Every second doctor in Sweden trained abroad
Almost half of the newly educated doctors in Sweden 2008 were trained abroad. The exact number is 48 % according to the National Board for Health and Welfare. Most of the foreign trained doctors got their education in other EU-countries, Germany and Greece were most frequent. Outside the EU, Iraq was the most frequent country.

God’s House in Nacka
According to Bishop Wadensjö it’s all about unity. In Nacka, outside of Stockholm, a model has been developed of a church and a mosque under the same roof. It’s a unique project, if indeed it will be brought to fruition, where people with different religions are to be brought together for worship in the same building. Sweden Democratic leader Jimmie Åkesson is of the opinion that “The Moslems are our greatest foreign threat”. Bishop Bengt Wadensjö doesn’t agree: “Since a few years back now, we (Nacka Congregation at the Church of Sweden, S:t Konrad’s Catholic Congregation and the Moslem organization in Fisksätra) have discussed the building of a joint God’s house. It will be a church and a mosque under the same roof. The purpose is to create a unified manifestation regardless of faith, culture and language. The building will be a powerful antidote to those who view Moslems and Catholics as strange and threatening elements in society.” Wadensjö continues to explain that: “Moslems are generally peaceful and honest people who have never dealt in the export of weapons to either Western Europe or the US. We know who export weapons and where.” The project God’s House, Wadensjö explains, is to be a unique project. The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus similarly hosted both a church and a mosque but that was way back in the 600’s. Wadensjö further explains that there’s a common root to these religions in that they both venerate Abraham as a founding patriarch. “Nacka Congregation has now received a special ‘value foundation’ from us, in which we share what is our common vision for God’s House,” he says. A multicultural variety is to be created and through a dialogue both Christians and Moslems are going to use their belief in God as an instrument in creating peace. Wadensjö points out that it’s important to understand that this God’s house is not meant as a place where religions are mixed, rather as a meeting place for people of different faiths.

Mona Sahlin stays as party leader
The Social democrats have appointed a special crisis group, which shall seek for explanations for their election result, the worst since the introduction of equal suffrage. The party chairman Mona Sahlin says she will not resign. “A party leader is something you are in good times as well as in bad,” she said.

Fewer women in parliament with Sweden Democrats
The new parliament will be less equal than the previous one in terms of gender distribution. Of the 349 members there are now 157 women. That means the new parliament consists of 45 % women, compared with 47 % in the former. The reason for the women's decline is the entry of new parliament members from the Sweden Democrats - of their 20 seats only three are held by women.

ABBA chides Danske Folkeparti for song use
Björn Ulvaeus, one of the co-founders of legendary Swedish pop group ABBA, criticized the Danish People’s Party (DF) today for their use of the band’s ‘Mamma Mia’ song at their national congress this past weekend. Ulvaeus found out about the song’s use through an email which left-wing activist group, Modkraft, sent to his manager, Görel Hanser, asking if Ulvaeus was a backer of the right-wing Danish People’s Party. Publishing company Universal Music sent an email response from Ulvaeus back to Modkraft stating that ABBA “does not allow their music to be used in any political context”. Hanser said that Ulvaeus was looking into the matter further to determine if any additional action would be taken. DF’s youth group played the song at the congress in honor of the party’s leader, Pia Kjærsgaard.