The following articles have been tagged with "Liberal":
Politics: 16 May 13
The number of Swedes who support joining Nato has gone up by 9 percentage points since 2011, a new opinion poll has revealed.
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Analysis & Opinion: 14 May 13
Media and politicians in Sweden need to do a better job explaining that not all discrimination is based on racism. There are ways people can overcome it to climb the social ladder, argues liberal commentator Nima Sanandaji.
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Politics: 6 May 13
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt surprised listeners on Monday by spontaneously calling in to a radio talk show to answer criticism about Sweden's nuclear anti-proliferation policy.
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Business & Money: 6 May 13
Swedish political party leaders clashed on primetime TV on Sunday night, with Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and opposition leader Stefan Löfven butting heads over labour policy.
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National: 4 May 13
Swedish Muslims fighting in Syria and other conflict zones could return home to carry out terror attacks and Sweden has a lot to learn from other EU countries when it comes to preventing Islamist terrorism, a new report claims.
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Education: 3 May 13
The introduction of school vouchers in Sweden, allowing pupils to shop around for their school, could explain the widening gap in quality between different schools, a new report has claimed.
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Business & Money: 29 Apr 13
Swedish clothing chain H&M plans to open 50 stores in India in the hopes of tapping into the country's growing middle-class market.
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Analysis & Opinion: 29 Apr 13
Political leaders in Sweden and elsewhere could do themselves and women a favour by sticking to the facts when beating the drum for gender equality, argues liberal commentator Nima Sanandaji.
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Politics: 28 Apr 13
The Sweden Democrats have lost a third of their support since a record high in December, according to a new voter poll published on Sunday.
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Politics: 22 Apr 13
The revelation that Nato stepped in instead of the Swedish military during a recent Russian fly-by has Swedish political commentators seething, while the defence minister has admitted a shift in Russia's military behaviour.
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Society: 19 Apr 13
A Swedish fluorescent lamps firm is tapping into the booming market for medicinal marijuana in the US, evoking negative reactions from some experts who warn that young people may be at risk.
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Lifestyle: 18 Apr 13
With the sun finally showing its face in the far north of Sweden, ex-Londoner Paul Connolly debunks some of the common stereotypes about his corner of the country, and explains how some recent good news may help break the social barrier.
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Analysis & Opinion: 16 Apr 13
As debate rages in Sweden about the role of private firms in the country's publicly-financed healthcare system, liberal commentator Nima Sanandaji suggests Swedes may find a solution inspired by an innovative heart surgeon from India.
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Politics: 14 Apr 13
The opposition Social Democrats, Left Party and Green Party would claim 50.3 percent of the vote if an election were to be held today, according to a new voter poll.
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Analysis & Opinion: 9 Apr 13
The Swedish integration debate should focus on the difficult trade-offs needed in a country that is not optimal for immigration, rather than getting bogged down in the semantics of racism, argues Andreas Johansson Heinö.
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Analysis & Opinion: 8 Apr 13
Swedish reactions to the death on Monday of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, 87, ranged from celebratory to lumping her together with former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
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Politics: 7 Apr 13
Pressure is mounting on Sweden's foreign minister Carl Bildt to take action against the torture of Eritreans in Egypt and the blackmailing of their relatives in Sweden and other European countries.
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Analysis & Opinion: 4 Apr 13
With the Social Democrats gathered at their party congress in Gothenburg in western Sweden, The Local catches up with political scientist Ulf Bjereld to find out more about the party's chances of regaining power in 2014.
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Politics: 1 Apr 13
According to the latest polls, the Social Democrats are winning back voters from the ruling conservative Moderates and are gaining growing support among male and urban voters.
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Education: 27 Mar 13
Sweden's teacher training colleges are admitting students who score very poorly in entrance exams, a new review has shown.
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Analysis & Opinion: 26 Mar 13
Finding a place to live is key for integrating immigrant families in Sweden, but Swedish housing policy throws a spanner in the works for even the most enterprising immigrant families, argues local Liberal Party politician Robert Hannah.
