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 Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit the Baltic Sea island of Gotland every summer, with many staying for months. Now, the island's regional mayor wants them to pay their dues. https://www.thelocal.se/20240628/mayor-of-swedish-island-gotland-proposes-tourist-tax-for-summer-visitors Fri, 28 Jun 2024 10:58:48 +0200 mayor-of-swedish-island-gotland-proposes-tourist-tax-for-summer-visitors Sweden's defence minister has said his country is carrying out military exercises in the Baltic Sea to 'send a signal' to countries including Russia. https://www.thelocal.se/20200826/sweden-steps-up-baltic-defence-in-signal-to-russia Wed, 26 Aug 2020 09:49:46 +0200 sweden-steps-up-baltic-defence-in-signal-to-russia Who will enforce social distancing rules at one of Sweden's most popular summer destinations, to help stop a resurgence of the new coronavirus? Four medieval knights on horseback, that's who. https://www.thelocal.se/20200721/swedish-island-recruits-medieval-knights-to-help-people-keep-a-distance Tue, 21 Jul 2020 09:39:11 +0200 swedish-island-recruits-medieval-knights-to-help-people-keep-a-distance People living in Denmark and Norway are more opposed to receiving tourists from neighbouring Sweden than they are to those from any other country in Europe -- underlining the blow Covid-19 has dealt to Scandinavian solidarity. https://www.thelocal.se/20200709/swedish-tourists-unwelcome-in-denmark-and-norway-poll Thu, 09 Jul 2020 14:29:37 +0200 swedish-tourists-unwelcome-in-denmark-and-norway-poll The Swedish island of Gotland is almost entirely dependent on summer tourism for its economy, so business-owners here are waiting even more eagerly than most for a delayed decision on domestic travel over summer. https://www.thelocal.se/20200604/swedens-summer-island-of-gotland-waits-anxiously-for-domestic-travel-decision Thu, 04 Jun 2020 11:24:28 +0200 swedens-summer-island-of-gotland-waits-anxiously-for-domestic-travel-decision Sweden's coronavirus outbreak has hit at one of Gotland's core economic pillars as the island begs mainland tourists to stay at home this year. How can Gotland move forward without relying on the seasonal economy? https://www.thelocal.se/20200408/how-the-coronavirus-is-affecting-life-on-swedens-tourism-island-gotland Wed, 08 Apr 2020 09:59:59 +0200 how-the-coronavirus-is-affecting-life-on-swedens-tourism-island-gotland Sweden's annual political festival could bring huge benefits to democracy if it were transported abroad, writes Erik Zsiga, director of communications consultancy Kekst CNC. https://www.thelocal.se/20190705/opinion-every-country-needs-an-almedalen-week Fri, 05 Jul 2019 20:39:27 +0200 opinion-every-country-needs-an-almedalen-week Sweden has deployed a new air defence missile system on the island of Gotland, following years of increased militarization in the Baltic Sea. https://www.thelocal.se/20190701/sweden-boosts-gotland-air-missile-defence-quick-solution Mon, 01 Jul 2019 18:58:22 +0200 sweden-boosts-gotland-air-missile-defence-quick-solution Thousands of people from Sweden's political, business and media elite gather each year on the island of Gotland for a week of events and seminars, and the 2019 edition of the event has just begun. https://www.thelocal.se/20190701/almedalen-swedens-annual-political-extravaganza-kicks-off-on-gotland Mon, 01 Jul 2019 09:24:35 +0200 almedalen-swedens-annual-political-extravaganza-kicks-off-on-gotland Under an icy rain, camouflage-clad Swedish soldiers crouched behind a log pile, aimed their machine guns towards the Baltic Sea and, at their officers' barked orders, opened fire down the snow-covered range. https://www.thelocal.se/20190417/inside-swedens-re-established-military-unit-on-gotland Wed, 17 Apr 2019 09:42:56 +0200 