The Local (Sweden)

3 days ago | thelocal.se | Richard Orange

The children's classic "Old Hat New Hat", in which a genial but down-at-heel bear tries on a dizzying variety of hats to the growing rage of a salesman, is burned into my brain. I must have read it to my children a hundred times. So it popped unprompted into my head when I was surveying the reaction to the Social Democrats' Congress in Gothenburg.

4 days ago | thelocal.se | Emma Löfgren

A nakenfis literally means “naked fart” – a person who is totally nude. It’s a loving, slightly tongue-in-cheek, expression, which usually refers to a child. Picture a three-year-old running around the room like an indoor mini-tornado, refusing to put their pyjamas on after their evening bath, and you might hear the parent exclaim an exasperated hörrödu din nakenfis, nu är det läggdags (hey you, naked fart, it’s bedtime). But what’s it got to do with flatulence?

5 days ago | thelocal.se | Emma Löfgren

The fastest way of travelling between Arlanda Airport and central Stockholm is the Arlanda Express train, owned by A-Train AB, which takes less than 20 minutes. On the downside, it’s also the most expensive option. A standard single ticket for one adult costs 340 kronor. The SL commuter train (pendeltåg), which takes 40 minutes, is not a much more attractive option.

1 week ago | thelocal.se | Richard Orange

The Local's reader Patrick Henry Gallen argued convincingly in Dagens Nyheter (and The Local) this week against the unjust way new citizenship rules are being applied. It was a small victory, but why did the Swedish media ignore the citizenship freeze? When The Local reported on May 14th that the Migration Agency had been unable to approve citizenship applications in standard cases for a month and a half, we thought it was a fairly big story.

1 week ago | thelocal.se | Paul O'Mahony

In this week's episode we ask why Swedish politicians are becoming more critical of Israel over the war in Gaza. We also discuss the government's plans to develop new kinds of pre-approved houses to make it easier for people to buy their own homes. For Membership+ subscribers we talk about what it’s like trying to get by without a bank-card in a mostly cash-free country.