Sweden in Focus

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by guest Jonathan Leman from the Expo Foundation, as well as panelists Becky Waterton, Emma Löfgren and James Savage .  In this week’s episode we discuss why two lay judges ( nämndemän ) resigned after a highly controversial court ruling that hinged on an interpretation of the word snippa . How Sweden's lay jud...

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host  Paul O’Mahony  is joined by panelists  Richard Orange, Emma Löfgren  and  James Savage .  This week we have a brief chat about the Northern Lights, which were visible all over Sweden last weekend. SWEDEN IN PICTURES: Your best Northern Lights snaps We then talk about Turkey resuming Nato talks with Sweden and...

In the second part of the interview, host Paul O’Mahony asks Ukraine's ambassador to Sweden, Andrii Plakhotniuk , about how the war has changed the focus of his job as ambassador, what Sweden is doing to facilitate Ukraine’s EU accession talks, how the invasion has affected Ukraine’s Swedish-speaking village Gammalsvenskby, and how Swedish humanitarian aid can help rebuild Ukraine.   DON'T MI...

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by panelists Becky Waterton and Loukas Christodoulou .  This week we talk about why children get a week off school at this time of the year. Swedish word of the day: sportlov We look at why Turkey has softened its stance on Sweden’s Nato application. ‘A welcome message’: Turkey open for new Nato talks with Swed...

In this special bonus episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, we hear more from our guest Peter Gerlach, an economist with the Swedish Trade Union Confederation, LO.  Host Paul O’Mahony is also joined by panelists James Savage, Richard Orange and Emma Löfgren. In this episode we continue our chat about the state of Sweden's economy after an EU Commission reporter put the country at the bottom...

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by panelists James Savage, Richard Orange and Emma Löfgren . Our guest this week is Peter Gerlach , an economist with the Swedish Trade Union Confederation (LO). We kick off with a chat about the Migration Agency and why the government has decided it wants to replace Mikael Ribbenvik, who has headed the agency for t...

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by panelists James Savage, Richard Orange and Emma Löfgren . The episode also features interviews with Britain's ambassador to Sweden Judith Gough and Becky Waterton meets Sweden's migration minister Maria Malmer Stenergard . First, we talk about why Sweden is warning of an increased terror threat.  Three thing...

In this special bonus episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, we hear more from special guest Diamant Salihu, a crime reporter for public broadcaster SVT and the author of the award-winning book Tills Alla Dör, or Until Everyone's Dead. Host Paul O’Mahony is also joined by panelists James Savage, Richard Orange and Becky Waterton. In this episode we continue our chat about Sweden's gang crime prob...

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by panelists James Savage, Richard Orange and Becky Waterton, as well as special guest Diamant Salihu, a crime reporter for public broadcaster SVT and the author of the award winning Tills Alla Dör, or Until Everyone's Dead. But first we look at what's coming up in February. Visit the link below to get all the key i...

In this bonus episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by panelists Richard Orange and Becky Waterton, as well as special guest Andreas Cervenka, author of the award winning Girig-Sverige, or Greedy Sweden. We discuss how rising interest rates are putting pressure on homeowners, how billionaires are profiting from Sweden’s most disadvantaged areas, how an ex-politician...

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by panelists Emma Löfgren, Richard Orange and Becky Waterton, as well as special guest Andreas Cervenka, author of the award winning Girig-Sverige, or Greedy Sweden. On this week's episode we dissect Sweden's stalled Nato application and who's behind the Koran-burning stunt that prompted Turkey to postpone the ratif...

In the latest episode, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by panelists Emma Löfgren, Richard Orange and James Savage. On this week's episode we explore a game-changing rare earth metal find in northern Sweden .  We discuss Sweden's priorities for the EU presidency with Louise Bengtsson, senior researcher at the Swedish Institute for European Policy Studies. INTERVIEW: What's on the agenda for Swede...