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Politics: 22 Mar 13
The Centre Party's pingpong battle over a controversial ideas programme that saw its voter support shrink could be nearing its end as members rally for a "future conference" and leader Annie Lööf heralds a "green and liberal" stance.
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Politics: 18 Mar 13
Migration Minister Tobias Billström unleashed a storm of criticism on Monday with comments that people who help illegal immigrants in Sweden are rarely "blonde and blue-eyed".
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Politics: 15 Mar 13
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has denied claims he leaked details of secret meetings to the United States following media reports based on diplomatic cables obtained by WikiLeaks.
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Science & Technology: 12 Mar 13
Sweden's current ban on smoking in bars and airplanes could be extended to parks, beaches, as well as people's own cars, according to a proposal under consideration by the Swedish National Institute for Public Health.
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National: 6 Mar 13
The small Swedish town of Emmaboda has vetoed a petition to introduce women-only hours at the municipal swimming pool, and instead wants to start selling burkinis to its observant Muslim bathers.
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National: 1 Mar 13
The CIA invested heavily in propaganda in Sweden during the early years of the Cold War to counteract Soviet influence, confirms a new documentary that includes details about left-leaning Swedes who sympathized with the US.
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Education: 27 Feb 13
Nearly half of principals in Sweden want to see control of schools taken away from intrusive local government officials and put back in the hands of the state, a new survey has shown.
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Politics: 25 Feb 13
Sweden's governing centre-right coalition had problems raising its flag on Monday, as the four party leaders met in the childhood village of Centre Party leader Annie Lööf.
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Politics: 23 Feb 13
The Swedish government is split over whether to reform a rule requiring businesses to cover the first two weeks of sick leave pay for employees.
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Analysis & Opinion: 13 Feb 13
As Sweden continues to discuss internet hatred, Paulina Neuding, editor of centre-right Swedish magazine Neo, argues that the left openly subjects opinion-makers who disagree with them to similarly hateful comments.
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National: 13 Feb 13
Sweden’s foreign minister chose to begin his annual foreign policy speech with a focus on Nordic and Baltic cooperation, calling for a new “Hanseatic age of prosperity” and underlining joint military tasks.
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National: 13 Feb 13
Sweden's foreign policy is being debated in the Riksdag on Wednesday. Follow The Local's live blog for the latest updates and reactions.
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Politics: 11 Feb 13
Sweden should consider placing US-made Patriot missiles on the island of Gotland to help deter a resurgent Russia, Sweden's deputy prime minister has argued in a call for greater military spending.
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Politics: 8 Feb 13
Sweden will see its EU membership fee drop by half a billion kronor ($77 million) as part of a new long term budget agreement forged in Brussels on Friday.
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National: 7 Feb 13
WikiLeaks fan Jemima Khan, who helped post bail for its founder Julian Assange after he handed himself in to UK police over sex crime allegations by two Swedish women, has criticized his prolonged extradition fight.
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Politics: 6 Feb 13
The Swedish government has no plans to tighten asylum policy, Integration Minister Erik Ullenhag said on Tuesday in the wake of comments by Migration Minister Tobias Billström that current immigration levels are "unsustainable".
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Education: 31 Jan 13
With one in four Swedish language students dropping out of the state-run classes, three Liberal Party ministers argued on Thursday that the system is not helping newcomers integrate and needs a work-focused overhaul.
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Politics: 28 Jan 13
The Left Party and the far-right Sweden Democrats are the only parties in Sweden's parliament that are attracting new members, while the more centrist parties all face dwindling membership numbers, a new report shows.
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Analysis & Opinion: 23 Jan 13
There are several reasons why Swedes should support calls for reform of the European Union championed by British Prime Minister David Cameron, argues Mats Persson, president of the Open Europe think tank.
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Politics: 21 Jan 13
Following Equality Minister Nyamko Sabuni's quick retreat, the government announced that her top aide, Maria Arnholm, who has a history in PR and marketing, would take over.
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Politics: 21 Jan 13
Sweden's Equality Minister Nyamko Sabuni announced on Monday morning that she was resigning from her post to allow her successor time to prepare for the 2014 elections.
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Politics: 20 Jan 13
The Centre Party fell to its lowest result since 1967 in a new voters' poll published on Sunday following weeks of turbulence surrounding the party's new programme.
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Politics: 20 Jan 13
Sweden's equality minister Nyamko Sabuni has proposed a new law requiring companies to strive for a balance between women and men in the boardroom, while rejecting the idea of direct quotas.
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National: 17 Jan 13
Gender equality has fallen off many Swedish citizens' list of top-priorities, several speakers noted at a labour and equality conference in Stockholm on Thursday.
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Politics: 16 Jan 13
The opposition Social Democrats have accused the government of being ill-prepared to deal with unemployment in the new year's first party leader debate in the Riksdag.
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Analysis & Opinion: 16 Jan 13
The UK has taken a page out of Sweden's textbook and is surging ahead with the free school movement. The Local’s Christine Demsteader looks at the lessons that can be learned from Sweden's system of publicly-financed, privately-managed schools.
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Politics: 16 Jan 13
Sweden was the lone EU member state to opt out of a petition the UN Security Council to take Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the International Criminal Court (ICC), disappointing human rights observers who claim the move is "un-Swedish".
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Analysis & Opinion: 14 Jan 13
The Local speaks with Lund University political scientist Mikael Sundström to find out what's behind the Centre Party's current struggles and what they mean for Swedish politics.
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Politics: 11 Jan 13
A local chapter of the beleaguered Centre Party has penned an op-ed warning that Sweden will be "overrun by illiterate clans” if the party adopts a proposal on opening the borders, angering MP Frederick Federley and other top officials.
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Lifestyle: 10 Jan 13
A brown bear in blue dungarees dubbed the "world's strongest bear" celebrated 40 years of leading the battle for a kinder world this week, despite charges of being a communist and a turn-coat capitalist. Ursus comicus Bamse is The Local's Swede of the Week.
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Politics: 9 Jan 13
Sweden’s defence minister faced a barrage of criticism on Wednesday after she said it was “enough” for Sweden only to be able to defend itself militarily for a week if it came under attack.
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National: 9 Jan 13
A father convicted of shaking his infant daughter to death has been granted a retrial by Sweden's Supreme Court in a case that could result in a re-examination of other cases of "shaken baby syndrome".
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Education: 5 Jan 13
The Christian Democrats believe cutting schools' summer break by a week will help improve literacy, but the Swedish Teachers' Union disagrees
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Politics: 5 Jan 13
Resistance is growing within the ranks of the Centre Party over a radical new party programme which includes proposals on free immigration, polygamy and an end to compulsory schooling.
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Politics: 29 Dec 12
Open borders, polygamy, and an end to compulsory schooling are some of the proposals outlined in the controversial new Centre Party programme which has caused rifts in the already troubled party.
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Lifestyle: 21 Dec 12
The Local catches up with Jean-Pierre Lacroix, France's ambassador to Sweden, to talk Gerard Depardieu, Vikings, the EU, and where to get the best baguettes.
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Society: 18 Dec 12
A woman in eastern Sweden wants to take legal action after film officials translated the name of a dwarf in The Hobbit into her own “noble” Swedish name.
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Lifestyle: 17 Dec 12
After British comedian Ricky Gervais performed in Stockholm on Sunday night, The Local’s Oliver Gee reflects on why a liberal Swedish crowd took such delight in the mostly dark and, many would argue, offensive humour.
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Lifestyle: 11 Dec 12
Two women who have been exchanging hand-written letters between the United States and Sweden for more than three decades are set to meet in person for the first time, thanks in part to an innovative internet fundraising tool.
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Analysis & Opinion: 10 Dec 12
Forcing public healthcare providers to pay fines for long waiting times, rather than leaving citizens to suffer, would help improve Sweden's public system, argues liberal commentator Nima Sanandaji.
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Society: 6 Dec 12
In a new series profiling Swedish newsmakers, The Local takes a look at Cecilia Malmström, the Swedish EU Commissioner who this week helped launch a global alliance to combat child pornography.
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Politics: 5 Dec 12
It may be easier to sublet a flat or home in Sweden next year, but it may also be more expensive, according to a government bill which cleared an important legislative hurdle on Tuesday.
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Politics: 5 Dec 12
Support for the Sweden Democrats has risen 2.5 percentage points to 7.9 percent according to a new poll published on Wednesday, despite the scandals that have plagued the party since mid-November.
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Analysis & Opinion: 4 Dec 12
As Sweden marks 30 years since the first case of AIDS was diagnosed in the country, The Local's Christine Demsteader learns how Swedes have been forced to face an uncomfortable reality about the stigma surrounding those who first tested positive for HIV.
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Politics: 27 Nov 12
Sweden’s Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt is unhappy with Swedish members of the European parliament who supported an EU budget increase despite his centre-right coalition trying to keep down the costs.
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Society: 27 Nov 12
Two government ministers said on Monday they are ready to change Sweden's school laws after an agency ruled schools could not include religious elements in Advent services.
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Politics: 23 Nov 12
Only one woman, Enterprise Minister Annie Lööf, has made it into an annual top-ten list of the most powerful Swedes.
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Society: 20 Nov 12
Several residents in Örebro, central Sweden, were shocked when they sorted through their post recently and found a detailed account of a child sex crime committed by one of their neighbours.
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Politics: 20 Nov 12
The Sweden Democrats want to ban people with dual nationality from serving in the Swedish parliament, according to a secret document sent to the Riksdag's research unit and published by a Swedish newspaper.
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Analysis & Opinion: 15 Nov 12
Amid a still unfolding scandal for the Sweden Democrats, the opinion pages of Sweden's four main newspapers agree that the party has lost its painstakingly crafted non-racist front once and for all.
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Politics: 12 Nov 12
A Swedish member of the European Parliament has blasted Malta's European Commissioner-designate and current foreign minister Tonio Borg as a "scandal" and a "dinosaur" due to his conservative views on women's rights.
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Politics: 10 Nov 12
Swedish schoolteachers should be trained on how to handle racism in the classroom, according to a new report into xenophobia presented to the government on Friday.
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Analysis & Opinion: 8 Nov 12
Following the significant coverage of the US elections in the Swedish media, the opinion pages of the four main newspapers have moved focus to the challenges which lie ahead for the re-elected American president.
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Politics: 7 Nov 12
Leading politicians in Sweden of all political stripes rejoiced early Wednesday morning over the re-election of US president Barack Obama, but cautioned he has a tough road ahead.
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Politics: 6 Nov 12
With voters in the United States heading to the polls on Tuesday, Republicans in Sweden reflect on Mitt Romney's chances and the challenges of living in a country that doesn't always appreciate their point of view.
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Education: 29 Oct 12
The Liberal Party wants to introduce grades in Swedish schools from year 4, when the children are ten years old, in a bid to encourage students to work harder.
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Politics: 23 Oct 12
Together with its coalition partners, the Moderate Party is starting early in its bid for electoral victory, unveiling a "Hello Sweden" campaign nearly two years ahead of the 2014 elections.
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National: 14 Oct 12
The Sweden Democrats are Sweden's fourth largest political party, according to a new poll, while the opposition parties maintained their lead over the Alliance government.
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National: 12 Oct 12
Several Swedish government ministers welcomed the news that the European Union has been awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize, with foreign minister Carl Bildt claiming it was "highly deserved".
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Society: 8 Oct 12
Hundreds of people gathered in Stockholm on Sunday to show solidarity with the Jews of Malmö, where a Jewish community building was attacked last month.
