The Local Sweden

Sweden's oldest would-be MP: 'They promised I wouldn't get in'

Thu, 24 Apr 2014 16:54:00 +0200

Gösta Arvedson, 89, is the oldest Riksdag candidate in Sweden, but our Swede of the Week explains that the Liberal Party (Folkpartiet) had to make some unusual promises for him to put his name forward.

'You're quite pretty... for a black girl'

Thu, 03 Apr 2014 14:01:00 +0200

"Do you want an orange negro?" Comments such as this litter Fanna Ndow Norrby's life. Her Instagram @svartkvinna handle has attracted 17,000 followers, all keen to hear our Swede of the Week's stories of sexist racism.

Swedish amputee skier, 42, makes Olympic debut

Thu, 06 Mar 2014 18:08:00 +0100

Amputee, cancer survivor, and Winter Olympic debutante at the age of 42. Our Swede of the Week is parathlete Helene Ripa, who only started skiing a few years ago.

Swede becomes YouTube star after saving duck

Fri, 28 Feb 2014 17:47:00 +0100

A man in eastern Sweden who jumped into chilly water in his underwear to save a duck in distress, becoming a minor YouTube sensation in the process, is our choice for Swede of the Week.

The fuzzy hamster that took Sweden for a ride

Fri, 31 Jan 2014 19:04:00 +0100

He's small, furry, and famous. The Swede of the Week reveals a lot about Swedish humour, media, and cannibalization. We're talking about Börje the hamster.

The man behind the biggest (and coolest) hedgehog in Sweden

Fri, 24 Jan 2014 16:10:00 +0100

The northern Swedish town of Luleå unveiled its annual "ice animal" sculpture earlier this week, a massive hedgehog carved with care by artist Hans Englund, making him our pick for Swede of the Week.

Sweden's feminist hockey hunk who doesn't want to go to the Olympics

Thu, 16 Jan 2014 18:27:00 +0100

When a teammate broke his leg, ice hockey star, literary blogger, and angry social networker Johan Forsberg took to Twitter - to egg on his team. Twitter has also given our Swede of the Week tools to egg just about everyone, from Vladimir Putin to Annie Lööf.

Inspiring with Instagram: One Swede's Journey

Thu, 09 Jan 2014 08:00:00 +0100

Antonia Eriksson, 18, went from nearly fatal anorexia to international health guru in less than a year - and documented the journey on Instagram, making her our pick for Swede of the Week.

Klaus-Heidi bids auf wiedersehen to Sweden

Thu, 19 Dec 2013 13:10:00 +0100

Swedish country bumpkin Michael Andersson decided to leave Volvo and sill behind, changing his name to Klaus-Heidi and diving headfirst into city life in Berlin – making him our pick for (soon-to-be-ex) Swede of the Week.

Euphoric Swedish teens shore up prestigious win

Thu, 28 Nov 2013 15:44:00 +0100

In capturing the "euphoria and desperation" of Swedish adolescence, photographer and our Swede of the Week Hannah Modigh shot to photographic fame on Tuesday, picking up the TT Big Photograph Prize for her portrayal of modern Sweden.

The woman who wants Sweden's gender rating at a cinema near you

Thu, 14 Nov 2013 16:18:00 +0100

A gender bias rating launched by Swedish cinemas had the world talking last week, thanks to our pick for Swede of the Week Lina Thomsgård, founder of Equalisters, and her efforts to kick patriarchy in the cojones one list of competent women at a time.

Greta, 'world's oldest rapper', retires at 98

Thu, 07 Nov 2013 07:51:00 +0100

Greta Segerson, approaching her 99th birthday, is retiring. After nearly seven years as the "world's oldest rapper", she's decided to leave the stage behind, making her our pick for the Swede of the Week.

Young Swede nets win in Davis Cup thriller

Thu, 31 Oct 2013 17:04:00 +0100

Our Swede of the Week is a tennis wunderkind who not only kept Sweden in the Davis Cups finals, but did so by bashing a Dane and despite being the youngest Swedish tournament player in 32 years. Meet 17-year-old Elias Ymer.

I'm having Owen Wilson's baby: Hollywood Swede

Wed, 23 Oct 2013 12:09:00 +0200

Swedish fitness trainer Caroline Lindqvist has been a staple in the celebrity press recently amid reports she was pregnant with the child of US actor Owen Wilson. This week, she finally spoke out, making the mother-to-be our choice for Swede of the Week.

A young Swedish Muslim inspired by Wallenberg

Thu, 29 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0200

Siavosh Derakhti, a young Muslim from Malmö who has emerged as a leading figure in the fight against anti-Semitism and xenophobia in Sweden, picked up the first-ever Raoul Wallenberg Prize on Tuesday, making him our choice for Swede of the Week.

The woman who wants Sweden's bureaucracy to clean up its language

Thu, 22 Aug 2013 17:21:00 +0200

The Local catches up with Helena Englund Hjalmarsson, a language consultant and champion of the "plain language" movement, who shamed a government agency over its "incomprehensible" Swedish, making her our pick for Swede of the Week.

Teacher spreads word of giant butter knife

Thu, 15 Aug 2013 09:14:00 +0200

Although he does not have the world's biggest tub of butter nor the world's biggest sandwich to prove his work's worth, Swedish school teacher Claes Blixt hopes the Guinness Book of Records will spread the news of his enormous butter knife.

How I climbed Sweden's highest mountain - with a wheelchair

Thu, 08 Aug 2013 17:10:00 +0200

This week's Swede of the Week is Aron Anderson, a 25-year-old man who became the first person to ever reach the top of Mount Kebnekaise, Sweden's tallest peak, with a wheelchair.

Russia needs a total gay rights U-turn: minister

Thu, 01 Aug 2013 13:23:00 +0200

With Stockholm Pride week in full swing, Sweden's EU Minister Birgitta Ohlsson talks to The Local about Russia's "repulsive" gay laws, getting pelted with eggs by gay haters in Lithuania, and how Sweden must lead the way in supporting the LGBT community.

Poor Swedish pensioner shoplifts to eat

Thu, 25 Jul 2013 18:07:00 +0200

In a country known for its generous welfare system, our Swede of the Week is a woman who has been turning heads nationwide for highlighting the other side of the spectrum - an 85-year-old woman whose pension was so insufficient that she turned to stealing food.