The state-of-the-art building in Arvika is the latest development for the Swedish site which specializes in manufacturing medium and large wheel loaders. Measuring approximately 1,500 sq m and constructed in less than a year following an investment of SEK 65 million ($6.3 million) in 2023 it allows the site to free up areas inside its existing factory for the production of electric wheel loaders it is where wheel loaders will come for the final stage in the production process and where visitors can test drive the latest machines fresh from the assembly line Prince Carl Philip not only toured the new facilities and met the people who are driving the transformation in Arvika one of the wheel loaders being produced there hosted by Swedish government agency Länsstyrelsen His royal highness was joined by all employees at the site who have all played an important part in supporting this accelerated transformation said: “This new facility is an inspiration for a future built on sustainable solutions We are proud to be at the forefront of industry change with large-scale investments not just here in Arvika but around the globe that support a transformation towards electrification we are moving closer towards fossil-free machines.” The inauguration marked the start of Arvika's journey into the production of electric wheel loaders The unveiling comes in the middle of a milestone year of product and service launches for Volvo CE proving that the company is walking the talk when it comes to enabling sustainable change for customers While this represents the first step in electrification for the site Arvika has already moved to reduce its internal climate footprint by 350 tons of CO2 through a variety of emission reduction efforts in recent years said: “Action on climate change is nothing new to us here in Arvika but it is incredibly exciting to see our vision come to life with these new facilities We now have the framework in place to drive electrification and expand our growing global portfolio of electric wheel loaders This will have a positive impact on our industry and society as a whole but it is also a personal journey for each of us here in Arvika who are playing a significant role in building a more sustainable future.” The investment is part of a wider business strategy that allows Volvo CE to advance electric solutions across its global footprint for the benefit of customers in every corner of the world Prince Carl Philip enjoyed a test drive on the Volvo L110 wheel loader construction equipment manufacturer Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) has inaugurated new facilities to support the production of electric wheel loaders The facility was inaugurated in the presence of Swedish Prince Carl Philip The member of the Swedish royal family not only toured the new facilities and met the employees but also tested the Volvo L110 (see photo above) one of the wheel loaders produced at the plant this model is not an electric wheel loader This is likely because only combustion engine models have been produced in Arvika to date and only the new facilities will enable the production of electric wheel loaders Volvo CE announced the L90 Electric and L120 Electric wheel loaders in the summer which are then likely to be built in Arvika said: “This new facility is an inspiration for a future built on sustainable solutions we are moving closer towards fossil-free machines.” Volvo CE has set itself the goal of being completely fossil fuel-free by 2040 The company wants to achieve a 35 per cent share of electric machines by 2030 The new plant in Arvika will contribute to this goal said: “Action on climate change is nothing new to us here in Arvika but it is also a personal journey for each of us here in Arvika who are playing a significant role in building a more sustainable future.” volvoce.com I agree with the Privacy policy electrive has been following the development of electric mobility with journalistic passion and expertise since 2013 we offer comprehensive coverage of the highest quality — as a central platform for the rapid development of this technology The royal couple stepped out two days after the public learned Princess Sofia is expecting her fourth child Janine Henni is a Royals Staff Writer for PEOPLE Digital covering modern monarchies and the world's most famous families Maria Andrén and Governor of Värmland Georg Andrén Volvo Construction Equipment has opened up its new facilities to support its electric wheel loader ambitions Volvo CE has opened a new facility in Arvika as part of its global strategic investment in sustainable solutions Volvo CE aims to be entirely fossil-free by 2040 and achieve 35 percent of electric machine sales by 2030 “This new facility is an inspiration for a future built on sustainable solutions,” Melker Jernberg “We are proud to be at the forefront of industry change with large-scale investments we are moving closer towards fossil-free machines.”  The new building in Arvika is the latest addition to the Swedish site which focuses on medium and large wheel loaders It is approximately 1,500 sq m and was constructed in less than a year following an investment of SEK 65 million ($6.3 million) in 2023 It allows the site to free up areas inside its existing factory for the production of electric wheel loaders the new building is designated an after-flow facility It is where wheel loaders will come for the final stage in the production process and where visitors can test drive the latest machines fresh from the assembly line “Action on climate change is nothing new to us here in Arvika but it is incredibly exciting to see our vision come to life with these new facilities,” Mikael Liljestrand “We now have the framework in place to drive electrification and expand our growing global portfolio of electric wheel loaders “This will have a positive impact on our industry and society as a whole but it is also a personal journey for each of us here in Arvika who are playing a significant role in building a more sustainable future.”  