Stockholm - Moves by Swedish heavy-vehicle maker Volvo to raise bonuses to top managers while planning to slash thousands of jobs in its Swedish home-base have been slammed by, among others, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.

"This is provocative considering that the company has problems," Reinfeldt said late Sunday in an interview with Swedish television news programme Agenda.

Stockholm - Carl Larsson, whose work seems to represent a harmonious Sweden, is the subject of a new exhibition including many of his iconic images of his family at work and play.

In all some 100 works by Larsson (1853-1919) ranging from sketches to water colours and oils are on display at Prince Eugen's Waldemarsudde, an art museum on the Stockholm waterfront on the Djurgarden island.

Stockholm/Copenhagen - Dismal statistics published Friday further underlined that Nordic neighbours Denmark, Finland and Sweden were in recession.

Statistics Sweden reported that the Swedish gross domestic product (GDP) declined 4.9 per cent year-on-year in the fourth quarter 2008, including lower household consumption.

Swedish exports fell 7.2 per cent while imports dropped 5.4 per cent, the agency said, noting the impact from the troubled automotive industry.

Seasonally adjusted, GDP declined 2.4 per cent compared with the third quarter of 2008, the agency added.

Stockholm - The Swedish central bank Friday said it has signed a deal to help neighbouring Estonia with a bridging loan worth 10 billion kronor (1.1 billion dollars).

The move was described as a "precautionary arrangement" to help the central bank of Estonia, Eesti Pank, gain access to credits.

"It is important that central banks cooperate and assist each other in times of financial stress," Swedish Riksbank governor Stefan Invges said in a statement, adding that "the financial systems in Estonia and Sweden are closely linked."

Oslo/Stockholm - Norway and Sweden Thursday said they were planning a joint bid to host the 2016 European football championships.

The two national football federations said they planned to file a joint letter expressing their interest to European football's governing body UEFA.

"We cooperate very well and have made a thorough pre-study prior to our letter of interest," Swedish Football Association president Lars-Ake Lagrell and Norwegian Football Association president Sondre Kafjord said in a joint statement.