inside-swedens-re-established-military-unit-on-gotland Police on the island of Gotland removed a public sculpture from the Galgberget nature reserve near Visby on the grounds that it is just too creepy. https://www.thelocal.se/20190309/swedish-police-remove-sculpture-mistaken-for-suicide-victim Sat, 09 Mar 2019 17:50:05 +0100 swedish-police-remove-sculpture-mistaken-for-suicide-victim UPDATED: Swedish islanders were left without working phone lines and electricity after Storm Alfrida battered Scandinavia, and on some islands it may three days before power is restored. https://www.thelocal.se/20190103/storm-alfrida-knocks-out-phone-network-including-emergency-number-on-gotland Thu, 03 Jan 2019 08:47:21 +0100 storm-alfrida-knocks-out-phone-network-including-emergency-number-on-gotland The story of how an island with an 800 kilometre coastline is running out of water, and what is being done to stop it (text and video). https://www.thelocal.se/20180814/the-swedish-island-thats-suffering-a-water-crisis-gotland Tue, 14 Aug 2018 14:31:23 +0200 the-swedish-island-thats-suffering-a-water-crisis-gotland VIDEO: Around 40,000 people come to Visby, Gotland, every year to relive medieval times. The Local's contributor Rupali Mehra went to see what it's all about. https://www.thelocal.se/20180810/kings-queens-and-jesters-step-back-in-time-at-gotlands-medieval-week-visby-sweden Fri, 10 Aug 2018 19:42:09 +0200 kings-queens-and-jesters-step-back-in-time-at-gotlands-medieval-week-visby-sweden Disturbances and alleged violence carried out by the Nordic Resistance Movement (NMR) at this year's Almedalen political festival are part of the neo-Nazi group's attempts to be more visible in the build-up to the Swedish election, The Local has been told. https://www.thelocal.se/20180706/neo-nazi-disturbances-at-almedalen-could-change-the-nature-of-swedish-political-staple Fri, 06 Jul 2018 17:28:04 +0200 neo-nazi-disturbances-at-almedalen-could-change-the-nature-of-swedish-political-staple Sweden's Almedalen Week has been a staple of the political calendar for half a century, but it still of value in the digital age? Journalist Rupali Mehra went to the event to find out. https://www.thelocal.se/20180704/why-swedens-almedalen-is-still-relevant-in-the-digital-age Wed, 04 Jul 2018 13:37:56 +0200 why-swedens-almedalen-is-still-relevant-in-the-digital-age If you find yourself in Sweden during July, you're going to hear a lot of talk about Almedalen. A huge festival where political parties, businesses, media, and other organizations gather for a week of seminars and events -- there's nothing quite like it elsewhere in the world. https://www.thelocal.se/20180702/almedalen-swedens-summer-politics-extravaganza-in-numbers Mon, 02 Jul 2018 14:11:52 +0200 almedalen-swedens-summer-politics-extravaganza-in-numbers The Local contributor Rupali Mehra explains why coming from Mumbai meant she took a while to understand why Swedes go crazy as soon as they see a hint of sun. https://www.thelocal.se/20180614/opinion-why-do-they-go-crazy-about-the-summer-in-sweden Thu, 14 Jun 2018 12:44:15 +0200 opinion-why-do-they-go-crazy-about-the-summer-in-sweden A Swede from Gotland has been awarded thousands of kronor for discovering lost Viking treasure comprised of hundreds of silver coins. https://www.thelocal.se/20171206/swede-makes-thousands-after-discovering-buried-viking-treasure Wed, 06 Dec 2017 16:35:06 +0100 swede-makes-thousands-after-discovering-buried-viking-treasure Politicians on the Swedish island of Gotland want to ban an extremist neo-Nazi group from next year's Almedalen Week, the country's annual politics festival. https://www.thelocal.se/20171025/neo-nazi-group-could-be-banned-from-swedens-annual-politics-festival Wed, 25 Oct 2017 19:19:48 +0200 neo-nazi-group-could-be-banned-from-swedens-annual-politics-festival