Titan Group has confirmed the acquisition of Greek family-owned quarry business 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All content published on this site is the property of Prime Creative Media Company inaugurates new facilities in Arvika to support production of electric wheel loaders VOLVO Construction Equipment have inaugurated new facilities to support the production of electric wheel loaders at their plant in Arvika which specializes in the manufacture of medium and large wheel loaders which measures approximately 1,500m2 and was constructed in less than a year following an investment of SEK65 million (US$6.3 million) in 2023 will free up areas inside the existing factory for the production of electric wheel loaders As part of the inaugural event on Wednesday 4 September hosted by Swedish government agency Länsstyrelsen Sweden’s Prince Carl Philip not only toured the new facilities and met the people who are driving the transformation in Arvika said: ‘This new facility is an inspiration for a future built on sustainable solutions we are moving closer towards fossil-free machines.’ Whilst this represents the first step in electrification for the site Arvika has already moved to reduce its internal climate footprint by 350 tonnes of CO2 through a variety of emission reduction efforts in recent years said: ‘Action on climate change is nothing new to us here in Arvika ‘We now have the framework in place to drive electrification and expand our growing global portfolio of electric wheel loaders but it is also a personal journey for each of us here in Arvika who are playing a significant role in building a more sustainable future.’ Volvo CE say the investment forms part of a wider business strategy that will allow them to advance electric solutions across their global footprint jobs events and articles direct to your inbox Subscribe Here Agg-Net is the ‘go-to’ website for key decision makers within the aggregates and recycling industries market reports and industry features provide an independent and informed voice for the industry Agg-Net is the official digital partner for Hillhead providing unrivalled coverage of our June event 7 Regent StreetNottinghamNG1 5BSUnited KingdomTel: +44 (0)115 941 1315 The 74-year-old European Rallycross Champion joins Supercar class at home track for RallyX Nordic's latest round Words by European Rallycross champion Per Eklund will race in the Supercars class at the next round of RallyX Nordic at Arvika taking place on the weekend after next (August 7-9) The last time Eklund competed at Arvika in RallyX Nordic was in 2015 where he reached the final. Next weekend, he will line up in the same Volkswagen Beetle he used at Höljes but will be up against drivers such as double World champion Johan Kristoffersson “I’m really looking forward to racing in RallyX Nordic again – and this time in the main Supercar class!,” Eklund said it’ll be enjoyable to race at Arvika again It’s my home track – my workshop is literally just down the road – and I was involved in the construction of the Westombanan circuit many years ago “We have been working hard on the Beetle since Höljes and focusing particularly on improvements to the drivetrain to make it sturdier in corners Hopefully that will make it more competitive and we can go out there and have some fun!” Eklund will team up with Dan Öberg under the #MKIVRX banner Sign up today and be the first to know about special offers Please help us improve PreventionWeb by taking this brief survey Your input will allow us to better serve the needs of the DRR community See the survey Arvika and other cities in Sweden have joined the Making Cities Resilient initiative run by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction the City of Arvika in Sweden experienced unprecedented flooding The water level in Lake Glafsfjorden increased by 3 meters and the city centre was flooded Sweden is engaged both at the national and local levels We have started a national network for the cities that have enrolled in Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) initiative have learned a lot from this collaboration Swedish cities have participated in city-to-city learning exchanges before we see the value of this component of MCR2030 In order to support more city-to-city exchanges we would like to share the experiences of the city of Arvika and the city of Helsingborg as part of the MCR2030 network We hope you find these stories inspiring and are looking forward to further exchanges The autumn of 2000 was unusually warm and rainy in Sweden The water in  Kyrk Bay rose higher and higher and threatened the Municipality of Arvika The excessive amount of water caused the largest flood event in Sweden  the municipality of Arvika has now completed the construction of a flood barrier to protect critical infrastructure in the city such as the railway The flood barrier also enables us to use our resources to protect structures that are located outside the protection zone the Making Cities Resilient network and the city-to-city learning exchanges have been incredibly valuable we were able to learn from other cities facing similar challenges The MCR campaign has helped the city find state-of-the-art knowledge on how to build a flood barrier in Arvika Such a project is not something that is part of the municipality’s day-to-day work The challenge was to build competence within the organisation on how to build and manage a flood barrier There are different ways to build flood barriers and in Arvika the choice fell on a solution where you manually install the structure The rationale for this choice was to avoid complications when activating the protection We are extremely proud that we were