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☆ It's 50 years since Abba won the Eurovision Song Contest — and you can still see their concert in London
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Chris Johnston | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Yes, the Swedish popsters who split up in 1982 and took about four decades to decide to make a new album, have the Abba Arena in London. The 3,000-capacity venue is home to Abba Voyage, which put the foursome back on stage when it opened in May 2022. Abba Voyage has been playing in London since May 2022. It's hard to convey exactly what the Voyage experience is like, but it's mainly a deeply weird mix of time travel and technology crossed with amazing pop. Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad, and Benny Andersson at the opening night of Abba Voyage in London in May 2022.

Persons: —, Taylor Swift, — Abba, Abba, It's, Benny, Bjorn, Anni, frid, Frida, Conchita Wurst, Chris Johnston, you've, Mia, Ludvig, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, Frid, Benny Andersson, Ian West, Mike Prior Organizations: Service, —, Olympic Games, Business, London, Bloomberg, Pophouse Entertainment, Wembley Arena Locations: Swedish, London, Malmo, Sweden

☆ Eurovision Disqualifies Dutch Entrant Hours Before Final
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Alex Marshall | More About Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Just hours before this year’s Eurovision Song Contest final was scheduled to begin in Malmo, Sweden, on Saturday, the glitzy singing competition was thrown into crisis after organizers banned the Netherlands’ entry from taking part. On Friday, the Dutch musician, Joost Klein, whose songs mix pop with hyperfast beats, did not appear for a scheduled rehearsal to perform his song “Europapa,” which was then among the favorites to win. Shortly afterward, the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the contest, said in a statement that it was “investigating an incident” involving the Dutch artist. On Saturday morning, a Swedish police spokeswoman said in an email that officers were investigating a man “suspected of unlawful threats” toward a Eurovision employee and had passed a file to prosecutors to consider charges. Eurovision organizers said in a new statement that it was Klein under investigation, and that “it would not be appropriate” for the musician to compete in Saturday’s final while a legal process was underway.

Persons: Joost Klein, Klein Organizations: European Broadcasting Union, Eurovision Locations: Malmo, Sweden, Netherlands, Dutch, Swedish

☆ Joost Klein: Eurovision disqualifies Dutch act over incident involving female crew member
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Matt Wells | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Malmo CNN —The Eurovision Song Contest was thrown into fresh turmoil Saturday when organizers disqualified the Dutch entrant hours before the grand final for a backstage incident involving a female crew member. “Swedish police have investigated a complaint made by a female member of the production crew after an incident following his performance in Thursday night’s Semi Final. While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in the Contest,” the EBU said. The EBU said the disqualification of Klein did not involve any other performer or member another country’s delegation. Tensions brew in Malmo ahead of finalThe alleged incident involving Klein happened on Thursday evening after the second semi-final, the EBU said.

Persons: Joost Klein, ”, Klein’s, AVROTROS, Klein, Eden Golan, Israel, Switzerland’s Nemo, France’s, Alyona, Jerry Heil, Golan Organizations: Malmo CNN, European Broadcasting Union, Swedish Police Authority, CNN, Malmo Arena, EBU, Security, RAI, Croatia, Israel Locations: Malmo, Sweden, Israel, Russia, Ukraine, Gaza

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, looming Rafah invasion, Israel Eurovision participation
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Police face pro-Palestinian protesters in central Malmo during the 68th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in Malmo Arena, Sweden, on May 9. More than 150 million people around the world will watch Saturday's Eurovision final on TV, and around 15,000 fans will gather inside the Malmo Arena. Those protesting or boycotting the song contest say it is “artwashing” the conflict; others defend Israel’s inclusion, insisting the contest should not be dragged into geopolitics. And they are leading to perhaps the tensest three minutes in the contest’s history, when Israel’s competitor, Eden Golan, performs live. “I would imagine the scale of it in Malmo would be bigger than anything we’ve ever seen before.”Read the full analysis.

