Men allege sexual discrimination at Swedish police academy
Dozens of men have filed sexual discrimination complaints with Sweden's Equality Ombudsman (DO), after being denied admission to Sweden's National Police Academy.
Day: July 29, 2011
Sweden
Germany
Stuttgart 21 arbitration ends in acrimony
The saga of attempted conciliation between opponents and supporters of the Stuttgart 21 project has reached an end with no compromise and with opponents insisting that “stress tests” on the massive rail plans were rigged.
Germany
BMW unveils electric and hybrid concept cars
Six weeks before the Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW has unveiled concept vehicles that the company hopes will make it a trend-setter in the electric car business.
Sweden
Sweden hit by Microsoft phone hacking scam
Fake, English-speaking tech support specialists claiming to be from US software giant Microsoft are targeting Swedes in a creative scam designed to hack into people's computers.
Switzerland
Pakistan Taliban say they have Swiss hostages
Pakistan Taliban militants on Friday said they were holding a Swiss couple kidnapped a month ago while on holiday in the remote province of Baluchistan.
Sweden
Murder-for-hire hockey star headed to Sweden: report
Former National Hockey League (NHL) star Mike Danton, who was jailed for conspiring to murder his agent, used Twitter to announce he'd signed on with a new team in Sweden.
Sweden
Swedish blogger inspired Norway terrorist: report
Portions of Anders Behring Breivik’s “manifesto” were previously posted on an anti-Muslim Swedish blog, according to report in the Swedish media.
Germany
Miserable weather looms for the weekend
After heavy rains caused havoc in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) in recent days, it was northeastern Germany’s turn for drenching on Friday, with downpours hammering Berlin and coastal areas.
Sweden
‘Obama cares more about Norway than Reinfeldt’
Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt tried on Friday to respond to criticism that he has been missing-in-action following last week's terror attacks in Norway.
France
New report cites pilot error in Rio-Paris crash
Air France pilots made a series of errors on the Rio to Paris flight that crashed in 2009 killing 228 people, partly due to a lack of training, investigators said Friday.
Germany
Retail sales surge
Retail sales in Germany, the biggest European economy, gained a surprise 6.3 percent in June, provisional figures released Friday showed.
Germany
Greens revive calls for gay marriage
The opposition Greens have re-opened the issue of gay marriage in Germany, calling for same-sex partners to have the same rights under the law as heterosexual couples.
Germany
Spy agency doubts far-right network exists
Germany’s foreign intelligence agency has said there is no evidence that a Europe-wide network of right-wing extremists is evolving, casting doubt on claims by Norwegian mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik.
Germany
Cologne food fair foie gras snub angers French officials
A dispute over foie gras has reached the highest levels of Franco-German ties after a Cologne food fair said the controversial French delicacy will not be allowed.
Switzerland
Arms exports to Arab nations criticized
Activists have criticized the fact that Switzerland is increasing its arms exports to Arab regimes at a time of unrest in the Middle East.
Switzerland
Half of Swiss men share ‘pharaoh gene’
Every second Swiss male is related to the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, according to researchers in Zurich.
Sweden
Minister touts new law on board gender quotas
Sweden's minster for gender equality, Nyamko Sabuni, has called for legislation to help boost the number of women who serve on the boards of local government-operated companies.
Sweden
Swedish economy continues to grow
Sweden's economy expanded by one percent in the second quarter, while year-on-year growth slowed to 5.3 percent, data released Friday by the central statistics office (SCB) showed.
France
Famous tree-lined canal under threat
Thousands of the famous plane trees that line the 240 kilometre Canal du Midi in the south of France will be chopped down after being attacked by an incurable killer fungus.
France
Drunken prank has spooky end in Paris catacombs
Three young people spent an unnerving 48-hours roaming in the dark among the millions of skeletons buried under Paris this week.
France
‘Gainsbourg’ and ‘Hallyday’ come to blows
Events took a surreal turn at the weekend when celebrity look-alikes of iconic French singers Serge Gainsbourg and Johnny Hallyday got into a fight, ending with one of them in hospital.
France
‘Black Saturday’ looms for travellers
French holiday makers are gearing up for the busiest travel weekend of the summer as millions return from July holidays while many more set off for their August break.
France
Military-style camps for juvenile delinquents
Proposals to put young offenders in correction centres run by former military personnel are being drawn up by the French government.
Switzerland
National day to be celebrated with with new apple
Switzerland will celebrate its founding this year with its own new apple species, the Galmac, adding a new twist to William Tell's mythical apple-shot which indirectly led to Swiss independence.
Switzerland
Surging franc pushes SNB into the red
The Swiss National Bank has announced a consolidated loss of Sfr.10.8 billion for the first half of 2011 largely as a result of the surging value of the Swiss franc.
France
EADS profits nosedive for first half of 2011
European defence group EADS saw its profits tumble 41 percent in the first half of 2011 to 109 million euros ($156 million) but maintained its positive outlook on surging orders, it said Friday.
Germany
Ex-tenants face charges over gas leak deaths
Police said Friday there were considering laying negligent homicide charges against two former tenants of a Berlin apartment where a six-person family died from carbon monoxide poisoning earlier this week.
Sweden
Housing a hedgehog is a crime: Swedish police
Police raided the apartment of a woman in Gävle in eastern Sweden after being tipped off that she was caring for a wild hedgehog in violation of the country's hunting laws.
Germany
eBay blocks online retailers’ Cuba products
Online auction site eBay and its subsidiary PayPal are prohibiting German merchants from doing Cuba-related transactions, prompting accusations the company is violating European law
Sweden
Swedish barbeque: sausages, shellfish and disposable grills
Summer in Sweden is synonymous with grilling, prompting The Local’s Karen Holst to get to the bottom of Swedes' flaming frenzy and learn more about what makes the ultimate Swedish ‘grillfest.’
Sweden
Two women stabbed in Stockholm suburb
Police have detained a 28-year-old man on suspicion of having stabbed two 20-year-old women Thursday night in the north Stockholm suburb of Hässelby.
Sweden
Antonov can’t be an owner in Saab: EIB
The European Investment Bank on Thursday confirmed a loan to Swedish carmaker Saab was approved on condition Russian businessman Vladimir Antonov did not take over, a report said.
Germany
Weekend drivers face massive traffic jams
With summer vacation starting for schools in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden Württemberg, some of Germany’s most populous regions are bracing for massive traffic jams this weekend.
Germany
Sphinx returned to Turkey after controversy
Germany has returned a 3,500-year-old sphinx to Turkey after a war of words and the treasured sculpture is set to be reinstated at its original location, media reports said Thursday.