able to build this expertise within our organisation The Making Cities Resilient has also helped us understand resilience from a broader perspective climate change and other risks are all connected we are looking forward to continuing the exchange with other cities and countries We would like to learn more about new technology how to prevent risks and threats as well as managing crises We hope that MCR2030 will give us inspiration The network is also an opportunity to promote Arvika as an attractive municipality to visit and live in Disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilience are a priority for the City of Helsingborg The pandemic has significantly raised awareness of DRR The build-up of this strong momentum presents a historic opportunity to accelerate investments in building back better strategic planning and operational capabilities the MCR2030 initiative will play an important role in facilitating lessons learned sharing knowledge and city-to-city learning networks we know from experience that as our communities evolve into ever more technologically complex entities we become more vulnerable and exposed to the consequences of disasters We need to be proactive to address these vulnerabilities as we face new and more intense hazards local governments need to commit to DDR and resilience in the long term Such commitment can be facilitated by a well-balanced MCR Roadmap The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) is proud to be a part of the Making Cities Resilient 2030 (MCR2030) initiative and we believe that the concept of MCR2030 -  collaboration networking and learning from each other - is a winning concept that will help us better manage future risks and vulnerabilities our level of openness and receptiveness to new ideas and ways of accomplishing complex tasks will determine what success we may expect when “restarting” our work to continue developing inclusive smart cities where people thrive and actively participate in their own resilience and security Please note: Content is displayed as last posted by a PreventionWeb community member or editor. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of UNDRR, PreventionWeb, or its sponsors. See our terms of use Thank you. If you have 2 minutes, we would benefit from additional feedback (link opens in a new window) PreventionWeb is the global knowledge sharing platform for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilience Arvika's factory was established in 1885 and became part of Volvo CE in 1995 you can also find a Museum displaying the history of the production site Find information which is more specific to your own location and get in touch with your local Volvo dealer The ocean-going bulk carrier MV Arvika installed the Wärtsilä EnergoProFin on its fixed pitch propeller (FPP) was able to establish fuel savings exceeding 2.5% the payback time is less than a year,” says Vladimir Eliseev Technical Superintendent at Staff Centre Shipmanagement In the highly competitive shipping industry Thanks to the good economic benefits stated by Wärtsilä and a favorable price the owners of the 190-metre-long and 32-metre-wide vessel decided to install the Wärtsilä EnergoProFin “The installation was made during a scheduled dry-docking at Chang Hong Zhoushan International Shipyard in China,” says Mr Eliseev.He adds that before the dry-docking they discussed and agreed with the shipyard that Wärtsilä’s service engineer would be engaged for the supervision of the installation made by the shipyard workers “I must say that the Wärtsilä engineer did an excellent job Eliseev.The Wärtsilä EnergoProFin was exclusively designed for MV Arvika’s FPP to reduce the hub vortex strength decrease the total torque and hub resistance as well as to reduce fuel consumption “It was possible to install it on the propeller by mounting through the original hubcap bolt holes." the annual fuel saving is 58,000 US dollars and the payback time is less than a year Staff Centre Shipmanagement has made a detailed analysis and comparison between two separate voyages; one made before the installation of the Wärtsilä EnergoProFin and one after The voyages were made with a corresponding vessel draught and speed.After the installation of the Wärtsilä EnergoProFin the vessel was able to reach a speed that could not have been achieved without overloading the Wärtsilä 6RT-Flex 50 main engine “According to our measurements and calculations the EnergoProFin generates a fuel saving of 2.69% this fuel economy will accumulate into annual fuel savings of more than 58,000 US dollars,” says a satisfied Mr The savings figures apply for good weather conditions.The fuel that MV Arvika could save amounts to 156,870 liters a year which is equal to the annual consumption of 131 medium-sized cars The analysis made by the customer proves that the Wärtsilä EnergoProFin does result in increased efficiency “Our total experience of the installation is almost one year and the investment has in practice already paid for itself recommend other vessel owners with similar needs to have the Wärtsilä EnergoProFin installed,” concludes Mr Volvo CE the Swedish automaker’s construction equipment subsidiary, has inaugurated a new facility to support the production of electric wheel loaders at its plant in Arvika The building is the latest development for the Swedish site which specializes in manufacturing medium and large wheel loaders Constructed in less than a year following an investment of SEK 65 million ($6.3 million) in 2023 it allows the site to free up areas inside the existing factory to produce electric wheel loaders The wheel loaders will go to the facility for the final stage in the production process and visitors will be able to test drive the latest machines fresh from the assembly line there The investment is part of Volvo CE’s broader business strategy to advance the