Persons: Johan Nilsson, ” Paul Jordan, ”, Weeks, Eden Golan, ” Jordan, “ Organizations: Malmo Arena, Getty, Music, Malmo, Eurovision, CNN Locations: Malmo, Sweden, AFP, Swedish, Gaza, Israel

☆ Eurovision is back, but will Baby Lasagne or Nemo triumph? Your complete guide
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“People are like ‘OK, Sweden is the spiritual home of Eurovision’ – I see Eurovision as this moving entity,” she tells CNN. “The whole product, ABBA, is a vibe, isn’t it?”ABBA sing "Waterloo" at Eurovision 50 years ago. But ABBA are the past; Baby Lasagne, Windows95Man and Nemo – a person, not a fish – are very much the present. This year’s slim favorite is Baby Lasagne, whose arena-pounding anthem “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” describes a brain drain affecting Croatian towns. He credits his fiancée with helping him launch his career – “She’s the lasagne, and I’m just the baby,” he tells CNN.

Persons: Paul Anka, Abba –, Loreen, –, “, Loreen –, they’ve, ” Loreen, Olle Lindeborg, Lasagne, Nemo, Sarah Bonnici, aga, you’d, Music ”, Dominic Lipinski, Marcus, Martinus, ”, – “, I’m, Switzerland’s Nemo, ” Nemo, ” Joost Klein's, Jens Büttner, Joost Klein, Teemu Keisteri, he’s, Windows95Man, it’s, Belgium’s Mustii, Bonnie Tyler’s, Sanjin, Marina Satti, Hera Bjork, ” Saba, Slimane, who’s, ” Poland’s Luna, Jeff Spicer, ” we’re, Luna “, doesn’t, we’re, ” Portugal’s, … “, Alyona Alyona, Jerry Heil, Jens Bittner, ” Joost Klein, bro, airdropped, Angelina, Greta Thunberg, Eden Golan, audibly, they’ll, oddballs gunning Organizations: CNN, Waterloo, Malmo, Eurovision, Getty, Pulitzer, aga … aaa, aaa, United, Music, MAG, San, ” “ Hurricanes, Israel, European Broadcasting Union Locations: Sweden, AFP, Malmo, Europe, Armenia, wail, Gaza, Israel

☆ Israel’s Eurovision Entrant Faces Down Her Critics
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Taking part in the Eurovision Song Contest is nerve-racking, even when the audience welcomes you to the stage. For one singer at this year’s contest, it will likely be particularly anxiety filled. When Eden Golan, 20, who is representing Israel, performs at the second semifinal on Thursday, a significant portion of the audience will not be cheering for her. In fact, many people don’t want her country to be at Eurovision at all. For months, pro-Palestinian groups and some Eurovision fans have been trying in vain to get the contest’s organizers, the European Broadcasting Union, to ban Golan from taking part at this year’s event in Malmo, Sweden, because of Israel’s war in Gaza.

Persons: Eden Golan, don’t, Golan Organizations: Eurovision, European Broadcasting Union Locations: Israel, Malmo, Sweden, Gaza

☆ Israel could win Eurovision. That would cause major headaches for the song contest’s organizers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

But this year, “the presence of Israel has become such a big issue (that) I think it’s going to overshadow the event,” he said. And they are leading perhaps the tensest three minutes in the contest’s history, when Israel’s competitor, Eden Golan, performs live. It doesn’t make sense,” Bambie Thug, Ireland’s participant, told CNN of extensive rules restricting any form of pro-Palestinian statement during the event. Ireland's Bambie Thug told CNN they disagreed with Israel's involvement in the competition. Long-standing rules preventing flags of non-competing countries and territories mean that Palestinian flags are banned from the crowd, which Bambie Thug told CNN they “100%” disagreed with.

