Not an incredible amount of information is known, but it has been reported by a couple of sources that Klarna executives Jens Saltin and Niklas Adalberth have been charged with allegedy molesting a young woman in a hotelroom. Popular website TechCrunch reports that officials released a report giving sparse details of the alleged act. The report reads:

“defendant Adalberth straddled informant, both defendants removed informant’s clothes, and defendant Adalberth grabbed informant’s breast. Deponent is further informed that she did not consent to said conduct.”

The New York Post reports similarly saying the Swedes allegedly pinned the woman to her bed while Adalberth straddled her as Saltin ripped off her clothes. Not much else is known about the case besides the very sparse details, apparently representatives want to keep everything on the down-low. Saltin and Adalberth have been released on 10,000 dollars bail.

If any other details should emerge, WebProNews will sufficiently report on the subject to bring the case into more concise light.

A suburb of Stockholm, Sollentuna, is proposing that the public schools do away with textbooks by 2013. In their place, they want to give every student an iPad.

Maria Stockhaus, chair of Sollentuna’s children and education board, argues that schools in her municipality are in the “backwater” compared to the rest of the country according to The Local.

“The schools will take a step into the now instead of staying in the old days. Computers are as natural in schools as paper and pens, yet the fact that only every other teacher in Sweden has a computer today is completely insane,” Stockhaus said.

There has been backlash at the idea though. Sweden’s education minister Jan Björklund insists that reading books and writing by hands are still relevant, even in the far out future of 2012.

“Even in the future people will need to read and write. You can’t always have access to a computer in some places,” he told DN. “Books have an obvious place in school, and national exams are still written by hand. I predict that they will not follow through with their proposals.”

Sollentuna has already issued computers to all teachers, and plans to give tablet PCs to every student from 2nd grade onward.

The schools receiving iPads are Helenelundsskolan, Sofielundsskolan and Runbacka. Say those names three times fast.

In a bold move, Stockhaus says that students won’t be given pen and paper until they are 8-years-old. This way, students will be accustomed to touch screen technology earlier in life. She argues that this will equip students for the future.

The benefit of giving every child their own computer is more about leveling the playing field for families with different incomes.

“We know that not every student has computer access at home. These students who come from homes with tighter finances have worse grades. An even greater wedge will occur if they do not get the same digital competence as the others,” Stockhaus said.

She also claims that feedback is immediate on a computer, thus speeding up the learning process.

Another school with a name I can’t pronounce (Tegelhagsskolan) introduced PC access to all students three years ago. Their students have consistently excelled in academics since.

The initial investment will cost $2.45 million in the start up phase. The cost will increase to $3 million in 2013. It will be partially paid for by the elimination of costly textbooks.

ZDNet is reporting that Assange’s lawyers are laying out their arguments today to the seven law lords of the Supreme Court. The basis of their argument is that Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny acted beyond her powers in issuing a European Arrest Warrant. They say that the High Court made a bad judgment in recognizing the EAW as valid.

The argument states that Ny “cannot act as judicial authority” when issuing an EAW. They go on to argue that she “lacks the impartiality and the independence from both the executive and the parties which constitute essential features of the exercise of judicial authority under domestic and European law.”

In court, the defense attorneys gave the judges 15 volumes of legal findings to back up its arguments. The key point is for the judges to consider the the definition of “judicial authority.”

For those just joining us, Assange is battling extradition to Sweden over two charges of sexual assault.

This of course has sprung up conspiracy theories that the U.S. is pulling the strings of Sweden’s push for extradition. It’s not hard to see why when you take into account the embarrassment the U.S. suffered last year when Wikileaks leaked thousands of U.S. embassy documents.

If his Supreme Court appeal fails, he can appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. The ECHR has 14 days to respond. If the appeal is rejected, Assange will be extradited. If the appeal is accepted, he will remain in the U.K. until the case is resolved.

We’ll keep you updated on any changes, including the decision, as they happen.

[lead photo courtesy of acidpolly on flickr]

TorrentFreak is reporting that the Sweden Supreme Court rejected the appeal of the four founders of The Pirate Bay. The current prison sentences and fines levied against Peter Sunde, Fredrik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm and Carl Lundström will stand.

For a bit of background information, three of the four men were found guilty of criminal copyright infringement offenses in 2010. Previously, they had their sentences decreased in a 2009 trial, but were ordered to pay increased damages.

