Man confesses to raping German teen at Austrian border
A man has admitted to raping a teenage girl who was snatched on Christmas Eve in southern Germany and taken forcibly over the border to Austria, police said on Friday.
Day: January 2, 2009
Germany
Sweden
Swedish plane ends Baghdad Euro drought
The first passenger flight from Europe in 18 years landed at Baghdad airport on Saturday, when a Swedish charter aircraft touched down.
Germany
Berlin squashes hopes of stimulus frenzy
The German government has warned business leaders that it cannot fulfill all the demands made ahead of negotiations for a second financial stimulus package.
Germany
Lufthansa acknowledges talks with SAS management
Germany's leading airline Lufthansa has been in talks with its troubled Scandinavian counterpart SAS, a company executive told Danish media Friday, rekindling speculation about a planned acquisition.
Germany
Dresden’s Frauenkirche closes for repairs
Dresden’s newly rebuilt landmark the Frauenkirche will be closed for minor renovations for the first week in January, church officials said on Friday.
Sweden
When worlds collide: Apartment shopping in Sweden and beyond
With flat prices dropping like autumn leaves, Jeanne Rudbeck thought it was about time to start shopping around for a new home in Stockholm. Or Paris. Or Florida. But was it all just a pipe dream?
Sweden
Swedish town adopts euro
Tired of government inactivity, the town of Höganäs, a popular tourist destination on the south-west coast of Sweden, has decided to adopt the euro.
Germany
Holiday hot-air balloons spark UFO alarms
Germany’s UFO hotline in Mannheim has been inundated with calls since Christmas Eve, as thousands of people have mistaken a new balloon fad for mankind’s first contact from an alien civilisation.
Germany
Picasso and Matisse works stolen from Berlin Gallery
Several artworks including Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse have been stolen from an exhibition at a small gallery in Berlin’s Wilmersdorf district.
Sweden
Men, women and dog fall through thin ice
Three people fell through the ice near Västerås in central Sweden on Friday afternoon, adding to a raft of accident reports earlier in the day.
Germany
Germany faces deep freeze and snow
The winter is set to hit Germany with a vengeance this weekend. The German Weather Service (DWD) reported on Friday that a cold front will bring sustained snowfall and frosty temperatures of minus 20 Celsius to the country's north and east.
Sweden
One dead in tanker crash
A 41-year-old woman died in a collision with a tanker on road 56 north of Västerås in central Sweden on Friday morning. The crash has left ammonia leaking from the tanker and nearby properties have been evacuated.
Sweden
Social Democrats praise government equality record
The Swedish government has received plaudits from the opposition Social Democrats over new figures which show that state appointments are in line with Sweden's diversity.
Sweden
Trade group: ‘Government must act to arrest car sales slide’
In 2008 253,759 new cars were registered in Sweden, a fall of 17.3 percent on 2007, according to preliminary figures from trade group Bil Sweden. Truck sales also declined, by 9.4 percent to 46,152.
Germany
Economic advisor sees 700,000 Germans losing jobs in 2009
A leading economic advisor for the German government, Wolfgang Wiegard, on Friday said 700,000 people could expect to lose their jobs in Germany in 2009.
Sweden
Freshener sales up as car sales collapse
Many car drivers in Sweden want the scent of a new car without actually paying for one. Sales of air-fresheners with scents of leather or vinyl are booming, while car sales continue to fall.
Germany
Germans disappointed by reunification
Entering the twentieth anniversary year of the fall of the Berlin Wall, most Germans expressed disappointment over what the country has achieved since reunification in a new poll.
Sweden
Swedish jobs moving abroad
The export of Swedish jobs is accelerating, according to a new report from Sweden's largest private sector trade union, Unionen. Many firms do not conduct any form of evaluation, the report shows.
Sweden
Search continues for missing man
Police are continuing their search on Friday for a 21-year man who went missing on his way to a New Year's Eve party in Dalarna.
Germany
Thuringia’s premier Althaus in a coma
Dieter Althaus, the premier of the eastern German state Thuringia, was seriously injured in a skiing accident in Austria on Thursday, leaving one woman dead and him in a coma.
Sweden
Swedish police inspector dies in New Zealand crash
A 50-year-old Swedish police inspector died on New Year's Day after losing control of a camper van on a New Zealand highway at 10.15am.
Germany
Stuttgart sign U-19 star Gebhart
Stuttgart have signed up Timo Gebhart, skipper of Germany's under-19 European champions and earmarked for stardom.
Sweden
Borg and Bildt top people’s poll
Finance Minster Anders Borg and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt are the most popular members of the current Swedish cabinet, according to a new opinion poll.