Persons: Eden Golan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Golan, ”, Jessica Gow, ” Paul Jordan, Weeks, Johan Nilsson, Israel, Noel Curran, KAN, Bambie Thug, Patricia J, Garcinuno, ” Curran, “, Fredrik Persson, –, ” Jordan, SuRie, Karin Karlsson, Karlsson, ” Elina Pahnke, Saturday’s, Mohammad Ghannam, ” Lara Yosef, ” Yosef, ” Bambie Thug, Alyona Alyona Organizations: CNN, Music, Malmo, Eurovision, European Broadcasting Union, EBU, Getty, TT, Agency, Reuters, Israel, RAI, United, AFP, Malmo Arena, Artists, Aftonbladet, Israel’s National Security Council Locations: Swedish, Malmo, Israel, Gaza, Israel's, AFP, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Azerbaijan, Russia, Stockholm, Sweden's, seeping, Sweden’s Palestinian, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, “

☆ Eurovision braces for its most tense contest yet, as protesters and artists bristle at Israel’s presence
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The competition – which tries desperately to retain its “apolitical” tag – has become the largest cultural event so far to be rocked by the repercussions of Israel’s war in Gaza. Those protesting or boycotting the song contest claim it is “artwashing” the conflict; others defend Israel’s inclusion, insisting the contest should not be dragged into geopolitics. It doesn’t make sense,” Bambie Thug, Ireland’s participant, told CNN of extensive rules restricting any form of pro-Palestinian statement during the event. Ireland's Bambie Thug told CNN they disagreed with Israel's involvement in the competition. Long-standing rules preventing flags of non-competing countries and territories mean that Palestinian flags are banned from the crowd, which Bambie Thug told CNN they “100%” disagreed with.

Persons: ” Paul Jordan, ”, Weeks, Eden Golan, ” Jordan, “, Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Bambie Thug, Patricia J, Garcinuno, Noel Curran, KAN, ” Curran, Golan, Fredrik Persson, –, SuRie, Karin Karlsson, Karlsson, ” Elina Pahnke, Johan Nilsson, Saturday’s, Mohammad Ghannam, ” Lara Yosef, ” Yosef, ” Bambie Thug, Alyona Alyona Organizations: CNN, Music, Malmo, Eurovision, European Broadcasting Union, EBU, TT, Agency, AFP, Getty, Malmo Arena, Artists, Aftonbladet, Israel’s National Security Council Locations: Swedish, Gaza, Israel, Malmo, Azerbaijan, Russia, Ukraine, Stockholm, Sweden's, seeping, Sweden’s Palestinian, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, “

☆ Palestinian Flags Fly at Protests Worldwide. They Won’t Be at Eurovision.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Alex Marshall | More About Alex Marshall | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Protesters are waving Palestinian flags on American college campuses and in cities around the world to put pressure on Israel to end the war in the Gaza Strip. But there is one place where that symbol will be absent next week: inside the Eurovision Song Contest. Ticket buyers at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest are allowed to bring and display only flags representing the 37 participating countries, the spokesperson said in an email. The only exceptions are rainbow and pride flags representing L.G.B.T.Q. The spokesperson said although the flags policy was reviewed every year, it had not changed since the last edition, held in Liverpool, England.

Organizations: Hamas, European Broadcasting Union, Israel Locations: Israel, Gaza, Malmo, Sweden, Liverpool, England

☆ Pregnancy complications linked to increased risk of early death even decades later, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Jacqueline Howard | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Pregnancy complications, such as gestational diabetes or preeclampsia, may be linked to an elevated risk of death even decades after giving birth, according to a new study. The study, published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, found that women who experienced major complications during pregnancy had an increased risk of early death and that risk remained elevated for more than 40 years. The data showed that more than 88,000 women had died and all five pregnancy complications were independently associated with a higher mortality risk later in life. Gestational diabetes was associated with a 52% increased risk of mortality, preterm delivery was associated with a 41% increased risk, delivering a baby with low birth weight was associated with a 30% increased risk, preeclampsia with a 13% increased risk and other hypertensive disorders with a 27% increased risk, the data showed. “We found that the increased mortality was attributable to multiple different causes of death, including heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disorders, and cancer,” he said.

