Tognum accepts takeover offer from Daimler and Rolls-Royce
German motor and turbine maker Tognum said Tuesday it would accept an improved offer from the auto group Daimler and Britain's Rolls-Royce, opening the way for a strong alliance.
Day: May 18, 2011
Germany
Sweden
Cartoon bear’s ‘asylum stories’ spark debate
One of Sweden's most beloved children's cartoon characters, Bamse the bear, has found himself at the centre of a raging debate about Sweden's asylum policies.
Germany
The family secret behind the economic boom
The backbone of Germany’s booming economy isn’t huge industry – it's thousands of small and mid-sized firms spread across the country. The Local's David Wroe reports on the quiet achievers known as the Mittelstand.
Germany
Deutsche Bank funded firm selling cluster bombs to Libya
Deutsche Bank reportedly helped financed the firm supplying Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi with cluster bombs of the sort his military recently dropped over the rebel-held town of Misrata.
Sweden
Bildt: sex assault scandal shouldn’t damage IMF
Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt said on Wednesday that he he does not expect the sex assault allegations against IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn to damage the global funding body.
Sweden
New theatre group brings Mamet comedy to the Stockholm stage
Celebrated playwright David Mamet's comedy of manners Boston Marriage is set to hit the stage in Stockholm this week, thanks to a recently-founded international theatre company based in the Swedish capital, The Local's Clara Guibourg discovers.
Switzerland
Syria faces Swiss sanctions
Switzerland announced new sanctions against Syria on Wednesday, following the European Union's decision to increase pressure on the Assad regime.
Switzerland
Police: cannibal killed two women
Slovakia's police said on Wednesday they had evidence showing a man who had tried to lure a Swiss man to Slovakia to kill and eat him had also killed two women.
Switzerland
Pink diamond fetches millions in Geneva
An extremely rare translucent pink diamond fetched a price of 8.5 million francs ($9.5 million) at a Sotheby's auction on Tuesday, the third-highest price ever paid for one of the pink stones at auction.
Germany
Lahm says gay footballers better off in the closet
Germany football captain and Bayern Munich star Philipp Lahm has advised gay professional footballers against outing themselves, in an interview with German celebrity magazine Bunte.
Sweden
Swedish doc missed 27 skin cancer cases
A doctor employed at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg in western Sweden missed at least 27 skin cancer diagnoses over a period of several years, the hospital confirmed on Wednesday.
Germany
Defence reform slashes troop numbers
Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière Wednesday outlined a broad reform of the German armed forces that will see troop levels slashed from 250,000 to some 185,000 in a bid to improve efficiency.
Sweden
Kamprad pledges Ikea ‘transparency’
Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of Swedish furnishings giant Ikea, has promised more transparency over the firm's business affairs, saying that it has nothing to hide after a slew of allegations in recent years.
Switzerland
Switzerland scores in competitiveness rankings
Switzerland is the 5th most competitive country in the world, according to newly released figures.
Switzerland
Man tempted down after Basel roof siege
A 31-year-old man who spent the last two days barricaded on the roof of a Basel building has finally been tempted down by rescuers.
Germany
Protest leaves soldiers hurt, Afghans dead
Two German soldiers were injured and several Afghans were killed on Wednesday after a demonstration outside a Bundeswehr camp in northern Afghanistan turned violent.
Sweden
Police face machine gun fire in bank robbery
A branch of Handelsbanken in Flen in eastern Sweden was robbed on Wednesday morning by masked men armed with machine guns.
Switzerland
Cat dies after kids put it in washing machine
Three children in Zurich have killed a cat by putting it into a washing machine in their apartment block.
Switzerland
‘Halve TV licence fee’: petition
A petition calling for a reduction of about 50 percent of the annual Swiss TV and radio fees has been delivered to the government, reports said.
Germany
Merkel tells southern Europeans to work longer
Chancellor Angela Merkel has attacked southern European countries such as Greece, where people retire early and take lots of holidays, saying they can no longer enjoy such lifestyles at the cost of other EU members like Germany.
Sweden
Sweden ‘fourth most competitive country’
Sweden has fared well in a new ranking of the world's most competitive countries, climbing two spots into fourth place in a new ranking from the Swiss business school IMD.
Germany
‘Lost’ royal music to be played after more than a century of silence
Piano music composed by King Georg V of Hannover is to be performed on Friday for the first time in more than a century after being rediscovered by an academic pianist in Wiesbaden.
Germany
The Local secures investment for European expansion
The Local will expand into six new markets in Europe this year, supported by 10 million Swedish kronor (€1.1 million) in further financing from existing and new investors, including Sweden's Almi Invest.
Sweden
The Local secures funds for European expansion
The Local will expand into six new markets in Europe this year, supported by 10 million kronor ($1.6 million) in further financing from existing and new investors, including Almi Invest.
Germany
Google’s Android mobile operating system ‘easy to hack’
A German tech security researcher has shown that Google’s mobile phone operating system Android can easily by hacked if the user is connected to a public internet connection – allowing all their data be accessed.
Sweden
Saab to examine new JAS Gripen bribe report
Swedish defence firm Saab has announced that it intends to investigate new allegations that a secret payment of over 50 million kronor was paid to an advisor in the deal to sell JAS Gripen aircraft to South Africa.
Germany
Landowners give way in dispute over Munich’s Olympic bid
Munich's bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics would seem all set now that organisers have secured the last piece of property needed for the crucial downhill course.
Germany
Gabriel accuses Merkel of preparing nuclear deal
Social Democratic Party chairman Sigmar Gabriel has accused Chancellor Angela Merkel of preparing to strike a deal with energy companies over a nuclear power exit strategy.
Sweden
Social Democrats in Libya mission u-turn
The Social Democrats have altered their view on Sweden's military presence in Libya, expressing their support for an extension and expansion of the Swedish military and humanitarian contributions to the North African country.
Sweden
Reinfeldt in Brazil to discuss ethanol, IMF
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt met Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff in Brasilia on Tuesday to meet with President Dilma Rouseff and to discuss ethanol, environmental concerns and technological cooperation.