New mad cow disease case detected
A new case of BSE has been detected in the Canton of St. Gallen, the first in five years.
Day: May 4, 2011
Switzerland
No asylum flood after Arab Spring
The recent uprisings that have swept north African countries have not resulted in increased immigration pressure, according to new figures.
Germany
Matthäus’ foul-mouthed ‘Loddar-speak’ becomes web hit
Former German football star Lothar Matthäus has become a Youtube hit with a foul-mouthed rant in broken English at presenters from the Arabic network Al Jazeera.
Sweden
Questions remain over Saab financing
There are still uncertainties regarding new financing arrangements for cash-strapped Swedish carmaker Saab despite Tuesday’s announcement of a 'strategic partnership' with Chinese Hawtai Motor Group.
Sweden
Jesse Jackson: Lund party ‘a racist spectacle’
The American civil rights activist Jesse Jackson has reacted strongly against the ‘slave auction’ held recently at a student association in Lund and the subsequent racial slurs directed against the person who reported the incident to the police.
Sweden
Swedish insect shoots larvae into victims’ eyes
A bumble bee-like fly hovering in front of your face could be an elk bot fly preparing to shoot larvae into your eyes.
Sweden
Swedish school slammed after ‘homo sin’ claim
A independently-run Christian school in Stockholm has been criticised by the Swedish Schools Inspectorate (Skolinspektionen) after being reported for presenting homosexuality as a sin in its teaching.
Germany
Allianz Q1 profit hit by Japan disaster
Germany's Allianz became on Wednesday the latest insurance giant to see its profits hit by claims related to a string of natural disasters, most notably Japan's monster earthquake and tsunami.
Sweden
Fire destroys buildings at Stockholm’s KTH
A fire broke out in the auditorium of the School of Architecture at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm on Wednesday, destroying a number of buildings.
Sweden
Malmström opens for EU border controls
Swedish EU commissioner Cecilia Malmström has opened up to calls for simplifying the establishment of border controls between EU countries following the recent French-Italian conflict over Tunisian refugees.
Germany
Scientists invent packaging able to detect bad food
German scientists have developed a special plastic film that changes colour in contact with rotting food, possibly soon making bad meat or fish from the supermarket a thing of the past.
Germany
Riot police attack undercover cops at May Day protest
Authorities are investigating why two plain-clothes police officers were beaten and pepper-sprayed by their uniformed colleagues during May Day protests in Berlin.
Sweden
Looted Viking treasure trial gets under way
Wednesday marked the first day in a groundbreaking trial against five men charged with aggravated crime against relics following the theft of over 1,000 silver coins and artefacts from the Viking age on the Baltic island of Gotland.
Germany
Court orders overhaul of preventive detention
Convicted sex offenders and murderers held in preventive detention to protect society may have to be released by the end of the year after Germany’s Constitutional Court ruled on Wednesday their detention was unconstitutional.
Sweden
Beer in Sweden: a look at new springtime brews
Beer blogger Darren Packman offers his thoughts seven new beers set to hit the shelves in select Systembolaget stores in May, as Sweden's state-run liquor monopoly does its part to mark the arrival of spring.
Germany
Sarrazin blasts SPD immigrant quota plan
Former Bundesbank executive Thilo Sarrazin has made further inflammatory remarks about immigrants just days after he was given a reprieve by his own Social Democratic Party (SPD).
Germany
Bachelor’s degree sufficient for good job prospects, study finds
German bachelor’s degree-holders have good job and education prospects despite the degree’s poor reputation, a study has found.
Germany
Berlin swimming pool hosts underwater opera
A specially composed opera with a difference premiered in a Berlin swimming pool this week, with singers performing in and out and even under the water.
Sweden
Spotify takes fight to iTunes with iPod app
Swedish music service Spotify has launched an iPod app, as the firm seeks compete for music sales with Apple's iTunes and expand user options after imposing restrictions on its free streaming service last month.
Switzerland
Glencore sets share price in bumper IPO
Swiss-based commodities giant Glencore has set a price for its dual initial public offering in Hong Kong and London, which will be the world's biggest so far this year, a report said on Wednesday.
Switzerland
Actelion to appeal damages order
Swiss biotechnology group Actelion said Wednesday that it would appeal against $547 million in damages awarded by a California court to Japanese company Asahi Kasei Pharma.
Germany
Merkel slammed for joy over bin Laden killing
Several German politicians on Wednesday criticized Chancellor Angela Merkel for expressing joy over the death of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden, saying it sent the wrong message.
Germany
Greens gaining on Merkel’s conservatives
Germany’s highflying environmentalist Greens are breathing down the neck of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, narrowing the gap in their support to just three percentage points in a new opinion poll released on Wednesday.
Sweden
Hidden cameras catch cleaners looting Swedish trains
Hidden cameras were used to catch a number of sticky-fingered cleaners red handed stealing from the restaurant cars of Swedish trains.
Sweden
Laws to aid disabled Swedes ‘ignored’: report
Disabled Swedes are often denied their right to assistance by the municipal-run facilities in which they reside, a new report shows.
Germany
Egypt to demand Nefertiti bust’s return officially
Egypt officials have said they will make a formal request to Germany for the return of the 3,400 year-old bust of fabled Queen Nefertiti, but Germany said the bust will remain in Berlin.
Sweden
Slain Swede’s husband wanted ‘a way out’
A British businessman wanted in South Africa on charges of ordering his wife's murder while on honeymoon in Cape Town began his extradition hearing in a London court on Tuesday.