BAFTA Award to “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”
The Swedish film “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” won the Orange British Academy Film Award last Sunday evening in London for the best film not in English. Climbing on stage at the celebrated Royal Opera House in London, producer Søren Stærmose - who took the hit book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and turned the Stieg Larson story into a hit film - dedicated the “beautiful statue” to his wife and to the author himself. He also thanked leading actress Noomi Rapace who plays quirky punk hacker Lisbeth Salander. “We all know that Lisbeth Salander is the scariest thing coming out of Sweden since Abba,” Stærmose quipped during his speech. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” sure did make a big killing over in both Sweden and England, so who knows what another film version of this book - this time in English - will do when that movie's award show season rolls around in the US.

New parasite found in Sweden
The parasite Echinococcosis has been found in Sweden for the first time ever. It was found in a fox in southwest Sweden. The parasite sticks to berries and mushrooms in the forest through the feces of the animal. This means that people who pick berries and mushroom must be very careful from now on and clean carefully before eating. The parasite may cause serious and even lethal disease. A number of Swedish authorities will meet soon and agree on an action plan.

Michelle Obama in H&M dress
First Lady Michelle Obama shows that you can look good, even great, wearing an inexpensive dress from H&M. In a recent “Today” show, she wore a breezy, feminine, polka-dot piece, not from some fancy big-name designer, but off-the-rack and available for $34.95 from the Swedish company. The navy frock is part of the retail chain's current collection, which is in stores across the country now. Mrs. Obama's office said her stylist customized the look by adding three-quarter-length sleeves and pairing the dress with a bold orange belt (in lieu of its original red cloth sash) and bright yellow heels. Though lately she's been making a splash in higher-end designs, like the Alexander McQueen gown she wore to a recent state dinner, Mrs. Obama is no stranger to bargain fashion. In the past, she's donned $10 t-shirts from the Gap, sundresses from Target and is known to favor mid-range chain stores like J.Crew. It's also not the first time she's chosen a design by H&M. On the 2008 campaign trail, she famously pulled off a striped shift dress from the chain and paired it with a thick black belt, part of a signature look which was said to make her seem more accessible to many American women.

Swedish experts will test suicide bomb
The bomb experts at Sweden's Defense Research Agency have rather good knowledge about the strength of the bombs that Taimour Abdulwahab carried when he blew himself up in central Stockholm. But to be sure they will test the explosives that did not go off in Stockholm two months ago. According to the experts, the bomb constructions were made in a rather unprofessional way.

Prince Carl Philip can’t study because of ghost
Before fulfilling his dream of becoming a farmer, Prince Carl Philip has to spend some hours studying for his exams, which he will do in the guest room at Skarhult Palace in southern Sweden. That’s easier said than done. The Prince needs peace and quiet to study, which could be difficult since it’s not very quiet at the medieval castle, where he is currently spending time with the owners Alexandra and Carl Johan von Schwerin. There are tappings in the walls and people who have spent the night there have confirmed they hear heavy steps passing by the many salons. “The palace s haunted! It’s quite scary. If you open the bedroom door, to see what it is that makes such noise, there’s nothing there,” says one witness. The ghost is thought to be Olof Wallstedt, who was once a cornet player at the Norra Skånska cavalry regiment. It is said that Wallstedt is on the lookout for a treasure buried somewhere within the Skarhult Palace.