Stockholm - Swedish telecommunications equipment maker Ericsson on Tuesday posted a 49-per-cent drop in operating income for second quarter 2008 partly impacted by ongoing cost cutting measures.

Operating income was 4.7 billion kronor (789 million dollars), down from 9.3 billion kronor in the corresponding business period 2007.

The group reported 48.5 billion kronor in sales for the quarter, up 2 per cent on the corresponding business quarter 2007 but a weak dollar rate impacted the group.

Net income was 1.9 billion kronor, down 70 per cent on second quarter 2007, the group said, adding that earlier announced cost cuts including plans to lay off some 4,000 employees impacted the group with 1.8 billion kronor in the quarter.

Stockholm - The Swedish government Wednesday announced tougher measures to combat prostitution and human trafficking.

The action programme includes tackling the "demand" which fuels the sex trade and human trafficking, Integration and Gender Equality Minister Nyamko Sabuni told reporters.

Sabuni said there was a need to cooperate with neighbouring countries in the Baltic region where many victims of the sex trade were recruited from, and also to help former sex trade workers find other means of supporting themselves.

Stockholm  - Police and an accident commission in Sweden have launched a probe into the cause of an accident at an amusement park in Gothenburg which saw 30 people taken to hospitals when a ride co

Stockholm- Swedish authorities have registered a 30-per- cent drop in the number of asylum applications during the first six months of 2008, reports said Monday.

In all some 12,270 applications for asylum were registered from January to June, compared to 17,600 for the corresponding period in 2007, the Svenska Dagbladet daily said, citing statistics compiled by the Swedish Migration Board.

Iraqi nationals remained the largest refugee group, with 3,941 applications, but tighter asylum assessments introduced after a key ruling last autumn were believed to have contributed to a 58-per-cent drop in the number of applications from Iraq, the Migration Board said.

Stockholm - A fire that broke out Friday on the roof of Sweden's Ringha