Swedish program lowers traffic fatalities
In the nearly 18 years since Sweden implemented what seemed like a lofty goal to eradicate all road deaths and injuries, the country’s “Vision Zero” program has been quite successful. Although the number of cars on the road and the distances traveled have doubled since the 1970s, a record-low number of 264 people died in road crashes in Sweden last year. That’s three deaths per 100,000 people (compared to 11 in 100,000 in the U.S.). Government traffic safety strategists say it has more to do with engineering than enforcement: Sweden has rebuilt roads to prioritize safety over speed and other considerations, lowered speed limits in crowded areas, and created thousands of safer pedestrian crossings with features such as bridges, flashing lights and speed bumps. That’s estimated to have cut the number of pedestrian deaths in half over the past five years alone. Other places studying the Swedish model include New York, which has also adopted a Vision Zero plan, implementing slow zones and increased police enforcement of speeding laws. (As a result, just 131 pedestrians were killed in NYC traffic accidents last year, a record low.)

Swedish island for sale
Tiger Woods is selling his luxury island in Sweden. The island, owned by the champion golfer and his Swedish ex-wife Elin Nordegren, has actually been for sale for weeks, but photos of the property have recently gone viral after a number of international newspapers reported on the real estate. Accessible by boat and car, the 62-acre island in Lake Mälaren, about an hour from Stockholm, includes a custom-made golf course, private harbor and luxury yacht, woods, horse stables, striking lake views and a mini-mansion, a hunting lodge, a landing strip for private planes, and even a fort that dates to the Stone, Bronze and Iron ages. Tiger Woods bought the property during his 6-year marriage to Nordegren, who divorced him in 2010. The island's price is released on request.

Muslim leaders urge caution
Muslim leaders in Sweden have strongly criticized the Muslim extremist shootings in Paris, but fear is growing following attacks on Swedish mosques. At a recent Stockholm rally held in solidarity with the victims of the Paris shootings, a student said, “It is a very complicated situation and we should not just amalgamate all Muslims and extremists, because most Muslim people are not extreme.” Sweden's Islamic Association posted a statement on its website saying the attack went "against everything that Islam stands for" and expressed sincere sympathy and support to the victims' families and the whole French population. But, in light of the attacks in Swedish mosques, growing Islamophobia and the rise of the nationalist Sweden Democrat party’s stance on immigration, the organization also urged Muslims in Sweden to "be cautious" of an increased risk of anti-Muslim hate crimes. "We've seen Islamophobic rhetoric gradually strengthening in Swedish society ... we may see reprisals in Sweden,” said Mohammed Fazlhashemi, professor of Islamic theology and philosophy at Uppsala University.