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Almedalen 2015

Liberal Party leader Jan Björklund. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

BLOG: Sweden's political power forum - Day Eight

The Swedish Liberal Party tried score some new support after a year of plummeting in the polls when its leader Jan Björklund took centre stage on the final day of Almedalen. READ

Snails are enjoying a bumper year at Swedish gardeners' expense. Photo: By macrophile on Flickr via Wikimedia Commons

Swedes on cusp of snail control breakthrough

Since the spring, frequent rain has ensured prime conditions for one of the gardener’s biggest enemies - the snail. Swedish scientists, however, may have found the ultimate deterrent. READ

A selection of handguns unconnected to the article. Photo: Joshuashearn via Wikimedia Commons

New Slovakia law may limit Swedish gun use

Hundreds of so-called plugged guns are bought legally abroad and smuggled from Slovakia to Sweden, where they are used by criminals. But new law the eastern European nation may close this deadly loophole. READ

A police sign near the crime scene. Photo: Stig-Åke Jönsson/TT

Arrest warrants issued for Sunday murder

According to police, arrest warrants have been issued for two people, suspected of the murder of a man in his 20s, who was shot to death on Lundavägen in Arlöv just north of Malmö on Sunday. READ

Almedalen 2015

Left Party leader Jonas Sjöstedt speaking at Almedalen 2015 on Saturday. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

BLOG: Sweden's political power forum - Day Seven

It's the seventh day of Almedalen, the most important week in Swedish politics, and the Left Party is running the show. The Local is live blogging the key moments. READ

BLOG: Sweden's political power forum - Day Six »

Almedalen 2015

A Russian Tu-22M3 Tu-bomber. Photo: Pavel Golovkin

Russian bombers seen off Swedish coast

Swedish fighter jets were sent on Saturday morning to monitor the activity of two Russian bombers to the east of Gotland. READ

Almedalen 2015 with the EU Commission in Sweden

Photo: Simon Paulin/imagebank.sweden.se

'Today's refugees could be tomorrow's Zlatan'

Sweden is grappling with how to handle a large influx of asylum seekers while some other EU nations brush off responsibility – but it's important to focus on the benefits of immigration as well, high-profile panelists agreed at an Almedalen event. READ

Almedalen 2015

Sweden's Moderate party leader Anna Kinberg Batra at Almedalen. Photo: Marcus Ericsson/TT

Opposition head pledges lower taxes on first jobs

Moderate Party leader Anna Kinberg Batra spoke about jobs in her first speech at Almedalen since becoming head of Sweden's biggest opposition party. READ

BLOG: Sweden's political power forum - Day Six »

A playground at Märsta immigration centre in Sweden. Maja Suslin/TT

Jump in solo children seeking Swedish asylum

A record 1447 unaccompanied children sought asylum in Sweden last month, figures from the Swedish Migration Board have revealed. READ

Almedalen 2015

What are the downsides of a cashless society? Photo: Per Larsson/TT

Cashless society faces backlash from losers

Sweden is possibly the nearest thing the world has to a cashless society, but some Swedes are worried about the effects on rural areas, pensioners - and personal integrity. READ

BLOG: Sweden's political power forum - Day Six »

Features

Almedalen 2015

What's on the horizon for Gotland? Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

'If the Russians come our whole lives will change'

Recent claims that Russia rehearsed a military takeover of Gotland stirred up fear among Swedes – but how do people living here feel? The Local asked islanders what life is like in the bullseye of Sweden. READ

What's on in Sweden

Solstugan sun terrace in Kristineberg. Photo: Solstugan

Six hip spots to sun seek in Sweden's capital

Here's our pick of places to enjoy the warm weather that's finally made its way to the Swedish capital, along with our weekly guide to what's on in the rest of the country. READ

The Local List

Visby, Gotland. Photo: Rodrigo Rivas/Imagebank Sweden

Nine exciting activities to do on Sweden's Gotland

Gotland is in the national spotlight each summer during Sweden's annual politics forum, Almedalen. But here's why it is also one of the nation's favourite tourist spots. READ

Opinion

Prime Minister Stefan Löfven greets Olof Palme's widow Lisbeth at Almedalen this week. Photo: TT

Why Almedalen just keeps getting better

Sweden’s annual politics week might be a slick, choreographed jamboree, but it’s also an amazing way to broaden your horizons. Other countries should learn from it, argues The Local's Managing Editor James Savage. READ

My Swedish Career

Ameek Grewal (left) with friends from his Swedish course. Photo: Private

'Foreign workers need a specific kind of support'

After two years working in banking in London, Canadian-born Ameek Grewal, 29, relocated to Stockholm a year ago and says he's boosted his health as well as his career by living among Swedes. READ

More News

Julian Assange

Julian Assange gives an interview on French TV in the wake of the recent spying scandal. Photo: AFP

France says 'non' to Assange asylum plea

Still wanted in Sweden over sex allegations, the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange asked France's president François Hollande to grant him asylum on Friday. But his request was quickly rejected. READ

