A campaign group seeking a global ban on nuclear arms won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, given the award by a Nobel Committee that cited the spread of weapons to North Korea and said the risk was growing of nuclear war.

The award to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was unexpected, particularly in a year when the architects of the 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran had been seen as favourites for achieving the sort of diplomatic breakthrough that has won the prize in the past.

Supporters described the award as a potential breakthrough for a global movement that has fought to ban nuclear arms from the day the first atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in August 1945.

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ICAN&#39;s Executive Director Beatrice Fihn told Reuters the group was elated. &quot;This. Is. Surreal.&quot; she later tweeted.

Asked if she had a message for North Korea&#39;s Kim Jong-Un, who has tested nuclear arms in defiance of global pressure, and President Donald Trump, who has threatened to &quot;totally destroy&quot; North Korea to protect the United States and its allies, Fihn said both leaders need to know that the weapons are illegal.

&quot;Nuclear weapons are illegal. Threatening to use nuclear weapons is illegal. Having nuclear weapons, possessing nuclear weapons, developing nuclear weapons, is illegal, and they need to stop,&quot; she told Reuters.

Two days before her group won the prize, Fihn had tweeted that Trump was &quot;a moron&quot;. She told Reuters she had written this in jest, in the context of news reports that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had used the same word to describe his boss. But she said Trump&#39;s impulsive character illustrated the importance of banning nuclear arms for all countries.

&quot;A man you can bait with a tweet seems to be taking irrational decisions very quickly and not listening to expertise, it just puts a spotlight on what do nuclear weapons really mean. There are no right hands for the wrong weapons,&quot; she said.

ICAN describes itself as a coalition of grassroots non-government groups in more than 100 nations. It began in Australia and was officially launched in Vienna in 2007.

In her speech announcing the prize, Berit Reiss-Andersen, the leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the risk that nuclear weapons might be used was now &quot;greater than it has been for a long time&quot;.

&quot;Some states are modernising their nuclear arsenals, and there is a real danger that more countries will try to procure nuclear weapons, as exemplified by North Korea.&quot;

The award was hailed by anti-nuclear campaigners around the world. &quot;Now more than ever we need a world without nuclear weapons,&quot; United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted.

Mikiso Iwasa, an 88-year-old Hiroshima survivor, told Reuters the prize would help push the movement forward.

&quot;It is wonderful we have this Nobel Peace-Prize winning movement. All of us need to join forces, think hard and walk forward together to turn this momentum into something even bigger,&quot; he said.

Nuclear tensions

The prize seeks to bolster the case for disarmament amid nuclear tensions between Washington and Pyongyang, as well as uncertainty over the fate of the 2015 deal between Iran and major powers to limit Tehran&#39;s nuclear programme.

The prize-giving committee made no mention of Iran in its award citation. It raised eyebrows with its decision to award the prize to an international campaign group with a relatively low profile, rather than recognise the Iran deal, a complex agreement hammered out over years of high-stakes diplomacy.

&quot;Norwegian Nobel Committee has its own ways, but the nuclear agreement with Iran achieved something real and would have deserved a prize,&quot; tweeted Carl Bildt, a former Swedish prime minister who has held top posts as an international diplomat.

The Iran accord, which Trump has repeatedly called &quot;the worst deal ever negotiated&quot;, is seen as under particular threat this week. A senior administration official said on Thursday Trump is expected to &quot;decertify&quot; the pact, a step which could allow Congress to restore sanctions on Iran.

The committee may have been reluctant to reward the Iranian government for its role in the nuclear deal because the only Iranian winner so far, 2003 laureate Shirin Ebadi, a lawyer and human rights campaigner, is forced to live in exile.

&quot;I think the committee has thought about the human rights situation in Iran. It would have been difficult to explain the prize even though it has a favourable view of the Iran deal,&quot; Asle Sveen, a historian of the Nobel Peace Prize, told Reuters.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee denied that giving the prize to an anti-nuclear group was intended either as a rebuke to Trump, or as a snub to the architects of the Iran nuclear deal.

&quot;The Iran treaty is a positive development, a disarmament development that is positive, but the reason we mentioned North Korea (in our statement) is a reference to the threat that people actually feel,&quot; Reiss-Andersen told Reuters. &quot;Iran has not voiced recent threats to use nuclear weapons.&quot;

ICAN has campaigned for a U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted by 122 nations in July this year.

That agreement is not signed by -- and would not apply to -- any of the states that already have nuclear arms, which include the five U.N. Security Council permanent members, the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France, as well as India, Pakistan and North Korea. Israel is also widely assumed to have nuclear weapons, although it neither confirms nor denies it.

Major allies of the declared nuclear powers also oppose the new treaty. Nevertheless, campaigners see it as a framework that would make it easier for countries that have nuclear arms to work towards eliminating them.

NATO member Norway congratulated ICAN but said it would not sign the treaty to ban nuclear weapons. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a committee appointed by the Norwegian parliament.

&quot;Norway will not support proposals in the UN that would weaken NATO&#39;s role as a defence alliance,&quot; Prime Minister Erna Solberg said.

Nuclear-armed nations, including the United States and Russia, back the U.N.&#39;s 1968 nuclear non-proliferation treaty which sets limits on the spread of atomic weapons and has a long-term goal of nuclear disarmament.

&quot;There is a strong logic in this peace prize,&quot; said Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute &quot;It&#39;s all about encouraging governments to do what they have promised to do in the non-proliferation treaty.&quot;

The Nobel committee said the prize was awarded to ICAN for its 'work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons'?

A campaign group seeking a global ban on nuclear arms won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, given the award by a Nobel Committee that cited the spread of weapons to North Korea and said the risk was growing of nuclear war. The award to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) was unexpected, particularly in a year when the architects of the 2015 nuclear deal between world powers and Iran had been seen as favourites for achieving the sort of diplomatic breakthrough that has won the prize in the past. Supporters described the award as a potential breakthrough for a global movement that has fought to ban nuclear arms from the day the first atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in August 1945. BREAKING NEWS The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) @nuclearban #NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/I5PUiQfFzs — The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 6, 2017 × Watch the very moment the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize is announced! #NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/H0AtcRU7tn — The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 6, 2017 × ICAN's Executive Director Beatrice Fihn told Reuters the group was elated. "This. Is. Surreal." she later tweeted. Asked if she had a message for North Korea's Kim Jong-Un, who has tested nuclear arms in defiance of global pressure, and President Donald Trump, who has threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea to protect the United States and its allies, Fihn said both leaders need to know that the weapons are illegal. "Nuclear weapons are illegal. Threatening to use nuclear weapons is illegal. Having nuclear weapons, possessing nuclear weapons, developing nuclear weapons, is illegal, and they need to stop," she told Reuters. Two days before her group won the prize, Fihn had tweeted that Trump was "a moron". She told Reuters she had written this in jest, in the context of news reports that U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had used the same word to describe his boss. But she said Trump's impulsive character illustrated the importance of banning nuclear arms for all countries. "A man you can bait with a tweet seems to be taking irrational decisions very quickly and not listening to expertise, it just puts a spotlight on what do nuclear weapons really mean. There are no right hands for the wrong weapons," she said. ICAN describes itself as a coalition of grassroots non-government groups in more than 100 nations. It began in Australia and was officially launched in Vienna in 2007. In her speech announcing the prize, Berit Reiss-Andersen, the leader of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said the risk that nuclear weapons might be used was now "greater than it has been for a long time". "Some states are modernising their nuclear arsenals, and there is a real danger that more countries will try to procure nuclear weapons, as exemplified by North Korea." The award was hailed by anti-nuclear campaigners around the world. "Now more than ever we need a world without nuclear weapons," United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted. Mikiso Iwasa, an 88-year-old Hiroshima survivor, told Reuters the prize would help push the movement forward. "It is wonderful we have this Nobel Peace-Prize winning movement. All of us need to join forces, think hard and walk forward together to turn this momentum into something even bigger," he said. Nuclear tensions The prize seeks to bolster the case for disarmament amid nuclear tensions between Washington and Pyongyang, as well as uncertainty over the fate of the 2015 deal between Iran and major powers to limit Tehran's nuclear programme. The prize-giving committee made no mention of Iran in its award citation. It raised eyebrows with its decision to award the prize to an international campaign group with a relatively low profile, rather than recognise the Iran deal, a complex agreement hammered out over years of high-stakes diplomacy. "Norwegian Nobel Committee has its own ways, but the nuclear agreement with Iran achieved something real and would have deserved a prize," tweeted Carl Bildt, a former Swedish prime minister who has held top posts as an international diplomat. The Iran accord, which Trump has repeatedly called "the worst deal ever negotiated", is seen as under particular threat this week. A senior administration official said on Thursday Trump is expected to "decertify" the pact, a step which could allow Congress to restore sanctions on Iran. The committee may have been reluctant to reward the Iranian government for its role in the nuclear deal because the only Iranian winner so far, 2003 laureate Shirin Ebadi, a lawyer and human rights campaigner, is forced to live in exile. "I think the committee has thought about the human rights situation in Iran. It would have been difficult to explain the prize even though it has a favourable view of the Iran deal," Asle Sveen, a historian of the Nobel Peace Prize, told Reuters. The Norwegian Nobel Committee denied that giving the prize to an anti-nuclear group was intended either as a rebuke to Trump, or as a snub to the architects of the Iran nuclear deal. "The Iran treaty is a positive development, a disarmament development that is positive, but the reason we mentioned North Korea (in our statement) is a reference to the threat that people actually feel," Reiss-Andersen told Reuters. "Iran has not voiced recent threats to use nuclear weapons." ICAN has campaigned for a U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, which was adopted by 122 nations in July this year. That agreement is not signed by -- and would not apply to -- any of the states that already have nuclear arms, which include the five U.N. Security Council permanent members, the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France, as well as India, Pakistan and North Korea. Israel is also widely assumed to have nuclear weapons, although it neither confirms nor denies it. Major allies of the declared nuclear powers also oppose the new treaty. Nevertheless, campaigners see it as a framework that would make it easier for countries that have nuclear arms to work towards eliminating them. NATO member Norway congratulated ICAN but said it would not sign the treaty to ban nuclear weapons. The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a committee appointed by the Norwegian parliament. "Norway will not support proposals in the UN that would weaken NATO's role as a defence alliance," Prime Minister Erna Solberg said. Nuclear-armed nations, including the United States and Russia, back the U.N.'s 1968 nuclear non-proliferation treaty which sets limits on the spread of atomic weapons and has a long-term goal of nuclear disarmament. "There is a strong logic in this peace prize," said Dan Smith, director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute "It's all about encouraging governments to do what they have promised to do in the non-proliferation treaty."