development of its electric products across its global footprint “We now have the framework in place to drive electrification and expand our growing global portfolio of electric wheel loaders,” Mikael Liljestrand Source: Volvo CE The free webinar sessions from our Spring 2025 Virtual Conference are now available to view on-demand Register for a session below to watch the recording and download the presentation Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register Register LOAD MORE SESSIONS Two-time world champion Johan Kristoffersson was nearly usurped by Oliver Eriksson for victory at Arvika Words by Johan Kristoffersson claimed his second straight RallyX Nordic win at Arvika as Oliver Eriksson suffered not one but two punctures in the final Throughout the first half of the race Kristoffersson continued to apply the pressure keeping neat and tidy behind the much more wayward Eriksson Kristoffersson took the joker at the end of lap three to get some clean air and attempt the overlap That tactical move proved to be unnecessary in the end as Eriksson sustained a left rear puncture on the penultimate lap leaving Eriksson at the mercy of Linus Westman approaching the finish On that final lap Eriksson sustained another left side puncture which made Westman’s quest for second relatively straightforward Eriksson was however able to wrestle his Ford Fiesta ST home in third ahead of Peter Hedström and Fraser McConnell After a strong qualifying run and a second place finish in the first semi-final behind Kristoffersson McConnell was heading into his second final appearance from three Supercar starts with his sights set on a podium finish contact at turn one on the opening lap send him into a spin and to the back of the field He was able to rally back and beat former RX2 rival Anders Michalak to fifth at the finish In Supercar Lites Henrik Krogstad was almost unbeatable all weekend winning three rounds out of four in qualifying and dominating his semi-final en route to the main event Linus Östlund was Krogstad’s main challenger but contact with the wall in the joker on the penultimate lap broke his right rear suspension who won the opening round of the season and is another contender for the Lites title missed the final entirely with a similar issue striking the barrier on his way out of the joker in his semi and retiring The SEK 65 million (around $6.3 million) investment from Volvo Group will allow the Arvika factory in Sweden – which specializes in the production of medium and large wheel loaders – to expand its facilities with a new building and allow for the phased introduction of new electric wheel loaders It is not only a milestone in the plant’s almost 140-year history, but a significant moment for Volvo CE and its determination to be completely fossil free by 2040 – in line with the aims of the Paris Agreement and as laid out in the manufacturer’s industry leading Science-Based Target goals It is also a pioneering step forward in its ambition for 35% of its machines sold to be electric by 2030 Site Manager Mikael Liljestrand says: “This is a clear signal of our commitment to building the world we want to live in It is more than 40 years since we last invested in a new building and what better reason now than to invest in our future We know that this is not only important to our customers and stakeholders but it is also close to our hearts to be part of something bigger in building our future.” Volvo CE has one of the largest electric ranges on the market which will allow the facility to free up areas inside its assembly factory to be able to build electric wheel loaders While it has not yet been announced which models will begin their electric transformation and exactly when production of both electric wheel loaders and more traditional wheel loaders fitted with combustion engines will continue for now on the same production line Volvo CE will ensure a phased introduction model by model taking into account all aspects of the electric ecosystem as it does so The result will be reliable mid-size and larger electric wheel loaders that can easily be integrated into customers’ business It is not the first sustainability initiative from the Arvika facility Despite actually increasing production last year the factory managed to reduce its internal climate footprint by 350 tons of CO2 thanks to a variety of emission reduction efforts as well as Volvo CE and the entire Volvo Group is to be climate-smart and to produce fossil-free machines,” continues Mikael we are quite clear that we want to lead this transformation and be the driving force of more sustainable ways of working for the benefit of our planet This investment is Arvika’s exciting first step towards electrification.” Building work is set to begin later this year with further announcements on when production will begin to come This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Photo: Johan BodellBruno Lindberg initially thought he would become a researcher when he started studying at Chalmers After graduating from the master's in Biotechnology at Chalmers, he now runs his own popcorn factory in his home town of Arvika The finest popcorn varieties from all over the world are packed and sorted here and shipped to shops and popcorn lovers around the country “Anyone who loves popcorn and eats a lot of it knows that the quality is very important and affects the end result but no one in Sweden sold the corn kernels I wanted,” says Bruno Lindberg The solution seemed to be to import the finest kernels himself The only problem was that you could only order several tonnes from the supplier in the US A crazy idea soon became a reality.“I ordered two tonnes of corn kernels to my flat and had a production line running from the kitchen out into the hallway It was initially a fun little project that just took off and grew.”In the beginning Bruno’s friends at Chalmers helped him with everything from packing the corn kernels to creating the packaging design They also gave him advice on how to distribute the corn kernels throughout his flat without the floor collapsing.