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by panelists Becky Waterton , Emma Löfgren and James Savage. On this week's episode we examine the King’s 43-year grudge against a law change on the line of succession. Swedish King still annoyed over 'unfair' succession law We discuss why this is a good year for public holidays in Sweden. How to make the most of Sw...

In the final episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast for 2022, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by regular panelists Becky Waterton , Richard Orange and James Savage. What does 2023 hold in store for Sweden? We chat about some of the stories expected to dominate the news agenda next year. Check out our preview article to find out more:  Everything that changes in Sweden in 2023  A special tha...

Here are some of the stories we discuss in this week's episode: John Oliver discover's Malmö's sexy bins Sweden blocks extradition of Turkish journalist Government orders crackdown on work and residence permit abuses Crown Princess’s favourite chimp dies after zoo escape Jan: storms Feb: Bishop defrocked March: Melodifestivalen April: Nyamko Sabuni resigns May: Boris Johnson to Harpsund June: Riks...

SURVEY: Share your feedback on Sweden in Focus JOIN THE LOCAL: Podcast listener offer __  In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by regular panelists Becky Waterton , Richard Orange and James Savage, as well as guest Jonas Engman , ethnologist and curator at Nordiska Museet and an expert on Swedish traditions. This week our columnist David Crouch wrote...

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by regular panelists Becky Waterton , Richard Orange and James Savage, as well as guest Anna Troberg, chairman of the DIK union for culture sector workers and an opponent of the government's plans for a cultural canon. We also have an interview with Pakistan's ambassador to Sweden, Zahoor Ahmed, to find out about th...

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by regular panelists Becky Waterton , Richard Orange and James Savage . We also have interviews with the Irish Ambassador to Sweden, Austin Gormley, and psychologist Mona Lindqvist from the Stockholm region's Transcultural Center.   For our main topic this week we look at how Swedes and foreigners can over...

JOIN THE LOCAL: Podcast listener offer __ In the latest episode of Sweden in Focus we chat about the heavy snow that has fallen this week and how Sweden has coped.  READER PICS: Snow turns Sweden into a winter wonderland Six things they don’t tell you about the snow in Sweden  We look at how Advent is celebrated in Sweden. How a German Christmas tradition became distinctively Swedish We...

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by regular panelists Becky Waterton , Richard Orange and James Savage , as well as guest Sayaka Osanami Törngren , Associate Professor in International Migration and Ethnic Relations at Malmö University. This week we start with a chat about the World Cup in Qatar which kicks off this weekend. How can I watch the 202...

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by regular panelists Becky Waterton , Richard Orange and James Savage . The episode also features an interview with Paul Levin , Director of Stockholm University’s Institute for Turkish Studies.  Sweden's speech culture.  When and how should you give a speech or toast in Sweden? The new government’s first...

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by regular panelists Becky Waterton, Richard Orange and James Savage. The episode also features interviews with Jörgen Hedman, an author and researcher who has written extensively about the history of a Swedish village in Ukraine, and Kimberly Nicholas, a climate scientist at Lund University.  This week's topic...

In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by regular panelists Becky Waterton, Richard Orange and James Savage, as well as US tech worker Kat Zhou, who found herself in the eye of a storm after posting about her experiences of racism in Sweden on Twitter. We also hear from Kash Haresamudram , a doctoral researcher in Lund who was one of more than 500 respon...

SURVEY: Share your feedback on Sweden in Focus JOIN THE LOCAL: Podcast listener offer __ In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by regular panelists Becky Waterton , Richard Orange and James Savage . We also have expert commentary from labour policy expert Tove Hovemyr and human rights expert John Stauffer , legal director at Human Rights Watch.  In...

SURVEY: Share your feedback on Sweden in Focus JOIN THE LOCAL: Podcast listener offer __ In the latest episode of our Sweden in Focus podcast, host Paul O’Mahony is joined by regular panelists Becky Waterton, Richard Orange and James Savage.  After weeks of deliberation the Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson told the parliamentary speaker on Friday he was finally ready to form a new govern...