Libyan rebels respect German military inaction
Libyan rebel leader Mahmud Jibril said Thursday that he respected Germany's decision not to take part in military action to protect his country's civilians despite international criticism.
Day: June 30, 2011
Germany
Germany
Unemployment rate dips below seven percent
Germany’s jobs boom is continuing, with the number of unemployed falling once again in June and the jobless rate dipping below seven percent for the first time since 1992.
Germany
Barenboim stays on as Berlin State Opera music director
Daniel Barenboim, the Argentine-Israeli pianist and conductor, is to extend his contract as general music director of the Berlin's renowned State Opera, city officials said Thursday.
Germany
German banks agree to help bail out Greece
German banks agreed Thursday with the German government to participate in a second debt rescue package for Athens by rolling over some of their Greek bonds, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble said.
Sweden
Unruly start to Swedish music fest
The music festival Peace & Love in Borlänge, in central Sweden, was off to an unruly start on Wednesday, with local police kept busy and holding facilities at capacity.
Germany
Heavy rain hits Bavaria and Lower Saxony
Violent storms have flooded swathes of Lower Saxony and Bavaria, filling streets and basements with water and leaving authorities struggling to cope.
Switzerland
UBS buys ING’s Australia investment bank
Banking giant UBS said on Thursday it had acquired Dutch bank ING's Australian investment banking unit for an undisclosed sum, a move which would help boost the Swiss bank's presence in the region.
Sweden
Hate crime declines in Sweden: report
The number of hate crimes committed in Sweden decreased in 2010 compared to the year before, according to statistics from Sweden’s National Council of Crime Prevention (Brottsförebygganderådet - BRÅ).
Sweden
Saab: production to resume in two weeks
Cash-strapped Swedish carmaker Saab Automobile is hopeful of restarting frozen production lines within two weeks after receiving orders totalling 10,000 vehicles.
Sweden
Sweden offers ‘haven’ for persecuted writers
The Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) has announced new rules intended to make it easier for exiled authors who are persecuted in their home countries to reside in so-called "safe havens" in Sweden.
Germany
Parliament backs nuclear energy phaseout
The German parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly approved plans to scrap nuclear power by 2022, making Germany the first major industrial nation to ditch atomic energy in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan.
Germany
Germany blasts proposed EU budget
Germany on Thursday blasted as "irresponsibly high" the European Commission's proposal for the next 2014-2020 budget, saying it set a poor example during the eurozone debt crisis.
Sweden
Swedes set sights on North Korean scalp
Sweden's World Cup team are looking to follow up Tuesday's victory over Colombia with a second win against the tougher test of North Korea on Saturday, with coach Thomas Dennerby noting that the Asian team are a familiar foe.
Switzerland
Swiss face surging insurance premiums
Swiss residents are likely to see surging life and health insurance premiums, according to new study by accounting firm Ernst & Young.
Sweden
Swedish teens targeted in Lund flasher attacks
A series of flasher incidents have been reported in Lund in southern Sweden over the past two months, with police entertaining the theory that there are a number of different perpetrators are behind the early summer wave.
Germany
What’s on in Germany: June 30 – July 6
This Week's Highlights: A castle festival in Frankfurt, Schlager fans descend on Hamburg and Munich throws an Oktoberfest party for Americans.
Sweden
Abba – tracing the steps of the giants of disco
The wide flares and glam beats of disco's heyday are here to stay, The Local's Clara Guibourg discovers, as she tags along on an Abba City Walk, and brings us along for the ride on a trip through 1970's Stockholm.
Germany
Steel cartel accused of massively defrauding Deutsche Bahn
Prosecutors are investigating dozens of people across 10 companies over allegations that they built a cartel to fix the price of railway steel and defraud national carrier Deutsche Bahn for hundreds of millions of euros.
Sweden
Sweden slams EU budget proposal
EU's budget proposal has been heavily criticised by Sweden, with one MP calling it "the most provocative budget in EU history".
Switzerland
Heavy rains cause floods in central regions
Heavy rains hit central Switzerland overnight, flooding roads and basements, causing power outages and forcing the evacuation of several homes.
France
Reshuffle: Baroin takes over as Finance Minister
The former number two at the Finance Ministry, Francois Baroin, has taken over from his previous boss, Christine Lagarde.
France
Daily smokers increase in France
While cannabis use has remained fairly stable in France, the number of cocaine and tobacco users is on the rise.
France
Travel delays expected as holiday exodus starts
This weekend is set to be a busy one on the roads, trains and at airports as the French holiday season gets underway.
France
Police catch up with jogger ambusher
A man who leapt into the path of female joggers to 'warn them' about possible danger has been caught by police.
France
E. coli officials investigate France fenugreek link
Fenugreek seeds exported from Egypt to France and Germany may have caused an E. coli outbreak that has killed 48 people in Europe, the European Food Safety Authority said on Wednesday.
Sweden
Business group urges cut in study aid for the arts
Sweden needs to cut its student grants to students electing to study humanities and arts subjects, to encourage them to pursue degrees which can lead to a job, according to a new report from an influential business group.
France
France defiant over arming Libyan rebels
France has defended its decision to supply arms to Libyan rebels, arguing that it is not in breach of a Security Council resolution that established an arms embargo to Libya.
France
French hostages return after Taliban release
Two French television journalists were flying home on Thursday from Afghanistan after spending 18 months as Taliban prisoners and becoming the longest held Western hostages in the war-torn nation.
Sweden
Minister sounded alarm on sick pay rules
Former Social Security Minister Cristina Husmark Pehrsson foresaw problems with the new sick pay rules and her ministry raised the alarm, only to be knocked back in negotiations, according to a memo which emerged on Thursday.
Sweden
Missing Swede turns up in Spain
The 61-year-old Swedish man who was reported missing on Saturday during a holiday to Barcelona has been found alive and well.
Germany
Cannabis plants found in Greens party flower boxes
Police are investigating the discovery of cannabis plants growing at a Thuringia office of the environmentalist Greens party, prompting a political firestorm in the state.
Germany
Website ranks the sexiest Bundestag MPs
A new website allowing visitors to decide the sexiest members of the German parliament has become an internet sensation. Female MPs from the socialist party The Left are leading the pack.
Germany
E. coli may have had Egyptian origins
Fenugreek seeds exported from Egypt to France and Germany may have caused an E. coli outbreak that has killed 48 people in Europe, the European Food Safety Authority reported.