“The trick was apparently to spread out the kernels along the walls It was gratifying to have that network behind you with friends who are good at so many different things.” It didn't take long before word of the "gourmet popcorn" began to spread outside of his friendship circle and to major grocery stores throughout Sweden Bruno then decided to take leave of absence from his steady job at Volvo Cars and start his own business.“I knew that I had a good education from Chalmers and I knew that if things didn’t work out with my own company as it would always be possible to find a 'regular’ job again.” His education at Chalmers allowed him to keep all doors open.“I saw more test tubes and that kind of industry ahead of me when I started studying the bachelor's in Chemistry engineering at Chalmers but during the programme I discovered that I was drawn to food all the time It was what I was good at and what I wanted to do.” But chemistry is also food and the master's programme in Biotechnology includes a track where you can specialise in food He wrote his bachelor’s thesis on the subject of chocolate and his master’s thesis on corn I’ve also picked up the food safety bits and become good at analytical thinking and problem solving I benefit greatly from this when running my business today.” Looking back at the last ten years after graduating he is both surprised and proud of where he is in his career right now.“The coolest thing has been building something from scratch and watching it grow and develop Now it feels as if the popcorn factory has taken on a life of its own.” you will focus on the interface between chemistry You will learn to use engineering principles in the analysis and manipulation of biological systems to solve problems across a wide spectrum of vital applications and cover a broad base “We are very pleased to have reached this deal The operations in Arvika have been developed during several years and now we can secure the jobs in this area as well as hand over the ongoing operations to safe hands” the center has only been responsible for internal projects within the Bonnier Group but going forward its services will be marketed to other customers in Sweden The data center in Arvika has been developed with redundancy in terms of communication The center is also certified for other types of surveillance which is an area that Westra Security will further develop with new types of services within security The interest for local storage and surveillance in Sweden has increased tremendously since the debate on data storage took off as a result from the leaks from the Swedish Transport Agency both companies and authorities review their data storage to ensure that the information is kept from unauthorized persons “I have worked with security and surveillance for more than 20 years and it feels both challenging and exciting to be able to continue this business and further develop it We can also help other companies to reach the same level of quality protection of data storage and operation monitoring,” The acquired operations include around ten employees and key persons Due to security reasons as well as the technical requirements the data center is located in the municipality of Arvika in Värmland where several fiber networks are placed between Stockholm and Oslo There are several collaborating municipalities in the region with great interest of being in the forefront of the development The expansion opportunities for Westra Security are vast both within SOC (security operations center) and other areas related to security which is an attractive growth area in Sweden ”We see great opportunities in using surveillance for example when it comes to reducing theft within the haulage contractor industry and we view this as an opportunity to offer the market new ways to reduce criminality” Turebergs Invest is an investment company within the Turebergs Åkeri group the leading transportation provider in Mälardalen Carlsquare acted as sole financial advisor to Westra Security in the transaction “It is exciting to take part in the creation of a new security company in Sweden simple solutions for safety and security is huge Sweden's most famous moose has been beleaguered by attention since video of it published last August When Swedish politician Hans Nilsson captured video of a large white moose walking through the country's Värmland district he knew he had something extraordinary on his hands But just how famous his video footage would get In addition to National Geographic's August article explaining the genetic condition that likely made the moose white Nilsson's video footage was covered extensively around the world Two months after news about the white moose broke Police decided to allow hunters to shoot it the police walked back their decision and decided to spare the moose That decision was likely influenced, at least in part, by a petition created by Nilsson to save the moose's life Nilsson explained that he felt a sense of responsibility toward the wild animal He said more than 14,000 people signed his online petition to save the moose's life within 36 hours "I feel it's very important to protect a white moose The police department's decision was also perhaps motivated by the fact that no hunter in the area apparently wanted to be the person to shoot the world-famous white moose Whoever shot it would have been known as the "white moose killer," Nilsson said Police had decided last week to institute what's known as a "protection hunt," after an incident involving the moose and a jogger A young woman had gone jogging in a neighborhood bordering the moose's territory reportedly with two dogs