Swedish chef wins UK curry prize

The local, Published: 30 Nov 10 07:57 CET 
http://www.thelocal.se/30508/20101130/


Mohammed Razaul Karim, the head chef and owner of the prize-winningIndian Garden in Stockholm, has gained international recognition for the quality of his curries.


Karim heads to London on Tuesday to receive his Curry Life Award of Excellence Prize, the Dagens Nyheter (DN) daily reported.

Bangladesh-born Karim moved to Sweden from London in the mid-1990s after having learned his trade at his cousin's restaurant and he makes regular visits to the UK to keep abreast of what's new on the curry front, the newspaper reported.

It seems that the feeling is mutual, at least when it concerns Indian Garden's spicy fare, with one customer who was in London at the time, putting in a dinner order at his favourite Stockholm eatery.

”It was a British customer who lives in Stockholm, but was in the UK at the time. He had a friend who he asked to come by and pick up some food for him, when he was on his way to London," Hassan Mian at Indian Garden told The Local on Tuesday.

Indian Garden is located in the Södermalm area of central Stockholm and it is not the first time that its cuisine has been recognised. DN awarded the restaurant a Golden Dragon for the best restaurant in Stockholm, in 2004.

"It was like winning the Nobel Prize. The day after, there was a long queue outside on the street. Since then, it has been fully booked every day," Karim told DN.

The award gave Karim both an appetite and the possibility for expansion and a sister restaurant has been open closer to Medborgarplatsen. Furthermore, there are plans to open a New Indian Garden - a fine dining concept with around 200 places.

New Poker Champion Doesn’t Need A Finance Degree

by: Nathan Vardi, http://blogs.forbes.com/ Nov. 29 2010 

Source: Forbes.com

For Jonathan Duhamel, the road to riches meant dropping out of a finance degree program at the University of Quebec in Montreal to concentrate on playing poker. The move paid off recently when, at the age of 23, Duhamel won the World Series of Poker’s main event and the $8.9 million prize that went with it. Duhamel is the latest poker champ to highlight the connection between finance and poker. Hedge fund manager David Einhorn placed 18^th in the World Series of Poker’s main event in 2006. Aaron Brown, a former professional poker player, is now a risk manager at Cliff Asness’ big hedge fund firm AQR Capital Management. Chris Moneymaker, who helped launch the current popularity of poker when he won the World Series of Poker’s main event in 2003 as an amateur, was an accountant. Steven Begleiter, who used to head corporate strategy at Bear Stearns and now works at a private equity firm, made the final table at the main event in 2009. Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, who won the World Series main event in 2000, used to day trade at a proprietary trading firm. Billionaire banker Andrew Beal became a poker legend by challenging poker pros to some of the highest stakes games ever.

“Knowing finance helps because in poker there is a lot of math, lots of probabilities and percentages you need to calculate all the time,” says Duhamel. “There is that mathematical knowledge and then after that the psychological aspect of the game.”

Duhamel, who grew up in Boucherville, Quebec, says going for a finance degree was an obvious decision for him because he always excelled at math. Duhamel had ambitions at one time to become a trader or maybe start his own business. A decade ago, that probably would have been the direction his career path would have taken. Duhamel’s poker skills were developed in online poker rooms over the last five or so years.

After studying for one year at university, it was tough for Duhamel to tell his father, an engineer at United Technologies unit Pratt &Whitney, and his mother, a bank teller, that he was dropping out of school to travel and play poker. “At first my parents were not too happy—not too many parents would be happy, but I explained to them I was taking a year off,” says Duhamel.

Duhamel’s parents have now accepted his decision. So have his friends. One of them, who is studying to become a high school teacher, pulled off  a great trade by contributing $100 to Duhamel’s $10,000 entrance fee for the World Series of Poker. Duhamel recently paid his buddy his cut of the winnings: $90,000. PokerStars, the world’s biggest online poker site, also made a good bet by sponsoring Duhamel on the eve of the World Series of Poker.

Duhamel might finish that finance degree some day, but for now he says he is going to stick to playing professional poker.

