Saab chair apologises to employees
Saab chairman Victor Muller arrived in Trollhättan on Tuesday to brief employees on the cooperation with Chinese firm Pang Da and to apologise for the turbulence of recent weeks.
Day: May 17, 2011
Sweden
Drunk actor fell asleep on stage
When a performing arts group put on a show at a the Inkonst culture venue in central Malmö on Friday, one actor got so drunk that he fell asleep on stage.
Switzerland
Swiss tech firm in $2.5 billion Toshiba deal
Toshiba and its Japanese partners plan to buy Swiss metering technology firm Landis+Gyr for 200 billion yen ($2.5 billion), local media said on Tuesday.
Switzerland
Standard German banned from Zurich preschools
Voters have decided that toddlers at Zürich kindergartens will only learn Swiss German in future, instead of the standard language spoken in Germany.
Switzerland
Qaddafi arrest warrants gain Swiss support
Switzerland is backing an initiative by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to arrest the Libyan leader on charges of crimes against humanity, according to media reports.
Switzerland
Swiss cheese gets EU protection
From the creamy raclette to gruyère cheeses, Switzerland is set to sign an agreement with the EU to protect the geographical origins of about 20 Swiss products.
Sweden
EU network: Sweden passive on ‘slave auction’
The pan-European network of NGOs and research institutes has called on the Swedish government to use the opportunity of a "slave auction" held in Lund in April to "address the specific needs of victims of racism and racial hatred".
Germany
Plane crashes pose threat to nuclear plants
Germany's 17 nuclear power plants are generally considered safe, though four older reactors may close because they are exceptionally vulnerable to plane crashes, Environment Minister Norbert Röttgen said on Tuesday.
Germany
Bayern Munich dominate Bundesliga… for vegetarians
Bavarian football giants Bayern Munich have averted a title-free season by again being voted the best vegetarian-friendly club in the Bundesliga by animal rights group PETA.
Germany
Schäuble promises hard line on eurozone bailouts
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has promised members of parliament that strict conditions will be attached to any future bailout of eurozone members.
Sweden
Nobel laureates in Stockholm climate ‘trial’
Around 20 Nobel prize winners will preside over a mock courtroom in Stockholm on Tuesday, with the Planet Earth and humanity on opposing sides of the case, as part of a symposium to highlight global sustainability.
Germany
Exhibition shows everyday life as communism crumbled
A new exhibition at the German Historical Museum (DHM) in Berlin offers insight into everyday life in East Germany and post-communist eastern Europe with never-before-seen photos. Curator Yara-Colette Lemke took The Local on a tour.
Sweden
Cabbie sex offender remains at the wheel
A taxi-driver in Uppsala in central Sweden who was convicted of sexual harassment against a woman passenger last autumn can continue to drive his cab after appealing the verdict, despite two more reported offences.
Sweden
Swedish teacher lands EU ‘tongue stories’ award
A elementary school teacher from Skövde in western Sweden is one 28 Europeans recognised by the EU in a competition to highlight language diversity.
Germany
Man’s body eaten by pet dogs
Police in Cologne have found the remains of a 48-year-old man whose body was partially devoured by his two pet dogs after he died alone, media reported Tuesday.
Sweden
Alcoholism linked to family drinking: study
Having a relative with an alcohol problem increases the risk of an individual developing alcoholism, a new Swedish study published on Tuesday has shown.
Sweden
Government in labour market policy retreat
The Swedish government has announced changes to its unemployment policy to extend access to labour market training even for the long-term unemployed, bowing to broad criticism of existing regulations.
Germany
FDP calls for basic children’s income
The pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP) is stepping up its effort to revive flagging voter interest with an overhaul of Germany's social welfare net, suggesting a basic children’s income should replace all parenting and child payments.
Germany
Burglary rate surges
Not known as a hotbed for burglary, Germany suffered a jump of nearly 7 percent in break-ins last year, according to crime statistics cited by daily Die Welt on Tuesday.
Sweden
New cruel bear trap found in Swedish woods
Another attempt to kill bears by fooling them into eating a blood-soaked mattress, thus causing them to starve to death slowly due to constipation, has been uncovered in the north of Sweden.
Germany
Cologne apartment blaze leaves one dead, 17 hurt
A fire at an apartment building in Cologne’s Mülheim district overnight left one person dead and 17 others seriously injured.
Sweden
OECD slams Sweden for using aid for embassies
The OECD has criticised Sweden for using money from the development aid budget to finance embassy operations, in contravention of international regulations.
Sweden
Passenger saves bus after driver collapse
Quick action by the head of a Canadian choir touring Sweden narrowly averted an accident when the driver of their tour bus suffered a heart attack at full speed, Swedish media reported Monday.
Germany
Shipbuilder HDW sinks Greek sub order
German shipbuilding group HDW has pulled out of a subcontractor deal to build two submarines at an Arab-owned shipyard in Greece.
Germany
Expat’s language essay wins her a trip to Brussels
A 24-year-old Italian-Canadian teacher living in Berlin was recently invited to Brussels to receive an EU award for language diversity. The Local went along for the ride.
Sweden
SOS service under review after ambulance errors
Sweden's emergency response service SOS Alarm has been put under review by the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen).