December 30, 2014
As hundreds of thousands of Swedes head for sunshine over the winter holidays, police in Australia have reported a rise in young Scandinavians posing as bogus beggars. READ
There are more Swedish billionaires than ever before, an annual list has found, with 147 Swedes able to put at least nine zeros on the end of their bank account balance. READ
Swedes love to set off fireworks as they see in the New Year but new research suggests increasing numbers want the practice banned or limited to improve safety. READ
The Local's music guru Paul Connolly hand picks his top ten Swedish songs of 2014. Put on your headphones, sit comfortably, and enjoy the best sounds Sweden has had to offer this year. READ
2014 has been the warmest year Sweden has ever experienced, according to meteorologists. READ
Analysts, journalists and voters are still trying to get their heads around the shock news that Sweden's government has cancelled plans for a snap election. With some help from two leading political scientists, here's The Local's beginner's guide to what happens next. READ
In autumn next year, Swedes will experience the biggest switch in bank notes and coins that the country has ever seen, a move that will include a brand new 200 kronor note and two kronor coin. READ
The Local's northern Sweden reporter Paul Connolly, has strapped on his sunglasses and paid a visit to an Umeå sun room, in an effort to combat the region's long, dark winter. READ
UPDATED: Police suspect a mosque in southern Sweden was deliberately torched on Monday, with a local imam blaming rising Islamophobia in the region. READ
For this week's My Swedish Career, Mimmi Nilsson meets Ho Wan Jeremy Leung, a British-Chinese pianist and music teacher based in southern Sweden. Rediscovering his passion for music, he hopes to pass on his enjoyment of playing the piano to others. READ
Sweden may have narrowly avoided snap elections that would have been dominated by a debate on immigration, but with asylum seekers arriving in record numbers the issue is unlikely to stay off the agenda for long, analysts say. READ
A particularly active sun alongside clear cold nights has dramatically raised the chances of experiencing the Northern Lights in Swedish skies in 2015. READ
The EU should demand that Romania meets its membership obligations and prioritizes its destitute people ahead of 'pharaoh-esque' building projects, the Liberal Party's Jenny Sonesson argues. READ
The Local looks at how Swedes are remembering the tidal wave that shook South-East Asia exactly ten years ago, leaving 543 Swedes dead. READ
For this week's My Swedish Career, The Local chats to Filippo Vanzo, a freelance illustrator who started to picture life in Stockholm after meeting his Swedish girlfriend online. READ
The word wizards at the Swedish Language Council have revealed 40 new words taken up by the Swedish language this year, explaining new phenomena from taking snaps with celebrities to giving away TV show plots. READ
Hundreds of commuters in Stockholm and southern Sweden were facing delays during the first rush hour since Christmas, after a signal failure north of Norrköping. READ
Many snowboarders and skiers are strapping on their boots for the first time this winter, as slopes start to open in the south and west of the country. READ
The infamous Christmas goat in Gävle has beaten off the arsonists and made it through the holiday season for the first time in years, with its spokesperson telling The Local that the goat is now set for China. READ
A Swede is believed to be among the near 500 passengers battling for survival onboard an Italian ferry which caught fire off the Greek island of Corfu on Sunday. READ
Police in central Sweden have yet to make any arrests following a fire at a mosque on Christmas Day, which left several people hurt. READ
The acting party leader of the Sweden Democrats has hit out at Social Democrat Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and the centre-right Alliance parties for backing out of next year's planned election, and stated that his nationalist party is now the main opposition as a result. READ
Sweden's government has abandoned plans to hold a snap election in March 2015, after crisis talks between Social Democrat Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and the country's four centre-right parties known as the Alliance. READ
Hundreds of Swedes took to the streets on Friday to denounce an arson attack on a mosque that injured five people, with Prime Minister Stefan Löfven branding the attack as "hateful violence." READ
The Swedish embassy and Swedish Church has organized a ceremony on the beach at Khao Lak in Thailand on Friday in remembrance of the devastating 2004 tsunami which claimed almost 228,000 lives, including over 500 Swedes. READ
In a barbaric affront to Muslim sensibilities, part of a pig's head and some pork tripe was attached to the door of a Mosque in Vienna's 21st district on Christmas day. READ
Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis said on Friday it has won approval to market its Cosentyx psoriasis treatment in Japan, making it the first country to authorise commercialisation of the drug. READ
Business leaders, the political class and average Germans are pushing back against a growing anti-immigrant movement, saying it threatens the values and image the country fought hard to establish since the war. READ
With the holidays here and The Local Denmark celebrating its first six months of existence, editor Justin Cremer takes a moment to evaluate the site's start and thank those who have helped it along the way – particularly you, the reader. READ
Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé, famous for her 'Barcelona' duet with Freddy Mercury, later used as the official anthem of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, will escape prison after coming to an agreement with Spain’s public prosecutor over tax fraud charges. READ