Sunde was given eight months in prison, Neij was given 10 months and Lundström will face four months. Svartholm was absent on medical leave during the appeal hearings. The ruling made in District Court in 2009 of one year in prison and a share of the damages is permanent. All four will have to pay a share of $6.8 million in damages.

Lundström’s lawyer called the verdict “absurd.” He is disappointed in the court and their disinterest in “dissecting and analyzing the legal twists and turns of the one of the world’s most high-profile legal cases of all time.”

One of the defendants told TorrentFreak that they are going to appeal to the European Court of Justice. This does not, however, prevent their sentence from being carried out in Sweden.

The men may not go to prison though as the Swedish justice system commonly deducts 12 months from prison sentences on cases over five years old. Their case meets the criteria, but the final decision is up to the court.

Sunde spoke to TorrentFreak about the decision:

Sweden speaks well about caring about the Internets. They spend a lot of money and time on helping activists all around the world. But who are these people that they’re so proud of helping? TPB has been one of the most important movements in Sweden for freedom of speech, working against corruption and censorship.

All of the people involved in TPB at some time have been involved in everything from famous leaks projects to aiding people in the arab spring. We’ve fought corruption all over the world. We’ve promoted equal opportunities to poor nations around the globe. We’ve crushed the monopoly on information. Our close ones, many who have helped building TPB, have been mentioned as possible winners of the nobel peace prize.

I’m not bragging – I’m saying this to make sure that people understand who’s doing the right thing here. I haven’t seen the entertainment industry help anyone but themselves.

The Pirate Bay Web site is still online as it was not part of the legal proceedings. The Pirate Bay Web site, however, now redirects to a .se domain, fearing that the U.S. will pull a MegaUpload on them.

The Pirate Bay Web site proper also posted a statement about the decision calling 2012 “the year of the storm.” They reiterate a lot of what Sunde said, but it’s still worth a read:

What binds us all together is a strong belief that what we do is good. That it is something we one day can tell our grandchildren about with pride. People from all over the world confirm this. We read testimonials from people in Syria longing for freedom, thanking us for what we provide. We receive more than 100 visits daily from North Korea and we sure know that they need it. If there’s something that will bring peace to this world it is the understanding and appreciation of your fellow man. What better way to do that than with this vast library of culture?

But what enrages us to our inner core is that the system, the empire, the governments, are still allowed to try to boss you and us around with one law crazier than the other. Do you think they will stop with SOPA/ACTA/PIPA? They will not. Because you won’t stop sharing those files. Because we will not stay down. Because no one can turn back time. Together, we are the iron that hardens with each strike.

In this year of the storm, the winners will build windmills and the losers will raise shelters. So flex your muscles, fellow pirates, and give power to us all! Build more sites! More nets! More protocols! Scream louder than ever and take it to the next level!

What do you think? Is The Pirate Bay here to stay? Or is this one more nail in the coffin of the world’s most popular torrent tracker? Let us know in the comments.

The project is dubbed Curators of Sweden, and in just about a month of existence has more than doubled the country’s official Twitter presence.

Here’s how it works. Every week, a new Swedish citizen take the wheel of @Sweden, the official Twitter account of the country’s tourism initiative. During that week, the average, everyday citizen gets to converse with other Twitter users and share their thoughts on the country. They also have the opportunity to share photos and tidbits about their favorite places to go and things to do where they live.

The idea with Curators of Sweden is that each curator will share both their own and relevant third party’s thoughts, stories, information and other content that is somehow linked to Sweden. The idea is that the curators, through their tweets, create interest and arouse curiosity for Sweden and the wide range the country has to offer. The expectation is that the curators will paint a picture of Sweden, different to that usually obtained through traditional media.

The project, an initiative of the National Board for the Promotion of Sweden (VisitSweden), is basically looking to market travel with the human element. Ask anyone who specializes in social media marketing – they will tell you that the more personal and human-like you can make your company’s social media accounts, the better. Sweden hopes that by giving people the chance to see the country through vastly different sets of eyes, they will inspire curiosity.

The initiative started on December 10th, and the first “Curator” was a writer and editor named Jack Werner. Since then there have been 5 other faces of Sweden, ranging from an advertising exec to an organic sheep farmer. The current voice of Sweden’s Twitter account in Hanna, who describes herself as an “average lesbian truck-driver.”

As you can see, the content of the account is pretty personal. The Swedes who run the account appear to face little to no censorship, as not all of the tweets coming from @Sweden praise the country and not all of the tweets would be considered “PC.”