Nobel Peace Prize awarded to International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons

Sweden&#39;s anti-immigration Sweden Democrat&nbsp;party&nbsp;on Wednesday tabled a parliamentary&nbsp;vote&nbsp;of no confidence in Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, demanding his resignation in the aftermath of a scandal over leaks of sensitive material.

Lofven is almost certain to ride out the&nbsp;vote, which will take place on Sept. 15 at the earliest, as the main, centre-right&nbsp;opposition&nbsp;bloc has said it will not give its support.

But it will damage his standing just a year before the general election and ratchet up pressure on him to get rid of Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist, who has also been targeted by the Sweden Democrats over the IT scandal.

&quot;The Prime Minister has talked about a breakdown, but he has not talked about the breakdown within his own government,&quot; Parliament member Paula Bieler said.

If the Sweden Democrats&#39; attempt to unseat Lofven fails, they will&nbsp;call&nbsp;for a no-confidence motion in Hultqvist. The centre-right Alliance bloc has also said it will table a motion of no-confidence in Hultqvist.

If Hultqvist is forced to resign, he would be the third minister to fall victim to the IT scandal.

No-confidence motions are rare in&nbsp;Swedish&nbsp;politics. Since 1980, only seven have taken place and none one has succeeded.

Lofven is almost certain to ride out the?vote, which will take place on Sept. 15 at the earliest, as the main, centre-right?opposition?bloc has said it will not give its support.

Sweden's anti-immigration Sweden Democrat party on Wednesday tabled a parliamentary vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, demanding his resignation in the aftermath of a scandal over leaks of sensitive material. Lofven is almost certain to ride out the vote, which will take place on Sept. 15 at the earliest, as the main, centre-right opposition bloc has said it will not give its support. But it will damage his standing just a year before the general election and ratchet up pressure on him to get rid of Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist, who has also been targeted by the Sweden Democrats over the IT scandal. "The Prime Minister has talked about a breakdown, but he has not talked about the breakdown within his own government," Parliament member Paula Bieler said. If the Sweden Democrats' attempt to unseat Lofven fails, they will call for a no-confidence motion in Hultqvist. The centre-right Alliance bloc has also said it will table a motion of no-confidence in Hultqvist. If Hultqvist is forced to resign, he would be the third minister to fall victim to the IT scandal. No-confidence motions are rare in Swedish politics. Since 1980, only seven have taken place and none one has succeeded.

Swedish PM Stefan Lofven to face no-confidence vote

Rakhmat Akilov, an Uzbek, who allegedly rammed a truck into a department store in central Sweden which killed four people has confessed his crime, his lawyer said.

Rakhmat Akilov hijacked a beer truck and drove it into the Ahlens department store on Friday afternoon in Stockholm&#39;s busy shopping street.&nbsp;The attack resulted in two Swedes, a British man and a Belgian woman being killed and left fifteen injured. Eight people still remain in hospital.

Akilov&nbsp;appeared in court today and was asked by the judge early on to remove the sweater from his head but he made no comment at the start of the hearing. His lawyer, Johan Eriksson, told the court that his client had admitted the crime. The judge then ordered the hearing to proceed behind closed doors.

His lawyer later&nbsp;revealed that Akilov has described his motives to authorities, but the judge had ordered the lawyer not to discuss details of the case in public.

&quot;He has not just confessed. He has provided information, he is answering questions,&quot;

Police have said it could take up to a year to complete the initial investigation into the attack.

Authorities say Akilov has expressed sympathies with extremist organisations. Security services have said that he had figured in intelligence reports but they had not viewed him as a militant threat.

A Facebook page appearing to belong to him showed he was following a group called &quot;Friends of Libya and Syria&quot;, dedicated to exposing &quot;terrorism of the imperialistic financial capitals&quot; of the United States, Britain and Arab &quot;dictatorships&quot;.

(WION with Reuters input)

Akilov's lawyer said that he has described his motives behind the truck attack

Rakhmat Akilov, an Uzbek, who allegedly rammed a truck into a department store in central Sweden which killed four people has confessed his crime, his lawyer said. Rakhmat Akilov hijacked a beer truck and drove it into the Ahlens department store on Friday afternoon in Stockholm's busy shopping street. The attack resulted in two Swedes, a British man and a Belgian woman being killed and left fifteen injured. Eight people still remain in hospital. Akilov appeared in court today and was asked by the judge early on to remove the sweater from his head but he made no comment at the start of the hearing. His lawyer, Johan Eriksson, told the court that his client had admitted the crime. The judge then ordered the hearing to proceed behind closed doors. His lawyer later revealed that Akilov has described his motives to authorities, but the judge had ordered the lawyer not to discuss details of the case in public. "He has not just confessed. He has provided information, he is answering questions," Police have said it could take up to a year to complete the initial investigation into the attack. Authorities say Akilov has expressed sympathies with extremist organisations. Security services have said that he had figured in intelligence reports but they had not viewed him as a militant threat. A Facebook page appearing to belong to him showed he was following a group called "Friends of Libya and Syria", dedicated to exposing "terrorism of the imperialistic financial capitals" of the United States, Britain and Arab "dictatorships". (WION with Reuters input)

Stockholm attack: Rakhmat Akilov has confessed, says lawyer

Swedish police have found a suspect device in the truck that slammed into a crowd in central Stockholm, killing four people and injuring 15, authorities said on Saturday.

&quot;We have found a device in the vehicle that doesn&#39;t belong there ... A technical examination is ongoing, we can&#39;t go into what it is right now ... whether it&#39;s a bomb or a flammable device,&quot; police chief Dan Eliasson told reporters. 
 
Flags flew at half-mast across Stockholm on Saturday as the city slowly returned to normal a day after the&nbsp;truck attack, as police said they had the suspected driver in custody.

A stolen beer truck ploughed into a crowd of people at the corner of the bustling Ahlens department store and the Drottninggatan pedestrian street on Friday afternoon, above ground from Stockholm&#39;s central subway station.

Fifteen people were injured, nine of whom remained in hospital on Saturday.

It was the third terror attack in Europe in two weeks, coming on the heels of assaults in London and St. Petersburg, although there has been no immediate claim of responsibility.

Previous attacks using vehicles have occurred in London, Berlin and the southern French city of Nice, all of them claimed by the so-called Islamic State (IS).

&quot;Terror hits the heart of the city,&quot; Sweden&#39;s biggest broadsheet Dagens Nyheter headlined its front page above a picture of the truck with its front end smashed into the store.&nbsp;

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said he had strengthened the country&#39;s border controls, as flags flew at half-mast at parliament, the royal palace, the government offices, and City Hall.

&quot;Terrorists want us to be afraid, want us to change our behaviour, want us to not live our lives normally, but that is what we&#39;re going to do. So terrorists can never defeat Sweden, never,&quot; Lofven said.

City streets were empty early Saturday, slowly filling as the day wore on as things began to return to normal -- apart from a heavy police presence, a rare scene in this normally tranquil country.

A swelling crowd milled by the security barrier erected around the scene, many placing flowers on the ground or in the security fence.&nbsp;

Sweden&#39;s Crown Princess Victoria, 39, was one of those laying down a bouquet, wiping tears from her cheek.

&quot;I feel an incredible sadness, an emptiness,&quot; she told reporters.