attached to a leash around her waist Controversy ensued after she filed a complaint with the police Speaking with Swedish outlet SvenskJakt a police officer from Arvika explained the hunt decision was made after residents—particularly the elderly—complained they felt unsafe a communications representative from the Arvika government said the decision was made entirely by the police department It's a standard response to animals believed to be a threat to people News about the hunt was met with public outcry both by those who wanted the unusual moose spared and by those who believed the police reaction was over the top "If the decision had been against a brown moose it would have been hunted more quickly," conceded Nilsson People tended to be divided into three camps: those who thought the moose should be spared because of its rare color those who thought all moose should be spared and those who thought it shouldn't be treated differently because of its color One Swedish moose sanctuary even offered to let the moose live its life within the protection of its walls While the moose is safe for now, it continues to be plagued by human attention. Local outlets report that, since news of its whereabouts published this summer, people have flocked in droves to Värmland to see the rare animal for themselves. Nilsson, residents, and fans of the white moose fear it's only a matter of time before more human interference prompts another attack. I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Jump racing’s essential paradox, that often as not the best chasers cannot jump, was perfectly illustrated at the weekend, when last season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up Sir Des Champs followed the Gold Cup fourth The Giant Bolster in proving unequal to the fundamental task, departing at the third fence in a three-runner race on his reappearance at Punchestown. The two-and-a-half-mile Grade One contest, so rapidly reduced to a match, went to stablemate Arvika Ligeonniere. Trainer Willie Mullins’ son and assistant, Patrick, said: “Sir Des Champs seems fine. He walked away, it was just one of those things. At least it’s a long way from March and, hopefully, he’ll be OK in the morning. All being well, he’ll go for the Lexus at Leopardstown [28 December].” Of the winner, he added: “He’s probably better going right-handed, but he has won a Grade One around Leopardstown and he could drop back in trip.” Nicholls’ other success at Aintree came with Royal Rebellion in a race over the National fences marred by the death of Plein Pouvoir, despite modifications to the course in the wake of the fatalities in the 2011 and 2012 Grand Nationals, most notably the death of the Gold Cup winner Synchronised. The cost to the reputation of racing as a whole exacted by such contests grows too great. On the Flat, the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin yesterday was blighted by the fatal fall of the Nunthorpe Stakes winner Jwala. The race went to the Japanese-trained Lord Kanaloa, who beat a previous Nunthorpe victor, Sole Power. Other European runners placed were The Fugue and Dunaden, second and third in the Vase, and Cirrus Des Aigles, third in the Cup to Akeed Mofeed, trained in his younger days by John Oxx. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies ÅF has been commissioned to project manage the construction of a dam outside Arvika In addition to project engineering (construction ÅF will also carry out a geotechnical survey and draw up tender request documentation The dam will extend across the channel between the inlet Kyrkviken and Lake Glafsfjorden but it will be possible to close it completely in the event of high water levels in Lake Glafsfjorden ÅF will also project manage the construction of a pumping station as an integral part of the main dam “The pumping station will be capable of pumping 30 cubic metres of water per second which places high demands in terms of accessible technical solutions and dependability,” says Anna Grönlund Construction is due to start in summer 2016 and the dam is expected to be completed at the beginning of 2018 The assignment is worth approximately SEK 7 million Previously ÅF has also been responsible for project managing the construction of the dams at Tännfallet’s power plant in Härjedalen and Långed’s power plant in Dalsland For further information, please contact Anna Grönlund own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment Lund University provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK View all partners A child murder case from 20 years ago is once again getting enormous attention in Sweden. Two young brothers – aged five and seven – were believed at the time to be responsible for the death of four-year-old Kevin Hjalmarsson in 1998. But concerns over the way the investigation into the so-called “Kevin case” was conducted led the police to reopen the case in May This has highlighted serious questions about the way children are treated in the country’s legal system The Kevin case was one of the most high-profile murder investigations of the 1990s in Sweden – and the first in modern Swedish history where such young children were accused of having murdered another child The little boy was found dead by the shoreline of a lake outside the small town of Arvika in northern Sweden on August 16 1998 – the last day of the school summer holidays He had been strangled and had bruises on his body he was dragged 30m from the seaside to a raft Initially announced as a drowning accident the police soon changed their minds and said they suspected it was a paedophile case But they were then to reach another conclusion: Kevin had been murdered by two brothers The younger brother had initially been interrogated by the police as a witness, along with 120 other children in the town But the boy soon became the head suspect together with his brother