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An Apoteket store in Stockholm. Photo: Henrik Montgomery/TT

Dark Swedish plasters cause stir in Denmark

Plans by a Swedish pharmacy to introduce plasters for darker skin tones have been mocked by Denmark's foreign minister Kristian Jensen who suggested the scheme demonstrated why he wouldn't want to live over the border. But his comments have led to a huge backlash.

Pharmacy to launch plasters for darker skin

A stash of Swedish kronor like this was taken home by the man. Photo: Jessica Gow/TT

Southern Swede keeps massive cash find

A man who found 730,000 kronor ($85,812) on a path in Berga in southern Sweden has been told he can keep the cash, after nobody came forward to claim they had lost the money.

Mohammed Al-Hakim. Photo: Thomas Johansson/TT

Swedish referee sends off own Facebook page

A Swedish football referee became a global celebrity this week after a Facebook page where he explained his decisions went viral. But Mohammed Al-Hakim has now closed it down after becoming overwhelmed by its success.

The man is thought to have been found in an Ethiopian Airlines plane like this one. Photo: Elias Asmare/AP/TT

Man survives flight to Sweden in plane hold

UPDATED: An asylum seeker has been discovered alive in the hold of a plane that landed at Stockholm's Arlanda airport on Friday morning, after smuggling himself on to an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa.

A sign advertising an ongoing apartment viewing in Sweden. Photo: Tomas Oneborg/SvD/TT

A studio in Stockholm or a castle in countryside?

The gap between Sweden's least and most affordable homes is growing. The average apartment in the capital now goes under the hammer for the price of 17 similar digs elsewhere in the Nordic country.

Ikea stabbings

The 23-year-old suspect was released after a court hearing on Thursday. Photo: Maja Suslin/TT

Fears of retaliation after Ikea double stabbings

UPDATED: Police were called to break up an illegal demonstration outside the asylum centre where two men linked to the Västerås Ikea stabbings lived on Thursday night, as fears grew of further retaliation attacks against refugees.

Man, 36, admits double stabbing at Swedish Ikea

Swedes enjoying the sun in Stockholm. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/TT

Another balmy weekend for sun-starved Swedes

Get out and enjoy the warm weather while you can. Another sunny weekend is in store for Sweden, just before the rain clouds move in next week.

The Local Recipes

Mushrooms on toast. Photo: John Duxbury

How to make seasonal Swedish mushroom toast

Swedes love picking wild mushrooms in late summer and autumn. A great way to eat them is fried in butter on toast. Food writer John Duxbury shares his best recipe with The Local.

Ikea stabbings

Police officers at Västmanland District Court where hearings took place on Thursday. Photo: Maja Suslin/TT

Man, 36, admits double stabbing at Swedish Ikea

UPDATED: A 36-year-old man has admitted to stabbing a mother and a son to death at an Ikea store in Västerås. But a 23-year-old suspect who was also arrested has been released from custody.

Julian Assange

Julian Assange in Stockholm in August 2010. Photo: Bertil Ericsson/TT

Assange lawyer: 'Julian is disappointed'

UPDATED: Swedish prosecutors have dropped a probe into some sex claims against Julian Assange because a time limit has expired. The Wikileaks founder's lawyer has told The Local his client is "disappointed" he can't give his side of the story.

Features

What's on in Sweden

The Midnight Run in Stockholm. Photo: Fredrik Sandberg/Scanpix

Five adventures for sports lovers in Sweden

Put on your trainers and saddle up the horse: here are five events to get your engines running this week, as well as our regular interactive calendar of events across Sweden.

Opinion

A man begging for money in central Stockholm. Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT

'Swedes, you need to talk about immigration'

Sweden's mainstream politicians' failure to talk openly about the country's conflicted relationship with immigration is paving the way for radical parties such as the Sweden Democrats, argues Fraser Nelson.

My Swedish Career

The couple live in a cabin in the resort of Huså, near the skiing area of Åre. Photo: Wild Spirit Bushcraft

'We love the wilderness here in Sweden'

Welsh expats Richard and Claire Rees have been living in the Swedish wilderness without water or electricity for three years, teaching survival skills to tourists. The couple tell The Local about their alternative lifestyle.

Swedish actor Fabian Bolin. Photo: Instagram with permission of Fabian Bolin

Swedish actor behind viral blog beats cancer

Swedish actor Fabian Bolin, 28, who has appeared in several UK television shows and US movies, has announced to the world that he is cancer-free, just over a month after he was diagnosed.

The Local List

Explain when a 'fika' is really a date. Photo: Miriam Preis/imagebank.sweden.se

Swedes: six top tips on how to date a foreigner

From fika to forward planning, the Swedish dating scene can be tricky to navigate for people from other countries. The Local has put together a list of ways Swedes can make the experience a bit easier for their foreign dates.

More News

Julian Assange

The Ecuadorian embassy in London. Photo: AP Photo/Matt Dunham

Britain slams Ecuador for 'abuse' in Assange case

Britain is to make a "formal protest" to Ecuador over WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who denies sex crimes in Sweden, the UK foreign ministry said on Thursday.