But, she said, &quot;society has demonstrated enormous strength and we stand together against this.&quot;

Suspected driver in custody 
 
Swedish police said a man arrested on &quot;suspicion of a terrorist crime&quot; was probably the truck driver.

&quot;We suspect that the man who was arrested is the perpetrator,&quot; Stockholm police spokesman Lars Bystrom told AFP.&nbsp;

The man was arrested &quot;on suspicion of a terrorist crime through murder,&quot; Karin Rosander, spokeswoman at the Swedish Prosecution Authority, said.

The man was detained on Friday in Marsta, a suburb north of Stockholm. According to several media outlets, he is a 39-year-old of Uzbek origin and an IS supporter.

Prosecutors did not disclose his identity, but police said his appearance &quot;matched the description&quot; of a photo they released of a suspect wearing a dark hoodie and military green jacket.

Intelligence agency Sapo said meanwhile it was hunting for &quot;possible accomplices or networks that may have been involved in the attack.&quot;

&nbsp;&#39;Terrifying&#39; 
 
Witnesses described scenes of terror and panic on Friday.

&quot;A massive truck starts driving ... and mangles everything and just drives over exactly everything,&quot; eyewitness Rikard Gauffin told AFP.

&quot;It was so terrible and there were bodies lying everywhere... it was really terrifying,&quot; he added.

Passerby Hasan Sidi told Aftonbladet he saw two elderly women lying on the ground.&nbsp;

He said people at the scene urged him to help one of the women who was &quot;bleeding to death&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;One of them died... I don&#39;t know if the other one made it,&quot; Sidi said.

The truck was towed away in the early hours of Saturday.

&nbsp;&#39;It was expected&#39; 
 
An attack on Stockholm was just a matter of time, the head of the Centre for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish National Defence College, Magnus Ranstorp, told AFP.

&quot;It was pretty expected, the police and intelligence agency have practised for this several times the past year... We just didn&#39;t know when it was going to happen,&quot; he said.

Friday&#39;s attack was the latest in a string of assaults with vehicles in Europe.

The deadliest came last year in France on the July 14 Bastille Day national holiday, when a man rammed a truck into a crowd in the Mediterranean resort of Nice, killing 86 people.

In December, a man hijacked a truck and slammed into shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people.

In London last month, Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old convert to Islam, killed five people when he drove a car at high speed into pedestrians before launching a frenzied knife attack on a policeman guarding parliament.

In 2014, IS called for attacks on citizens of Western countries and gave instructions on how they could be carried out without military equipment, using rocks or knives, or by running people over in vehicles.

Friday&#39;s attack was the second terror attack in Stockholm.&nbsp;

In December 2010, a suicide bomber blew himself up, also on the Drottninggatan pedestrian street, lightly injuring several passersby. 
 
(AFP)

The man was arrested 'on suspicion of a terrorist crime through murder', a Swedish Prosecution Authority official said

Swedish police have found a suspect device in the truck that slammed into a crowd in central Stockholm, killing four people and injuring 15, authorities said on Saturday. "We have found a device in the vehicle that doesn't belong there ... A technical examination is ongoing, we can't go into what it is right now ... whether it's a bomb or a flammable device," police chief Dan Eliasson told reporters. Flags flew at half-mast across Stockholm on Saturday as the city slowly returned to normal a day after the truck attack, as police said they had the suspected driver in custody. A stolen beer truck ploughed into a crowd of people at the corner of the bustling Ahlens department store and the Drottninggatan pedestrian street on Friday afternoon, above ground from Stockholm's central subway station. Fifteen people were injured, nine of whom remained in hospital on Saturday. It was the third terror attack in Europe in two weeks, coming on the heels of assaults in London and St. Petersburg, although there has been no immediate claim of responsibility. Previous attacks using vehicles have occurred in London, Berlin and the southern French city of Nice, all of them claimed by the so-called Islamic State (IS). "Terror hits the heart of the city," Sweden's biggest broadsheet Dagens Nyheter headlined its front page above a picture of the truck with its front end smashed into the store. Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said he had strengthened the country's border controls, as flags flew at half-mast at parliament, the royal palace, the government offices, and City Hall. "Terrorists want us to be afraid, want us to change our behaviour, want us to not live our lives normally, but that is what we're going to do. So terrorists can never defeat Sweden, never," Lofven said. City streets were empty early Saturday, slowly filling as the day wore on as things began to return to normal -- apart from a heavy police presence, a rare scene in this normally tranquil country. A swelling crowd milled by the security barrier erected around the scene, many placing flowers on the ground or in the security fence. Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria, 39, was one of those laying down a bouquet, wiping tears from her cheek. "I feel an incredible sadness, an emptiness," she told reporters. But, she said, "society has demonstrated enormous strength and we stand together against this." Suspected driver in custody Swedish police said a man arrested on "suspicion of a terrorist crime" was probably the truck driver. "We suspect that the man who was arrested is the perpetrator," Stockholm police spokesman Lars Bystrom told AFP. The man was arrested "on suspicion of a terrorist crime through murder," Karin Rosander, spokeswoman at the Swedish Prosecution Authority, said. The man was detained on Friday in Marsta, a suburb north of Stockholm. According to several media outlets, he is a 39-year-old of Uzbek origin and an IS supporter. Prosecutors did not disclose his identity, but police said his appearance "matched the description" of a photo they released of a suspect wearing a dark hoodie and military green jacket. Intelligence agency Sapo said meanwhile it was hunting for "possible accomplices or networks that may have been involved in the attack." 'Terrifying' Witnesses described scenes of terror and panic on Friday. "A massive truck starts driving ... and mangles everything and just drives over exactly everything," eyewitness Rikard Gauffin told AFP. "It was so terrible and there were bodies lying everywhere... it was really terrifying," he added. Passerby Hasan Sidi told Aftonbladet he saw two elderly women lying on the ground. He said people at the scene urged him to help one of the women who was "bleeding to death". "One of them died... I don't know if the other one made it," Sidi said. The truck was towed away in the early hours of Saturday. 'It was expected' An attack on Stockholm was just a matter of time, the head of the Centre for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish National Defence College, Magnus Ranstorp, told AFP. "It was pretty expected, the police and intelligence agency have practised for this several times the past year... We just didn't know when it was going to happen," he said. Friday's attack was the latest in a string of assaults with vehicles in Europe. The deadliest came last year in France on the July 14 Bastille Day national holiday, when a man rammed a truck into a crowd in the Mediterranean resort of Nice, killing 86 people. In December, a man hijacked a truck and slammed into shoppers at a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people. In London last month, Khalid Masood, a 52-year-old convert to Islam, killed five people when he drove a car at high speed into pedestrians before launching a frenzied knife attack on a policeman guarding parliament. In 2014, IS called for attacks on citizens of Western countries and gave instructions on how they could be carried out without military equipment, using rocks or knives, or by running people over in vehicles. Friday's attack was the second terror attack in Stockholm. In December 2010, a suicide bomber blew himself up, also on the Drottninggatan pedestrian street, lightly injuring several passersby. (AFP)

Sweden: Uzbek origin man arrested in truck attack, suspect device found

Swedes should take a one-hour paid break from work to go home and have sex with their partners, a local councillor suggested in a proposal Tuesday aimed at improving people&#39;s personal relationships.

&quot;There are studies that show sex is healthy,&quot; Per-Erik Muskos, a 42-year-old city councillor for the northern town of Overtornea, told AFP after presenting the motion.

He said couples were not spending enough time with each other in today&#39;s society.

&quot;It&#39;s about having better relationships,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

He noted there was no way to verify that employees do not use their hour for other purposes than spending time with their partners or spouses.

&quot;You can&#39;t guarantee that a worker doesn&#39;t go out for a walk instead,&quot; Muskos said, adding that employers needed to trust their employees.

Muskos said he &quot;saw no reason&quot; why the motion wouldn&#39;t pass.&nbsp;

Late last year, Piergiovanni Alleva, a regional councillor for the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy, recommended that the working week be reduced from 40 to 32 hours.

After the Finns and the French, Swedish full-time employees worked the least in Europe with only 1,685 hours on average in 2015, according to a study by economic research institute Coe-Rexecode.&nbsp;

Brits worked an average of 1,900 hours and Germans 1,847 hours in 2015.

(AFP)

Per-Erik Muskos said Swedes should take a one-hour paid break from work to go home and have sex with their partners

Swedes should take a one-hour paid break from work to go home and have sex with their partners, a local councillor suggested in a proposal Tuesday aimed at improving people's personal relationships. "There are studies that show sex is healthy," Per-Erik Muskos, a 42-year-old city councillor for the northern town of Overtornea, told AFP after presenting the motion. He said couples were not spending enough time with each other in today's society. "It's about having better relationships," he said. He noted there was no way to verify that employees do not use their hour for other purposes than spending time with their partners or spouses. "You can't guarantee that a worker doesn't go out for a walk instead," Muskos said, adding that employers needed to trust their employees. Muskos said he "saw no reason" why the motion wouldn't pass. Late last year, Piergiovanni Alleva, a regional councillor for the Emilia Romagna region of northern Italy, recommended that the working week be reduced from 40 to 32 hours. After the Finns and the French, Swedish full-time employees worked the least in Europe with only 1,685 hours on average in 2015, according to a study by economic research institute Coe-Rexecode. Brits worked an average of 1,900 hours and Germans 1,847 hours in 2015. (AFP)

Swedish town councillor proposes sex breaks on work time

Three young men suspected of gang raping a woman in Sweden and livestreaming the attack on Facebook have been detained, police said, urging social media users on Monday to turn over the footage.

