https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Sweden in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed Every winter, people around the world turn their eyes to Gävle's Christmas goat, eagerly waiting to see if it survives the Christmas season. Here's a look at some of the most outrageous attempts to destroy the iconic straw goat throughout its history. https://www.thelocal.se/20151126/five-weirdest-attacks-on-swedens-straw-yule-goat Thu, 26 Nov 2015 11:42:04 +0100 five-weirdest-attacks-on-swedens-straw-yule-goat Sweden's most famous yule goat, Gävlebocken, has once again succumbed to flames in an arson attack. A man with soot on his hands was arrested close to the scene. https://www.thelocal.se/20211217/swedens-ill-fated-yule-goat-burns-down-a-week-before-christmas Fri, 17 Dec 2021 11:05:53 +0100 swedens-ill-fated-yule-goat-burns-down-a-week-before-christmas Another Swedish region has tightened its local coronavirus measures to curb the spread of new variants of the virus, including stepping up its face mask recommendations. https://www.thelocal.se/20210222/one-more-swedish-region-rolls-out-tighter-coronavirus-guidelines Mon, 22 Feb 2021 12:41:39 +0100 one-more-swedish-region-rolls-out-tighter-coronavirus-guidelines For the second night in a row, a neighbourhood of the central Swedish town of Gävle was affected by car burnings. https://www.thelocal.se/20200123/cars-set-alight-for-second-night-in-a-row-in-gvle Thu, 23 Jan 2020 08:26:54 +0100 cars-set-alight-for-second-night-in-a-row-in-gvle A famous giant yule goat that usually gets burned down by arsonists well before Christmas has survived its third consecutive holiday season for the first time in its 53-year history. https://www.thelocal.se/20200102/new-year-record-swedish-straw-goat-survives-third-christmas-in-a-row Thu, 02 Jan 2020 11:45:46 +0100 new-year-record-swedish-straw-goat-survives-third-christmas-in-a-row A small straw yule goat was set on fire in the city of Gävle in the early hours of Friday, but its larger and more famous sibling remains untouched – bucking a controversial trend of burning it down. https://www.thelocal.se/20191227/gavles-ill-fated-christmas-goat-survives-as-smaller-sibling-burns Fri, 27 Dec 2019 09:15:53 +0100 gavles-ill-fated-christmas-goat-survives-as-smaller-sibling-burns A 13-metre straw goat, whose main claim to fame is that it is often destroyed by arsonists, has made its annual return to the central Swedish town of Gävle. https://www.thelocal.se/20191202/in-pictures-swedens-gavle-christmas-goat-returns-for-the-festive-season Mon, 02 Dec 2019 08:42:10 +0100 in-pictures-swedens-gavle-christmas-goat-returns-for-the-festive-season There have been several reported cases of tularemia or rabbit fever, known as 'harpest' in Sweden this summer, mostly in the north and centre of the country. https://www.thelocal.se/20190807/harpest-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-mosquito-borne-disease Wed, 07 Aug 2019 12:47:11 +0200 harpest-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-mosquito-borne-disease Sweden is to deport the imam of a mosque in Gävle, and two other foreigners suspected of playing a role in Islamist circles. https://www.thelocal.se/20190613/sweden-to-deport-iraqi-imam-and-his-son Thu, 13 Jun 2019 09:50:45 +0200 sweden-to-deport-iraqi-imam-and-his-son A campaign to celebrate a Swedish town's population milestone was misrepresented by international far-right media as a sign of 'Islamization', with a billboard vandalized over the weekend. The Local takes a look at the facts behind the story. https://www.thelocal.se/20190227/how-a-swedish-citys-marketing-campaign-was-hijacked-by-the-far-right Wed, 27 Feb 2019 17:47:44 +0100 how-a-swedish-citys-marketing-campaign-was-hijacked-by-the-far-right A woman and her teenage son, who had reportedly recently moved to Sweden from abroad, drowned after going through the ice in central Sweden. https://www.thelocal.se/20190125/mother-and-son-dead-after-falling-through-the-ice-in-sweden Fri, 25 Jan 2019 08:45:18 +0100 mother-and-son-dead-after-falling-through-the-ice-in-sweden Sweden's Christmas straw goat has survived this festive season for the second year running, bucking an unofficial (and indeed illegal) tradition of arsonists burning it down most years. https://www.thelocal.se/20190103/swedens-ill-fated-christmas-goat-survives-again Thu, 03 Jan 2019 09:49:26 +0100 swedens-ill-fated-christmas-goat-survives-again A small straw Christmas goat has been set alight in the Swedish city of Gävle, but the larger version — long the target of yuletide arsonists — remains untouched with just over a week to go. https://www.thelocal.se/20181216/smaller-gvle-goat-set-on-fire-but-big-brother-unscathed Sun, 16 Dec 2018 10:51:45 +0100 smaller-gvle-goat-set-on-fire-but-big-brother-unscathed Microsoft has bought 130 hectares of land in Gävle and Sandviken, central Sweden. https://www.thelocal.se/20181211/microsoft-buys-130-hectares-of-land-in-rural-sweden Tue, 11 Dec 2018 15:27:27 +0100 microsoft-buys-130-hectares-of-land-in-rural-sweden Sweden's straw yule goat Gävlebocken, whose biggest claim to fame is its tendency to get burned down every year, is all set for its annual return on Sunday. https://www.thelocal.se/20181201/swedens-gvle-christmas-goat-ready-to-return-for-festive-season Sat, 01 Dec 2018 13:08:34 +0100 swedens-gvle-christmas-goat-ready-to-return-for-festive-season An earthquake occurred near the Swedish city of Gävle on Saturday afternoon. https://www.thelocal.se/20181020/relatively-large-earthquake-hits-swedish-city-of-gvle Sat, 20 Oct 2018 18:41:02 +0200 relatively-large-earthquake-hits-swedish-city-of-gvle There were emotional celebrations in Gävle over the unlikely survival of the town's straw goat through the entirety of Christmas 2017, bucking the trend of it burning down before the festive period is over. https://www.thelocal.se/20180102/it-means-so-much-survival-of-straw-christmas-goat-celebrated-like-a-world-cup-win Tue, 02 Jan 2018 15:04:30 +0100 it-means-so-much-survival-of-straw-christmas-goat-celebrated-like-a-world-cup-win Sweden's straw yule goat Gävlebocken whose biggest claim to global fame is its tendency to get burned down every year surprisingly survived this Christmas, much to the delight of organizers. https://www.thelocal.se/20171227/its-a-christmas-miracle-gavles-straw-goat-survives-sweden-gavlebocken Wed, 27 Dec 2017 11:41:35 +0100 its-a-christmas-miracle-gavles-straw-goat-survives-sweden-gavlebocken A giant straw goat less famous for spreading Christmas joy and more famous around the world for its unfortunate tendencies to get burned down has been erected in the town of Gävle. https://www.thelocal.se/20171204/secret-plan-to-protect-gvle-goat-from-arsonists Mon, 04 Dec 2017 09:43:52 +0100 secret-plan-to-protect-gvle-goat-from-arsonists Six people have been convicted of murder by a Swedish district court in an honour violence case in which a man was killed after having an affair with a married woman. https://www.thelocal.se/20170714/six-convicted-of-murder-in-swedish-honour-killing-case Fri, 14 Jul 2017 13:58:40 +0200 six-convicted-of-murder-in-swedish-honour-killing-case