Swedish parents jailed for spanking kids

thelocal.se, 28th november 


A Swedish court has jailed the parents of three children who were regularly beaten since the age of three in what they claimed was a method of discipline prescribed in the Bible.

The couple, from Karlstad in central Sweden, were imprisoned for nine months apiece, according to a Sveriges Television (SVT) report.

Corporal punishment, formally outlawed in Sweden in 1979, was a regular feature of three of the couple's four children's lives, the Värmland district court heard.

According to the court transcripts, the parents "explained that they had used, what they themselves described as spanking, physical punishment as part of their methods for raising the children."

The court heard that the couple had used a hairbrush, a wooden plank or a hand to punish their three eldest children, SVT reported.

The father explained that when the children did something wrong they were given a first warning and then a second and if they, for example, carried on cycling in the street without permission, they would then receive a physical punishment.

The court found that "despite the details of the case at hand" the parents "had a loving and caring relationship to their children", but that the systematic treatment metered out was in breach of the law and deserving of a custodial sentence.

The parents were furthermore order to pay damages of 25,000 kronor to each of the affected children.

Court affirms jail time for Pirate Bay founders

published on the local news paper, http://www.thelocal.se/30454/20101126/
Published: 26 Nov 10 14:04 CET,Updated: 26 Nov 10 20:17 CET

Three of the men behind The Pirate Bay file sharing site have had their convictions upheld by a Swedish court of appeal. "The Appeals Court, like the district court, finds that The Pirate Bay service makes possibly illegal filesharing in a way that entails a punishable offence for those who run the service," the court said in its ruling.

Fredrik Neij was sentenced to 10 months in prison, Peter Sunde to eight months and financial banker Carl Lundström to four months.

In addition, the court of appeal increased the compensation the defendants are required to pay up to 46 million kronor ($6.57 million). Lawyers for the entertainment industry had requested damages of 120 million kronor.

Dr Tathagat Tulsi, 22, becomes Professor Tulsi at IIT Bombay

from: http://in.news.yahoo.com/241/20100713/1257/tnl-dr-tathagat-tulsi-22-becomes-profess.html

He completed high school at the age of 9, had a B.Sc at 10, an M.Sc in Physics at 12, and a PhD in Quantum Computing from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, at 21. In 2003, Time named him among the world's seven most gifted youngsters. Now, at age 22, Patna-born prodigy Tathagat Avtar Tulsi has become possibly the youngest assistant professor at IIT.

Tulsi will teach Physics at IIT Bombay from July 19, having chosen the institute over Waterloo University, Canada, and the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER), Bhopal, both of which had offered him jobs.

Tathagat Avatar Tulsi (Centre) poses with his parents after becoming the youngest assistant professor in physics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai, in Patna on Tuesday. Photo: PTI

"I turned down Waterloo despite an impressive pay package because I do not want to go abroad now," Tulsi told The Indian Express over the phone from Patna. "My dream is to set up a lab focused on quantum computation in India, and one day help develop a largescale quantum computation-based supercomputer. IIT Bombay offers me these possibilities."

IIT Bombay confirmed that Tulsi is set to join its faculty. In an appointment letter sent on June 30, IIT Bombay Director Prof Devang V Khakar informed Tulsi that the institute's Board of Governors was pleased to offer him assistant professorship on contract at the Department of Physics.

Hailed early as a wonder boy, Tulsi suffered humiliation in August 2001 when a delegation of scientists taken by the Department of Science & Technology to Lindau in Germany for an interaction with Nobel laureates, suggested that he was a "fake prodigy" who had "mugged up" jargon which he spouted unthinkingly.

A hurt Tulsi went into a shell for several years. He returned to news this February after he became the youngest holder of a PhD in India.

"Back then it hurt a lot. But I have put the humiliation behind me, and now feel that I have achieved something. I am very happy to join an IIT as faculty. I am looking forward to teaching and research," Tulsi said.

Criminalising women behind the veil

Gavin Hewitt | 16:57 UK time, Tuesday, 13 July 2010

France's lower house of parliament has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would ban wearing the Islamic full veil in public.

So the French lower house has voted to ban the burka or niqab in a public place. It was by a massive majority: 355 to 1. The Greens and some of the Socialists abstained.

There are still hurdles to be crossed, but France is heading to a moment when a woman wearing a full-face veil in public could be stopped by a police patrol and fined 150 euros (£125). If the police gather evidence that a woman is being forced to dress in a niqab, then the man faces a very heavy fine.

The mood among MPs today heading into parliament was strongly in favour of a new law. No doubt some would have been influenced by polls that suggest that up to 70% of French voters support such a ban. One French MP described veils as "muzzles", and "walking coffins".

But the main motive behind this vote was to reinforce French identity. MPs believe that those who live in, or visit, France should embrace French values. Time and again in parliament MPs argued that hiding a woman's face violates the ideal of equality and encourages segregation. The fear behind this is of separate, parallel communities.

There are only about 2,000 women in France who wear the burka or niqab. Many are recent converts to Islam. I spoke today to 26-year-old Anissa. She has been wearing the niqab for two years. She says the new law is Islamaphobic and she will not remove her veil.

"I think it is against international law," she told me. "Personally speaking, removing my veil is against my conscience. And I won't take it off."

That will be one of the difficulties: enforcing such legislation. Initially there will be a six-month period where women who wear the full-face veil are stopped and told about French laws and the reasons behind them. But after that period a police officer could tell her to remove the veil or risk a fine.

Clearly, in some suburbs of Paris with strong Muslim communities it would be very sensitive to order a woman to remove her veil. It will also be hard to prove that a woman is wearing a veil against her wishes.

Another risk is that the ban will create martyrs. Frederic Lagache of the police union said to me today: "Our concern is that some people will be manipulated by extremists and cause trouble on the streets when we stop them."

Already a businessman has offered to set up a fund to pay any fines incurred by women.

There are also likely to be a series of legal challenges.

But today marked an important moment in the debate over multiculturalism. Increasingly the French want new arrivals and members of ethnic minorities to integrate more. There will be those in the banlieues - the suburbs where many minorities live - who will argue that they are the ones who are prevented from integrating into mainstream French society. 

Barefoot Bandit: Folk hero or crook?

By Ashley Fantz and Gabriel Falcon, CNN

July 13, 2010 -- Updated 0239 GMT (1039 HKT)

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Washington state teenager Colton Harris-Moore reportedly began stealing at age 12
• He became famous for allegedly stealing cars, boats and planes -- while barefoot
• The teenager was on the run from the law for two years
• He was captured Sunday morning after a high speed boat chase in the Bahamas
• The Barefoot Bandit has more than 80,000 Facebook fans who see him as a folk hero, a modern-day Jesse James. But police say Colton Harris-Moore is a brazen 19-year-old criminal, pure and simple.The beginning and end of Harris-Moore's two-year run as a wanted fugitive is the stuff of Hollywood. Indeed, one studio has optioned his story. But police and some of his victims don't think he should be glamorized as he makes his first court appearance Tuesday.

"They can never imprison a mind like yours Colton," wrote one admirer on Harris-Moore's Facebook fan page Monday, a day after he was captured during a high-speed boat chase in the Bahamas.

"I can understand on one level people being interested in his activities, but I think most thoughtful people, when they stop and think about it, realize he's a common criminal," said Bill Cummings, a sheriff who has been tracking Harris-Moore for years. "Those who see him as a folk hero aren't looking any deeper than the surface."

The strapping 6-foot, 5-inch high school dropout was raised by a single mother in a trailer on Camano Island off the rugged coast of Washington state.Local media accounts, including a detailed profile in Monday's edition of The Herald in Everett, Washington, cite court records that tell the story of a turbulent childhood.

They can never imprison a mind like yours. 
--Facebook fan

 When Harris-Moore was a boy, his classmates called him "Klepto Colt," wrote journalist Bob Friel, who lives on nearby Orcas Island. Friel's lengthy profile was published in Outside magazine in January.
Friel wrote that he pored through hundreds of pages of court records, learning that young Colton had been referred to Child Protective Services a dozen times.It's not clear how Friel gained access to these juvenile court records, which are usually sealed. Friel is writing a book on Harris-Moore's life.As a thief, Harris-Moore started out small -- shoplifting and breaking into homes, police say.


