Lynxes clawing back a bit of German wilderness
Go for a walk in the wooded Harz region and you could end up face-to-face with a wild lynx. Hannah Cleaver reports on the efforts to reintroduce the tuft-eared cats to German forests.
Day: April 26, 2010
Germany
Germany
Merkel: Greece expulsion from euro not an option
German Chancellor Angela Merkel sought Monday to calm fears that Berlin would block aid to debt-wracked Greece but stressed that Athens must produce a credible plan to reduce its deficits.
Germany
CDU chastens new Muslim minister for mooting school crucifix ban
Just one day before taking her post, Lower Saxony’s new Social Minister Aygül Özkan has apologised to her fellow Christian Democrats for starting a heated political debate by suggesting that crucifixes don’t belong in German public schools.
Sweden
Sweden sees first quarter trade surplus shrivel
Sweden's trade surplus for the first three months of 2010 was 25.3 percent lower than the same period last year, according to new figures from Statistics Sweden.
Germany
East German message in a bottle sender meets boy finder
An eastern German man who sent message in a bottle past the Iron Curtain decades ago has met with the young boy who recently found the missive floating in a canal near Göttingen.
Sweden
Swedish lifers are living as monks
At Skänninge prison close to the picturesque village of Vadstena, twelve lifers and long-termers are being given the chance to live in a monastic community, enjoying greater freedom than their fellow prisoners. They are the result of a unique Jesuit experiment that began in the high security jail at Kumla. Lysanne Sizoo spent a day with the Brothers at Skänninge.
Germany
GM to compensate Russia’s Sberbank for failed Opel deal
Russian bank Sberbank reached a deal with GM on compensation it had claimed for losses incurred after the US auto giant dropped plans to sell its Opel unit, the companies said on Monday.
Sweden
Film industry demands fines from Pirate Bay pair
13 major film companies have filed writ against two of the men behind The Pirate Bay demanding payment of 500,000 kronor fines for continuing to operate the file sharing website despite a court order from October 2009.
Sweden
Swedish paper mills mull strike extension
A strike by Swedish paper mill workers that has already cost the industry 510 million kronor ($70 million) could spread to six more plants on Monday evening.
Sweden
Opposition announces high-speed rail plans
The left-green opposition parties have agreed to invest heavily in rail and public transport if they win the election in September, including the construction of high-speed railway lines.
Germany
VW to invest €1.6 billion in China plants
Volkswagen said Monday it would increase its investment in China by €1.6 billion ($2.1 billion) over the next two years, building two new production sites.
Sweden
Youth gang forces Malmö pre-school closure
A pre-school in Malmö's Rosengård district was shut down on Monday morning in the interests of staff safety following an extended period of threats and harassment from a gang of local youths.
Sweden
Paralysed woman has right to die: health board
The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) has advised that a 32-year-old woman who is completely paralysed and has been on a respirator since she was six has the right to decide to terminate her treatment.
Germany
Sick days increase as economy improves
The number of Germans who call in sick to work has risen significantly since last year, new figures showed on Monday.
Sweden
SAS seeks volcanic ash compensation
Scandinavian airline SAS is hoping to emerge financial unscathed from the recent air traffic disruption, with the airline planning to apply for 640 million kronor ($89 million) in EU aid.
Germany
Integration official rejects call for school crucifix ban
Germany’s Integration Commissioner Maria Böhmer on Monday rejected calls by Lower Saxony’s new social minister for a ban on crucifixes in schools, saying they were part of the country’s national identity.
Sweden
Man jailed for repeated rape of teen stepdaughter
A 37-year-old man has been jailed for eight years for raping his teenage stepdaughter more than 200 times over a six year period.
Germany
Politicians bicker over police attacker penalties
With riots expected at the annual May Day festivities in Berlin and elsewhere, Germany's centre-right coalition government bickered on Monday over whether harsher punishments should be enacted against those who attack police officers.
Germany
Rain to follow sunny weekend
A brief rainy period will end the weekend’s glorious springtime weather, but sunshine will soon follow later in the week, the German Weather Service (DWD) said on Monday.
Germany
Former Nazi death camps celebrate liberation anniversary
As former Nazi concentration camps across Germany celebrate the 65th anniversary of their liberation, the number of survivors who remain to tell their story dwindles and camp museums are seeing a surge in visitors.
Sweden
Bishop ‘ready to resign’ over sex abuse silence
Bishop Anders Arborelius has said that he is "prepared to take the consequences" over the failure to investigate the alleged abuse of two sisters by a paedophile priest, first brought to the Catholic Church's attention in 1990.
Sweden
Söderling defeated in Barcelona final
Swedish second seed Robin Söderling was defeated by Spain's fifth seed Fernando Verdasco 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 on Sunday to keep the Barcelona claycourt title at home for the eighth straight year.