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 Sweden's indigenous Sami fear they will lose their livelihood and culture if plans go ahead to mine a large rare earths deposit located on their traditional reindeer grazing grounds in the far north. https://www.thelocal.se/20250908/swedens-sami-fear-for-future-amid-rare-earth-mining-plans Mon, 08 Sep 2025 14:14:40 +0200 swedens-sami-fear-for-future-amid-rare-earth-mining-plans So far this winter, 27 Sami communities have applied for disaster support to be able to feed their reindeer. https://www.thelocal.se/20250224/sami-reindeer-herders-apply-for-emergency-aid-as-climate-crisis-bites Mon, 24 Feb 2025 07:55:08 +0100 sami-reindeer-herders-apply-for-emergency-aid-as-climate-crisis-bites Reindeer apparently slain in a grisly manner and a conflict between local Sami reindeer herders and organisers have cast a shadow over one of Sweden's most famous rally events. https://www.thelocal.se/20250214/tensions-after-reindeer-killed-following-sami-protest-of-rally-in-northern-sweden Fri, 14 Feb 2025 07:18:38 +0100 tensions-after-reindeer-killed-following-sami-protest-of-rally-in-northern-sweden Today’s word of the day is not technically a Swedish word at all, but it is a word spoken in one of Sweden’s minority languages, Northern Sami. https://www.thelocal.se/20240206/swedish-word-of-the-day-bures Tue, 06 Feb 2024 13:10:00 +0100 swedish-word-of-the-day-bures On February 6th, Sami National Day is celebrated across Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. https://www.thelocal.se/20190206/why-sweden-marks-sami-national-day-february-6 Wed, 06 Feb 2019 08:55:50 +0100 why-sweden-marks-sami-national-day-february-6 In this week's episode: tougher rules for Sweden citizenship, French President Emanuel Macron's state visit to Sweden, new work permit system takes effect, and why Sweden needs to do more to promote understanding of indigenous Sami. https://www.thelocal.se/20240203/new-work-permit-system-macrons-sweden-visit-and-who-are-the-sami Sat, 03 Feb 2024 09:09:36 +0100 new-work-permit-system-macrons-sweden-visit-and-who-are-the-sami Sweden’s tourist association STF has launched a bid to cut the number of hikers on certain popular trails. https://www.thelocal.se/20230831/why-sweden-wants-to-drastically-slash-visitor-numbers-in-popular-mountains Thu, 31 Aug 2023 14:18:40 +0200 why-sweden-wants-to-drastically-slash-visitor-numbers-in-popular-mountains After centuries of persecution, Sweden's indigenous Sami people are beginning to provide testimony about the injustices they experienced in a recently launched "Truth Commission" probing the country's discriminatory policies and their consequences. https://www.thelocal.se/20230510/swedens-truth-commission-delves-into-painful-sami-past Wed, 10 May 2023 11:24:14 +0200 swedens-truth-commission-delves-into-painful-sami-past Uppsala's university museum is to return a Sami skeleton to ethnic Sami living in Arctic Lapland, following a campaign by the Sami parliament, Amnesty, and the Bishop of Luleå. https://www.thelocal.se/20220617/swedish-museum-to-return-sami-remains-to-descendents Fri, 17 Jun 2022 10:26:55 +0200 swedish-museum-to-return-sami-remains-to-descendents United Nations experts have urged the Swedish government not to approve a planned iron-ore mine, warning it would pose "irreversible risks" to lands used by the Sami community. https://www.thelocal.se/20220210/irreversible-risks-un-appointed-experts-urge-sweden-to-block-mine-in-sami-land Thu, 10 Feb 2022 17:22:17 +0100 irreversible-risks-un-appointed-experts-urge-sweden-to-block-mine-in-sami-land Sweden's natural forests, and those who are dependent on them, have come under high pressure in recent years. Does intensive forestry endanger the livelihood of the indigenous Sámi, as well as biodiversity and the climate? Freelance journalist Anne-Grietje Franssen investigates. https://www.thelocal.se/20210603/never-have-i-seen-so-few-old-trees-around-whats-happening-to-swedens-forests Thu, 03 Jun 2021 11:29:16 +0200 never-have-i-seen-so-few-old-trees-around-whats-happening-to-swedens-forests The Swedish government has vowed to set up a truth commission to examine the country's past treatment of the Sami minority. https://www.thelocal.se/20211103/sweden-sets-up-truth-commission-to-probe-crimes-against-sami-community Wed, 03 Nov 2021 16:56:03 +0100 sweden-sets-up-truth-commission-to-probe-crimes-against-sami-community For those newly arrived in Northern Europe, reindeer husbandry might seem one of Sweden’s most unique industries. However, in Sápmi, which spans northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia, herding reindeer is an ancient practice. https://www.thelocal.se/20210823/why-is-reindeer-herding-so-important-in-sweden Mon, 23 Aug 2021 12:57:08 +0200 why-is-reindeer-herding-so-important-in-sweden The results of Sweden's Sami parliamentary elections are expected next week and land rights of the indigenous people are just one of the key issues in question. https://www.thelocal.se/20210519/whats-at-stake-in-swedens-sami-elections Wed, 19 May 2021 16:26:54 +0200 whats-at-stake-in-swedens-sami-elections A Sami market that usually attracts almost 50,000 visitors to the small town of Jokkmokk is taking place online this year, due to coronavirus restrictions. https://www.thelocal.se/20210204/sami-market-gets-under-way-online-for-the-first-time-in-four-centuries Thu, 04 Feb 2021 15:37:49 +0100 sami-market-gets-under-way-online-for-the-first-time-in-four-centuries For centuries the indigenous Sami people have faced discrimination and threats to their culture and land, but worsening climate conditions are now forcing them to take more action than ever. https://www.thelocal.se/20201124/watch-how-sami-people-in-sweden-are-standing-up-for-their-rights-and-land Tue, 24 Nov 2020 10:07:57 +0100 watch-how-sami-people-in-sweden-are-standing-up-for-their-rights-and-land The reindeer-herding Sami communities in northern Sweden have taken a huge hit this summer with a large number of deaths of young reindeer. https://www.thelocal.se/20200720/why-more-than-half-of-this-years-reindeer-calves-have-died Mon, 20 Jul 2020 09:44:27 +0200 why-more-than-half-of-this-years-reindeer-calves-have-died The indigenous Sami people have herded reindeer in northern Sweden for generations, but climate change poses a new threat to their way of life and livelihood. https://www.thelocal.se/20200529/how-swedens-sami-reindeer-herders-are-being-forced-to-adapt-to-climate-change Fri, 29 May 2020 09:31:21 +0200 how-swedens-sami-reindeer-herders-are-being-forced-to-adapt-to-climate-change Several reindeer carcasses have been found in the far north of Sweden following a historic ruling over land rights for Sweden's indigenous people and reindeer-herders in the Swedish Supreme Court. https://www.thelocal.se/20200226/reindeer-shot-and-tortured-after-hate-and-threats-towards-sami-village Wed, 26 Feb 2020 13:21:16 +0100 reindeer-shot-and-tortured-after-hate-and-threats-towards-sami-village Sweden has been criticized by the UN for failings when it comes to the rights of the indigenous Sami people. https://www.thelocal.se/20200206/sweden-criticized-by-un-over-sami-rights Thu, 06 Feb 2020 08:50:43 +0100 sweden-criticized-by-un-over-sami-rights