He earned his nickname by living in the woods and leaving bare footprints at some of his alleged crime scenes. One detective called him "a feral child."
Helen Simmons, a store owner on Camano Island, told CNN affiliate KOMO what Harris-Moore allegedly stole from her: "Beef jerky, potato chips, food," she said. "Never beer, never wine, just food."

He might have remained an obscure juvenile criminal, but he gained national fame after he took to the skies, allegedly stealing and crash-landing airplanes despite never having any formal flight training.

"Fly, Colt, fly!" an admirer wrote months ago on his Facebook page. The phrase has been reprinted on T-shirts and decals. Songwriters have rhapsodized about him. Time magazine published a story headlined, "America's Most Wanted Teenage Bandit." People magazine has profiled him, making him a bona fide celebrity.

A movie about his high-flying escapades, tentatively titled "Taking Flight: The Search for a Young Outlaw," is in the works. His mother issued a brief statement Monday saying she's glad her son is safe and that no one was hurt during his capture.

"I have not yet been able to speak to him," Pamela Kohler added. "It has been over two-and-a-half years since I have seen him, and I miss him terribly. I hope that it will be possible for me to see him sometime soon. However, I don't yet know when that might happen."

CNN affiliate KIRO interviews Pamela Kohler

Kohler hired a Seattle attorney for her son, but since he is an adult, the final decision rests with Harris-Moore. The attorney, John Henry Browne, told CNN affiliate KOMO that he hopes all the pending charges can be consolidated into a single federal case in Seattle.

Harris-Moore has dodged arrest warrants since 2008, and until early Sunday morning, eluded even the FBI, which had posted a reward for his capture.

Until recently, the teenager stuck close to home, reportedly hiding out in the Northwestern wilderness, including an ancient Indian burial ground accessible only by water or air, Outside magazine reported. He is also suspected of crimes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, South Dakota and Indiana and other states.

In his Outside magazine profile, Friel tried to figure out why Harris-Moore seemed to delight in thumbing his nose at the police.

"The only hint of a motive I can dig up is a note Colt wrote to his mom after the Camano Island deputies found one of his campsites, filled with stolen merchandise," Friel wrote. "His dog, Melanie, was at the camp, and the police took her. 'The cops wanna play, hu!?' Colt wrote. 'It's war! Tell them that.' "

Those who see him as a folk hero aren't looking any deeper than the surface. 
--Sheriff Bill Cummings

Harris-Moore's Facebook fan page includes his now-infamous self-portrait. It was found by police in a stolen camera left behind in a stolen Mercedes. He is lying on the dirt, gazing into the camera with his lips slightly upturned in a smirk.

In the end, his notoriety brought about the Barefoot Bandit's downfall. Authorities suspect he stole a plane in Indiana over the July 4 weekend, which was found in the Bahamas.

A week later, a security guard at a Harbour Island resort in the islands recognized Harris-Moore as he arrived on a 15-foot skiff.

It was 2 a.m. Sunday, and the wanted teen was running up a dock at the resort. He carried a gun and a knapsack slung over his shoulder, said resort manager Anne Ward. The guard called Ward for help. By the time she arrived, Harris-Moore had jumped on another boat, trying to escape.

But the teen misjudged the depth of the water and the boat ran aground. By this time, a crowd had gathered to watch the drama.

Harris-Moore tossed his computer into the water and put a gun to his head.

"He was going to kill himself," said Ward. "Police talked him out of it."

Harris-Moore began acting out at age 10 and, according to The Everett Herald, started stealing early. By 12, he was accused of breaking into a local business, setting fire to a school and destroying property at a Thriftway grocery store, the newspaper reported.

He pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property and in 2006, he was ordered to be in court at a juvenile justice center, a date he skipped. He soon started breaking into homes on Camano Island, and the Sheriff's Department issued a warrant for him, the newspaper reported.

It's not clear how the newspaper got access to Harris-Moore's juvenile records. Harris-Moore pleaded guilty to three counts of burglary and was sentenced to more than three years in the custody of the state juvenile detention facility. He escaped from there in 2008 and has been on the run until now.

