Swedes cut food budgets as crisis unfolds
Swedish consumers are choosing cheaper options in their weekly shop as the mounting eurozone debt crisis and fears of recession begin to bite.
Day: September 15, 2011
Sweden
Germany
Blackface Obama billboard sparks outrage
German comedian Martin Sonneborn is well-known for jokes bordering on the tasteless. But a satirical political billboard of him posing in blackface makeup as US President Barack Obama is sparking outrage.
Germany
Berlin’s Jewish Museum marks 10th anniversary
Berlin's Jewish Museum is marking its first decade by asking the question “What does it mean to be German?” hosting a string of artistic events and throwing a giant birthday bash.
Sweden
Converts must die: imam to Swedish radio
Swedish public service broadcaster Sveriges Radio (SR) has been reported for hate speech after featuring a programme in which a Somali imam called for all converts from Islam to be killed.
Germany
Lost Friedrich der Große sex poem uncovered
A poem about passionate sex written by Prussia's Friedrich der Große (Frederick the Great) has been unearthed after being archived and - perhaps deliberately - lost for hundreds of years.
Germany
ECB: Central banks boosting dollar liquidity
The world's leading central banks have decided on joint action to provide banks with extra dollar liquidity, the European Central Bank said on Thursday.
Switzerland
Switzerland still world’s richest country: study
Switzerland has maintained its position as the richest country in the world, according to the Allianz Global Wealth Report 2011, which estimates Swiss residents’ personal wealth at almost €207,400 (250,113 francs, $286,215).
France
Ex-minister cleared of racism on appeal
An appeals court overturned former French interior minister Brice Hortefeux's racism conviction on Thursday, a legal victory for one of President Nicolas Sarkozy's closest political allies.
France
Hermes family free to fight LVMH takeover
A French appeals court on Thursday ruled that the Hermes family does not have to buy up the outstanding shares in the luxury goods company, freeing them up to fight off rival giant LVMH.
Germany
Pfizer cutting hundreds of jobs
The world’s biggest pharmaceutical firm Pfizer is cutting more than 500 jobs in Germany – around one in eight of the work places in the country, according to insiders who have spoken to the Handelsblatt newspaper.
Switzerland
Drive-in sex stalls get Swiss green light
Zurich city parliament on Wednesday rubber-stamped a loan earmarked for the construction of drive-in sex stalls where punters can meet prostitutes at purpose-built venues away from the city centre.
Sweden
Åkesson slams multi-faith Riksdag service
The Sweden Democrats have reacted in anger to the participation of a rabbi and an imam at the church service which is the traditional start of the customary pomp and ceremony before the opening of the Riksdag.
Sweden
Navy deployed to probe suspected sub sighting
Several Swedish naval ships were deployed in Gothenburg harbour on Thursday in a hunt for a suspected submarine thought to be spying on Sweden.
Sweden
Palestinians hopeful of Swedish UN vote
The new Palestinian ambassador to Sweden, Hala Husni Fariz, is hoping that Sweden will vote in favour of the Palestinian territories at least getting non-member permanent observer status in the General Assembly, the same as Vatican City, if the matter is brought up before the UN' next week.
Germany
‘It has more potential – Berlin can do more’
Renate Künast is hoping to be elected the first Green mayor of Berlin on Sunday. The Local's friends at English-language magazine Exberliner spoke to her about her priorities for the German capital.
Sweden
‘She passed away after the last injection’
The trial against a Swedish doctor accused of infant euthanasia entered its second day on Thursday with the mother of the baby describing the care received as "beneath contempt".
Switzerland
Man held in London over UBS rogue trading
Swiss banking giant UBS said on Thursday it had lost $2 billion (€1.46 billion) through unauthorised trading, after London police arrested a man suspected of committing the massive fraud.
Norway
Two dead after fire on Norway cruise ship
Two people died and around a dozen were injured in a fire that broke out in the engine room of a Norwegian fjord cruise ship on Thursday, forcing hundreds to evacuate, officials said.
Norway
Farmer sues for millions lost to hungry elk
A vegetable grower upset with the eating habits of vagrant elk is filing suit against his township for costs and lost produce.
Sweden
Gullan, 71, ‘too old’ for treatment: clinic
71-year-old Gullan Holmgren from Piteå, in northern Sweden, is 'too old' for pain rehab, according to the pain rehabilitation unit at the local hospital that turned her away.
