Archive for Tue, 22 Mar 2011 - The Local - Europe's news in English

Sweden

Swedish doc to face trial over baby’s death

The paediatrician suspected of the alleged mercy killing of a baby at Astrid Lindgren's Children's Hospital in Stockholm in September 2008 is to face trial for manslaughter, the prosecutor decided Tuesday.

Sweden

Information overload drains Swedish work hours: study

Swedes are wasting up to 20 working hours a month dealing with an increasing flow of information, a new report published on Tuesday showed.

Germany

‘Nazi guard’ Demjanjuk faces six years in jail

German prosecutors Tuesday said John Demjanjuk should serve a six-year jail term for helping to murder 27,900 Jews during his alleged time as a Nazi death camp guard during World War II.

Sweden

US scientist wins Stockholm Water Prize

American ecologist Stephen R. Carpenter has been awarded the 2011 Stockholm Water Prize for his groundbreaking research on how lake ecosystems are affected by the surrounding landscape and by human activities.

Germany

Knut died of brain disorder

Berlin's celebrity polar bear Knut, who died suddenly over the weekend, likely fell victim to an undiagnosed brain disorder, his zoo said Tuesday.

Germany

Deutsche Bank to pay investing compensation

Germany's biggest bank, Deutsche Bank, on Tuesday was told to pay €541,000 ($768,000) in compensation to a client who had not been sufficiently informed of the risks of certain financial products, the court said.

Sweden

More Swedes favour nuclear phase out: poll

Some 36 percent of Swedes now support a phasing out of nuclear power, up from 15 percent in 2008 and having risen sharply after the disaster in Japan, a poll showed Tuesday.

Sweden

Public health body backs call for tobacco-display ban

The Greens and the Left Party want to ban tobacco displays in Swedish shops, a proposal supported by the Swedish National Institute of Public Health (Folkhälsoinstitutet).

Switzerland

Novartis buys Chinese vaccine maker

Swiss pharmaceutical group Novartis said on Tuesday that it had acquired 85 percent of Chinese vaccines maker Zhejiang Tianyuan Bio-Pharmaceutical company.

Germany

Snowflakes forecast for weekend

The weather will remain sunny and pleasant for most of the week, but spring isn’t here to stay just yet, the German Weather Service (DWD) said on Tuesday. Cold and even a few snowflakes could return this weekend.

Switzerland

Swiss Re: Japan quake costs ‘over a billion’

Reinsurance giant Swiss Re estimated on Monday that Japan's earthquake and tsunami have cost it some $1.2 billion, but said this figure could be revised upwards.

Switzerland

Three Germans killed in avalanche

Three German skiers were killed in an avalanche in eastern Switzerland's Alps, local police said Sunday.

Switzerland

Swiss diplomats ditch Tokyo

Swiss authorities said Sunday their embassy in Tokyo will temporarily move to Osaka amid fears that wind changes could carry more radioactive particles from Japan's stricken nuclear plant to the capital.

Germany

Retailer Metro warns of difficult path ahead

Metro, the third biggest global retail group, posted solid 2010 results Tuesday but could now be hit by government austerity measures, political unrest and effects of Asian catastrophes and nuclear crisis.

Sweden

Wave of ‘Nigeria letter’ fraud hits elderly Swedes

International fraud by so-called "Nigeria letters" have increased dramatically in recent months with a growing number of Swedish victims left millions of kronor out of pocket.

Germany

Incest trucker receives maximum jail sentence

A German court on Tuesday jailed an ex-trucker for 14 and a half years for sexually abusing his daughter, stepson and stepdaughter, with whom he fathered eight children.

Germany

Schäuble says Islam is part of Germany

Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble on Tuesday warned Germany must not discriminate against its Muslim population, saying that Islam was a part of its society. His comments contrast starkly with those of the country's new conservative interior minister.

Sweden