US Secretary of State meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Amman, Jordan, in November 2014. Photo: Nicholas Kamm/TT

Israel 'not happy' at Abbas invite to Sweden

Israel’s ambassador has sharply criticised Sweden for inviting President Mahmoud Abbas to Stockholm next month, citing it as further evidence of the “energetic pro-Palestinian line” the country’s government has taken since coming to power after September's election. READ 29 comments

Aerobic snow-shovelling on Saturday morning: Crossfit Holistics webpage

'The perfect workout': Gym clears snow for free

A gym in northern Sweden has turned this week’s monster snowfall into “the perfect workout”, sending its members out for an hour on Saturday to shovel snow around the city for free. READ

The Pirate Bay's homepage on Saturday. Photo: Screen grab

Pirate Bay back online seven weeks after raid

Sweden’s seeming unquashable file-sharing site The Pirate Bay is back online, seven weeks after police seized servers hosted at a data centre in a nuclear-proof bunker deep in a mountain outside Stockholm. READ

The banner erected by the Roma at Sorgenfri Folketshus. Photo: Solidarity with EU migrants

Roma denied sleep complain of 'torture'

A group of Roma immigrants have complained of “torture” and “terrorism” after security guards at a Malmö night café for homeless people refused to let them sleep on the premises. READ

Roma migrants who have swapped the streets for an art gallery. Photo: Albin Balthasar

Beggars 'objectified' at Malmö exhibition

Two Roma beggars have been paid to take part in a controversial art installation that has seen them sitting and standing in silence with a paper cup in front of them in a Malmö art gallery. READ

An SAS plane taking off from Sweden. Photo: TT

More open borders for Swedish nationals

From this summer, Swedes may be be able to leave their passports at home when travelling to the UK and other non-Schengen countries within the EU. READ

A sign warns about falling snow and ice in Stockholm. Photo: TT

Thick snow set to cause further travel chaos

UPDATED: Heavy snowfall has caused major traffic problems in parts of western and southern Sweden, with further bad weather set to sweep across the country this weekend. READ

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The city of Stockholm. Photo: Björn Olin/Folio/imagebank.sweden.se

'Immigration is critical' for Stockholm’s future

Stockholm’s business community gathered on Friday to discuss the future of the city’s labour market. While housing and education were mentioned, it was another theme that reigned supreme. READ

Rapper Jay-Z at an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles on January 16th 2015. Photo: TT

Jay-Z seeks Swedish music service takeover

Project Panther, an enterprise linked to American hip hop artist Shawn Carter - better known as Jay-Z- is expected to take over Scandinavian-based digital music firm Aspiro, one of Spotify's biggest rivals. READ

Spotify is the world's largest online music streaming service. Photo: TT

Spotify mute about fresh funding rumours

Swedish music streaming giant Spotify has declined to comment on reports that it is raising new funds that could delay a public listing. READ

Features

The Local List

A Viking - sometimes pronounced 'Wiking', in Sweden. Photo: Shutterstock

Ten ways talking in English baffles Swedes

While Swedes are among the world's best English speakers, there are a few common - and often charming - mistakes The Local's team has spotted while chatting to Swedes in their second language (because yes, of course, it is still better than our Swedish). READ

Opinion

A Swedish hospital emergency room. Photo: TT

'Sweden's healthcare is an embarrassment'

For this week's debate article, Johan Hjertqvist, president of Health Consumer Powerhouse, an organization which compares global healthcare systems, reacts to a new report which reveals that waiting times in Sweden's hospitals are among the worst in Europe. READ

The Local's Editor Maddy Savage with a statue of 'Svennis' in 2006. Photo: Private

'I’m in Sweden thanks to Sven-Göran Eriksson'

Maddy Savage moved to Stockholm five months ago to become The Local’s Editor, but it was a chance assignment to the Swedish home town of former England football manager Sven-Göran Eriksson in 2006 that set her on an unlikely path towards a career in Sweden. READ

My Swedish Career

A snapshot of some of the people in Pantiel's Stockholm subway project. Photos by: Evian Pantiel

Meet the man snapping Stockholm's subway

What's an American photographer doing snapping photos of people in Stockholm's subway? For this week's My Swedish Career, The Local spoke to Evian Pantiel, the man behind the camera exploring Stockholm's colourful subway lines. READ 5 comments

The Local Recipes

Photo: swedishfood.com/John Duxbury

How to make traditional Swedish semlor buns

Semlor are delicious buns filled with cream and almond paste. This week they made news headlines after one cafe in Stockholm converted them into a fast food wrap. But we prefer the classic shape and food writer John Duxbury has shared his recipe with The Local. READ

More News

A Somali pirate near Hobyo, Somalia in 2012. Photo: TT

Swedish troops join Somali pirate mission

Around 70 Swedish soldiers are heading to east Africa as part of EU efforts to prevent attacks from Somali pirates. READ

