Scientists hope to rebuild Bamiyan Buddha
German scientists said Friday they believed it possible to reconstruct one of the world-famous Bamiyan Buddhas dynamited by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001, prompting worldwide condemnation.
Day: February 25, 2011
Germany
Germany
VW posts record and targets even better 2011
Europe's biggest carmaker, Volkswagen, unveiled record 2010 results Friday and said it would do even better this year, sending its shares soaring.
Germany
Bundesrat passes Hartz IV welfare reforms
After months of political wrangling, Germany’s upper house of parliament on Friday finally approved an increase of €5 to Hartz IV welfare benefits. But a separate court decision said those on the dole should expect payment for TVs.
Sweden
Apple Sweden rides iPhone popularity wave
US technology giant Apple has reported a boom in Swedish sales for the 2010 financial year, with the popularity of iPhone behind the buoyant figures.
Sweden
Dutch skaters saved from Swedish ice floe
Six skaters from the Netherlands were saved from an ice floe on Lake Vättern in central Sweden on Friday after having been adrift for several hours.
Switzerland
Welcome to The Local in Switzerland
In the last seven years The Local has become the leading source of English-language news from Sweden and Germany. Now we are launching a new edition in Switzerland.
Germany
Wild boars destroy UK soldiers’ cemetery
A sounder of hungry wild boars destroyed a Berlin cemetery for British soldiers this week, rooting up graves and headstones and causing some €10,000 in damages.
Germany
Merkel slams Netanyahu for stalled peace talks
German Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly berated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for failing to advance peace talks during a "tense" phone call.
Sweden
Libyan evacuation a ‘priority’ for Sweden
Sweden's foreign minister Carl Bildt has underlined that the country's first priority is to help nationals flee war-torn Libya, while migration minister Tobias Billström accused Italy of exaggerating any impending refugee wave.
Sweden
Assange case difficult to prove: Swedish press
Proving the rape claims against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will present a challenge for Swedish prosecutors amid a climate of mistrust against them, Sweden's Dagens Nyheter daily wrote on Friday.
Germany
Economists demand EU sovereign default plan
Almost 200 German economics professors have signed a declaration rejecting current proposals to resolve the eurozone debt crisis, instead calling for a way for distressed countries to declare bankruptcy.
Germany
US Army targeted interior minister with ‘psy-ops’
The US Army has reportedly ordered “psychological operations” against foreign officials, including German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière, in order to influence policy in Afghanistan.
Germany
Weekend weather to divide nation
Two contrasting weather systems will split Germany into two halves this weekend, with a cold and sunny east facing a warmer but wet west, according to the German Weather Service (DWD).
Switzerland
Swiss woman killed in elephant brawl
An elderly Swiss woman has been trampled to death in Thailand, after elephants that she and other tourists were riding began fighting with each other.
Switzerland
Switzerland freezes Qaddafi assets
Switzerland has ordered an immediate freeze on any assets that may belong to defiant Libyan strongman Muammar Qaddafi and his entourage, the Swiss foreign ministry said in a statement.
Sweden
Deep freeze puts Baltic on track for record ice
Following another extended stretch of sub-zero temperatures, ice coverage on the Baltic Sea is greater than it's been in nearly a quarter century, Sweden's meteorological agency reports.
Sweden
‘Lazy’ Malmö commuters given lesson on how to ride
A flood of complaints from disgruntled commuters have forced the operators of Malmö's new City Tunnel to educate local residents about the the dos and don'ts of travelling on a big-city transit system.
Germany
Brandenburg Green party treasurer vanishes with €40,000
The treasurer of the Green party in the eastern German state of Brandenburg has disappeared – along with €40,000 in party funds. Police are now looking for the man, who resigned suddenly just before he and the money went missing.
Sweden
Minister takes aim at free school ‘profits’
Sweden's education minister Jan Björklund has sharpened his tone against privately-run, publicly-funded "free schools", conceding that there are several indications that profit takes precedence over quality.
Sweden
On skis in Sweden’s wild, wild north
For a winter adventure of epic proportions, The Local’s Karen Holst steps off the ski slopes and into Sweden’s lone Arctic wilderness – Sarek National Park.
Germany
Westerwelle calls for Qaddafi clan sanctions
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle renewed his call for sanctions against Libya on Friday as US President Barack Obama tried to organise a coordinated effort from world leaders to quickly respond to the crisis in the North African country.
Sweden
Volvo unveils China investment plans
Swedish carmaker Volvo hopes to become a global luxury brand and turn China into a major manufacturing base by investing $10-$11 billion over the next five years, a report said Friday.
Germany
Rail traffic hit hard by second strike this week
Germans woke up to the second train drivers’ strike of the week on Friday, with heavy delays and cancellations reported across the country. But the already struggling S-Bahn commuter train services in Berlin were spared.
Germany
Bayern Munich downplays Inter Milan win before Dortmund match
Bayern Munich have brushed aside the merit of a valuable Champions League victory at Inter Milan in midweek as they turn their attention to what is arguably their most important match of the season Saturday.
Sweden
Zlatan: I would have killed for former coach
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has admitted that he would have been prepared to kill for former boss Jose Mourinho, with whom he spent a season at Inter Milan.
Sweden
Hellner captures world Nordic gold for Sweden
Marcus Hellner handed Sweden their first gold medal of the world Nordic ski championships Thursday when he won the men's sprint.