The suspects, aged 18, 20 and 24, were arrested early Sunday in an apartment in Uppsala, 70 kilometres (45 miles) north of Stockholm, in the presence of their 30-year-old victim after members of a Facebook group saw the attack streamed live and alerted police.

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<h5>The suspects, aged 18, 20 and 24, were arrested early Sunday in an apartment in Uppsala in the presence of their 30-year-old victim</h5>
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The closed Facebook group has 60,000 members.

Josefine Lundgren, 21, was one of the first to call authorities.

She told daily Expressen that the 24-year-old suspect, a repeat offender considered by police to be the main attacker, &quot;tore the clothes off&quot; his victim before raping her.

The attacker also &quot;had apparently filmed everything and took pictures that he put on (messaging site) Snapchat,&quot; she said.

At a press conference on Monday, investigators appealed to social media users who had images of the attack to turn them over to police.

&quot;We have some picture and video material. But we don&#39;t have any images showing the attack itself,&quot; Uppsala deputy chief prosecutor Magnus Berggren said.

The film has been removed from Facebook but it has been circulated on the internet. Swedish media have published excerpts of the footage, showing at least one of the suspects holding a revolver.

According to Berggren, other charges could be pressed against the suspects in addition to one of aggravated rape, for having streamed the attack.

In an email to AFP, a press spokesman for Facebook in the Nordic countries denounced &quot;a hideous crime&quot;.

&quot;Our teams work around the clock to review content that is being reported by users&quot; and Facebook cooperates systematically with police in criminal investigations, he said.

(AFP)

The attack was streamed on a closed Facebook group with about 60,000 members

Three young men suspected of gang raping a woman in Sweden and livestreaming the attack on Facebook have been detained, police said, urging social media users on Monday to turn over the footage. The suspects, aged 18, 20 and 24, were arrested early Sunday in an apartment in Uppsala, 70 kilometres (45 miles) north of Stockholm, in the presence of their 30-year-old victim after members of a Facebook group saw the attack streamed live and alerted police. The suspects, aged 18, 20 and 24, were arrested early Sunday in an apartment in Uppsala in the presence of their 30-year-old victim × The closed Facebook group has 60,000 members. Josefine Lundgren, 21, was one of the first to call authorities. She told daily Expressen that the 24-year-old suspect, a repeat offender considered by police to be the main attacker, "tore the clothes off" his victim before raping her. The attacker also "had apparently filmed everything and took pictures that he put on (messaging site) Snapchat," she said. At a press conference on Monday, investigators appealed to social media users who had images of the attack to turn them over to police. "We have some picture and video material. But we don't have any images showing the attack itself," Uppsala deputy chief prosecutor Magnus Berggren said. The film has been removed from Facebook but it has been circulated on the internet. Swedish media have published excerpts of the footage, showing at least one of the suspects holding a revolver. According to Berggren, other charges could be pressed against the suspects in addition to one of aggravated rape, for having streamed the attack. In an email to AFP, a press spokesman for Facebook in the Nordic countries denounced "a hideous crime". "Our teams work around the clock to review content that is being reported by users" and Facebook cooperates systematically with police in criminal investigations, he said. (AFP)

Sweden: Gang rape streamed live on Facebook, 3 arrested

In a series of retaliatory measure against Russia over vote meddling, the&nbsp;United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on two top Russian intelligence agencies, expelled 35 agents, and ordered the shutting down of two Russian compounds on US soil.

&quot;I have ordered a number of actions in response to the Russian government&#39;s aggressive harassment of US officials and cyber operations aimed at the US election,&quot; Obama said.

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<h5>These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm US interests,&#39; said Obama</h5>
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&quot;These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm US interests in violation of established international norms of behaviour.&quot;

Obama imposed sanctions against Russia&#39;s FSB and GRU intelligence agencies and ordered the closing down of two Russian compounds that the US says are used &quot;for intelligence-related purposes&quot;. The 35 intelligence operative -- based at the Russian embassy in Washington and the consulate in San Francisco -- have been declared &quot;persona non grata&quot; and ordered to leave the country within 72 hours.

US officials also moved to close two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland.

The latter facility, a summer house a short drive from the US capital, was once featured in a Washington lifestyle magazine and was described as a stately home surrounded by lush gardens on the banks of the Chester River.&nbsp;

The US government said it is now used &quot;for intelligence-related purposes&quot;.

&quot;All Americans should be alarmed by Russia&#39;s actions,&quot; Obama said.&nbsp;

&quot;Moreover, our diplomats have experienced an unacceptable level of harassment in Moscow by Russian security services and police over the last year. Such activities have consequences.&quot;

The US intelligence community all agree that Russia interfered in US elections to put Trump in the White House. They also believe in Russian hand in the hacking and release of Democratic Party and Clinton staff emails.

People tied to a Russian disinformation campaign that US intelligence officials say targeted Clinton&#39;s campaign may also be named under the plans, according to CNN.

Republican Lindsey Graham said in an interview on Dec. 27 that 99 per cent of US senators believe Russia interfered in the US presidential elections.

Washington accuses the Russian military&#39;s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of hacking information with the intent to interfere with the US election -- and says the Federal Security Service (FSB) helped, AFP reported.

Four individual GRU officers including agency chief Igor Valentinovich Korobov and three other entities will face sanctions.

AFP reported that the US Treasury slapped sanctions on two individuals, Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev and Aleksey Alekseyevich Belan, for &quot;involvement in malicious cyber-enabled activities.&quot;

The sanctions will freeze their assets in the US and block business with US companies.

Obama said that the government will continue to take actions,&#39;some of which will not be publicised&#39;.

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&quot;These actions are not the sum total of our response to Russia&#39;s aggressive activities. We will continue to take a variety of actions at a time and place of our choosing, some of which will not be publicised,&quot; Obama said.

&quot;The United States and friends and allies around the world must work together to oppose Russia&#39;s efforts to undermine established international norms of behavior and interfere with democratic governance.&quot;

Trump denied any links with Russia and said,&quot;I think we ought to get on with our lives,&quot; on Wednesday.

The White House had warned Russia to stop cyber-meddling pre-elections, The Washington Post reported.

And about a week before the election, Washington sent a message to Moscow using a special crisis communication channel for the first time, asking it to stop targeting state voter registration and election systems, according to AFP.

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow will respond to any &quot;hostile steps&quot; from Washington.

(With inputs from agencies)

Prosecutors said they have now received a transcript of an interview conducted with Assange

In a series of retaliatory measure against Russia over vote meddling, the United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on two top Russian intelligence agencies, expelled 35 agents, and ordered the shutting down of two Russian compounds on US soil. "I have ordered a number of actions in response to the Russian government's aggressive harassment of US officials and cyber operations aimed at the US election," Obama said. These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm US interests,' said Obama × "These actions follow repeated private and public warnings that we have issued to the Russian government, and are a necessary and appropriate response to efforts to harm US interests in violation of established international norms of behaviour." Obama imposed sanctions against Russia's FSB and GRU intelligence agencies and ordered the closing down of two Russian compounds that the US says are used "for intelligence-related purposes". The 35 intelligence operative -- based at the Russian embassy in Washington and the consulate in San Francisco -- have been declared "persona non grata" and ordered to leave the country within 72 hours. US officials also moved to close two Russian compounds in New York and Maryland. The latter facility, a summer house a short drive from the US capital, was once featured in a Washington lifestyle magazine and was described as a stately home surrounded by lush gardens on the banks of the Chester River. The US government said it is now used "for intelligence-related purposes". "All Americans should be alarmed by Russia's actions," Obama said. "Moreover, our diplomats have experienced an unacceptable level of harassment in Moscow by Russian security services and police over the last year. Such activities have consequences." The US intelligence community all agree that Russia interfered in US elections to put Trump in the White House. They also believe in Russian hand in the hacking and release of Democratic Party and Clinton staff emails. People tied to a Russian disinformation campaign that US intelligence officials say targeted Clinton's campaign may also be named under the plans, according to CNN. Republican Lindsey Graham said in an interview on Dec. 27 that 99 per cent of US senators believe Russia interfered in the US presidential elections. Washington accuses the Russian military's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of hacking information with the intent to interfere with the US election -- and says the Federal Security Service (FSB) helped, AFP reported. Four individual GRU officers including agency chief Igor Valentinovich Korobov and three other entities will face sanctions. AFP reported that the US Treasury slapped sanctions on two individuals, Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev and Aleksey Alekseyevich Belan, for "involvement in malicious cyber-enabled activities." The sanctions will freeze their assets in the US and block business with US companies. Obama said that the government will continue to take actions,'some of which will not be publicised'. Obama said that the government will continue to take actions, 'some of which will not be publicised' × "These actions are not the sum total of our response to Russia's aggressive activities. We will continue to take a variety of actions at a time and place of our choosing, some of which will not be publicised," Obama said. "The United States and friends and allies around the world must work together to oppose Russia's efforts to undermine established international norms of behavior and interfere with democratic governance." Trump denied any links with Russia and said,"I think we ought to get on with our lives," on Wednesday. The White House had warned Russia to stop cyber-meddling pre-elections, The Washington Post reported. And about a week before the election, Washington sent a message to Moscow using a special crisis communication channel for the first time, asking it to stop targeting state voter registration and election systems, according to AFP. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow will respond to any "hostile steps" from Washington. (With inputs from agencies)

Sweden will not decide for several weeks on Assange inquiry

Hope Solo, the US women&#39;s football goalkeeper, was banned for six months from international football following her &quot;bunch of cowards&quot; comment at the Rio Olympics. 
 
