The Dow, for instance, has moved only within a fairly narrow range since mid-March.

WSJ: Jobs Report Slows the Stock Market Rally

"As of mid-March, only a narrow strip of shelf ice was protecting several thousand kilometers of potential further break-up, " the group said.

CNN: Massive ice shelf on verge of breakup

Resistance from opposition parties led to repeated delays in the bill's passage through parliament (Riksdag), but with the government holding a narrow majority, lawmakers finally approved the legislation in mid-June 2008.

ECONOMIST: A new surveillance law causes a rumpus in Sweden