The new pool is in Gothenburg. Photo: Adam Ihse/TT

New pool named 'Pearl Harbor' creates splash

A decision to call a new swimming pool in Gothenburg "Pöl Harbour" has made a splash on social media, with many users critical of the name which sounds like the US naval base "Pearl Harbor" where more than 2,000 people died in 1941.

Amnesty International has endorsed decriminalization of sex trade. Photo: AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd

Swedes reject Amnesty in protest of sex vote

A Swedish member of Amnesty has told The Local why she chose to join hundreds of others in quitting the organization after it voted to endorse the decriminalization of sex work.

Sweden's police chief Dan Eliasson. Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT

More officers for Malmö in bid to tackle violence

Sweden's police chief Dan Eliasson has announced plans to bolster officer numbers in Malmö amid a summer of violence in Sweden's third largest city.

Euro 2016

Hans Backe at a press conference in London in 2011. Photo: Kirsty Wigglesworth/TT

Swede to coach failing Finnish national side

Swedish football coach Hans Backe, who has previously worked with top English Premier League, US and Danish clubs has been picked to coach Sweden's struggling eastern neighbour.

These are not the planes involved in the operation. Photo: Lars Pehrson/SvD/TT

Swedish air force to fly through Russian skies

Swedish and Danish reconnaissance planes were set to conduct an observation mission over Moscow on Wednesday to study Russia's military capability.

Mediterranean migrant crisis

The rescue operation in the Mediterranean. Photo: Kustbevakningen

Swedish ship rescues 800 migrants from sea

The Swedish rescue ship Poseidon has taken part in a joint effort to save hundreds of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean sea in wooden boats, it was revealed on Wednesday.

The Local List

The Perseids are set to peak on Wednesday night. Photo: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris

Five reasons to watch meteors in Sweden

Look up to Sweden's skies this week and you could catch the Perseid meteor shower, which promises to provide quite a show. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

The scene of the accident. Photo: TT/Arne Veum

Swedish coach catches fire in Norwegian tunnel

More than 30 tourists had to be rescued from an 11 kilometre long tunnel on Tuesday afternoon after a Swedish coach taking foreign passengers on a multi-location trip around Norway caught fire.

Swedish police are investigating. Photo: Bertil Ericson/TT

Man shot in the mouth in Gothenburg suburb

Police in west Sweden have launched an investigation for attempted murder or manslaughter after a man was found with bullet wounds in his mouth in Hjällbo, on the outskirts of Gothenburg.

Read older articles »

From our other editions:

The Local List

The Green Lake - a 'real life Atlantis'. Photo: Herzi Pinki/Wikimedia

Six mind-blowing Austrian landmarks

Austria is a country famed for its natural beauty and stunning alpine landscapes - and it also has some very unusual landmarks and attractions. We've picked six of the best.

Photo: The Local

High costs force unpaid UN intern to live in tent

A 22-year-old New Zealand man hired as an unpaid intern by the United Nations in Geneva has been forced to live in a tent because he cannot afford the high cost of accommodation in the Swiss city.

Is this the perfect portrait of typical Germans? Not so much, says a new study. Photo: DPA.

Germans are ‘not how foreigners think’: report

Are Germans as logical, law-abiding and beer-crazy as stereotypes would have you believe? The answer isn’t so black and white, according to a new book that reveals Germans’ habits from the supermarket to the bedroom.

The ad appeared in Monday's edition of The Guardian and will be published in a German newspaper later this week. Image: Velkommen til flygtninge - Nej til Støjbergs skræmmekampagne

Danes publish pro-refugee advertisement

A privately-funded initiative to counter the government’s anti-refugee message placed a full-age advertisement in The Guardian on Monday.

A Spanish bullring owner has said it is more dangerous for children to watch a gay pride parade than a bullfight. Photo: Gonzalez Poveda/AFP

'Gay pride parades are worse than bullfights'

The owner of several bullrings across Spain has been criticized after claiming it is more harmful for children to watch a gay pride parade than a bullfight.

SNCF paid a manager over €5,000 a month to do nothing he has claimed. Photo: AFP

French manager paid to do nothing for 12 years

The story of a Frenchman named Charles Simon made waves in France this week after it emerged the manager had been paid more than €5,000 a month by state rail operator SNCF over a period of 12 years, despite not working for a single day. He now wants €500,000 compensation.

The panther has not been found in spite of a two week hunt. Photo: Xcaret Panther/Flickr

Italian park held hostage by 'veggie' panther

Experts at the nature reserve of Torbiere del Sebino, Lombardy, are being led on a wild goose chase by a suspected escaped panther that they have been pursuing without success for two weeks.

Two of the rioters at Lunner reception centre after being handcuffed by police. Photo: Torstein Boe / NTB scanpix

Norway to deport or jail rioting asylum children

Norway is threatening to imprison or even deport a group of teenaged asylum seekers after they mounted a rebellion at a reception centre 50km north of Oslo.

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