Persons: Dr, Casey Crump, ” Crump, “, ”, Ashley Roman, ” Roman, Crump, Joanne Stone, Raquel, Jaime Gilinski, ” Stone, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Lund University, NYU Langone Health, ’, of Obstetrics, Icahn School of Medicine, CNN Health Locations: UTHealth, Houston, Malmö, Sweden, United States, Mount

☆ How This Climate Activist Justifies Political Violence
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

Photo illustration by Bráulio Amado Talk How This Climate Activist Justifies Political ViolenceWith the 2021 publication of his unsettling book, “How to Blow Up a Pipeline,” Andreas Malm established himself as a leading thinker of climate radicalism. I have engaged in as much militant climate activism as I have had access to in my activist communities and contexts. Like I said, I’ve participated in things that I can’t tell you about because they’ve been illegal and they’ve been militant. I can’t tell you what things I have done, but the things that I do and that any other climate activist should be doing cannot be an individual project. This goes for political violence too, unless you’re a pacifist and you reject every form of political violence — that’s a reasonably coherent philosophical position.

Persons: Bráulio Amado, ” Andreas Malm, Malm’s, Wim Carton, Malm, ”, don’t, Andreas Malm’s, you’ve, Let’s, I’ve, they’ve, dint, Putin, Ugo Amez, “ We’re, —, Biden, radicalize, I’m, Jeremy Chan Organizations: New Yorker, The, The New, ExxonMobil, Aramco, Associated Press, White, optimist Locations: Swedish, New, The New Republic, Malmo, Ukraine, France, United States

☆ In the Dream Orchestra, many musicians never played an instrument before joining
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Catherine E. Shoichet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +24 min

I think they thought I was crazy.”Many of the Dream Orchestra’s members had never played an instrument before they joined. Ron Davis Álvarez, Dream Orchestra founder and artistic directorThe small ensemble rehearsed on Fridays and Saturdays. He'd never played an instrument before joining the Dream Orchestra. Mushtaq Khorsand asked to join the Dream Orchestra after seeing how joyful his friends were during a performance. So if I wasn’t part of Dream Orchestra and (hadn’t) met Ron, I don’t where I would be,” he says.

Persons: Ron Davis Álvarez, He’d, ” Álvarez, hadn’t, they’d, Álvarez, Venezuela’s, he’d, It’s, Gustavo Bandres, “, Mostafa, ” Kazemi, Kazemi, —, –, Mostafa Kazemi, He'd, ”, Ron, Mushtaq Khorsand, ” Khorsand, Khorsand, He's, Rey, He’s, he’s, Carlos Medrano y Ritmos Ciganos Carlos Garcia, isn’t, it’s, Johan Nilsson, Tymofii Slakva, Tim, Slakva, ” Slakva, Azra Avci, Andrea Spehar, Anna Svanberg, they’ve, ‘, hasn’t, Scheherazade, Richard Meyer Organizations: CNN, Volunteers, El, El Sistema, Sistema, Orchestra, Dream Orchestra, Dream, Gothenburg Symphony, Training, YouTube, University of Gothenburg, ” Locations: Stockholm, Venezuelan, Sweden, Syria, Afghanistan, El Sistema Sweden, Gothenburg, It’s, El, Caracas, Eritrea, Albania, Malmo, Swedish, Ukraine, France, Álvarez, United Kingdom, Lebanon

☆ Danish dockworkers join Swedish strike action against Tesla
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A view shows the ship Malacca Highway at shore as port workers are blocking the loading of Tesla vehicles, in Malmo, Sweden, November 7, 2023. Johan Nilsson/TT News Agency/via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHELSINKI, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Denmark's 3F labour union said on Tuesday it will support Swedish mechanics in their strike action against Tesla (TSLA.O), and will refuse to unload or transport cars made by the U.S. auto company for customers in Sweden. "Like the companies, the trade union movement is global in the fight to protect workers," 3F Chair Jan Villadsen said in a statement, adding that Sweden's IF Metall union had asked 3F to help. The strike by Danish dockworkers and lorry drivers only affects cars that are meant for the Swedish market, the union said. Swedish labour groups have been taking industrial action against Tesla since October in a bid to force the car manufacturer to sign collective bargaining agreements with mechanics.

