Stockholm - The Swedish parliament Wednesday approved a stability plan including the establishment of a fund to help banks that run into problems in the future.

Financial Markets Minister Mats Odell said the "stability plan would take immediate effect."

The plan included safeguarding deposits and restoring confidence between the financial institutions.

The government would also take over preferential shares if a bank requested funds.

The government would double the state guarantee to 500,000 kronor (62,000 dollars) for deposits in Swedish-owned banks.

Stockholm  - A majority of Swedes favour keeping the Swedish currency, but opposition has declined to introducing the joint European currency, the euro, a report said Tuesday.

The poll commissioned by the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper showed that 47 per cent opposed the euro while 42 per cent favoured such a move, the poll commissioned by the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper said.

The survey indicated that 11 per cent were undecided.

In a referendum five years ago, 56 per cent of Swedish voters said they wanted to keep the krona while 42 per cent favoured the euro.

Polling institute Sifo interviewed some 1,000 Swedes by telephone October 20 to 23.

Stockholm - An Anglican bishop from Zimbabwe was Tuesday named winner of a Swedish human rights prize for "having given voice to the fight against oppression."

Bishop Sebastian Bakare was also cited for his work to promote "freedom of speech and of opinion in a difficult political situation."

He was due to accept the 2008 Per Anger prize at a ceremony in Stockholm on November 10, Johan Perwe of the government agency Living History Forum told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

Bakare, installed as bishop of Harare earlier this year, was also due to be keynote speaker at a human rights conference in Lulea, northern Sweden.

Stockholm  - Nordic telecommunications group Telia Sonera on Tuesday posted higher pre-tax income for third-quarter 2008, citing strong sales for its mobile and broadband operations.

The group said earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was 8.94 billion kronor (1.03 billion dollars), up 3 per cent on the corresponding business period 2007.

Sales in the quarter increased 4 per cent to 25.81 billion kronor.

Commenting on the impact of the global financial turmoil, chief executive Lars Nyberg said that the group "has a strong balance sheet and operates in a relatively non-cyclical industry."

Helsinki - Nordic nations on Monday promised to review cash- strapped Iceland's need for additional loans, and were to form a working group that would monitor Reykjavik's efforts to revive its economy.

Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, current chair of the Nordic Council, said the Nordic group welcomed the deal Iceland signed on Friday with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a 2.1-billion-dollar emergency loan from the IMF to help stabilize Iceland's economy.

Stockholm  - Banking shares took a hit Monday on the Stockholm stock exchange as the Swedish central bank said it would offer a 1-billion-kronor (125 million dollars) loan to the Carnegie Investment Bank AB.

The group's shares continued their recent slide, and had plunged some 60 per cent at midday but late-afternoon were down 50 per cent. The Stockholm OMXS index also recovered some ground and was off 3 per cent.