Video: Light therapy

Dragonskolan in Umeå at 2pm in December. Photo: The Local

Inside Sweden’s first 'light therapy' school

Umeå in northern Sweden has just a few hours of light a day during December and a high school in the city has become the first in the country to use solar power to give students light therapy during lessons. The Local’s Maddy Savage went to take a look... READ 5 comments

Swedes can use the website to report other people's suspicious behaviour. Photo: Shutterstock.

Sweden launches site to fight child sex tourism

Swedish police have launched an internet site to help crack down on Swedes travelling abroad for sex with minors. READ

Olof Palme was an outspoken international human rights advocate. Photo: TT

Chinese activist wins Swedish rights prize

Chinese pro-democracy activist Xu Youyu, who was among key signatories of a 2008 manifesto seeking sweeping political reforms in China, has won Sweden's Olof Palme human rights prize. READ

Malmö airport. Photo: TT

Asylum seekers arrive in Malmö by private jet

Three people have been arrested on suspicion of human trafficking after a private plane from Beirut landed at Malmö-Sturup Airport, with ten people on board. READ 25 comments

Police launched an extensive manhunt for the would-be thieves. Photo: TT

Armed trio on the run after botched robbery

UPDATED: At least three masked people are on the run after they tried to break into a currency exchange office in western Sweden using a tractor. READ 2 comments

Selfies were all the rage in 2014 - but what does selfie mean? Photo: Shutterstock.

Swedes ask Google most about floss and selfies

Google has revealed what Swedish people searched for the most during 2014, with everything from mosquito bites, dental floss, and selfies taking top places. READ 2 comments

Photo: TT

Thousands of women in secret Swedish abuse file

Police in Stockholm have been keeping sensitive information about thousands of women who claimed they were being abused or threatened in a secret database for over a decade, it has emerged. READ 28 comments

Swedish coins. Photo: TT

Zero percent interest rate extended in Sweden

Sweden’s Riksbank is keeping its record low key interest rate at zero until at least the second half of 2016, it has announced. READ 19 comments

Opinion

Photo: Shutterstock

Why it's time to celebrate Sweden's diverse identity

Sweden will never eliminate cultural differences by trying to deny they exist or avoiding discussing them. Now, more than ever, Swedes must embrace them instead, argues Norhan Elhakeem, a Stockholm-based Canadian journalist with Egyptian blood. READ 139 comments

The town has 22 people aged 100 or older. Photo: Shutterstock.

The Swedish town with the most 100-year-olds

Experts have been left scratching their heads as to why a town in southern Sweden has an unusually high number of centenarians - over 40 times more than the country's national average per capita.READ 6 comments

Features

Interview

Swedish film director Ruben Östlund. Photo: TT

'Watch my movie and then get a divorce'

With a Golden Globe nomination under his belt, Director Ruben Östlund talks to The Local about his new movie, why Scandinavia shouldn't follow in Hollywood's footsteps, and why he wants you to get a divorce. READ 10 comments

Nobel Prizes

Members of Sweden's royal family at the prize ceremony in Stockholm. Photo: TT

BLOG: Nobel Prize Ceremonies 2014

The 2014 Nobel prizes have been handed out in Stockholm after the Peace Prize was awarded in Oslo earlier on Wednesday. The Local brought you analysis and reaction during one of the most prestigious events in the Swedish calendar. READ

Opinion

Margot Wallström, Minister for Foreign Affairs in Sweden. Photo:Tomas Oneborg/SvD/TT

'All nuclear weapons must be abolished'

The lessons of nuclear bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the 1940s must never be forgotten and there should be a united front to ensure all nuclear weapons are decommissioned, says Sweden's Foreign Minister Margot Wallström. READ 69 comments

Opinion

Uppsala mosque. Photo: TT

'Immigration has to become a political issue'

Sweden's politicians will fuel further segregation and the rise of the nationalist Sweden Democrats if they refuse to develop a new language on immigration, argues Mohammed Amin Kharraki, a teacher and spokesperson for Sweden's Islamic Association. READ 340 comments

Video

Tattoo photo: Shutterstock

Why do so many Swedes have tattoos?