The comment was directed at the (defensive-minded) Swedish football team, who beat the United States 4-3 on penalty kicks after their quarter-final match ended 1-1. 
 
&quot;The comments by Hope Solo after the match against Sweden during the 2016&nbsp;Olympics were unacceptable and do not meet the standard of conduct we&nbsp;require from our national team players,&quot; US Soccer President Sunil Gulati said&nbsp;in a statement. 
 
&quot;Taking into consideration the past incidents involving Hope, as well as the&nbsp;private conversations we&#39;ve had requiring her to conduct herself in a manner&nbsp;befitting a US national team member, US Soccer determined this is the&nbsp;appropriate disciplinary action,&quot; it stated. 
 
Solo, who was previously suspended for 30 days in 2015,&nbsp;will start her suspension immediately. 
 
The 35-year-old also made news in January last year over a domestic violence case&nbsp;that was dismissed after she pleaded not guilty. 
 
Solo has been a part of US Olympic gold medal-winning teams in 2008 and 2012. 
 
&quot;For 17 years, I dedicated my life to the US women&#39;s national team and did the&nbsp;job of a pro athlete the only way I knew how - with passion, tenacity, an&nbsp;unrelenting commitment to be the best goalkeeper in the world, not just for my&nbsp;country, but to elevate the sport for the next generation of female athletes. In&nbsp;those commitments, I have never wavered,&quot; she said. 
 
&quot;I think we played a bunch of cowards. The best team did not win today,&quot; Solo&nbsp;had said after the match against Sweden in Brasilia on August 12. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

Solo had made the comment at the Rio Olympics after Sweden beat USA

Hope Solo, the US women's football goalkeeper, was banned for six months from international football following her "bunch of cowards" comment at the Rio Olympics. The comment was directed at the (defensive-minded) Swedish football team, who beat the United States 4-3 on penalty kicks after their quarter-final match ended 1-1. "The comments by Hope Solo after the match against Sweden during the 2016 Olympics were unacceptable and do not meet the standard of conduct we require from our national team players," US Soccer President Sunil Gulati said in a statement. "Taking into consideration the past incidents involving Hope, as well as the private conversations we've had requiring her to conduct herself in a manner befitting a US national team member, US Soccer determined this is the appropriate disciplinary action," it stated. Solo, who was previously suspended for 30 days in 2015, will start her suspension immediately. The 35-year-old also made news in January last year over a domestic violence case that was dismissed after she pleaded not guilty. Solo has been a part of US Olympic gold medal-winning teams in 2008 and 2012. "For 17 years, I dedicated my life to the US women's national team and did the job of a pro athlete the only way I knew how - with passion, tenacity, an unrelenting commitment to be the best goalkeeper in the world, not just for my country, but to elevate the sport for the next generation of female athletes. In those commitments, I have never wavered," she said. "I think we played a bunch of cowards. The best team did not win today," Solo had said after the match against Sweden in Brasilia on August 12. (WION with inputs from agencies)

US goalkeeper Solo slapped with six-month ban over 'bunch of cowards' comment

Sweden&#39;s youngest ever cabinet minister, who came to the country as a refugee from Bosnia, announced her resignation today after being caught driving under the influence of alcohol. 
 
Aida Hadzialic, 29, minister for secondary and adult education, revealed that she had been stopped by police in the southern city of Malmo and tests showed she had an alcohol level of 0.2 grammes per litre of blood -- just the level considered an offence in Sweden. 
 
&quot;That was the biggest mistake of my life... I will take responsibility. I announce my intention to resign from my ministerial post,&quot; an emotional Hadzialic told a press conference at government headquarters in Stockholm. 
 
&quot;I understand that a lot of people are disappointed in me. And I am angry with myself, and certainly I deeply regret it,&quot; added the young politician seen as the future of the Social Democrat party. 
 
Hadzialic was born in Bosnia and immigrated to Sweden at the age of five, in 1992, with her parents fleeing the war in the Balkans. She became involved in the Social Democrats youth movement in high school and went on to be elected a municipal councillor at age 23. Then in 2014 at 27 she became the youngest ever government minister in Sweden&#39;s history. 
 
She is not the only politician to have to dropped out since Sweden&#39;s political left returned to power two years ago. Deputy premier and environment minister Asa Romson from the Green party resigned in May after a series of gaffes, the last being to describe the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States as &quot;the accidents of September 11&quot;. 
 
Housing minister Mehmet Kaplan, of Turkish origin, had to step down in April after comparing Israelis to the Nazis, and Mona Sahlin, the national coordinator for protecting democracy against violent extremism, was forced to resign in May after media revealed that she had made false income declarations for her bodyguard to help him obtain bank loans. 
 
(AFP)

'That was the biggest mistake of my life. I will take responsibility,' said 29-year-old Aida Hadzialic

Sweden's youngest ever cabinet minister, who came to the country as a refugee from Bosnia, announced her resignation today after being caught driving under the influence of alcohol. Aida Hadzialic, 29, minister for secondary and adult education, revealed that she had been stopped by police in the southern city of Malmo and tests showed she had an alcohol level of 0.2 grammes per litre of blood -- just the level considered an offence in Sweden. "That was the biggest mistake of my life... I will take responsibility. I announce my intention to resign from my ministerial post," an emotional Hadzialic told a press conference at government headquarters in Stockholm. "I understand that a lot of people are disappointed in me. And I am angry with myself, and certainly I deeply regret it," added the young politician seen as the future of the Social Democrat party. Hadzialic was born in Bosnia and immigrated to Sweden at the age of five, in 1992, with her parents fleeing the war in the Balkans. She became involved in the Social Democrats youth movement in high school and went on to be elected a municipal councillor at age 23. Then in 2014 at 27 she became the youngest ever government minister in Sweden's history. She is not the only politician to have to dropped out since Sweden's political left returned to power two years ago. Deputy premier and environment minister Asa Romson from the Green party resigned in May after a series of gaffes, the last being to describe the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States as "the accidents of September 11". Housing minister Mehmet Kaplan, of Turkish origin, had to step down in April after comparing Israelis to the Nazis, and Mona Sahlin, the national coordinator for protecting democracy against violent extremism, was forced to resign in May after media revealed that she had made false income declarations for her bodyguard to help him obtain bank loans. (AFP)

Sweden's youngest ever cabinet minister Hadzialic resigns over drunk driving incident

Barcelona thumped English Premier League champions Leicester City 4-2 in a pre-season friendly in Sweden on Wednesday but Claudio Ranieri&#39;s side was given hope by a second-half brace from new boy Ahmed Musa. 
 
Lionel Messi&#39;s sumptuous pass set up the first of Munir El Haddadi&#39;s two first-half goals while Luis Suarez netted in between as the Spanish champions exposed the Foxes&#39; defence. 
 
Nigerian winger Musa, signed from CSKA Moscow, came out with all guns blazing as one of seven second-half changes for Leicester to score after a lightning 50-yard solo run and shot on 47 minutes. 
 
He then won and converted a penalty after 66 minutes. 
 
But with the scores at 3-2 Barcelona then sealed the International Champions Cup tournament match with a late winner from Rafa Mujica. 
 
The English side who shocked the football world with their fairytale run to the Premier League title last season were beaten 4-0 last weekend by Paris Saint-Germain. 
 
(AFP)

Messi's grand pass resulted in the first of the two first-half goals, second of which was secured by Luis Suarez

Barcelona thumped English Premier League champions Leicester City 4-2 in a pre-season friendly in Sweden on Wednesday but Claudio Ranieri's side was given hope by a second-half brace from new boy Ahmed Musa. Lionel Messi's sumptuous pass set up the first of Munir El Haddadi's two first-half goals while Luis Suarez netted in between as the Spanish champions exposed the Foxes' defence. Nigerian winger Musa, signed from CSKA Moscow, came out with all guns blazing as one of seven second-half changes for Leicester to score after a lightning 50-yard solo run and shot on 47 minutes. He then won and converted a penalty after 66 minutes. But with the scores at 3-2 Barcelona then sealed the International Champions Cup tournament match with a late winner from Rafa Mujica. The English side who shocked the football world with their fairytale run to the Premier League title last season were beaten 4-0 last weekend by Paris Saint-Germain. (AFP)

Barcelona take over Leicester at 4-2 in Sweden

Italy are wary of the threat that Sweden captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic poses, but they can win Friday&#39;s Euro 2016 match in the same way they defeated Belgium, said midfielder Daniele De Rossi. 
 
