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Best make sure your car is in good standing. Photo: TT

New police screening device to spot 'dirty' cars

Stolen, untaxed, and otherwise banned vehicles can now quickly be spotted by Swedish police, with one hundred police cars around the country newly equipped with high-tech camera devices that automatically scan and identify rogue license plates. READ

Swedish cartoonist, Lars Vilks, holds up his Danish Printing Society's Sappho Prize on March 14. Photo: TT

Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks back in public

Vilks on Saturday made his first public appearance in Copenhagen after surviving an attack last month in the Danish capital, local media reported. READ

Måns celebrating his victory at Friends Arena in Stockholm on Saturday. Photo: TT

Landslide victory for Swedish 'Hero'

Three quarters into last night’s final Melodifestivalen contest, there was little question remaining about which up-and-coming Swedish artist would represent their country at this year’s Eurovision Song Competition. READ

Authorities are investigating Friday's collision between a bus and a tram in Gothenburg. Photo: TT

Police and tram authorities probe crash

Gothenburg's tram network is estimating that its investigation into the collision between a tram and a bus, which injured 17 people on Friday, will take three months. READ

A section of Stockholm's "The Northern Link" highway. Photo: TT

Major weekend traffic disruption in Stockholm

Weekend road users in the Stockholm area should leave the car at home, advises Sweden’s Transport Administration (Trafikverket). READ

Three suspects were nabbed at the Bosnian border with the explosive device in their car. Photo: TT

Swede accused of 'terror' a high-level criminal

Swedish police have denied that a Swedish man arrested in Bosnia was planning a terrorist attack in Scandinavia, saying instead that the incident was related to serious organized crime. READ

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: TT

'Scandinavia' accused of meddling in Israel vote

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused 'Scandinavian governments' of spending millions of dollars on a campaign to remove him from power, as the Middle Eastern country prepares for elections next week. READ

Five people were taken to hospital after the fire at a mosque in Eskilstuna. Photo: Pontus Stenberg/TT

Police drop Swedish mosque blaze probe

Swedish police have dropped an investigation into a fire at a mosque in central Sweden on Christmas Day, ruling out criminal activity. READ

10/03 Fire service raps mosque fire ‘fat fryer’ claims »

Julian Assange

Ecuador's Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino. Photo: TT

Ecuador lashes out at Swedish prosecutors

Ecuador has criticized Swedish prosecutors for doing a U-turn on Friday in announcing that they would question Julian Assange in London. READ

Ebba Busch Thor who is set to lead the Christian Democrats. Photo: TT

Young leader picked by Christian Democrats

Ebba Busch Thor, 28, has been nominated as the new leader of Sweden's centre-right Christian Democrat party, the smallest political group in the Swedish parliament. READ

29/12 Five consequences of Sweden's cancelled vote »

Features

My Swedish Career

Shai Dahan (R) and the original Dala horse mural (L) that launched his street art career. Photos: Private

Artist rides on back of Dala horse success

Israeli-born American graphic designer and street artist Shai Dahan gained media attention when he painted a Dala horse in his town of Borås. He tells The Local how the criminal act launched his career. READ

The Local List

Death Team are one of the acts on our list this week. Photo: Death Team

The Local's top Swedish songs of the month

The Local's resident pop music guru, Paul Connolly, has a bumper selection of great tracks to welcome in the warmth of spring. READ

The Local Recipes

Traditional Swedish 'knäckebröd'. Photo: Leif R Jansson/SCANPIX

How to bake traditional Swedish crispbread

The art of baking your own bread has been making a comeback in trendier hipster circles in Sweden. Here, food writer John Duxbury shares his recipe of traditional Swedish crispbread ('knäckebröd'). Sure, it's easy to buy in the shop - but like all bread it tastes so much better when you make it yourself. READ

The Local List

Talking and texting is easier in warmer weather. Photo: Susanne Walström/Image Bank Sweden

Seven silly signs winter is over in Sweden

The snow has melted in large parts of Sweden, but there are plenty more clues that spring is on the way, from previously hibernating colleagues suddenly arranging midweek beers to busy barber shops. Here's The Local's unofficial guide to the end of Swedish winter. READ

Opinion

Migrants rescued in the Pozzallo harbour, Sicily last month. Photo: TT

Why can't refugees travel to Sweden legally?

Refugees should not be forced to make dangerous journeys to Europe in order to seek asylum, argues Liberal Party MEP Cecilia Wikström, who also wants to see other EU states joining Sweden and Germany in taking in more people from war-torn nations. READ

More News

Sweden's Melodifestivalen hosts this year, comedian Robin Paulsson and Sanna Nielsen, who represented the country in Eurovision last year. Photo: Björn Lindgren/TT

The Local's guide to Melodifestivalen mania

What do a country singer from southern Sweden, a Sami reindeer herder born in Colombia and a former member of world famous disco pop group Alcazar have in common? They're all set to vie for the chance to represent Sweden in Eurovision Song Contest later this year in a live showdown on Saturday. READ