France has reacted to three shocking attacks on members of the public and police officers by deciding to deploy up to 300 extra soldiers over Christmas. READ
Two painted chow chow dogs posing as pandas have been seized from a circus in northern Italy, after tricking children into handing over cash, police have said. READ
American radio legend Casey Kasem was buried last week in Oslo, six months after his death, it has emerged. The burial followed a long and bitter dispute between his widow and his children over the cause of his death. READ
Gallery
Your December snow snaps
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Gallery
People-watching: December 28th
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National
How Sweden's Christmas goat avoided annual arson
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National
Why has Sweden cancelled March's snap election?
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National
Swedes remember 2004 Tsunami ten years on
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Editor’s Blog, December 23rd (The Local Sweden) »
"Hello readers, It is time for the weekly news round up. On a Tuesday? Yes, on a Tuesday. Most of..." READ »
A Tale of Three Cities (The Diplomatic Dispatch) »
"Today I am pleased to welcome a guest blogger on my blog, Sir David King, The..." READ »
National
Hoho: Estelle records cute Christmas message
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Society
US-Swedish newspaper archive nears completion
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National
Why Swedes aren't as good at English as they think
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National
Sweden's wild carnivore population on the rise
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National
Sweden seeks ban on foreign booze advertising
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Gallery
Property of the week: Östermalm
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Accelerated
Why are Texans coming to Sweden to make music with ice?
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National
Meet the Italian sketching a new Swedish future
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Society
VIDEO: The best and worst of Swedish Christmas
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National
Second baby on the way for Princess Madeleine
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Gallery
People-watching: December 20th - 21st
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National
'Unprecedented' Russian activity: Armed Forces
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Society
Interview: The Local chats with Melinda Gates
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Society
VIDEO: Stockholmers try out Swedish tongue twisters
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Society
Eight things to do when it gets dark in Umeå
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National
Inside Sweden's first 'light therapy' school
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Gallery
Princess Estelle through the years
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Society
Why are there so many 100-year-olds in one Swedish town?
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Society
Is it time to better celebrate Sweden's diverse identity?
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Gallery
Property of the week: Huddinge
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National
Why has The Local got a new logo?
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National
CATCH UP: Russian plane in Baltic near-miss drama
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Lifestyle
How my compass drew me to Sweden
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National
The man whose memory you need to remember
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Gallery
People-watching: December 13th - 14th
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Sponsored Article
How to get your own office anywhere in the world
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Society
The Local chats to Ruben Östlund, director of Golden Globe nominated Force Majeure
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Lifestyle
Ten things to know before a Swedish party
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Gallery
IN PICTURES: The 2014 Nobel Banquet
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National
The Local's guide to the Nobel Prizes 2014
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Education
Introducing... Education in Stockholm
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Society
The Swedish Christmas market with a twist
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Lifestyle
Why do so many Swedes have tattoos?
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Society
Get 20% off Swedish Christmas decorations
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National
Dewani family: We only heard half the story
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Business & Money
Business in Stockholm: 'efficiency is money'
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Gallery
Property of the week: Östermalm
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Gallery
TIMELINE: Swedish honeymoon killing murder trial
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Gallery
People-watching: December 7th
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Sponsored Article
SIS: the thinking behind globalised learning
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Sponsored Article
Introducing... Family life in Stockholm
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