Apartments in Stockholm. Photo: TT

Housing queue now '20 years' in parts of capital

The queue for housing in Stockholm lengthened dramatically 2014, with many "insecure" residents signing up because of fears the shortage of accommodation in the capital could get worse. READ

The Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaking in Cairo this month. Photo: TT

Sweden will make 'demands' on Palestine

UPDATED: Sweden’s new government recognised Palestine in its first foreign policy decision in October 2014 but Foreign Minister Margot Wallström has said the state needs to change in order to retain Sweden’s support. READ

The Local Recipes

A rich Swedish mushroom tart. Photo: John Duxbury

How to make delicious Swedish mushroom tart

This classic mushroom tart may not be Sweden's most visually pleasing dish, but it's certainly a rustic dream if you're a mushroom and cheese lover. Food writer John Duxbury shares his recipe with The Local. READ

Police in Gothenburg are searching for the missing gunman. Photo: TT

Teenager turns himself in after school gun threat

UPDATED: A teenage gunman suspected of threatening a female teacher at a high school in Gothenburg before fleeing the scene has turned himself in. READ

Eugene Sydholt, better known as Swedish spy Stig Bergling, being released from Sweden's Anstalten Asptuna prison in 1997. Photo: TT

World reacts to notorious Swedish spy's death

News of Stig Bergling's death made global headlines on Thursday, and by the end of the day it was Twitter's 10th most trending topic in the world. READ

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The scene at Bazaren in Stockholm. Photo: The Local

Stockholm job fair helps immigrant entrepreneurs

One of Sweden's largest job fairs, Bazaren, kicked off in Stockholm on Thursday, with an estimated 10,000 people set to attend the event with a special focus on entrepreneurs. The Local was on hand to survey the scene. READ

Bävman and his 3-year-old son, Viggo. Photo: Johan Bävman

'Swedish Dads' project gives surprise snapshot

Sweden is often described as one of the most gender-equal nations in the world, but when Swedish father Johan Bävman started a photo project about being a dad during his paternity leave, he realized his country didn't always match global expectations. READ

Christian Democrat leader Göran Hägglund is quitting politics. Photo: TT

Christian Democrat party leader quits politics

Göran Hägglund, the leader of one of Sweden's four centre-right opposition Alliance parties has resigned, insisting it had nothing to do with the controversial December Agreement that the Alliance struck with the government. READ

The Local List

Stockholm Fashion Week. Photo: Kristian Löveborg/Fashion Week.se

Top five trends from Stockholm Fashion Week

Stockholm's twice-yearly fashion week wrapped up on Wednesday night, with bare backs, bellbottoms and beige among the top trends spotted by The Local on the catwalks. READ

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From our other editions:

File photo: Shutterstock

Man leaves baby on U6 metro

A desperate young father realized only after exiting the carriage of the U6 metro train that he'd left his baby on board. READ

Gareth Knott: "Thankfully design is a universal language." Photo: Handout

Anglo expats mine creativity to earn crust

Switzerland’s job market is appealingly lucrative but sometimes anglophones need to be creative to find a job in a country where English is not an official language, as The Local's Emily Mawson finds out. READ

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: DPA

Russia may declare 1990 reunification illegal

More than 25 years after the Berlin Wall's fall, Russian lawmakers are mulling a proposal to condemn West Germany's 1990 "annexation" of East Germany as Moscow's answer to Western denunciation of its seizure of Crimea. READ

Video

Mohammad Sharaa, Samih Alnakawah and other members of Syrian Touch at Aalborg's J.F. Kennedys Plads. Photo: Facebook

Syrian refugees hand out free coffee to commuters

A group of Syrian refugees in Denmark has started handing out free coffee to morning commuters to thank the country for the warm welcome they’ve received since escaping the ongoing civil war in their homeland. READ

Opinion

Photo of a lady in Spanish glasses: Shutterstock

The five strangest things about Spaniards

After two years at the helm of The Local Spain, George Mills is moving on. Here he reflects on some of the most puzzling aspects of life in a country he believes is one of the greatest places to live in the world. READ

France is home to 300,000 foreign students. Photo: Simone Ramella/Flickr

Studying in France: what you need to know

France is one of the most popular study destinations in the world, with nearly 300,000 foreign students. Relatively low tuition fees and the chance to live in France are certainly appealing, but France’s confusing higher education system can be frustrating to navigate. READ

The Local List

A bimbo in English is a rather unintelligent woman. In Italian it’s a young male child. Photo: Shutterstock

Ten Italian words used differently in English

Many Italian words are now embedded the English language – particularly in the realms of music and food. But not all mean the same thing in both tongues. Here we list ten of the most problematic expressions. READ