Tattoos have become so commonplace in Sweden that Stockholm is now believed to be home to the world's most inked population outside of tribal societies. The Local takes a closer look at the trend. READ 43 comments

More News

Swedish diplomat Dag Hammarskjöld. Photo: TT/uncredited

Sweden asks UN to reopen dead diplomat file

Sweden has asked the United Nations to reopen an inquiry into the death of Swedish diplomat Dag Hammarskjöld, who died in a mysterious plane crash more than 50 years ago. READ 6 comments

Zlatan Ibrahimovic in action for PSG. Photo: TT

Zlatan teams up with Dressman clothing chain

Swedish football star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has struck a deal with clothing chain Dressman, with plans announced to launch a new brand in the sporting department. READ 3 comments

Kärrtorp demonstration

Scuffles between protesters and anti-demonstrators in Kärrtorp last year. Photo: TT

Stockholm set for anti-racism anniversary demo

Monday night's planned anti-racist rally in Stockholm marks one year since a similar gathering sparked violent clashes from neo-Nazi factions. Organizers and police are expecting a much calmer night. READ 93 comments

Bullying in Sweden has been on the decrease. Photo: Shutterstock.

Bullies target immigrant kids over Swedes: study

A study from Gothenburg has found that while bullying is on the decrease in Swedish schools, immigrant children suffer at the hands of bullies three times more than Swedish kids do. READ 35 comments

Introducing The Local's brand new logo

The Local has been providing news in English from around Europe for ten years. To mark this milestone, we are delighted to unveil our fresh new logo. Paul Rapacioli explains. READ 19 comments

Two SAS planes have reported near misses with Russian planes this year. Photo: TT

Russian ambassador called in over 'near miss'

UPDATED: Sweden's Foreign Department called in the Russian ambassador after a Russian military plane almost collided with a plane near Sweden on Friday. READ 10 comments

Kobani in Syria in November 2014. Photo: TT

Sweden investigates returning Isis fighters

Sweden’s Security Service, Säpo, says it believes around 40 people have returned to Sweden after going to Syria to fight for Islamist terror groups including Isis. READ 45 comments

Police surround a cafe in Sydney. Photo: TT

Swedes witness Sydney cafe hostage drama

Young Swedes working and living in Sydney say they were terrified as at least one armed gunman held customers and staff hostage in a cafe in the city’s central business district. READ 77 comments

Russian tanks. Photo: TT

Swedish researchers warn of Russian arms

Sales by Russian arms manufacturers continue to expand thanks to Moscow's investments, despite a downturn in global defence spending, a Stockholm-based think-tank said on Monday. READ 13 comments

Jonas von Essen - World Memory Champion 2014. Photo: TT

Swede retains Memory World Cup crown

Swedish brainbox Jonas von Essen has retained his title in the annual Memory World Championships and also helped Sweden claim the team gold at the tournament. READ 2 comments

Read older articles »

From our other editions:

The Local List

Photo: APA/Gindl

Ten things to know before an Austrian party

As the festive season gets underway, here are The Local's tips on how to prepare for a party in Austria. From taking off your shoes, to the perils of Schnapps and what songs you really shouldn't sing, we've got you covered. READ

More than 200 rioters are believed to have taken part in the violence. Photo: Jan Müller/Aurka.com

Zurich riot police tackle vandals wreaking havoc

UPDATED: An estimated 200 masked men went on the rampage in a normally quiet part of Zurich on Friday night, with police forced to fire tear gas and water cannons to gain control of the situation. READ

Khalid al-Masri was abducted and abused for months by the CIA. Photo: DPA

CIA tortured German it mistook for a terrorist

A German citizen abducted and tortured by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agents in 2004 should never have been detained, a US Senate report published on Tuesday showed. READ

The Local List

'Tis the season for julefrokoster! Photo: Colourbox

10 tips for surviving a Danish Christmas party

With just a few weeks to go until Christmas, the party season is in full swing and in Denmark that means it's julefrokost time. We've put together some tips to help you survive a Danish holiday party. READ

Protesters wearing gags gather outside Madrid's congress to protest against Spain's new 'gag law'. GERARD JULIEN / AFP

Spain passes tough new 'anti-protest' law

Spain on Thursday finally passed its new controversial Citizen Security Law which opponents say will severely limit civil liberties in the country. READ

French scallops sent to be cleaned in China before heading back to Brittany. Photo: AFP

French scallops cleaned in China then sent back

Scallops pulled out of the waters off the western coast of France are taken on an incredible journey that sees them shipped off to China to be cleaned, before being sent all the way back to France to be cooked up. Producers say its worth the cost. READ

A total of 182 domestic and international Ryanair flights have been cancelled ahead of the strike. Photo: Ryanair

Flights scrapped ahead of Italy general strike

Ryanair and easyJet are among the airlines to have cancelled hundreds of flights to and from Italy ahead of a national strike on Friday against labour reforms. READ

Leader of the Christian Democrats, Knut Arild Hareide, talks on his mobile on his way to Norway's parliament last month. Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB scanpix

Revealed: spy equipment in central Oslo

Spy equipment that can be used to eavesdrop on the mobile phones of politicians and ordinary Norwegians has been discovered in several places in the Oslo area, including close to the country’s parliament, newspaper Aftenposten has revealed. READ