The Local Music

Tove Lo - The Local's number one singer for July. Photo: Promo

The Local's top Swedish songs of the month

The Local's music guru, Paul Connolly, has been sweating over Sweden's hottest new music so you don't have to. Here's a selection of July's best tracks. READ

The Local List

A Swede cooling off in a hammock in Visby, Sweden. Photo: The Local

How to be a cool Swede during a hot summer

As summer finally arrives in the Nordics, here are ten tips on how to cool down and look hot, Swedish style. READ

Noel Gallagher performing earlier this year (L) and Sweden’s star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (R): Photos: TT

Oasis star calls Zlatan 'idiot' but 'likes Sweden'

One of the UK’s most iconic Britpop era stars, Noel Gallagher, has caused a stir in Sweden after calling its star footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic a ‘moron’ and slamming a Nordic journalist. READ

Almedalen 2015 with the EU Commission in Sweden

Sofia Sabel/imagebank.sweden.se

'Swedish industry needs US trade deal'

The EU and the US are trying to negotiate a free trade and investment deal. Will they ever come to agreement on transatlantic trade? The EU Commission in Sweden was at Almedalen this week to tackle the issue. READ

Almedalen 2015

Åsa Romson at Sweden's Almedalen Week. Photo: Marcus Ericsson/TT

Sweden's green leader in second Auschwitz gaffe

UPDATED: Sweden's Deputy Prime Minister and Green Party leader Åsa Romson has stirred up a storm after she placed Auschwitz in southern Germany instead of Poland, her second gaffe about the holocaust. READ

Almedalen 2015 with Akademikernas a-kassa

Photo: Susanne Walström/imagebank.sweden.se

Gaps don't have to kill your Swedish CV

Breaking into the Swedish labour market can be tough - but gaps in your CV don't have to make it worse. The Local found out how to handle the issue at an Almedalen seminar. READ

The Local Recipes

The Swedish name for this dish is dillkött, literally dill meat. Photo: John Duxbury

How to make lamb stew in a creamy dill sauce

The Local is at Almedalen this week, so we thought we would bring you a classic taste of Gotland, where the politics conference is based. And you can't get more classic than lamb stew with a dill sauce. READ

Almedalen 2015 with the Swedish Institute

One goal of the initiative is protecting the Baltic. File photo: Tuukka Ervasti/imagebank.sweden.se

Sweden to link Baltic region in new ways

Sweden has new responsibilities in the Baltic Sea region, playing an even more important role in joint efforts to boast prosperity, protect the sea, and keep the region connected. READ

This is (probably) not the snake mentioned in the story. Photo: AP Photo/J Pat Carter

Snake on the slither in southern Sweden

A three-metre long python spotted in a popular park in Malmö remained on the loose on Thursday afternoon. READ

Read older articles »

From our other editions:

File photo: Larry D. Moore/Wikimedia

Teacher kills rabbits in front of class

Outraged parents and students from Horn, Lower Austria have called for a secondary school teacher to be sacked after he killed two rabbits in front of his class as part of a biology lesson. READ

Bathers swimming in the Rhine River in Basel, expected to be one of the hottest places in the country. Photo: Basel Tourismus

Worst Swiss heatwave since 2003 anticipated

Switzerland is preparing for the most intense heatwave in almost 12 years with weather experts predicting high temperatures above 35C for the first eight to ten days of July. READ

The Panther tank removed from a cellar in Kiel, with a prosecutors' evidence label attached to its barrel. Photo: DPA

Police confiscate WW2 tank hidden in cellar

Police searched a villa in a wealthy suburb of Kiel on Wednesday and found a Second World War tank, a torpedo and other weaponry in the cellar. On Thursday they were still working on removing the tank. READ

Sam Mansour. Photo: Jeanne Kornum/Scanpix

Convicted terrorist loses Danish citizenship

Sam Mansour, who has been dubbed ‘The Bookseller from Brønshøj’ and ‘al-Qaeda’s PR man in Denmark’, on Wednesday became the first ever Dane to have his citizenship revoked for illegal activity. READ

The Local List

Spaniards have been protesting as the country's new "gag law" comes into force. Photo: Dani Pozo/AFP

The ten most repressive points of Spain's gag law

Its many detractors complain that the new "gag law" introduced today harks back to the repressive days of the Franco regime. Here are a list of its most controversial points. READ

French air traffic controllers call off strike

Relief for air passengers on Wednesday as French air traffic controllers called off a planned two-day strike that was set to cause travel chaos across Europe on Thursday and Friday. READ

A centurion crosses the road. Photo: Filippo Monteforte

How to keep cool like an ancient Roman

As the mercury rises in Italy and the days and nights get unbearable, we look to the ancient world for tips on staying cool. READ

Norwegian traffic police as photographed in 2010, and as photoshopped lust objects. Photo: Toni Kaarttinen/Flickr

Norway police pic sends temperatures soaring

They may not be armed but they’re certainly packing! A photo purporting to show a trio of buff Norwegian traffic police in their summer uniform has spread like wildfire across social media. READ

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