The teenager's fans have embraced Harris-Moore's exploits, drawing comparisons to Frank Abagnale Jr., the con artist played by Leonardo DiCaprio in "Catch Me If You Can."

"He's become the poster child for the disaffected American who doesn't care and is proving it by thumbing his nose," said Dr. Casey Jordan, a noted criminologist and professor at Western Connecticut State University.

"The potential was there for him to evolve into violent crimes, but it didn't happen," Jordan said. "I see a lot of his attention seeking behavior as a cry for help."

But Harris-Moore's alleged victims are not so charmed.

Josh Flickner, who works at a grocery store in Washington state, is outraged that some people are comparing Harris-Moore with a modern-day Robin Hood.

"I know schoolteachers and other average, middle-class people that he's stolen from," said Flickner. He also said Harris-Moore used a stolen credit card at the store years ago.

"I remember him coming in, usually with his mom," Flickner told CNN. "And I remember him always looking really suspicious, and he would stand in front of like the candy section and just stare at me to see if I was watching him," Flickner added.

"Needless to say whenever he came in, we were always watching him."

Soccer cheating that’s really unsportsmanlike

By Martin Rogers, Yahoo! Sports


jul 3, 14:58
 
JOHANNESBURG – The rules of soccer are jammed together in a long document provided by the sport’s governing body, FIFA. And nowhere, not once in 140 pages, is the word “cheating” mentioned.


Given the stubborn refusal by the men in charge to admit that cheating is either a serious problem, or needs fixing, perhaps its omission should come as no surprise.

Ghana's John Pantsil speaks with referee Olegario Benquerenca as John Mensah lies on the field. (Dominic Barnardt/Getty Images)
But what this World Cup has proved without any doubt is that unfair and unsporting behavior is rife within the “beautiful game” and is a stain on the sport’s credibility.

Few, if any, games at this tournament have passed without clear and blatant attempts to gain an unjust advantage. Some teams are worse than others, but no one is blameless.


And still FIFA refuses to act. Still, it fails to address what may be its biggest problem.

“We have footballers cheating and taking advantage of it to get a result,” said former elite referee Kenny Clark of Scotland.

Uruguay’s Luis Suarez was lambasted internationally for the intentional handball on the goal line that kept his team alive in Friday’s quarterfinal. Suarez was red-carded but Ghana missed the ensuing penalty kick, allowing the South Americans to progress to the semifinals in a penalty shootout.

While Suarez’s action was both instinctive and understandable, plenty of other incidents are premeditated and affect soccer’s reputation. In fact, before you get too upset at the misfortune that befell Ghana thanks to Suarez’s handball and Asamoah Gyan’s subsequent miss and meltdown, think back to the extra time period.


That was when the Ghanians used every trick and tactic to waste time and slow down the tempo of the game. On five separate occasions, a Ghana player fell to the turf expressing varying degrees of mortal wounding only to bounce back to his feet after a couple of minutes of groaning.


Earlier in the tournament, Brazil’s Kaka was unjustly red-carded when Kader Keita of the Ivory Coast feigned injury after colliding with the former World Player of the Year and spending minutes writhing on the ground in mock agony. Then there was German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who gleefully admitted that the way he hurriedly played on against England may have “fooled” the referee into thinking that Frank Lampard’s shot had not crossed the line for a tying goal.

Perhaps the worst moment of all at this World Cup was the way Joan Capdevila of Spain flopped dramatically in the round-of-16 victory over Portugal to provoke Ricardo Costa’s sending off. That Capdevila remains in the tournament and was eligible to face Paraguay in Saturday’s quarterfinal was a travesty.

It is not like FIFA doesn’t have options to address these problems. It is all powerful in the soccer world. It could take action on these other blatant displays of cheating, but it doesn’t.

Perhaps FIFA assumes that the soccer public now simply expects unscrupulous actions from players and it uses that as a shield for its lack of activity. But if just once, like when Brazil’s Rivaldo was hit in the thigh in 2002 and went down clutching his face, a Keita, a Neuer or a Capdevila was sent home and banished from the tournament for their deliberate deception, the problem would swiftly clear up.

