Geneva clamps down on tourist tricksters
Geneva could soon introduce a law banning three card tricks in the canton, following a long battle to rid the city's streets of con-artists luring money from tourists.
Day: March 3, 2011
Switzerland
Germany
Booming Audi to pay workers €6,500 bonus
Luxury German carmaker Audi, a unit of Volkswagen, said Thursday its staff of 42,500 would receive an average bonus of €6,513 ($9,053) as thanks for strong results last year.
Switzerland
Big profit jump for Glencore
Swiss commodities giant Glencore posted Thursday a 40.7 percent jump in 2010 net profit to $3.8 billion.
Switzerland
Norway scandal spoils party for Adecco
Swiss multinational staffing agency Adecco on Thursday saw its bumper profits overshadowed by problems at its Norwegian unit, which is accused of breaking labour law.
Germany
Islamist shooter radicalized in Germany
Arid Uka, the 21-year-old Kosovar who has admitted to killing two US airmen in Frankfurt, was a loner only recently turning to radical Islamist ideology, according to investigators.
Sweden
Secrecy slows probe of US embassy surveillance
An investigation into the legality of a surveillance programme run by the US embassy in Stockholm has been hampered by a refusal of people involved to answer questions about the operation, a prosecutor said on Thursday.
Germany
Dozens injured in tram collision with bus
Over 40 people were injured in the Ruhr Valley city of Oberhausen on Thursday when a tram collided with a bus on an overpass, police there said.
Sweden
Military ‘not interested’ in Soviet sub wreck
A dispute has broken out over whether or not the wreck of a suspected Soviet-era submarine found near the Baltic island of Gotland deserves further investigation.
Sweden
Assange appeals Sweden extradition ruling
Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange have lodged an appeal against a British court ruling that he should be extradited to Sweden over rape accusations, the court said Thursday.
Germany
Catholics urge ditching celibacy rule for priests
Facing a dire shortage of priests, influential voices in Germany have begun questioning some central tenets of the Catholic Church including celibacy for the clergy. Kyle James reports.
Germany
Karneval festivities commence in the sunny Rhineland
Germany's Karneval festivities kicked off on Thursday at 11:11 am, as jesters stormed city halls across the Rhineland, marking the official start to the clownish, boozy parades to come.
Germany
German ships to return Egyptians fleeing Libya
Germany will send three ships to return some 4,000 migrants stuck in Tunisia to Egypt, after they fled there to escape the violence in Libya, Germany's Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Thursday.
Sweden
Riksbank head: financial crisis ‘over’ in Sweden
The head of Sweden's central bank said on Thursday that the financial crisis is over, but warned about the potential risks associated with an increasingly strong krona.
Germany
Half of doctors prescribe placebos, study finds
Doctors often prescribe placebos to patients, according to a new study from the German Medical Association released this week. But that’s not a bad thing, they said, recommending that placebos be used even more often.
Sweden
Ericsson tips Volvo head as new board chair
Swedish group Ericsson, the world's biggest mobile phone network maker, said Thursday it planned to appoint Volvo chief executive Leif Johansson as chairman of its board.
Sweden
Arla announces merger with German dairy co-op
Members of Swedish-Danish dairy cooperative Arla and Germany's Hansa-Milch, also a cooperative, have agreed to merge, Arla said Wednesday.
Germany
What’s on in Germany: March 3 – 9
This week's highlights: Karneval in Cologne, Japanese fashion in Munich, and an art/dance party in Berlin.
Sweden
Sweden in ‘historic’ deal on immigration policy
Sweden's centre-right Alliance government and the Green Party have reached an agreement on changes to the country's immigration policies specifically designed to diminish the influence of the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats.
Sweden
Illegal immigrants to get new rights in Sweden
Illegal immigrants in Sweden should in future have the right to government-funded healthcare and education, and be able to start their own companies, the government has agreed.
Germany
Sacked diplomat blames anti-German British bias
A German-born diplomat who was fired from his job in Paris with the UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) is suing the British government for racial discrimination, he told The Local.
Germany
Public workers’ strikes hit eastern states
Limited strikes by German public workers continued on Thursday, this time teachers street crews and bureaucrats in the eastern states taking part.
Sweden
Swedes to pay more for healthcare
Swedes may soon be asked to contribute more to the cost of their healthcare. Social Affairs Minister Göran Hägglund wants to raise the maximum amount that individuals pay to 2,200 kronor per year ($347).
Germany
Police see no wider terrorist plot in attack
German authorities said Thursday a man arrested over the fatal shooting of two US airmen was an Islamic extremist, but played down fears he was part of a terrorist cell.
Sweden
Politician on trial for nude Muhammad poster
A Swedish politician facing charges for producing a poster depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad naked together with his nine-year-old wife was found not guilty by a jury in Malmö on Wednesday.
Germany
Schalke’s Magath gets revenge as struggling Bayern exit Cup
Another piece of silverware slipped from Bayern Munich's grasp on Wednesday as the title holders were dumped out of the German Cup after a 1-0 semi-final home defeat to Schalke 04, who are coached by former Bayern boss Felix Magath.