Sweden in Focus

How a call to demolish mosques sent shock waves through Swedish politics

This week: Jimmie Åkesson talks about demolishing mosques, the latest on the Tesla strike, Sweden’s Advent celebrations, solutions journalism, and why some criminologists think it’s time for Sweden to ditch zero tolerance on drugs.…

Permanent residency under review and will cost of living in Sweden soon drop?

Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local’s Becky Waterton and Richard Orange, and we also have an …

How is Sweden reacting to the Israel-Hamas war?

In this week's episode: practical Swedes, saying hej to strangers, dithering Liberals, Sweden awaits central bank decision, climate movement split over Greta Thunberg's Palestine support, how Swedish attitudes to Israel-Palestine have change…

Who were Sweden's first inhabitants and why do more people want guns?

This week on Sweden in Focus: TV history show provokes debate, far-right leader gives speech in Arabic, Sweden's media subsidy system explained, surviving November, and how a wave of international arrests is affect Sweden's gang conflict.<…

Swedish model under threat, and which party leaders are doomed?

In this week's Sweden in Focus we discuss: industrial action hits Tesla and Klarna, fears that new salary requirements for work permit holders will undermine the Swedish labour market model, how an oil spill and new fishing quotas have put t…

Your questions answered on Sweden's new work permit rules

In this week's episode of Sweden in Focus we discuss: Halloween in Sweden, Nato, cable damage in the Baltic Sea, popular Swedish TV shows, and we answer readers' questions on Sweden's new salary requirement for work permit holders. …

Why a terrorist targeted Swedes, and does the far right run Sweden now?

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INTERVIEW: Why didn't the Social Democrats fix Sweden's school segregation problems?

In this bonus episode of Sweden in Focus, we speak to the Social Democratic former education minister Anna Ekström about Nordic 'folk high schools', budget cuts to study associations, worsening segregation in Sweden's schools, why boys are underpe…

Work permit holders appeal to Sweden to let them stay

In this week's episode: Foxtrot leader reportedly arrested in Iran, Swedish reaction to Israel-Hamsas war, and lots of reaction to Sweden's new pay threshold for work permits. Host Paul O’Mahony is joined by …

Immigrant fears over work permit rules and Sweden moves towards more surveillance

In this week's episode: weak krona means less Nobel prize money, Sweden’s government plans more surveillance, what the future holds for Scandinavian Airlines, how work permit holders will be affected by a new salary threshold, how organised crime …