Swedish citizenship applications on the rise
The number of people applying to be Swedish citizens is expected to rise in 2011, according to forecasts from the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket).
Day: June 7, 2011
Sweden
Germany
Industrial orders rebound
German industrial orders bounced back in April, official data showed on Tuesday, suggesting Europe's biggest economy continues to perform well.
Germany
Bumbling E. coli investigation embarrasses German officials
After mistakenly blaming Spanish cucumbers and organic sprouts for a deadly E. coli outbreak, criticism of the German authorities is mounting. The Local looks at who’s handling the health crisis.
Sweden
New police task force after latest Malmö blast
An explosion damaged a convenience store in Malmö in southern Sweden early Tuesday morning, prompting police to form a special task force to look into a string of recent bombings in the city.
Germany
Pope visit set to draw huge crowds
Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to his birth country in September is booking out, with one church service already oversubscribed by eager Catholic worshippers and more than 120,000 ticket requests logged for his five public events.
France
Police foil forced-marriage kidnap
German police said on Tuesday they had foiled a bid by two Turks to kidnap a 17-year-old girl from Sarregumines, in eastern France, for a forced marriage in Turkey.
France
Protests fail to stop nuclear train
A train carrying nuclear waste to France was able to depart on Tuesday despite efforts by Dutch and Belgian anti-nuclear activists – some who were trying to block it by chaining themselves to the tracks.
France
Asian demand ramps up Bordeaux prices
One of the world's most influential wine critics is alarmed by the high price of Bordeaux wine, saying the region risks hurting itself by focusing so much on the East Asian market.
France
India fails to back Lagarde
France's Christine Lagarde failed on Tuesday to win public backing from India for her bid to lead the IMF as she continued her global roadshow aimed at overcoming opposition in emerging countries.
Germany
Berlin man accused of killing pregnant wife
A 27-year-old man stabbed his wife to death in her 20th week of pregnancy during a domestic dispute in Berlin’s Friedrichshain district, police announced on Tuesday.
Germany
E. coli deaths rise as mystery deepens
The death toll from an outbreak of E. coli bacteria poisoning centred on northern Germany rose to 24 after two women, aged 88 and 74, died in Lower Saxony, authorities said on Tuesday.
Sweden
Sweden ‘failing’ in fight against child poverty
The increase in child poverty in Sweden is due in part to failed family policies and the welfare system becoming less fair, Save the Children Sweden (Rädda Barnen) has claimed in a new report on the problem which it claims affects 220,000 children.
Sweden
‘Lower wages will give more immigrants jobs’
The best way to boost employment levels among Sweden's foreign-born is by reducing wages for low-paying jobs, argues Jenny von Bahr, author of a report on the subject commissioned by liberal Swedish think tank Timbro.
Germany
Bundestag offers lessons in democracy in Arabic
The German parliament launched an Arabic version of its website Tuesday in a bid to reach out to democracy movements in North Africa and the Middle East, its speaker said.
Sweden
Swedish team turns skin into nerve cells
A team of researchers at Lund University in southern Sweden have managed to develop nerve cells from human skin cells without using stem cells - a development described as an ethical and medical breakthrough.
Sweden
Vattenfall ‘may gain’ from German nuclear move
Swedish energy giant Vattenfall may end up benefiting from a recent decision by Germany to ditch nuclear power, according to the company's CEO.
Germany
Oktoberfest beer prices to crack €9-mark
A litre of beer will for the first time top €9 at this year’s Oktoberfest, continuing a steady march upward in prices at the legendary Munich festival, the city announced on Tuesday.
Switzerland
Suspected ‘Pink Panther’ diamond thief arrested
A suspected member of the "Pink Panther" gang of international jewelry thieves has been arrested in Montenegro in line with a Swiss arrest warrant, police said Monday.
Switzerland
Immigrant women ‘need protection’
A new report says Switzerland is not doing enough to protect immigrant women from domestic violence.
Germany
Coalition MPs back Gazprom stake in EON
Leading politicians from Germany's centre-right coalition are pushing to allow the Russian gas giant Gazprom to take a stake in the country's biggest utility firm EON as a way of guaranteeing future gas supplies.
Switzerland
Lunar eclipse expected to be seen in Switzerland
The phenomenon is expected to occur the night of June 15 and will be visible across Switzerland, weather permitting.
Switzerland
Swiss tunnel skater breaches bail in Australia
A Swiss tourist who rode his skateboard through a busy highway tunnel near Melbourne during rush hour risking his life and disrupting traffic has been arrested for breaching his bail conditions, reports said.
Sweden
Swedish prosecutor confirms US spy probe
Sweden's top prosecutor revealed on Tuesday that his office had previously opened a preliminary criminal investigation against US agents suspected of spying in Sweden in 2009.
Sweden
Thunderstorms threaten southern Sweden
Sweden's meteorological office SMHI has warned that after the sunshine cometh the rain with downpours and thunder forecast for southern areas on Tuesday afternoon.
Germany
Fierce storms batter northern Germany
Terrific thunderstorms late on Monday left emergency services overstretched in parts of Germany, as phone calls flooded fire departments. Hamburg was especially hard hit.
Germany
Sprouts remain E.coli suspects, officials say
Officials insisted Tuesday morning that the bean sprouts from a Lower Saxony farm are still chief suspects in the deadly E. coli outbreak, despite the first batch of laboratory tests turning up negative.
Sweden
Akzo Nobel signs China partnership
Dutch-Swedish chemical group Akzo Nobel said on Monday it had formed a partnership with China's Quangxi CAVA for the supply of a key ingredient in paints from 2014.
Sweden
Zlatan returns for Finland qualifier
Sweden skipper Zlatan Ibrahimovic has returned to the national team squad to face Finland on Tuesday in a crucial Euro 2012 qualifier having missed the weekend win in Moldova through injury, coach Eric Hamrén said Monday.
Sweden
Nuclear weapons threat remains high: study
Swedish think tank SIPRI warns in a new report that meaningful nuclear disarmament remains unlikely in the near future, observing that 5,000 nuclear weapons are currently deployed worldwide.
Germany
Merkel visit prompts White House pomp
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived at the White House Tuesday, continuing an official US visit during which differences between the transatlantic allies over Libya and global economics are being masked by American pomp.