Former tweeter Hasan Ramic tweeted that “the current Swedish welfare system is a bad joke compared to what it once was” and current tweeter Hanna had this to say regarding a certain archaic medical practice that’s still alive in her country:

So the @Sweden Twitter account feels like a mishmash of personal reflections, public declarations, and tourism promotion. And I guess that’s what the folks at VisitSweden want.

Twitter says over 400,000 volunteers have contributed to its translation center. This was launched last February as a means of crowdsourcing translations from Twitter users. Twitter has actually been crowdsourcing translations since 2009, but the center introduced a new system for doing so, relying on feedback from translators to make it better.

Other recently launched languages include: Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Polish. You can see the entire list here:

“As the number of volunteer translators grows, we’ll explore new ways to empower users to translate and localize Twitter for even more communities,” Twitter says in a blog post. “Expect to see further improvements to the Translation Center in the coming year, including new translation tools and more opportunities to help make Twitter accessible to every person on the planet.”

Twitter has an official Translator account that you can follow to keep abreast of further updates regarding the center and Twitter translation in general.

The issue is of some importance to followers of this long news saga, some of whom shared their reactions on Twitter. Due to Assange’s polarizing stature, the tones unsurprisingly ranged from welcoming to weary:

Assange has managed to stay involved in the activities of Wikileaks, most recently appearing at a conference earlier this month in London to speak about government surveillance. Given that it’s taken over a year of judicial foot-dragging to even get to this point, hopefully the brevity of the hearing – two days – will hasten the process of whether Assange ends up getting extradited to Sweden. Have any of you been following this case (I know, it’s kind of easy to forget about given how long it’s stretched on)? What do you think about Assange being granted a hearing next year? Agree or disagree? Comment with your opinion below.

The pics of Denmark and Sweden are more or less standard Street View fare – high-resolution shots (with license plates and people’s faces blurred) captured throughout the countries by some cars driving along main roads.  You can see things like Hans Christian Anderson’s home and Copenhagen Town Hall (below) as a result.

The photos documenting the other countries are more unique.  As Google London’s Laura Scott explained on the LatLong Blog, they were taken from Street View Trikes, and "[t]hanks to the National Trust – a charity with a love for preserving historic places and spaces across England, Wales and Northern Ireland – our Trike riders were given access to a whole host of beautiful places . . . .  [T]hey pedalled around a collection of the National Trust’s iconic castles, country houses and outstanding landscapes . . ."

Elsewhere in the world, the Trikes toured the San Diego Zoo, Penn State, Busch Gardens, Sesame Place, Water Country USA, and parts of Italy and Taiwan.

This should be a fun update for Street View fans.  Let’s just hope Google doesn’t get hit by any more legal challenges as a result.

Related Articles:

> Could Billboard Ads In Google Maps Street View Become A Possibility?

> MapQuest Gets Its Own Street View

> Google Headed To Swiss Court Over Street View

A new forecast from WPP’s GroupM predicts that spending on Internet advertising will surpass TV advertising in Sweden this year.

Internet ad spending in the UK and Denmark are also expected to equal or surpass TV ad spending this year. If Internet spending in the UK grows at the projected 30.8% this year and TV stays steady at 1.0%, that puts them at $6.7 billion and $7 billion respectively.

About two-thirds of that spending is expected to be on search advertising.
 

France, Sweden Top Europe In Blog, Internet Use

The AFP reports, “The study showed that 72 percent of 12-24 year-olds in France consulted blogs at least once a month and sent in comments at least once monthly.”  Granted, to those of us who visit at least 30 blogs a day, that might not sound like much, but let’s be honest – in this respect, we’re at a pretty odd part of the bell curve.

As impressive as France’s accomplishment is, then, Sweden actually managed to beat the country in a related measurement.  To again reference the Forrester Research report, the AFP states, “Swedish youngsters out-paced all others in terms of daily internet use, with 88 percent in the 12 to 24 year age bracket consulting the web every day compared to an average 79 percent in the seven European countries researched in the third quarter this year.”

National trends such as these will obviously have an effect on many, many companies.  Forrester’s report could even influence the decisions of some of them.  At the same time, it’s hard not to notice that things seem to be playing in Google’s favor.

In France, Google’s market share is around 90 percent.  If France’s youth are such serious bloggers, then they’re presumably responsible for at least part of this accomplishment, and so Google may be able to count on their support in the years ahead.  In Sweden, the example is less impressive, but still important; not long ago, Google partnered with the “Nordic media market”’s self-described search leader, Eniro.