Germany
Village denies ignoring incest family horrors
Residents of the Bavarian village where it emerged this week a man raped his daughter over a period of 34 years, fathering three children with her, say they are worried they will be stigmatized by the story – and blamed for not raising the alarm.
France
Lille let it slip as Russians pinch a point
French champions Lille threw away two points in their Champions League Group B opener at the Stadium Nord on Wednesday, gifting two late goals to Russian visitors CSKA in a 2-2 draw which
threatens to cost the French dear.
France
‘Jew or not Jew’ app pulled by Apple in France
Apple said on Wednesday that an iPhone application called "Jew or not Jew" which drew criticism from anti-racism and Jewish groups has been removed from the App Store in France.
Germany
What’s on in Germany: September 15 – 21
This Week's Highlights: Renaissance portraits in Berlin, an autumn festival in Frankfurt, and Oktoberfest parades in Munich.
France
83-year-old woman drove taxi without licence
A random check on an ageing Peugeot 306 led to the discovery that its driver was an 83-year-old woman who had no driving licence and was running her own taxi business.
France
Muslims agree to stop praying on Paris street
Muslim community leaders reached an agreement with police on Wednesday to open a mosque in the north of Paris, aimed at bringing to an end prayers in the street in the Goutte d'Or quarter of the city.
Norway
Airline SAS set to lose key Norway direction
The management group of Scandinavian Airlines, or SAS, is on course to lose Norwegian representation on its board when its commercial director steps down in six months' time.
France
GI Joe and tea sets: toy stories on show in Paris
When anti-war crowds marched to end the Vietnam conflict in the 1970s, the makers of GI Joe decided it was time to pack up his army fatigues and dress the doll for civilian life.
Switzerland
Central bank determined to enforce euro cap
The Swiss central bank pledged on Thursday to buy unlimited quantities of foreign currency to defend with "utmost determination" its cap on the franc's exchange rate against the euro.
France
Nathan and Emma: France’s most popular baby names
Emma, Jade, Zoé and Nathan, Lucas, Jules are the most favoured names for new babies in France, according to the latest statistics published in the annual guide to first names, L'Officiel des Prénoms.
Germany
Merkel and Sarkozy back Greece as worries mount
Germany and France believe debt-ridden Greece's future lies in the eurozone, as Athens vows to stick to the harsh austerity measures needed for an EU bailout.
Switzerland
Rogue trader costs Swiss bank UBS $2 billion
Swiss banking giant UBS revealed on Thursday that a rogue trader had lost an estimated $2 billion (€1.46 billion) in unauthorised trades, and that it may plunge into the red as a result.
Germany
Deutsche Telekom seeks to fight US snooping
German communications giant Deutsche Telekom wants to introduce technology to help companies guard against US government snooping.
France
Socialists line up for first TV debate
Six Socialist candidates who are aiming to be chosen as the party's candidate for presidential elections in the spring of 2012 will face each other in a first televised debate on Thursday evening.
Switzerland
Sion take Europa feud to Bern
Swiss club FC Sion took their feud against UEFA to Bern on Wednesday, saying that they had written to ask the Swiss finance minister to withdraw tax breaks to Europe's football governing body.
Sweden
Norwegian ‘wild man’ faked famed blog while living in a Swedish hotel
A Norwegian man who became a celebrity for documenting “a year” of living in the Norwegian wilds has confessed he spent much of the time living in a hotel in northern Sweden.
Sweden
Drunken elk hides kids’ swing set in a tree
An elk drunk from eating fermented apples in southern Sweden ended its binge by making off with a family's swing set and hiding it in the woods.
Sweden
Swedes pioneer new ‘Spotify for e-books’
Following in the footsteps of Swedish streaming music service Spotify, a group of tech entrepreneurs believe they've found a similar solution that could revolutionise the book market, The Local's Geoff Mortimore discovers.
Sweden
Sweden’s Stasi spies detailed in new book
The activities of more than 50 Swedes who spied on their fellow citizens for the East German intelligence service during the Cold War have been described in a new book.
Germany
Rumours fly that Berlusconi insulted Merkel’s figure on phone
Italy's gaffe-prone Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi appears to have insulted German Chancellor Angela Merkel using a vulgar phrase about her figure during a recent phone call.
Germany
Small cars aim to challenge foreign rivals
German carmakers will this week unveil a range of new small, fuel-efficient cars at the world's biggest motor show to challenge a market currently dominated by French and Asian rivals.