Persons: Johan Nilsson, Jan Villadsen, Tesla, Essi Lehto, Terje Solsvik Organizations: TT, Agency, Rights, U.S, IF Metall, Thomson Locations: Malacca, Malmo, Sweden, Swedish, Danish

☆ Swedish Soccer Prioritized Fans Over Finances. Now, Business Is Booming.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-19 | by ( Rory Smith | More About Rory Smith | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The warning sounded over and over, first in Swedish and then in English. But in the stands, as a thick cloud of smoke wreathed and coiled in the floodlights, nobody moved. The fans were going to make the game happen by sheer force of will. The top two teams in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s elite league, had gone into the final day of the season separated by just three points. It has not happened in England since 1989, and Italy has not produced such a denouement in more than half a century.

Organizations: Allsvenskan, Elfsborg Locations: Malmo, England, Italy

☆ Union pressure on Tesla grows in Sweden as dockworkers expand strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A view shows the ship Malacca Highway at shore as port workers are blocking the loading of Tesla vehicles, in Malmo, Sweden, November 7, 2023. Dockworkers joined the strike by mechanics on Nov. 7, blocking Sweden's four largest ports to Tesla cars. So far, unions in the United States and Germany have failed to force the company to accept collective bargaining agreements. In addition to dockworkers, unionised cleaners are refusing to clean Tesla buildings and postal workers have stopped delivering mail. In the 1990s, American toy company Toys "R" Us signed a collective bargaining agreement with its 130 Swedish employees after a three month strike.

Persons: Johan Nilsson, Tesla, Elon Musk, Dockworkers, Musk, Torbjorn Johansson, Norway's Fellesforbundet, Marie Mannes, Louise Rasmussen, Johan Ahlander, Johannes Birkebaek, Simon Johnson, Mark Potter Organizations: TT, Agency, Rights, U.S, Swedish, IF Metall, Hydro Extrusions, Hydro, Thomson Locations: Malacca, Malmo, Sweden, Rights STOCKHOLM, Dockworkers, United States, Germany, American

☆ Tesla's problems in Sweden are getting worse as dockworkers refuse to unload its EVs from ships
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The mechanics' trade union is ramping up efforts after talks stalled again this week. AdvertisementThe labor dispute over Tesla's refusal to sign a collective wage agreement in Sweden has escalated into a dramatic labor battle. Unions representing multiple industries announced this week that they would join the strike in solidarity with IF Metall, the Tesla mechanics' trade union. The cleaners were joining the labor action "simply because the [IF] Metall Workers Trade Union asked us to," ombudsman Torbjörn Jonsson told Wired. In Germany, the largest labor union secured a 4% pay rise for 11,000 staff at Teslas Berlin Gigafactory.

Persons: Tesla, —, it's, who've, JOHAN NILSSON, Getty, Torbjörn Jonsson, IG Metall Organizations: Service, IF Metall, Metall, Workers, Union, Tesla, Wired, Metall Workers Trade Union, Teslas Berlin Locations: Sweden, Swedish, Malmo, Germany, Grünheide

☆ Fact Check: Old video of security guard detaining a child is from Sweden, not Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video of a security guard forcefully detaining a child on a train platform was filmed in Sweden in 2015 and the child was not killed, contrary to online claims that the clip shows an Israeli police officer strangling a Palestinian child to death in October 2023. The clip, however, was filmed in February 2015 in Sweden. No media outlets reported that the boy had been killed in the encounter. Swedish newspaper Sydsvenskan reported in April 2015 that the security guards would not be prosecuted. The video of a private security guard violently detaining a child was filmed in Sweden in 2015, not Israel in 2023.