At a press conference in November 1998, the police announced the conclusion of their investigation: the boys had killed Kevin. The police said they had confessed to the crime, but would not be prosecuted nor formally convicted because children younger than 15-years-old cannot be convicted for crimes in Sweden This meant that the case was never passed on to the district court The boys were subsequently taken into institutional care for a while Social services later tried to find a foster home for one of the boys but no family wanted to have him and he was finally allowed to return home This was sparked by a neuroscientist, Rickard Sjöberg at Umeå University, who contacted the media because he found the interview techniques used in this Since then, parts of the police investigation have been made public including police interrogations of the youngest boy The material reveals that there were no documented confessions or technical evidence that supported the police opinion at the time And no one can explain how young Kevin was dragged from the scene of the crime to the place he was found the two men – whose full names Robin Dalén and Christian Karlsson have now been released – said the SVT investigation was a big relief and thanked the media for helping them the Kevin case highlights the challenges of involving children in crime investigations Even if a child under a certain age cannot be convicted in a legal sense the consequences are still very drastic for the child There could have been a possible way to avoid this outcome it is possible to raise the question of guilt in court without pursuing a formal conviction the prosecutor decided not to continue the investigation thereby concluding the case without a trial Bevistalan is rarely used: to my knowledge there have only been two cases in Sweden since Kevin’s murder when a court has assessed a case involving children without delivering a formal sentence But I think the Kevin case should have been treated in this way – allowing for a trial of sorts for the minors suspected of the crime but without the threat of conviction or punishment This would have meant a higher burden of proof was needed from the police which could have changed the outcome of the investigation the case remained at the police level and was never brought to court meaning nobody really assessed the evidence except for the police themselves The Kevin case shows that there is need for a repeated discussion of how to uphold children’s rights in the legal system The general legal principle that a person is always considered innocent until he or she is convicted of a crime must also apply to young children The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden A joint study between the Transport Agency and Norwegian Railway Directorate found that building the so called "Gränsbanen" or border railway with new tracks linking either Lillestrøm or Ski in Norway with the Swedish town of Arvika would cut more than an hour off the current 5 hour 13 minute journey between Stockholm and Oslo the two agencies predict that more than half a million of those who fly between the two capitals every year would instead take the train the joint study found building the Gränsbanen alone would not provide sufficient benefits to balance out the cost -- of between 20 and 45 billion Norwegian kroner (21-48bn Swedish kronor) for Lillestrøm-Arvika and 25 to 60 billion kroner (27-64bn SEK) for Ski-Arvika "The cost-benefit ratio comes to -9.5bn Norwegian kroner," Bente Bukholm project leader for the study at the Norwegian Railway Directorate "But it's pretty common that you end up with a negative cost-benefit ratio for society with big railway projects Jonas Karlsson, the chief executive of the local government-owned lobbying company Oslo-Stockholm 2.55 told The Local that the agencies themselves in their report pointed out that the elements that went into the cost-benefit ratio were far from representative with only the Gränsbanen taken into account Oslo-Stockholm 2.55 is joint-owned by three Swedish regions -- Värmland Västmanland and Örebro -- and three city governments Karlstad It is pushing to bring the journey time to below three hours "We have made a cost benefit analysis for the project which is positive," Karlsson said "The big difference is that we have looked into the benefits if you establish [a link] all the way between Stockholm and Oslo: if you make a double track on Värmlandsbanan and if you make Nobelbanan."  a new track linking Örebro and Kristinehamn to bring the journey down under three hours seeing as the two capitals are only just over 400km away from one another as the crow flies They believe that such a link could replace a million air journeys a year double as many as predicted in last week's joint Swedish-Norwegian report "The huge amount of travel that goes on between Stockholm and Oslo is mainly done by air," he said "Before Covid there were 22 flights a day in each direction It was the 20th biggest air connection in the world if you look at the number of flights and air connection had a market share of 88 percent."  