP, adding that it was too early to say what might arise from the meeting or what would be made public.

It will be the first time he has been interviewed over the matter since initial questioning by Swedish police at the time of the allegation.

Assange, speaking through his lawyer, has said he welcomes the "chance to clear his name" and hopes the investigation will subsequently close.

In May, a Swedish court reaffirmed the arrest order, rejecting the finding of a UN working group that his confinement in the Ecuadoran embassy amounted to arbitrary detention.

PETITION FOR TRUMP 'PARDON'

In the days since the US election, supporters have launched a petition calling on president-elect Donald Trump to pardon Assange by "absolving him of any crimes alleged against him" -- an apparent reference to the military leaks.

The petition on the change.org website, which has gathered more than 16,500 signatures, hails Assange as a "hero" for exposing the "corruption of those who presume to rule us".

Meanwhile Assange's lawyer said he had made "repeated requests" for an interview with police to address the rape claim, though Ecuadoran prosecutors say a hearing scheduled for October was postponed at the Australian's request.

"Julian Assange has always wanted to tell his version to the Swedish police. He wants a chance to clear his name," Samuelsson told AFP.

The legal grilling comes after WikiLeaks returned to the spotlight with the leak of tens of thousands of emails from the US Democratic Party and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's campaign in the final weeks of the race for the White House.

Assange defended the publication, denying links with Russia and claims that his website was trying to influence the US vote which saw Republican Trump elected.

Tensions with his Ecuadoran hosts have been growing, with the leaks prompting the embassy to cut Assange's internet access, citing respect for "non-intervention" in the affairs of other states and their electoral processes.

WikiLeaks released medical records in September claiming Assange's mental health was at risk if he remained any longer in the embassy.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com