The 34-year-old Ibrahimovic, who has scored 62 goals for Sweden, failed to make an impact in his team&#39;s 1-1 draw with Ireland. 
 
De Rossi compared the former Paris St Germain striker to Dutch great Marco van Basten. 
 
&quot;Maybe they have less talent than Belgium so they will probably wait in their half and try to play counterattack with long balls,&quot; De Rossi told reporters in France. 
 
&quot;Ibrahimovic is the best forward since the time of Van Basten, except for Ronaldo, but they are different players. 
 
&quot;We are a little bit scared of his power and his talent but we can beat them the same way that we can beat Belgium with organisation and by working hard on the training pitch.&quot; 
 
Italy, who began their campaign with a 2-0 win over Belgium to top Group E, face Ireland in their final group stage match. 
 
(Reuters)

The 34-year-old Ibrahimovic, who has scored 62 goals for Sweden, failed to make an impact in his team's 1-1 draw with Ireland

Italy are wary of the threat that Sweden captain Zlatan Ibrahimovic poses, but they can win Friday's Euro 2016 match in the same way they defeated Belgium, said midfielder Daniele De Rossi. The 34-year-old Ibrahimovic, who has scored 62 goals for Sweden, failed to make an impact in his team's 1-1 draw with Ireland. De Rossi compared the former Paris St Germain striker to Dutch great Marco van Basten. "Maybe they have less talent than Belgium so they will probably wait in their half and try to play counterattack with long balls," De Rossi told reporters in France. "Ibrahimovic is the best forward since the time of Van Basten, except for Ronaldo, but they are different players. "We are a little bit scared of his power and his talent but we can beat them the same way that we can beat Belgium with organisation and by working hard on the training pitch." Italy, who began their campaign with a 2-0 win over Belgium to top Group E, face Ireland in their final group stage match. (Reuters)

Italy can overcome Ibrahimovic threat to beat Sweden - De Rossi

A late goal by Premier League target Radja Nainggolan earned Belgium a last-16 berth with a 1-0 win over Sweden ending superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic&#39;s international career with a defeat. 
 
The Roma midfielder, reportedly wanted by Chelsea, controlled a cross from Eden Hazard outside the area and powered it into the net in the 82nd minute. 
 
After a poor display against Italy in their group opener, Belgium now take on Hungary in Toulouse on June 26 with the momentum of two wins behind them. 
 
&quot;We have got better since the Italy game, kept two clean sheets in a row,&quot; said Marc Wilmots, Belgium&#39;s coach. 
 
&quot;It will be a complicated game, we watched the last minutes of their game against Portugal, Hungary leave 200 per cent on the field,&quot; said Belgium skipper Eden Hazard who was awarded man-of-the-match. 
 
There was to be no salvation for Sweden, nor one more game for Ibrahimovic. 
 
He battled to the end, almost snatching a late equaliser with a half volley on the turn, but the dying minutes were instead marked by the Belgian fans raucously chanting &quot;Bye Bye Ibrahimovic!&quot; 
 
&quot;It&#39;s heavy, it&#39;s disappointing, but at the same time I enjoyed it, we got the possibility to play at &nbsp;the Euros, and represent Sweden,&quot; said Ibrahimovic. 
 
&quot;At the same time I am proud, this was my last game in the national team, I have many fantastic memories.&quot; 
 
Sweden coach Erik Hamren said Ibrahimovic was a &quot;unique&quot; talent that cannot be replaced. 
 
&quot;I hope we can find another player, not a Zlatan as I don&#39;t think in a small country like Sweden you can find someone like that, he&#39;s really unique,&quot; said Hamren. 
 
Sweden finished bottom of the group and will look back with regret on a flat performance in their opener against Ireland. 
 
&quot;Our two last games were not bad, but we couldn&#39;t finish our chances in either,&quot; added Hamren. &quot;Against Ireland we weren&#39;t very good, maybe in attack we could have been better against Italy. But I can&#39;t ask more from my players, I&#39;m proud of them, even though we lost the game,&quot; he said. 
 
Facing elimination if defeated, both teams pushed forward to attack which produced a pulsating first half hour in balmy Nice. 
 
Chances came thick and fast, Sweden almost grabbing a dream start three minutes in when a goalmouth half-volley by Marcus Berg, in for John Giudetti as strike partner to Ibrahimovic, was batted out by Thibaut Courtois. 
 
Belgium launched regular raids with Kevin De Bruyne through the middle and Hazard, roving from wing to wing, at the heart of the danger. 
 
Midway through the half, a backheel from Hazard let the Man City star fire a shot straight at the Isaksson. 
 
At the other end, Ibrahimovic had little joy, bar the occasional half-chance snapshot or attempt at a spectacular volley. 
 
But none came to anything on an ultimately frustrating night for the Swedish legend who announced his international retirement after Euro 2016 on Tuesday. 
 
It was Belgium who nearly entered the break in front, when Meurier headed an inch-perfect De Bruyne cross just wide of Andreas Isaksson&#39;s post. 
 
As the clock ran down in the second half the temperature began rising again as Belgium wasted a host of chances to kill of Swedish hopes. 
 
Isaksson dived at full length to keep out a De Bruyne drive before a powerful Romelu Lukaku break was foiled by Isakksson who spread his body well to block the shot. 
 
A minute later, an identical run by the Everton striker, this time with a neat finish, was ruled offside. 
 
Time was running out on Ibrahimovic when he went close with a free-kick turned away by Courtois with a quarter hour to go before De Bruyne cleared off the line. 
 
But Nainggolan secured a richly-talented Belgian side&#39;s place on the favourable half of the draw with a rasping drive into the far corner. 
 
(AFP)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who scored 62 goals in 116 international matches, ends his international career in defeat as Sweden fails to qualify

A late goal by Premier League target Radja Nainggolan earned Belgium a last-16 berth with a 1-0 win over Sweden ending superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic's international career with a defeat. The Roma midfielder, reportedly wanted by Chelsea, controlled a cross from Eden Hazard outside the area and powered it into the net in the 82nd minute. After a poor display against Italy in their group opener, Belgium now take on Hungary in Toulouse on June 26 with the momentum of two wins behind them. "We have got better since the Italy game, kept two clean sheets in a row," said Marc Wilmots, Belgium's coach. "It will be a complicated game, we watched the last minutes of their game against Portugal, Hungary leave 200 per cent on the field," said Belgium skipper Eden Hazard who was awarded man-of-the-match. There was to be no salvation for Sweden, nor one more game for Ibrahimovic. He battled to the end, almost snatching a late equaliser with a half volley on the turn, but the dying minutes were instead marked by the Belgian fans raucously chanting "Bye Bye Ibrahimovic!" "It's heavy, it's disappointing, but at the same time I enjoyed it, we got the possibility to play at the Euros, and represent Sweden," said Ibrahimovic. "At the same time I am proud, this was my last game in the national team, I have many fantastic memories." Sweden coach Erik Hamren said Ibrahimovic was a "unique" talent that cannot be replaced. "I hope we can find another player, not a Zlatan as I don't think in a small country like Sweden you can find someone like that, he's really unique," said Hamren. Sweden finished bottom of the group and will look back with regret on a flat performance in their opener against Ireland. "Our two last games were not bad, but we couldn't finish our chances in either," added Hamren. "Against Ireland we weren't very good, maybe in attack we could have been better against Italy. But I can't ask more from my players, I'm proud of them, even though we lost the game," he said. Facing elimination if defeated, both teams pushed forward to attack which produced a pulsating first half hour in balmy Nice. Chances came thick and fast, Sweden almost grabbing a dream start three minutes in when a goalmouth half-volley by Marcus Berg, in for John Giudetti as strike partner to Ibrahimovic, was batted out by Thibaut Courtois. Belgium launched regular raids with Kevin De Bruyne through the middle and Hazard, roving from wing to wing, at the heart of the danger. Midway through the half, a backheel from Hazard let the Man City star fire a shot straight at the Isaksson. At the other end, Ibrahimovic had little joy, bar the occasional half-chance snapshot or attempt at a spectacular volley. But none came to anything on an ultimately frustrating night for the Swedish legend who announced his international retirement after Euro 2016 on Tuesday. It was Belgium who nearly entered the break in front, when Meurier headed an inch-perfect De Bruyne cross just wide of Andreas Isaksson's post. As the clock ran down in the second half the temperature began rising again as Belgium wasted a host of chances to kill of Swedish hopes. Isaksson dived at full length to keep out a De Bruyne drive before a powerful Romelu Lukaku break was foiled by Isakksson who spread his body well to block the shot. A minute later, an identical run by the Everton striker, this time with a neat finish, was ruled offside. Time was running out on Ibrahimovic when he went close with a free-kick turned away by Courtois with a quarter hour to go before De Bruyne cleared off the line. But Nainggolan secured a richly-talented Belgian side's place on the favourable half of the draw with a rasping drive into the far corner. (AFP)

