BBC Radio 4: Black Hill, Bleak Summer

In Sweden’s far north, indigenous Sami people say their culture is threatened by carbon-cutting industries. Listen at BBC Sounds.

An immersive audio experience for BBC Radio 3's After Dark festival at Sage Gateshead. Composer and sound artist Rob Mackay at five locations where remains of Hadrian’s Wall can be found in Newcastle, complemented by the words of writers and poets as they respond to the sounds of Tyne.

Conservationist Rodrigo Medellin is working to protect Mexico's bats and its iconic spirits - tequila and mezcal. Can tequila become “bat friendly”?

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In the summer of 1978, many Swedish workers relished the chance to take longer, paid vacations than ever before.This was thanks to an update to Sweden’s Annual Leave Act - or Semesterlagen in Swedish - passed the previous year.

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The law guaranteed all employees four consecutive weeks of vacation, and increased their total annual leave to five weeks, giving them some of the longest paid holidays in the world.These policies transformed the way Swedes do business. Many factories and offices shut down for an entire month during the summer. Today,Sweden retains its strong reputation for work-life balance, and the annual leave act has given rise to the 'sommar jobb' - short summer jobs that help cover holiday absences.

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(Photo: Inga Persson. Credit: Inga Persson)

Producer: Maddy Savage

A Bespoken Media production for BBC World Service.

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