This is the World Cup, the world’s game, and it deserves better. It deserves a governing body with some spine. And it deserves an environment where cheats cannot prosper.

Bangladeshis slump to 149-run defeat

Cricinfo staff

July 3, 2010

Sussex 253 (Brown 58, Thornely 56) beat Bangladeshis 104 (Panesar 3-21, Anyon 3-27) by 149 runs

Bangladesh made an inauspicious start to the one-day leg of their tour of the British Isles, as a second-string Sussex side hammered them by 149 runs at Hove. Chasing 254 for victory following fifties for Michael Thornely and Ben Brown, Bangladesh stumbled to 85 for 7 in the 22nd over, before being bowled out for 104.

Flying car coming soon

MSNBC.MSN.WASHINGTON — If cars had wings, they could fly — and that just might happen, beginning next year.

The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Mass., says it plans to deliver its car-plane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2011. It recently cleared a major hurdle when the Federal Aviation Administration granted a special weight limit exemption to the Transition.

"It's the next 'wow' vehicle," said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh. "Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don't fly."

The Transition is a long way from cartoon dad George Jetson's flying car zooming above traffic, or even the magical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

"There is no launch button on the (instrument) panel," Gersh noted.

Rather, the car-plane has wings that unfold for flying — a process the company says takes one minute — and fold back up for driving. A runway is still required to takeoff and land.

The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is both. The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations

The company is pitching the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient — and cheaper — way to fly. They say it eliminates the hassle trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you're good to go. When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road. There are no expensive hangar fees because you don't have to store it at an airport — you park it in the garage at home.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The plane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers. Gas mileage on the road is about 30 mpg.

Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive .

updated 7/2/2010 9:08:28 AM

Europe's economy, bearish or bullish?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Swedish royel family and wedding

(left to right) Prince Carl Philip, Crown Princess Victoria, Queen Silvia and King Carl XVI Gustaf

According to the Swedish Government, the Royal Family includes the following:

The King and Queen:

HM King Carl XVI Gustav (since September 15, 1973), born on April 30, 1946.

HM Queen Silvia (since June 19, 1976), born on December 23, 1943.

The King's children with the Queen:

HRH Crown Princess Victoria, Duchess of Västergötland, born on July 14, 1977.

HRH Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland, born on May 13, 1979.

HRH Princess Madeleine, Duchess of Hälsingland and Gästrikland, born on June 10, 1982.

The King's sister:

HRH Princess Birgitta, Princess of Hohenzollern, born on January 19, 1937.

The King's aunt (widow of the King's uncle Prince Bertil):

HRH Princess Lilian, Duchess of Halland, born on August 30, 1915.

 
Victoria wedding:
It's more than 30 years since the last Swedish royal wedding and Swedes have long looked forward to a grand royal bash. Preparations are already underway for the big day in Stockholm, the 700-year-old capital city. The city is sure to be resplendent for this most auspicious of occasions and there will be a huge turnout for the pomp and ceremony.


Crown Princess Victoria was first brought up in the Royal Palace situated in the Old Town (Gamla Stan) area of Stockholm and later at Drottningholm Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the best preserved 18th-century palace in Sweden. Daniel Westling, her beau and Stockholm gym owner, comes from Ockelbo, a small town in the province of Gästrikland.

The couple will be married at the Great Church (Storkyrkan) in the heart of the Old Town, just a stone's throw from the Royal Palace. The church pre-dates the palace by some 400 years and when the palace was completed around the beginning of the 18th century, the church was given a makeover as it was considered too 'mediaeval'. Storkyrkan is a wonderfully impressive, peaceful and meditative place to be and well worth a visit. Following their betrothal, the new royal couple will take up residence in the 'still being renovated' Haga Palace, built in 1802, in Haga Park just north of central Stockholm. It is here that Victoria's father King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden was born and raised with his four sisters. There has been some controversy over the choice of residence as until recently the palace and grounds were open to the public. With the royal couple moving in, the building and portions of the grounds will be cordoned off for security reasons. This has left some local joggers, dog owners and other park users less than pleased. Haga Park is wildly popular with Stockholmers the year-round for its lakeside beauty spots and views, forests, jogging paths and relaxed atmosphere.

