Stockholm - Freedom of speech is under threat worldwide Italian author Roberto Saviano and British author Salman Rushdie said late Tuesday at a lecture organized by the Swedish Academy.

Journalists and writers in countries ranging from China to Mexico to Zimbabwe are under threat, they said, reminding the audience of the murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya in Russia.

Saviano and Rushdie were invited to Stockholm by the Swedish Academy that selects the Nobel literature prize winner. Both also shared their own experiences of living under death threats.

Stockholm - Italian author Roberto Saviano and British- Indian author Salman Rushdie were due Tuesday to discuss "Freedom of speech and lawless violence" in Stockholm's Old Town.

Both authors have been threatened for their writings and were under police protection. The discussion was organized by the Swedish Academy, the body that selects the Nobel literature prize.

The Academy said some 450 people were to attend the discussion Tuesday evening.

Stockholm - Construction group Skanska said Tuesday it was to cut 3,400 jobs from its 20,500-st

Stockholm  - The main stock exchanges in the Nordic region ended on a high note Monday, buoyed by the news of a US government plan to rescue banking giant Citigroup.

Stockholm- A Swedish health agency Monday approved a general vaccination programme for young girls against the human papilloma virus, which causes cervical cancer.

As of 2010, all girls born 1999 and later are to be offered a vaccine against the HPV virus, the National Board of Health and Welfare said.

"It is good that girls get the protection that the vaccine offers, but it is important to continue to go to screening tests," Anders Tegnell, head of the agency's unit for communicable diseases, said.

Stockholm/Helsinki - A weekend blizzard blanketed eastern Sweden and southern Finland, causing cancellations and delays at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport and Helsinki's Vantaa airport on Monday.

Arlanda was temporarily closed Sunday evening due to the heavy snowfall along with strong sidewinds and icy conditions.

Delays and cancellations continued Monday as both airports only used one runway due to the snowfall.

Airport officials advised travellers to expect some delays as the strong northerly winds were not expected to subside until later Monday.