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Politics: 8 Oct 12
Jobs, the economy, and welfare gains were the subjects of a heated debate when Sweden’s eight party leaders met for the autumn’s first televised debate since the opening of the new parliamentary session.
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Politics: 7 Oct 12
The majority of Swedes believe Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, head of the Moderate Party, is better equipped than Social Democrat party head Stefan Löfven to run the country, a new poll shows.
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Society: 4 Oct 12
Ten percent of Swedish libraries don’t stock Tintin comic books on their shelves, according to a new survey, deeming the content to be “too racist” for their patrons.
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Society: 23 Sep 12
Over 1,000 dance enthusiasts took to the streets of Stockholm on Saturday in protest against Sweden's "absurd, obsolete and offensive" dance license law.
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Analysis & Opinion: 18 Sep 12
With a new film once again turning Swedes' attention toward Olof Palme, historian and political commentator David Linden argues the assassinated Swedish Prime Minister was, in many ways, more of an American politician than a Swedish one.
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Analysis & Opinion: 10 Sep 12
While Sweden is often held up as a shining example of the benefits of a generous welfare state, a new paper argues that free markets, rather than a large state sector, are the real key to Sweden's economic success.
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Education: 7 Sep 12
Sweden should use some of its foreign aid budget to pay for scholarships that would cover tuition fees for students from developing countries who want to study at Swedish universities, a new report argues.
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National: 6 Sep 12
The 15-year-old boy from Afghanistan who sewed his mouth shut after his residency application was rejected will not be deported from Sweden after a previous decision was reversed on Thursday.
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National: 5 Sep 12
A 15-year-old boy from Afghanistan who sewed his mouth shut after his application for Swedish residency was rejected will be deported to Italy, in what a Swedish MEP called a "humanitarian catastrophe in my own country".
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Analysis & Opinion: 29 Aug 12
Those who try to explain away the racism experienced by Somalis in Forserum in south central Sweden are simply adding insult to injury, argues local Green Party politician Etelka Huber.
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Education: 28 Aug 12
The government plans to budget for 400 new spots for engineering students at Sweden's universities next year in an effort to boost the country's corps of capable engineers.
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Politics: 20 Aug 12
The gap between the two political blocks in Sweden is widening, according to a new poll showing that the centre-right government alliance parties are losing ground.
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Analysis & Opinion: 18 Jul 12
Those who immigrate to Sweden for love can run into trouble if they become too dependent on their Swedish partners, argue Liberal Party ministers Nyamko Sabuni and Erik Ullenhag, who propose expanding the availability of society orientation courses as a first step toward improving the situation.
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Politics: 18 Jul 12
The government wants to increase support for vulnerable female “love immigrants” who may not know their rights with the aim of helping them better adjust to life in Sweden.
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Science & Technology: 17 Jul 12
Swedish health officials have approved a request from Stockholm to launch a needle exchange programme for drug addicts in the Swedish capital.
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Politics: 11 Jul 12
Fredrik Reinfeldt filed a formal divorce application on Wednesday at the Stockholm District Court, seeking to ending what had been a 20 year marriage with his wife Filippa.
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Analysis & Opinion: 9 Jul 12
Correspondent and commentator David Linden looks at whether leaders of Sweden's three centre-right political parties – which sometimes struggle in the shadow of the Moderates – managed to put their parties in the Almedalen spotlight.
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Business & Money: 8 Jul 12
Ikea's plans to open 25 of the company's trademark blue-and-yellow home furnishing stores in India are being clouded by a disagreement over sourcing regulations.
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Politics: 5 Jul 12
While expectations were high ahead of Fredrik Reinfeldt's speech at Almedalen, correspondent and commentator David Linden reports that it remains unclear whether Sweden's prime minister really wowed the crowd – or voters.
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Be British, be sincere and be bold »
"Sweden is a veritable smorgåsbord for UK business. I see our work as a bit like a kind of dragon’s den for both for larger and smaller British companies. It is about matching the UK companies, not with cash, but with Swedish market opportunities." READ »