Germany prepared to help Opel as GM falters
The German government said Friday it would act quickly to help car maker Opel, which has asked for state-backed loan guarantees in the event its US parent group General Motors goes bankrupt.
Day: December 12, 2008
Germany
Germany
Merkel says ‘Oui’ to EU stimulus, climate deals
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday hailed an EU deal to combat climate change while backing measures to help Europe's flagging economy recover from the global financial crisis.
Sweden
Clothing chief tops Swedish tax league
The Swedish head of retail clothing giant H&M paid more tax last year than anybody else in the country, business daily Dagens Industri reports.
Sweden
‘Hemorrhoid patient’ gets ten years for heroin smuggling
A 52-year-old woman was sentenced to ten years in prison on Friday for trying to smuggle nearly five kilogrammes of heroin into Sweden.
Sweden
Ikea’s Swedish operation reports strong 2008 profits
The Swedish division of global home furnishings giant Ikea reported pre-tax profits of 2.1 billion kronor ($263 million) for the 2008 fiscal year, adding that shops remain crowded despite the financial crisis.
Sweden
Police investigate bank card fraud at Toys R Us
Shoppers in Malmö are being advised to cancel their bank cards if they bought goods at Toys R Us in recent weeks, as police work to unravel an intricate fraud operation.
Germany
British stars to headline Berlinale
British acting heavyweights Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Clive Owen and Naomi Watts will headline the next Berlin Film Festival with a clutch of new pictures, organisers said Friday.
Sweden
Slander accusations at Arboga killer appeal
Christine Schürrer, the German woman sentenced to life in prison for killing two toddlers in Arboga, refused to answer prosecutors' questions during a hearing on Friday in front of the Svea Court of Appeal.
Germany
Meatpacking worker infected with anthrax
A French worker at a Saarbrücken meatpacking plant has been infected with anthrax, according to Health Ministry in Saarland.
Sweden
Christmas shopping: Swedish design online
Some of it is sleek, and some of it is just plain weird. Some of it’s pretty, and some of it is just plain ugly…by design. Here’s The Local’s guide to the best of Swedish design online.
Germany
Biggest full moon of the year on Friday
Not all full moons are alike. The full moon this Friday night will be the biggest and brightest this year, US space agency NASA reported, but German winter weather could prevent stargazers from getting a good view.
Sweden
Christmas booze gets stuck in the post
Sending alcoholic drinks through the Swedish postal system can be a tricky business - unless you happen to order from the state alcohol retail monopoly, explains Mark Majzner.
Germany
Politician in child porn investigation suspended
The head of the district authority in Oberspreewald-Lausitz, Brandenburg, has been suspended because of child pornography files found on his computer, daily Märkische Allgemeine reported on Friday.
Sweden
Boys blocked from bearing ‘girls-only’ Lucia crown
While generally supportive of equality between the sexes, Swedes still resist tampering with the Lucia holiday tradition which stipulates only girls should bear a candle-lit crown on December 13th.
Germany
Siemens to take former directors’ stock options
German industrial giant Siemens plans to confiscate stock options belonging to former boss Heinrich von Pierer who has been accused of ignoring corrupt practices at the company, a press report said on Friday.
Sweden
Five family members jailed for axe attack
Five members of the same family were found guilty on Friday of involvement in a vicious axe attack against a 47-year-old man last spring near Haparanda in northern Sweden.
Germany
Cat billed for GEZ television fee
Just another example of the Teutonic affinity to bureaucracy: The enforcers of Germany's hated GEZ broadcast licence asked a Bochum family cat to pay for its own TV and radio, daily WAZ reported on Friday.
Germany
Doctors believe German patients are liars
Two-thirds of German doctors believe their patients lie about their lifestyle habits, according to a poll released by Reader’s Digest Deutschland on Friday.
Sweden
School hires teacher convicted of sexual harassment
A Swedish school teacher previously convicted for sexual harassment of two 14-year-old girls has received a new teaching assignment in southern Sweden.
Germany
Germans prefer tax cuts to consumer vouchers
The majority of Germans would rather see tax cuts than a consumer voucher to help spur the economy, according to a poll released by public broadcaster ARD on Friday.
Germany
Schäuble makes first German visit after Mumbai attacks
Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble is in Mumbai on Friday, as the first German cabinet member to visit India since devastating terrorist attacks last month.
Sweden
Four in custody after major cannabis bust in Stockholm
Police in Stockholm confiscated 140 kilogrammes of cannabis and arrested four men last weekend in raids carried out at several suburban locations last weekend.
Germany
Medieval Teutonic knights’ remains found in Poland
Polish archaeologists said this week that they had identified the remains of three leaders of the Teutonic Knights, an armed religious order that ruled swathes of the country centuries ago.
Sweden
Sweden tops child welfare ranking
When it comes to caring for children, Sweden ranks highest among the world’s wealthy countries, according to a new report from the United Nations children’s organization, Unicef.