Jay-Z (centre) pictured at New York Fashion week in February 2015. Photo: TT

Jay-Z buys Nordic Spotify rival Wimp

Hip hop artist Shawn Carter - better known as Jay-Z - has bought Scandinavian music steaming service Wimp and its parent company Aspiro, despite earlier claims that the bid had been blocked. READ

Julian Assange

Julian Assange is still at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Photo: TT

Swedish prosecutors to quiz Assange in London

UPDATED: Julian Assange's lawyer has told The Local he is happy that Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny has asked for the Wikileaks founder to be questioned in London about rape and sexual assault allegations, despite previously insisting talks should be held in Stockholm. READ

Arlanda Airport in Stockholm. Photo: TT

Ten Swedish airports get new bomb technology

A new method of checking for explosives is being introduced at check-in queues at Swedish airports this month as the Nordic nation implements updated EU regulations on security. READ

Former Sweden Foreign Minister Carl Bildt. Photo: TT

Russia targeted Carl Bildt in smear campaign

Sweden’s former Foreign Minister and Prime Minister Carl Bildt was accused by Russian media of being a CIA agent who sought revenge for Karl XII’s defeat in a battle against Russia in 1709, as the Ukraine crisis unfolded, it has emerged. READ

The Local Recipes

Marinated fillet of venison with liquorice sauce. Photo: John Duxbury

How to make Swedish venison with liquorice

Here's a traditional Swedish dish with a twist. Liquorice is very popular in Sweden and although it is usually associated with sweet dishes it goes really well with meats such as venison too. READ

Swedish ship HMS Gävle will be modernized under the plans. Photo: TT

Sweden's military to get six billion kronor boost

Sweden's Defence Minister Peter Hultqvist has announced that the country's navy is upgrading its fleet of ships in order to improve its ability to locate rogue submarines in Swedish waters, following a huge search for a foreign vessel last autumn. READ

Refugees arriving in Italy in March 2015. Photo: TT

'Relocate Syrian refugees within Europe' says UN

European countries should more evenly share the growing burden of new arrivals from Syria, the UN’s Refugee Agency has told The Local as refugee numbers continue to swell in Sweden. READ

The Nordic Council of Ministers office in St Petersburg was accused of being filled with 'foreign agents'. Photo: Merete Bendiksen/norden.org

Nordics close Russia hub over 'spying' claim

UPDATED: After accusations from Russia that its offices in Saint Petersburg and Kaliningrad were filled with ‘foreign agents’, the Nordic Council of Ministers decided on Wednesday to shut its offices down in protest. READ

The Local Survey

Photo: Johan Willner/imagebank.sweden.se

UK can't get enough of Sweden, survey reveals

Despite a recent explosion of Scandinavian TV dramas broadcast in the UK portraying Sweden as a bleak, crime-ridden nation, a new survey reveals Brits' perception of the Nordic nation is far more positive. READ

Read older articles »

From our other editions:

Tax reform

Reinhold Mitterlehner (L) and Chancellor Werner Faymann. Photo: APA/NEUBAUER

Tax reform good news for lower earners

Austria’s coalition government has agreed on a plan for wide-ranging reforms of the tax system, after three hours of negotiations on Thursday. READ

Photo: AFP

Jay Z to pay royalties for 'stolen' Swiss tune

American rap star Jay Z has agreed to pay half the royalties from one of his songs to Swiss jazz musician Bruno Spoerri after using Spoerri’s music without permission. READ

David Bardens all smiles after court ruling. Photo: DPA

Measles doubter must pay doctor €100,000

A regional court has decided that a biologist must pay a doctor €100,000 after the resolution of a bizarre dispute over the very existence of the measles virus. READ

The Local List

A bird's eye view of the true capital of Scandinavia. Photo: Colourbox

Ten ways Copenhagen beats Stockholm

Stockholm often claims to lead the way when it comes to all things tech, culture and equality, but here at The Local Denmark, we're convinced Copenhagen trumps the Swedish city as the true capital of Scandinavia. READ

Photo: AFP

Paternity suit filed against Salvador Dalí

Spain’s former King Juan Carlos might have just got out of a paternity suit, but another Spanish icon is now facing a paternity challenge, 26 years after he died. READ

A Polish skier was hit a plane on a ski slope in the French Alps on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Skier hit by a plane on piste in French Alps

A skier was struck by a plane on a ski slope in the French Alps on Thursday and remarkably lived to tell the tale. Officials say "a catastrophe was only narrowly avoided" after the plane just missed a group of children. READ

Locals believed the jacket to be an Isis flag. Photo: Il Resto del Carlino

Italian police: 'Isis flag' was jacket in tree

Police called to investigate an alleged Isis flag hanging outside an apartment building in Italy made a surprise discovery, finding what they feared may be extremist propaganda was, in fact, a resident’s washing put out to dry. READ

Monica Lewinsky on stage with motivational speaker Cecilia Andvig after her lecture. Photo: Gorm Kallestad/NTB scanpix

Why is Monica Lewinsky in a tiny town in Norway?

A week before her much-heralded TED talk on cyberbullying, Monica Lewinsky spoke in a small town in Norway, warning the audience about the “immeasurable humiliation” it can cause. READ

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