Persons: Sydsvenskan, Read Organizations: U.S, Hamas, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Sweden, Palestinian, Jerusalem, Israel, European, Malmö

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A ferry that had ran aground last month off southeastern Sweden and started leaking oil into the Baltic Sea was pulled free on Wednesday and anchored nearby, the Swedish Coast Guard said. The Marco Polo, operated by the TT-Line of Germany, was operating a route along Sweden’s coast between the cities of Trelleborg and Karlshamn when it ran aground on Oct. 22 and started leaking oil. The ferry wasn't at risk of sinking despite taking on water, the coast guard said. Earlier, the coast guard said the ferry had suffered “extensive damage” and would eventually be towed into the harbor of Karlshamn. The inspection would be made by a salvage company hired by the TT-Line's insurance firm, the coast guard said.

Persons: Marco Polo, Sweden’s, Ulf Kristersson Organizations: STOCKHOLM, Swedish Coast Guard, SVT, TT Locations: Sweden, Baltic, Germany, Trelleborg, Pukavik, Solvesborg, Malmo, Karlshamn, “, Swedish

NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — American hockey player Adam Johnson has died after a “freak accident” during a game in England on Saturday, his club said. The 29-year-old Minnesota native was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in a Challenge Cup game against the Sheffield Steelers when he suffered a slashed neck during the second period of the game at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena. “The Nottingham Panthers are truly devastated to announce that Adam Johnson has tragically passed away following a freak accident at the game in Sheffield last night," the team said Sunday morning. Minnesota-born Johnson played for the Pittsburg Penguins in the National Hockey League before spending the 2020-21 season in Sweden with the Malmo Redhawks. “The Panthers would like to thank everyone who rushed to support Adam last night in the most testing of circumstances.

Persons: Adam Johnson, Adam’s, Johnson, Adam, ___ Organizations: Nottingham Panthers, Sheffield Steelers, Sheffield’s, Panthers, Pittsburg Penguins, National Hockey League, Malmo Redhawks, Ontario, Nottingham, UK Elite League Locations: NOTTINGHAM, England, American, Minnesota, Sheffield, Sweden, Canada, Germany, Belfast, Fife, Guildford

CNN —Greta Thunberg was arrested at a protest outside an oil and gas conference – formerly known as the “Oil and Money” conference – at a luxury five-star hotel in London on Tuesday, eyewitnesses told CNN. But it wouldn’t confirm to CNN that Thunberg was among those arrested. Thunberg and other protestors blocked entrances at the hotel, trying to prevent delegates from entering. We are choking from their fumes.”Greta Thunberg joined protesters during the demonstration which used the slogan: "Oily Money Out." Tuesday’s protest marks the first of three days of action aimed at shutting down the conference, Greenpeace said

Persons: Greta Thunberg, Thunberg, Henry Nicholls, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Money, London’s Metropolitan Police, Intercontinental, Energy Intelligence Forum, Aramco, Free, Getty, Greenpeace Locations: London, London’s Park, Shell, Free London, greenwashing, AFP, Swedish, Malmö, Sweden

☆ IKEA sticks with China despite slowing economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Helen Reid | Thomson Reuters | London-Based Reporter Covering The European Retail Sector Through A Global Lens. Focusing On Companies Including Adidas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Yves Herman Acquire Licensing RightsMALMÖ, Sweden, Oct 12 (Reuters) - China is still a key growth market for budget furniture retailer IKEA despite the world's second-largest economy showing signs of strain, executives at the biggest IKEA store owner said on Thursday. The company has 37 IKEA stores in China, out of a total of 537 locations worldwide. Ingka Group overall saw 697 million visits to its IKEA stores in the 2023 financial year, up 7.4% from the previous year. The rate of increase was much higher in China, Brodin said, as stores reopened and shoppers returned. China's sheer size makes it a key opportunity, said Tolga Oncu, head of IKEA Retail at Ingka Group.

