Stockholm - The ceremony to mark the bicentenary of the separation in 1809 of Finland and Sweden got under way in Stockholm Thursday in the presence of Swedish King Carl Gustaf and Finnish President Tarja Halonen.

The year 1809 has different connotations in the two countries - if remembered at all as a historic date, as several speakers and historians have observed.

Stockholm - Two Japanese researchers and an American were Thursday named winners of the 2009 Crafoord Prize for the discovery of two signal substances in the immune system that are linked to autoimmune diseases, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said.

Tadamitsu Kishimoto, Toshio Hirano and Charles Dinarello were cited for "for their pioneering work to isolate interleukins, determine their properties and explore their role in the onset of inflammatory diseases."

The three jointly share the prize, worth 500,000 dollars.

During the 1970s and 1980s they isolated two signal substances - interleukins - in the immune system known as IL-1 and IL-6. The substances are released from white blood cells.

Stockholm- Swedish King Carl Gustaf is to pay a state visit to Italy along with Queen Silvia in March, the royal palace and Swedish foreign ministry said Wednesday.

The royals were to be accompanied by Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and a delegation of Swedish business leaders.

Swedish State Secretary Frank Belfrage said the March 24-27 visit offered "an opportunity to deepen relations and to discuss concrete projects."

Signhild Arnegard Hansen, chairwoman of the confederation of Swedish Enterprise, said some 20 companies were to accompany the royals and attend a seminar in Milan.

Stockholm - The new Volvo S60 concept unveiled ahead of the Detroit Auto Show later this month features a revolutionary new driver safety system which brakes the car automatically to avoid a collision with a pedestrian.

The technology, know as Collision Warning with Full Brake, monitors the road ahead using both radar sensors and a camera. It recognizes not only other vehicles, but pedestrians who step into the path of the car. The system will be available in the production version of the S60 four-door coupe which is due to enter the showrooms in late 2009.

Stockholm - Heavy-vehicle maker Volvo Trucks said Tuesday it was to give notice to 1,020 employees in Sweden, citing "very weak demand" in Europe and no sign of a recovery.

Volvo's Powertrain division, which makes engines and gearboxes used in its heavy vehicles as well as construction machinery, was also to cut some 600 jobs, the Volvo Group said.

Both Volvo Trucks and the Powertrain division are part of the Volvo Group that does not include Volvo Cars, the Swedish carmaker owned by US giant Ford.

Most of the cuts - some 670 jobs - were to affect Volvo Trucks' plant in Umea, northern Sweden.

Stockholm  - Nordic telecommunications group Telia Sonera said Monday it had given notice to 1,200 Swedish employees.

The move was in line with a cost-cutting package announced in February 2008, and would mainly impact its broadband services.

A year ago, the group said it planned to cut 2,900 jobs of which two-thirds were to impact Sweden.

The measure was estimated to cost some 3 billion kronor (378 million dollars) of which slightly more than half was to be carried in 2008.