Belgium seal last-16 berth with 1-0 win over Sweden,  Ibrahimovic bows out

<div style="text-align: justify;">Italy&nbsp;moved into the knockout stages of Euro 2016 and continued to defy their doubters as Eder scored two minutes from fulltime to secure a 1-0 win over a shot-shy and unadventurous Sweden on Friday. 
Eder ended a great run by firing home to move&nbsp;Italy&nbsp;clear at the top of Group E on six points after two matches following their 2-0 victory over Belgium in their opening encounter. 
The result left Sweden in an uncomfortable position with one point after two games ahead of their final group clash against Belgium next week. 
Sweden were well organised at the back but toothless in attack, with their danger man Zlatan Ibrahimovic looking a shadow of his brilliant best and hardly creating a chance. 
Italy, who came into the tournament with questions surrounding the strength of their squad, but surprised many with their superb performance against a highly-fancied Belgium side, relied on their trademark, tight defence against the Swedes. 
They rarely threatened up front, however, until Marco Parolo hit the crossbar with a header shortly before Eder netted the winner. 
&quot;It was a difficult game,&quot;&nbsp;Italy&nbsp;coach Antonio Conte told Rai Sport. &quot;We struggled in the first half. 
&quot;The boys did well to ride the storm and hurt Sweden when we needed to.&quot; 
Italy&nbsp;had been praised for their unity and work rate in their opening win over Belgium, but appeared to have no answer to Sweden&#39;s organised rearguard until Eder&#39;s late intervention. 
Sweden coach Erik Hamren had criticised their lack of attacking vitality following their opening 1-1 draw with Ireland, and while there was an improvement in their overall performance, Ibrahimovic once again failed to provide a cutting edge and live up to his billing. 
&quot;We were much better than the Italians for periods, but we didn&rsquo;t create really dangerous chances,&quot; Sweden midfielder Albin Ekdal told Swedish broadcaster SVT. 
Sweden are still without a shot on target at the tournament, although Martin Olsson proved a menacing threat down the left, sending an effort just over the bar on 18 minutes having set the tone with an early cross that prompted a nervous clearance from Giorgio Chiellini. 
Olsson&#39;s frequent forays left space for Antonio Candreva, but Andreas Isaksson and Erik Johansson combined to clear his testing deliveries, while Ibrahimovic flashed a close-range header wide towards the end of the first half. 
Having masterminded victory over the Belgians, Conte&#39;s tactics were completely neutralised during the opening 45 minutes in Toulouse and his side appeared unsettled as a result. 
&quot;At halftime Conte told us we were too slow and he was right,&quot; Parolo told Rai Sport. 
&quot;We changed the tempo after the break and we deserved our victory.&quot; 
Conte introduced Simone Zaza in the 60th minute and he had a decisive role in the winner, heading a Chiellini throw in into the path of Eder. 
The forward then cut in from the left -- evading Andreas Granqvist&#39;s attempted tackle -- and sent a curling right-footed shot round Isaksson to take&nbsp;Italy&nbsp;through. 
(Reuters)</div>

Eder scored two minutes from full time to secure the win against Sweden

Italy moved into the knockout stages of Euro 2016 and continued to defy their doubters as Eder scored two minutes from fulltime to secure a 1-0 win over a shot-shy and unadventurous Sweden on Friday. Eder ended a great run by firing home to move Italy clear at the top of Group E on six points after two matches following their 2-0 victory over Belgium in their opening encounter. The result left Sweden in an uncomfortable position with one point after two games ahead of their final group clash against Belgium next week. Sweden were well organised at the back but toothless in attack, with their danger man Zlatan Ibrahimovic looking a shadow of his brilliant best and hardly creating a chance. Italy, who came into the tournament with questions surrounding the strength of their squad, but surprised many with their superb performance against a highly-fancied Belgium side, relied on their trademark, tight defence against the Swedes. They rarely threatened up front, however, until Marco Parolo hit the crossbar with a header shortly before Eder netted the winner. "It was a difficult game," Italy coach Antonio Conte told Rai Sport. "We struggled in the first half. "The boys did well to ride the storm and hurt Sweden when we needed to." Italy had been praised for their unity and work rate in their opening win over Belgium, but appeared to have no answer to Sweden's organised rearguard until Eder's late intervention. Sweden coach Erik Hamren had criticised their lack of attacking vitality following their opening 1-1 draw with Ireland, and while there was an improvement in their overall performance, Ibrahimovic once again failed to provide a cutting edge and live up to his billing. "We were much better than the Italians for periods, but we didn’t create really dangerous chances," Sweden midfielder Albin Ekdal told Swedish broadcaster SVT. Sweden are still without a shot on target at the tournament, although Martin Olsson proved a menacing threat down the left, sending an effort just over the bar on 18 minutes having set the tone with an early cross that prompted a nervous clearance from Giorgio Chiellini. Olsson's frequent forays left space for Antonio Candreva, but Andreas Isaksson and Erik Johansson combined to clear his testing deliveries, while Ibrahimovic flashed a close-range header wide towards the end of the first half. Having masterminded victory over the Belgians, Conte's tactics were completely neutralised during the opening 45 minutes in Toulouse and his side appeared unsettled as a result. "At halftime Conte told us we were too slow and he was right," Parolo told Rai Sport. "We changed the tempo after the break and we deserved our victory." Conte introduced Simone Zaza in the 60th minute and he had a decisive role in the winner, heading a Chiellini throw in into the path of Eder. The forward then cut in from the left -- evading Andreas Granqvist's attempted tackle -- and sent a curling right-footed shot round Isaksson to take Italy through. (Reuters)

Late goal allows Italy to enter knockout stages of Euro 2016

Mobile telecom gear maker Ericsson forecast a third consecutive year of comparable sales declines on Tuesday, saying it would step up cost cuts in the face of deteriorating market conditions after its results fell short of market expectations. 
 
With demand stagnating in developed markets where the newest networks have mostly already been built, Ericsson is now feeling an additional pinch from lower spending in countries such as Russia, Brazil, the Middle East and Nigeria, hit by weaker currencies and low oil prices. 
 
&quot;This has become even more pronounced during the second quarter, so it has impacted the investment levels at the operators, and that hits the mobile broadband market,&quot; stated Ericsson Chief Financial Officer Jan Frykhammar. 
 
&quot;So that is the most important trend.&quot; 
 
For the past couple of years, Ericsson has been forced to cut its outlook for market growth, weighed down by sluggish demand for its core mobile network base stations. It also has a weaker position than rivals Nokia and Huawei in faster growing areas such IP-based communication. 
 
To offset the shrinking market for mobile infrastructure, Ericsson is investing in new areas to grow sales, such as IP- and cloud-based communication, but so far these are not growing fast enough to compensate. 
 
Like-for-like sales dropped by 7 percent in the quarter, the seventh in a row of declining underlying sales, though CEO Hans Vestberg told a conference call it didn&#39;t appear that Ericsson was losing market share. In 2015, group sales fell 5 percent on a comparable basis after declining 2 percent in 2014. 
 
&quot;The current sales trends and business mix are expected to prevail for the second half of the year,&quot; Ericsson said in a statement. 
 
Cost reduction plan could have far-reaching affects 
 
Operating profit was 2.8 billion Swedish crowns ($327 million) compared with 3.6 billion a year-ago, weighed down by its networks divisions and below a mean forecast of 3.0 billion crowns. 
 
Ericsson said it would roughly double cuts in operating expenses to adapt to a weaker market, meaning annual savings of some 10 billion Swedish crowns from the second half of 2017 compared to 2014, adding that a previously announced cost savings programme was going according to plan. 
 
Ericsson&#39;s beaten-down shares, which dropped 15 percent in a single day in April after weak results, slipped 1 percent to 63.70 crowns. 
 
&quot;While Ericsson seems to be more serious now about its cost reduction efforts, it seems to be chasing a bit of a moving target,&quot; Liberum said in a note to clients. 
 
&quot;The cost reduction plan is expected to show some results which should lead to higher operating margins, though the extent is difficult to predict.&quot; 
 
Ericsson did not say how planned cost cuts would affect jobs but said almost 4,000 employees had left during the quarter though an acquisition had contributed to a net increase in staff. Ericsson employed 116,507 people by June 30, versus 115,300 by the end of the first quarter. 
 
