Swedish News:

Significant Viking discovery in Scotland. Queen Silvia rejects prize. Swedish church could be rock 'n' roll venue. Swedish Manhattan based model dies. 

  • A hoard of Viking gold and silver artifacts dating back over 1,000 years has been discovered by a treasure hunter with a metal detector in Scotland. (Original illustration by G. Brusewitz, courtesy of the Frans G Bengtsson Society)

  • Significant Viking discovery
    In September, a stash of artifacts traced to Scandinavia made for the most significant archaeological discovery in Scotland's history. Viking gold and silver was discovered in a field in southwest Scotland. More than 100 items that are over 1,000 years old mark a time during the 8th to 11th centuries when Vikings raided Britain and buried their valuables for safe-keeping. The discovery falls under the Scots law of treasure trove, which means it will likely remain in Scotland.

  • The recently found Viking treasure in Scotland is over 1,000 years old and marks a time during the 8th to 11th centuries when Vikings raided Britain and buried their valuables for safe-keeping.

  • Queen Silvia rejects prize
    Queen Silvia has turned down a prize offered by the Scandinavian Human Rights organization for her work with the world's children. The organization, which was participating in a conference on human trafficking at Uppsala University, has links to abortion resistance. The university has decided to instead host a more comprehensive conference in the spring of 2015, concentrating on the important subject of human trafficking, which the Queen has worked on for many years with the World Childhood Foundation.

  • Queen Silvia smiles and talks to children of the World Childhood Foundation in Sao Jose dos Campos in Brazil. News photo via Reuters/Roosevelt Cassio

  • Swedish church could be rock 'n' roll venue
    Lady Gaga's video producer, Swede Jonas Akerlund, has bought a 120 year old church in Stockholm, Sweden for an unknown amount of money. He and his company, J Å Sweden AB, plan to use it for cultural activities. “It is a great sadness for us to have to sell it,” says Pastor Solveig Högberg of the historic Holy Trinity Methodist Church in Östermalm, Stockholm, which had been for sale because the congregation no longer has the capacity and means to manage the building. “But it still feels good that it will be used for cultural activities and not as offices as some other buyers wanted.” Jonas Åkerlund has produced music videos for Madonna, Metallica and Lady Gaga, among others.

  • Jonas Åkerlund has bought the 120-year-old Trefaldighetskyrkan (Holy Trinity Church) in Stockholm, Sweden, to use for cultural activities.

  • Swedish Manhattan based model dies
    A well known Swedish runway model has died after being hit by a bus in New York. Anna-Maria Mostrom, 29, was biking home when she crashed into the bumper of a bus, suffering a devastating brain injury from the impact with the pavement. She died Wednesday after having been on life support for a week. It's not clear what the outcome would have been if she'd been wearing a helmet; the accident is under investigation. Moström grew up near Stockholm, getting her first big break as a contestant on Sweden's "Top Model” in 2005.

  • New church owner, Swedish film maker Jonas Åkerlund photographed for Nordic Reach by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin.