Sweden in Focus is The Local’s weekly podcast where we discuss the big news and talking points in Sweden as well as explore and explain the issues that impact life in the country. We also answer your essential questions and look ahead at what’s coming up.
In each episode presenter Paul O’Mahony chats about the most important news and must-know information with The Local Sweden’s James Savage, Emma Löfgren, Richard Orange and Becky Waterton. They are frequently joined by other expert commentators.
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Sweden in Focus is The Local’s weekly podcast where we discuss the big news and talking points in Sweden as well as explore and explain the issues that impact life in the country. We also answer your essential questions and look ahead at what’s coming up.
In each episode presenter Paul O’Mahony chats about the most important news and must-know information with The Local Sweden’s James Savage, Emma Löfgren, Richard Orange and Becky Waterton. They are frequently joined by other expert commentators.
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Instead of a news roundup Sweden in Focus this week consists of a conversation with a journalist who has contributed several articles to The Local recently charting the immigrant experience.
Faisal Khan ended up in Sweden after life in Afghanistan became "unbearable" for him and his family. It was a country he knew little about but soon came to appreciate. Despite a rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric he's hopeful Sweden can "correct course" and focus on finding solutions to real societal problems without seeking scapegoats.
"I love everything about Sweden. I love its bad weather. I love its bad jokes, even though I don't understand most of them. My body doesn't accept the cold weather but I'm still optimistic," he says.
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Join us for an end-of-year quiz as we look back at the stories that shaped Sweden in 2025.
Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local's Becky Waterton, Richard Orange and James Savage.
The year kicked off with revelations that Sweden's national security advisor had mislaid highly sensitive documents and ended with the country's right-wing leaders meeting in the Prime Minister's home to hatch plans for election year.
But how much do our contestants remember? And can you outperform them?
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode we talk about Christmas and how to celebrate like a Swede.
We also discuss why prominent Moderate Party politicians are arguing amongst themselves about the merits of government policies that are forcing immigrants with jobs to leave the country.
For Membership+ subscribers we look at the economic forecast for Sweden in 2026, which will also be a useful barometer to gauge the government’s chances of securing reelection.
Finally we explain why a court has called off this year’s controversial wolf hunt and why a prominent commentator is linking anti-wolf sentiment to right-wing extremism.
Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Richard Orange and Becky Waterton. The episode also features an excerpt from an interview with Moderate Party youth leader Douglas Thor.
Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:
Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.
Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Voters in Sweden will decide next year whether to keep the current coalition government bolstered by the far-right Sweden Democrats or switch to a more left-leaning alternative.
The Local’s Nordic editor Richard Orange caught up recently with Jonas Hinnfors, a political science professor at Lund University, to get his predictions for the year ahead.
Can the right-wing parties claw back the percentage points they need to surpass a potential Social Democrat-led coalition in the polls?
What are the topics likely to dominate the debate in 2026? Will immigration take centre stage again?
Which leaders risk getting the boot, and will all current parties meet the four-percent parliamentary threshold?
Tune in to this week's episode for the full interview.
READ ALSO:
Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.
Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.
Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode we talk about why immigrants in Sweden are often lumped into categories and what needs to be done to forge real connections, and we look at what Indian readers are telling us about their relationship with Sweden.
Also, after the United States released a national security strategy that sent shockwaves through Europe, we examine what commentators are saying about the potential ramifications here in Sweden.
For Membership+ subscribers we discuss what it takes to get a gymnasium, or upper secondary level, qualification in Swedish.
And with Princess Sofia in the news over meetings with Jeffrey Epstein, we talk through her rise to prominence from Paradise Hotel contest to Duchess of Värmland.
Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Richard Orange and James Savage. The episode also features an interview with our contributor Faisal Khan.
Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:
Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.
Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+
Read more about Membership+ in our help centre.
Already have Membership+ but not receiving all the episodes? Go to the podcast tab on your account page to activate your subscription.
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week’s episode of Sweden in Focus Extra, we hear from the Umeå-based Canadian writer. Mandy Pipher about what it's been like moving to Umeå in northern Sweden.
Mandy wrote recently in an article for The Local about the ignorance and prejudices people from Norrland often face about a region that makes up more than half of Sweden’s surface area.
We wanted to catch up with her to find out more about why she moved to Umeå and what kind of reactions she has had when telling people about her move to northern Sweden.
She also talks about the complicated history underpinning many southerners' preconceived notions about a part of the country she describes as 'magical' in many respects.
Tune in to this week's episode for the full interview with Mandy Pipher.
READ ALSO:
Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.
Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.
Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode we talk about why northern Sweden doesn’t get the recognition it deserves from southerners, and we prepare for the annual Lucia festivities by getting to know some of the most common songs that are sung to mark the day.
For membership+ subscribers we find out why Swedish publishers have reported Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to the police.
Finally we examine how new Swedish migration rules could affect foreign residents in 2026.
Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and James Savage.
Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:
The link we mention for reporting scam ads isn't live yet. We'll add it here once it's up.
Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.
Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Can our panelists pass the vocabulary section of högskoleprovet, the Swedish university entrance exam?
Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local's Becky Waterton and James Savage.
Do you know what a nässeldjur is? None of our panelists did. Tune in to see how you fare in our multiple-choice quiz.
Already a Membership+ subscriber? Make sure to activate Sweden in Focus Extra via the podcast tab on your account page.
READ ALSO:
Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.
Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.
Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode we talk about Sweden’s immigrant deportation centres and why reports of miserable conditions there should concern everyone in Sweden.
We also discuss the two-decades old murder in a religious sect of a pastor’s wife in a case that gripped Sweden for months at the time.
With 2026 nearly upon us, we hear some of The Local’s readers’ predictions for what next will bring.