He said that the distance was sufficiently short that there is no need for a high-speed rail link able to take trains at more than 250 km/h Normal express trains would be able to do it in under three hours He pointed that the total cost of about 65 billion kronor for all the new connections was much less than the 325 billion kronor required for new high speed rail links proposed between Stockholm and Gothenburg and Malmö the Stockholm-Oslo link would also benefit the regions along the way and allow regional transport to be improved Despite the conclusion that the cost-benefit ratio was negative as well as support from many prominent Moderate MPs "It said that they recommend that the governments in Sweden and Norway continue their investigation into this project and get into traditional planning for for this "I think there is a good opportunity right now." Please log in here to leave a comment Sweden is 57% forest and everywhere was a potential hiking trail Värmland boasts a long list of underwhelming records - Sweden's longest stone bridge But statistics don't do justice to Värmland's principal draw: its beautiful on the railway line between Oslo and Stockholm Värmland is near total forest that stretches for days across the horizon broken only by scores of whispering streams and lakes beautiful people was no place for a backpacker on a budget two nights of akvavit had left me in dire need of a detox and soon arrived in Värmland's charming royal capital Karlstad (pronounced Karlstah) is a grandiose staging post into the unknown where neoclassical boulevards and stucco colonnades rest at the crown of the mighty freshwater lake Vänern swelled nightly by thousands of raucous students This area is the home to an old community of "Savolax" Finns who came in the 16th century seeking serious isolation. Hacking their way into the deepest part of the forest, they planted rye, built smoke-houses and sang to the stringed kantele - all of which can be seen at the Finnkulturcentrum (finnkulturcentrum.com) in the town of Torsby Their descendants are still to be found in Sweden a small and ultra-friendly town straddling lake Fryken in Värmland's hinterland with a slew of hay-lofts amid acres of forest I was handed a great iron key by a woman with eyes of arctic blue who spoke in whispers I found my lodgings in an ancient barn of wooden beams and slatted walls where I lay listening to the wind in the trees Värmland's landscape is marked with hiking trails many of which trace the routes of the old Finnish settlers round the wooded edge of lake Rottnen or along the Klarälven The adventurous can do a four-day river ride on rafts (which you build yourself) and drift downstream while on the look-out for lynx one of the other guests who'd come for the pike-fishing joined me for a Swedish breakfast next morning We tucked into heaps of smoked salmon with dill dark rye bread and several cups of black coffee "When you're going out there," he pointed to the virgin forest through the windows I packed a small haversack - foolishly forgetting Egil's advice - and borrowed one of the hostel's bicycles I weaved through miles of gentle countryside passing farmhouses of yellow and Dalarna red (the ubiquitous Swedish wood preservative) marked by one of the thousands of blue signposts I supped on blueberries that grew in the springy moss tall chanterelles with Dr Seuss hats and sinister polka-dot toadstools just beginning to turn golden under the first breath of autumn surrounded by a civilised grove of lime trees I ran through the forest and over the fields and found myself in front of an elegant portico Inside there was all the muted grandeur of Nordic gentility: avocado wood panels gilt-edged mirrors and jacquard silk curtains known best for Gösta Berlings Saga (1891) and The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (1906) Her fantastical style was part-inspired by years of solitude in these woods Mårbacka was also famed for its kitchen garden which once grew more than 100 fruit trees and boasted 11 types of apple But the estate is best known for its trademark flour Having availed myself of the cafe's excellent cake supply (made from the same stuff) I cycled back to the hostel to meet Egil for supper I panted again up Sunne's steep slope and reached the top just as the sun fell behind the trees A noticeably redder Egil was grilling his catch on an open fire We toasted the day's successes over cans of Starköl beer and applied swabs of after-sun on our tender noses Daniel Metcalfe's Out of Steppe: The Lost Peoples of Central Asia The Aspromonte is the most southerly of the six mountain wildernesses in Calabria (the tip of Italy's boot) and remains one of the least charted areas in the country The Biancospino refuge is a 20-bed lodge in forested foothills with cosy dorm beds under the eaves and a large central fireplace downstairs On its doorstep lie acres of oak forest and olive groves The owners can arrange guided hikes to the Montalto peak 0039 0966 963 154, misafumera.it One legacy of the cold war is that the border separating East and West Germany was a no man's land It's now a "green ribbon" that stretches 1,400km and covers 177sq km cycle paths and kayak routes opens this year British couple John and Kathryn Boyes' Pyrenean retreat is surrounded by walking routes The "cabin suite" adjoins a larger house with a pool but the separate wooden cabin is the more remote option where a wood-burning stove comes into its own in winter months tourdust.com/PyreneanRetreat The Curonian Spit is a 97km sliver of land jutting out into the Baltic and smothered in sand dunes and pine forests laced with cycle paths Set up at the Nidos Kempingas campsite (where you can camp or rent an apartment) near Nida and pick your bikes up in town before heading north At the village of Juodkrante you'll find a sculpture trail in the woods kempingas.lt/en Nova Scotia's Tobeatic Wilderness Area has been called the "wild soul" of the Maritimes It's one of the cottages attached to Trout Point Lodge which is styled on hunting camps of the early 20th century Trout Point Lodge (001 902 482 8360, troutpoint.com) Intense Suspense Thriller “Ghatikachalam” Title and First Look Unveiled The film “Ghatikachalam” features Nikhil Devada in the lead role “Ghatikachalam” promises to be an intense suspense thriller The title and first look of the movie were released today hero Nikhil Devada is showcased in two distinct appearances: one appearing innocent and the other intense is generating considerable curiosity about the film “Ghatikachalam” is set to hit the screens soon and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value"