As the Swedish royal family has several royal residences, Daniel will have to get used to a bit of travelling. The family spends the summer at Solliden Palace, a gorgeous building in the Italian country house style, located on the beautiful east-coast island of Öland. Wintertime, the couple usually head for the ski resort at Storlien, 700 km north-west of Stockholm, and not far from Åre, perhaps northern Europe's finest ski resort.

Carl's story:

Miss Hellqvist made her name when she appeared in a Swedish men's magazine with only a pair of bikini bottoms and a writhing, mottled snake to preserve her modesty.


While the prince is believed to have met his new girlfriend's family, it is understood that Miss Hellqvist has not been introduced to any of his relations.

The pair are said to have become close last summer after meeting in the fashionable seaside resort town of Bastad.

They are said to have been on secret trips together in Sweden and New York.

The 30-year-old prince, who drives Porsche racing cars and is regarded as one of the world's most eligible bachelors, has so far refused to confirm or deny the relationship.

"We have no comment to make at all," said the head of the royal press department, Nina Eldh.

The prince was ranked ninth in a list of "the 20 hottest young royals" compiled by Forbes magazine in 2008 behind Princes William and Harry, who were first and second, and Zara Phillips, who was third.

As the only son of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, the prince was the heir to the throne for a few months after he was born in 1979.

But in 1980 the rules of succession were changed and the principle of primogeniture was introduced.

His sister, Crown Princess Victoria, 32, is now the heir. "He comes across as the black sheep of the family," a commentator on the Swedish royal family said yesterday.

"Now that he is no longer next in line to the throne, he does his own thing.

"He's a racing car driver and a bit of a wild child. But he also designs his own range of cutlery and is studying at an agricultural college in southern Sweden."

The prince, who also carries the title Duke of Varmland, has been a regular on Stockholm's nightclub scene after breaking up last year with Emma Pernald, a public relations executive who had been his girlfriend for 10 years.

Miss Pernald told Expressen, a Swedish magazine, that she and the prince made a mutual decision to go their separate ways, but gave no further details on the exact reason for the split.

The prince's new love, who has also appeared on Paradise Hotel, a popular reality television show in which a group of single people are marooned in a luxurious tropical resort and compete to find a partner, could cause some awkward scenes this summer when Crown Princess Victoria, marries her boyfriend, a commoner and the owner of a gym, in a church next to the royal palace in Stockholm.

The Telegraph, London
Source: watoday.com.au

Princess Madeleine:
As well as her native tongue of Swedish, she's fluent in German, French and English. And in January 2003 she enrolled at the prestigious University of Stockholm, where she pursued a history of art course – later embarking on a further course in ethnology.


Committed to her studies while maintaining her passions for skiing and horseriding – she owned her own horses for a time and entered showjumping competitions under the name Anna Svensson – the young princess also stepped up her involvement in royal duties. She is patron of high-profile charity Min Stora Dag and has interned for UNICEF in New York, working for the Child Protective Services division.

In 2002, Cupid struck when the young princess – aged 20 at the time – was introduced to lawyer Jonas Bergstrom by mutual friends. A first date at an Italian restaurant in the upmarket neighbourhood of Ostermalm in Stockholm followed, and after a seven-year courtship the palace announced that the pretty blonde princess was engaged to her long-term love.

In an interview, a Madeleine revealed that handsome Jonas had popped the question during a romantic holiday in Capri.

The wedding was expected at the end of 2010 – after her big sister Crown Princess Victoria's summer wedding with her gym-owner fiancé Daniel Westling, and after the country's legislative elections, pencilled in for October 1.

But it was not to be. Rumours began to circulate at the start of 2010 that the couple's relationship was in crisis. After denials from Jonas and Queen Silvia the Palace finally issued a statement saying that the couple had "gone their seperate ways".

The announcement came following claims Jonas had been unfaithful to Madeleine with a Norwegian student during a skiing holiday.
(http://www.hellomagazine.com/profiles/princess-madeleine/)