Finally, a Sweden Democrat youth leader argued at the weekend that Islam has no place in Sweden. Is this kind of extreme comment a harbinger of what’s to come if the far-right party gets its first ever ministerial appointments after next year’s election?
Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Richard Orange and James Savage.
____
Here's the Black Friday deal mentioned in the introduction.
____
And here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week’s episode we hear a conversation our Nordic editor Richard Orange had recently with Sasan Kazemian, an Iranian doctor who quit his job and left Sweden for Iran in September after he was refused a work permit extension.
We’ve spoken to him previously for the podcast and wanted to catch up again to find out about his application to return to Sweden on a Blue Card visa.
But any hopes he had of coming back to his girlfriend and apartment in Huddinge have been put on hold after the Migration Agency deemed him a “threat to public order”.
Having spent lots of time and money learning Swedish and getting his Swedish medical qualifications, Kazemian is determined to return. But how likely is it that he’ll win his appeal?
Tune in to this week's episode for the full story.
READ ALSO:
Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.
Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.
Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode we talk about strategies for coping with the long Swedish winter now that temperatures have taken a serious nosedive.
In politics, with several parties teetering on the brink of the parliamentary threshold, we examine what happens to their votes if they don’t quite make it.
For Membership+ subscribers, we discuss new figures from the Migration Agency confirming a major slowdown in citizenship and work permit approvals.
Finally, we look at what readers of The Local are telling us about items they miss from home and how they manage to get their hands on them in Sweden.
Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and James Savage.
____
Here's the Black Friday deal mentioned in the introduction.
____
And here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week’s episode deputy editor Becky Waterton chats with Tom Simpson, a New Zealander who missed the kind of savoury pies that were commonplace in his homeland so much that he set up his own bakery and set to work creating NZ pies, which can now be found in supermarkets all over Sweden.
So what's in his pies, and what advice he would give to anyone considering setting up their own business in Sweden?
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode we talk about a new map that shows just how successfully we immigrants are managing to take control of Sweden.
We also put faces to the names of some of Sweden’s most popular brands.
For Membership+ subscribers we uncork the results of a reader survey about the Swedish sense of humour.
We also get into why it will no longer be possible to drop in for a visit to your local Migration Agency contact centre.
Finally, we examine why language tests for citizenship applicants might not see the light of day for another three years.
Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Richard Orange and Becky Waterton.
Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:
Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.
Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Can our panelists pass the vocabulary section of högskoleprovet, the Swedish university entrance exam?
Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local's Richard Orange and James Savage.
Can you tell your lenses from your lentils? Have you heard the term på måfå? And what's a show trial in Swedish?
READ ALSO:
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode we talk about how many people get divorced in Sweden and what the experience has been like for readers of The Local.
We also look at international flights: why are there more flights than before out of Stockholm and why is it so expensive to fly from Gothenburg? Also, who are all those people in the photos in the arrivals hall at Arlanda Airport?
For Membership+ subscribers, we examine what detainees are saying about conditions inside Sweden’s immigrant detention centres.
And with the Centre Party electing a new leader, is anyone in Swedish politics ready to present an optimistic view of Sweden’s future?
Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Richard Orange and James Savage.
Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:
Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.
Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
It's quiz time again in this week's episode of Sweden in Focus Extra for Membership+ subscribers.
Can our panelists pass the vocabulary section of högskoleprovet, the Swedish university entrance exam?
Host Paul O’Mahony is joined this week by The Local's Becky Waterton and James Savage.
Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.
Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.
Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode we talk about why Sweden is paying Somalia to accept citizens deported from Sweden and whether the political scandal is helping or hurting the government.
We also explain why a lot of Swedes will be eating goose blood soup to celebrate St Martin’s Day.
For Membership+ subscribers we discuss why a growing number of Swedish towns are refusing to help the government with its plan to encourage more people who came to Sweden as refugees to leave the country.
Finally, we’ lift the lid on some of the biggest taboos in Swedish politics.
Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and James Savage.
Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:
Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.
Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week's episode of Sweden in Focus Extra for Membership+ poses some seriously tricky Swedish language questions.
It’s time again to learn some Swedish as our panelists try their hand at the tricky vocabulary section of högskoleprovet, the Swedish university entrance exam.
Host Paul O’Mahony in Stockholm is joined this week by The Local's Becky Waterton and James Savage.
Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.
Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.
Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode we talk about Sweden’s new men’s football manager Graham Potter and we ask how good his Swedish is.
We dig into a survey of readers of The Local asking how people found their jobs in what has become a very difficult country to find work.
For Membership+ subscribers we’ll look ahead to what to expect from next week’s autumn school break and the Halloween and All Saints holidays.
And finally we examine the latest citizenship news after the Migration Agency announced that it will grant citizenship to far fewer people this year than last.
Host Paul O'Mahony is joined this week by regular panelists Becky Waterton and Richard Orange.
Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:
Sign up now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.
Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When the hummus bar he founded really started to take off, Ibra Idrees employed his parents and brought them to Sweden But his mother and father now face deportation after the Migration Agency rejected his mother’s work permit.
In his conversation with The Local’s Becky Waterton, Idrees explains how he developed Hummusson into one of Malmö best-loved haunts and how the establishment's family-made hummus ended up on supermarket shelves.
But mostly he talks about why he thinks the Migration Agency botched the case and why he's determined to fight to keep his parents in Sweden.
READ ALSO:
Sweden in Focus Extra is a podcast for The Local's Membership+ subscribers.
Sign up to Membership+ now and get early, ad-free access to a full-length episode of the Sweden in Focus podcast every weekend, as well as Sweden in Focus Extra every Wednesday.
Please visit the link that applies to you and get a 40% discount on Membership+
Become a member at https://www.thelocal.se/podcasts/podcast-offer?tpcc=padlock.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.