Ikea Christmas bonus. Another Nobel prize. Celebrating street food. Court opens boy's old wounds.
Ikea Christmas bonus
Merry Christmas from Ikea. The company is offering SEK 27,000 ($3600) to all its full-time employees who have worked for the company more than five years as part of the annual bonus program that strengthens employees' pensions. Part-time employees receive a sum proportionate to how much they work. Ikea also pays out a performance-based bonus program called Thanks!
Another Nobel prize
American James Watson, who won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Medicine, is selling his gold medal. It is the first Nobel medal to be sold while a laureate is still alive. Watson, who is now 85 years old, was awarded the Nobel Prize together with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins for their discovery of the DNA molecule's structure. He intends to give away part of the money to research projects at universities and institutions where he worked during his career. It is expected to sell for upwards of $3.5 million at auction at Christie's in New York.
Celebrating street food
Stockholmers who have been enjoying the street food sold from trucks can get ready for more because the matlastbilarna (food trucks) have secured permission to return in 2015 — rent-free. The mobile food trucks, which have been part of an experiment, have been very well received by Stockholmers. “Now we look to the continuation of the experiment so that the people of Stockholm can continue to enjoy the good food,” says Daniel Helldén of the traffic division. It was originally proposed to cluster the food trucks in one area, but the city is allowing the vendors to find their own places. There is a maximum number of 100 permits available, and the permits themselves aren’t free at SEK 30,000 ($4,000) per year. But vendors can be open for three hours at each location instead of just two, with an option to extend their license to include evening hours.
Court opens boy's old wounds
Viktor Karlsson, now 11 years old, has been recovering from serious injuries he sustained as a 6-year-old when a set of goal posts fell on him. After five years the district court of Sandviken, Sweden has given its verdict in Karlsson's private legal case against the municipality: Sandviken cannot be held liable for the boy's injuries and he must pay SEK 300,000 ($40,000) to cover half the legal expenses. An appeal was launched, but now the municipality wants the boy to pay the full amount of SEK 545,000 ($72,500). "He will become indebted for life," the boy's mother told local media. The lawyer for the municipality stated that they realized it was difficult for the boy but that they weren't able to drop the appeal.
Matlastbilar - food trucks have been successfully introduced to the finicky Stockholmers’ palates.
Expected to fetch upwards of $3.5 million, American James Watson, who won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Medicine, is selling his gold medal through Christie's in New York. (Image unrelated to Watson's medal)