(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Ericsson feels the pinch of weakening currencies and low oil prices, cost reduction plan could affect more jobs

Mobile telecom gear maker Ericsson forecast a third consecutive year of comparable sales declines on Tuesday, saying it would step up cost cuts in the face of deteriorating market conditions after its results fell short of market expectations. With demand stagnating in developed markets where the newest networks have mostly already been built, Ericsson is now feeling an additional pinch from lower spending in countries such as Russia, Brazil, the Middle East and Nigeria, hit by weaker currencies and low oil prices. "This has become even more pronounced during the second quarter, so it has impacted the investment levels at the operators, and that hits the mobile broadband market," stated Ericsson Chief Financial Officer Jan Frykhammar. "So that is the most important trend." For the past couple of years, Ericsson has been forced to cut its outlook for market growth, weighed down by sluggish demand for its core mobile network base stations. It also has a weaker position than rivals Nokia and Huawei in faster growing areas such IP-based communication. To offset the shrinking market for mobile infrastructure, Ericsson is investing in new areas to grow sales, such as IP- and cloud-based communication, but so far these are not growing fast enough to compensate. Like-for-like sales dropped by 7 percent in the quarter, the seventh in a row of declining underlying sales, though CEO Hans Vestberg told a conference call it didn't appear that Ericsson was losing market share. In 2015, group sales fell 5 percent on a comparable basis after declining 2 percent in 2014. "The current sales trends and business mix are expected to prevail for the second half of the year," Ericsson said in a statement. Cost reduction plan could have far-reaching affects Operating profit was 2.8 billion Swedish crowns ($327 million) compared with 3.6 billion a year-ago, weighed down by its networks divisions and below a mean forecast of 3.0 billion crowns. Ericsson said it would roughly double cuts in operating expenses to adapt to a weaker market, meaning annual savings of some 10 billion Swedish crowns from the second half of 2017 compared to 2014, adding that a previously announced cost savings programme was going according to plan. Ericsson's beaten-down shares, which dropped 15 percent in a single day in April after weak results, slipped 1 percent to 63.70 crowns. "While Ericsson seems to be more serious now about its cost reduction efforts, it seems to be chasing a bit of a moving target," Liberum said in a note to clients. "The cost reduction plan is expected to show some results which should lead to higher operating margins, though the extent is difficult to predict." Ericsson did not say how planned cost cuts would affect jobs but said almost 4,000 employees had left during the quarter though an acquisition had contributed to a net increase in staff. Ericsson employed 116,507 people by June 30, versus 115,300 by the end of the first quarter. (Reuters)

Stagnating sales forces Ericsson to cut costs further

Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union fired up populist eurosceptic parties across the continent on Friday, giving fresh voice to their calls to leave the bloc or its Euro currency. 
 
Right-wing and anti-immigrant parties in the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and France demanded referendums on membership of the union, while Italy&#39;s 5-Star movement said it would to pursue its own proposal for a vote on the euro. 
 
Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch anti-immigrant PVV party, said he would make a Dutch referendum on EU membership a central theme of his campaign to become prime minister in next year&#39;s parliamentary election. 
 
&quot;I congratulate the British people for beating the political elite in both London and Brussels and I think we can do the same,&quot; Wilders told Reuters. &quot;We should have a referendum about a &#39;Nexit&#39; as soon as possible.&quot; 
 
On Thursday, Britons voted to leave the 28-nation EU, forcing the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron and dealing the biggest blow to the European project of greater unity since World War II. 
 
&quot;There is no future any more (for the EU),&quot; Wilders said. 
 
France&#39;s far-right National Front party also called for a French referendum on European Union membership, cheering a Brexit vote it hopes can boost its eurosceptic agenda. 
 
Party leader Marine Le Pen celebrated the result by displaying the British flag on her Twitter page. 
 
&quot;Victory for freedom!&quot; she said. &quot;We now need to hold the same referendum in France and in (other) EU countries.&quot; Her deputy, Florian Philippot said: &quot;Our turn now #Brexit #Frexit.&quot; 
 
Le Pen said last month that if she won next year&#39;s French presidential election she would immediately start negotiations on a series of sovereignty issues including the single currency. If those failed, she would ask voters to back leaving the EU. 
 
She is the front-runner among likely candidates ahead of the vote, although polls see her losing the run-off. 
 
Analysts and a few front-runner officials and allies have said its protectionist, anti-euro policy was partly to blame for holding the party back in the past. But the Brexit vote could help it overcome this, Ifop pollster&#39;s analyst Frederic Dabi said. 
 
OUR TURN 
 
The populist anti-immigration Danish People&#39;s Party (DF), an ally of Denmark&#39;s right-leaning government, also called for a referendum on membership of the European Union. 
 
&quot;I believe that the Danes obviously should have a referendum on whether we want to follow Britain or keep things the way we have it now,&quot; DF party leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl said. 
 
The DF is not in government but is one of three parties supporting the one-party administration. Its call for a popular vote was echoed by the head of the left-wing Red-Green Alliance. 
 
Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen rejected the calls, but acknowledged that the British vote raised the possibility of a &quot;slimmer EU&quot;. 
 
In Sweden, the anti-immigration party the Sweden Democrats, which has the support of around 17 per cent of voters according to a poll last month, said it would step up pressure for change. 
 
&quot;We demand that Sweden immediately starts to renegotiate the (EU) deals we have made and that the Swedish people will be able to speak up about a future EU-membership in a referendum,&quot; party leader Jimme Akesson said. 
 
Italy&#39;s second most popular party, the opposition 5-Star Movement described the Brexit vote as a lesson in democracy and promised to pursue its own proposal for an Italian referendum on the euro. 
 
The party, considered a genuine contender for government at the next general election, wants Italy to hold a &quot;consultative&quot; or non-binding referendum on whether to remain in the euro zone. 
 
&quot;Whether you like it or not the British people have chosen,&quot; said lower house deputy Alessandro Di Battista, a member of 5-Star&#39;s leadership committee. 
 
The right-wing Northern League, a member of Italy&#39;s opposition centre-right, was more outspoken. &quot;Thank you Great Britain, next it is our turn,&quot; party leader Matteo Salvini said. 
 
(Reuters)

Dutch, Swedish and French right-wing parties demand independent referendums following Britain's exit from the European Union

Britain's vote to leave the European Union fired up populist eurosceptic parties across the continent on Friday, giving fresh voice to their calls to leave the bloc or its Euro currency. Right-wing and anti-immigrant parties in the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and France demanded referendums on membership of the union, while Italy's 5-Star movement said it would to pursue its own proposal for a vote on the euro. Geert Wilders, leader of the Dutch anti-immigrant PVV party, said he would make a Dutch referendum on EU membership a central theme of his campaign to become prime minister in next year's parliamentary election. "I congratulate the British people for beating the political elite in both London and Brussels and I think we can do the same," Wilders told Reuters. "We should have a referendum about a 'Nexit' as soon as possible." On Thursday, Britons voted to leave the 28-nation EU, forcing the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron and dealing the biggest blow to the European project of greater unity since World War II. "There is no future any more (for the EU)," Wilders said. France's far-right National Front party also called for a French referendum on European Union membership, cheering a Brexit vote it hopes can boost its eurosceptic agenda. Party leader Marine Le Pen celebrated the result by displaying the British flag on her Twitter page. "Victory for freedom!" she said. "We now need to hold the same referendum in France and in (other) EU countries." Her deputy, Florian Philippot said: "Our turn now #Brexit #Frexit." Le Pen said last month that if she won next year's French presidential election she would immediately start negotiations on a series of sovereignty issues including the single currency. If those failed, she would ask voters to back leaving the EU. She is the front-runner among likely candidates ahead of the vote, although polls see her losing the run-off. Analysts and a few front-runner officials and allies have said its protectionist, anti-euro policy was partly to blame for holding the party back in the past. But the Brexit vote could help it overcome this, Ifop pollster's analyst Frederic Dabi said. OUR TURN The populist anti-immigration Danish People's Party (DF), an ally of Denmark's right-leaning government, also called for a referendum on membership of the European Union. "I believe that the Danes obviously should have a referendum on whether we want to follow Britain or keep things the way we have it now," DF party leader Kristian Thulesen Dahl said. The DF is not in government but is one of three parties supporting the one-party administration. Its call for a popular vote was echoed by the head of the left-wing Red-Green Alliance. Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen rejected the calls, but acknowledged that the British vote raised the possibility of a "slimmer EU". In Sweden, the anti-immigration party the Sweden Democrats, which has the support of around 17 per cent of voters according to a poll last month, said it would step up pressure for change. "We demand that Sweden immediately starts to renegotiate the (EU) deals we have made and that the Swedish people will be able to speak up about a future EU-membership in a referendum," party leader Jimme Akesson said. Italy's second most popular party, the opposition 5-Star Movement described the Brexit vote as a lesson in democracy and promised to pursue its own proposal for an Italian referendum on the euro. The party, considered a genuine contender for government at the next general election, wants Italy to hold a "consultative" or non-binding referendum on whether to remain in the euro zone. "Whether you like it or not the British people have chosen," said lower house deputy Alessandro Di Battista, a member of 5-Star's leadership committee. The right-wing Northern League, a member of Italy's opposition centre-right, was more outspoken. "Thank you Great Britain, next it is our turn," party leader Matteo Salvini said. (Reuters)

Nexit, Frexit or Italeave? British vote fires up EU's 'Outers'

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