Persons: Yves Herman Acquire, Jesper Brodin, Brodin, Ingka, Tolga Oncu, Oncu, Helen Reid, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, IKEA, Ingka Group, Ingka, Reuters, IKEA Retail, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, Sweden, China

☆ Swedish court fines Greta Thunberg again for disobeying police orders
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg was found guilty of disobeying a police order and ordered to pay a fine, TT news agency reported on Wednesday, the second time in three months she was convicted and fined for the same offence. Thunberg, 20, was ordered to pay a fine of 4,500 Swedish crowns ($414) for failing to leave a climate protest on July 24 when police ordered her to do so. Earlier that day she had been fined 1,500 Swedish crowns for the same offence. "We young people do not want to see our future taken away from us," she said according to TT. ($1 = 10.8790 Swedish crowns)Reporting by Johan Ahlander and Anna Ringstrom; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Greta Thunberg, Johan Ahlander, Anna Ringstrom, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Thomson Locations: STOCKHOLM, Malmo

A view of the Balticconector pipeline as it is pulled into the sea in Paldiski, Estonia in an undated handout photo taken in 2019. ELERING/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVILNIUS/HELSINKI, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The damage to the Baltic Sea gas pipeline that burst on Sunday was caused by "quite heavy force", Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur said on Wednesday, a day after Finland said it could have been a deliberate action. The Balticconnector subsea gas pipeline and a telecommunications cable connecting Finland and Estonia were damaged on Sunday. On Tuesday, Helsinki said the damage was likely caused by "outside activity" and that the cause was being investigated. Location of damaged gas pipe"It can clearly be seen that these damages are caused by quite heavy force," Pevkur told Reuters, adding that investigators were not ruling out anything at this stage.

Persons: Hanno Pevkur, Pevkur, Henri Vanhanen, Andrius Sytas, Anne Kauranen, Tom Little, Gwladys Fouche, Terje Solsvik Organizations: REUTERS, Estonian Defence, Reuters, Finnish Institute for International Affairs, NATO, Thomson Locations: Paldiski, Estonia, Handout, VILNIUS, HELSINKI, Baltic, Finland, Helsinki, Vilnius, Malmo

☆ She went on a bachelorette party abroad and met her future husband
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Francesca Street | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

CNN —The last place Madeline Robson expected to meet her future husband was her friend’s bachelorette party. But afterwards, she’d be more flexible, and as the December date approached, Madeline started considering what she might do next. “I think a product of that is that I never really felt super settled in Malmö in the first year,” she says. It’s really, really cool. “It’s really, really cool.”

Persons: Madeline Robson, “, ” Madeline, Madeline, –, ”, who’d, – they’d, absentmindedly, Sebastian Mamet, ” Sebastian, He’d, Sebastian, he’d, “ We’re, ’ ”, Madeline oscillated, you’ve, Sebastian doesn’t, She’d, she’d, Madeline didn’t, “ It’s, Fotograf Johanna Ellen, @fotografjohannaellen, Let’s, It’s, Madeline Robson Madeline, she’ll, he’s, she’s Organizations: CNN, CNN Travel, Copenhagen, Nordic Locations: Ontario, Canada, New Orleans, Bourbon, Sweden, Orleans, “, Madeline, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Niagara, Helsingborg, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Prague, Denmark, Swedish, Malmö, ”, Madeline’s, Scandinavia

Visitors can now pinch and zoom their way around the ancient Greek site, with a digital overlay showing how it once looked. Other, less widely known features also appear: Many of the sculptures on the Acropolis were painted in striking colors. Tech giant like Meta and Apple are pushing into VR headsets that can cost thousands of dollars. “Accessibility is extending to the digital space,” Mendoni said at a preview launch event for the Chronos app in May. “Real visitors and virtual visitors anywhere around the world can share historical knowledge.”Developed by Greek telecoms provider Cosmote, the free app's designers say they hope to build on existing features that include an artificial intelligence-powered virtual guide, Clio.

Persons: Athena, ”, “, Maria Engberg, Lina Mendoni, ” Mendoni, Panayiotis Gabrielides, Petros Giannakouris Organizations: —, British Museum, Greece’s Culture Ministry, Bank of Greece, Revenue, Titans, Tech, Apple, VR, Malmo University, Culture Ministry, Microsoft, Olympic, Cosmote, Acropolis Museum Locations: ATHENS, Greece, London, Tourism, Rhodes, Sweden, Athens, China, Olympia

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