Swiss top cop suspended over love affair
Switzerland's top policeman was suspended from his duties this week over a love affair, as authorities found that his ex-partner, a woman of Russian origin, could have posed a risk to his work.
Day: September 30, 2011
Switzerland
Germany
Research institute predicts end of job boom
The Institute for Employment Research (IAB) forecast an end to the good times in Germany’s labour market on Friday, dampening the euphoria around the latest unemployment figures published this week.
France
Greece courts Sarkozy after German bail-out win
Greece's Prime Minister George Papandreou brought his campaign to save his economy to Paris on Friday as nervous markets turned their attention to a key international audit of Greek finances.
Germany
Bailout expansion clears final hurdle in Bundesrat
The EU's beefed-up eurozone bailout fund cleared its final hurdle in Germany Friday when the upper house of parliament backed the move to help debt-ridden countries.
France
Ten spectacular reasons to climb Mont Blanc
Are you pining for your next adventure but not sure mainland Europe’s highest point is the answer? The Local’s Karen Holst found there’s plenty to gain from the pain of conquering Mont Blanc. Just watch out for the horny goats.
Sweden
Sweden needs a fat tax to tackle obesity: expert
A leading Sweden nutrition expert on Friday argued that Sweden should follow neighbours Denmark and introduce a tax on fats in order to help in the fight against obesity.
Switzerland
Swiss target oil and bank in new Syria sanctions
Switzerland on Friday tightened sanctions against Syria, halting new investments in the oil sector and also stopping the delivery of new coins and notes to its central bank.
Sweden
Göran Hägglund lays down the gauntlet
Christian Democrat leader Göran Hägglund has challenged his critics within the party to stand up and fight for the leadership, in response to a petition which has cast doubt on his position.
Switzerland
Nestle tempts dogs with high frequency TV ads
The world's biggest food company Nestle is seeking to conquer the dog food market with special advertising targeted at men's best friend.
France
Schoolchildren riot over holiday cut rumour
Several hundred French schoolchildren went on the rampage on Friday after false rumours spread that President Nicolas Sarkozy's government wants to take away a large slice of their school holidays.
Germany
Hewlett Packard spends $13 million to fire CEO
IT giant Hewlett-Packard is paying Léo Apotheker a hefty settlement for his 11 months work, it emerged Friday. The German former CEO will receive around $13 million (€9.5 million) and get his move back to Europe paid to boot.
Switzerland
Man torches apartment over 50 franc debt
A man who burned down his friend’s apartment over a 50 franc ($55) debt was convicted of arson and sentenced to 14 months in prison by the Zurich district court on Thursday.
Switzerland
Swiss parties call for more protectionism
Swiss entrepreneurs and politicians called on Thursday for the government to implement protectionist measures favouring national companies over foreign suppliers in the awarding of public contracts.
Sweden
Swedish oil firm confirms massive North Sea find
Swedish oil firm Lundin Petrolium has confirmed the discovery of a massive oil reserve in the Norwegian North Atlantic, that the firm says could contain up to 1.8 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
Germany
‘Where’s the money?’
Following the Bundestag’s vote on Thursday to expand the eurozone bailout fund, The Local hit the streets to find out what the average German makes of it all, in the latest instalment of our new Zeitgeist series.
Sweden
Brazil fighter jet deal ‘urgent’: minister
Brazil's defense minister has said that the country has an "urgent´" need of new combat aircraft, reigniting renewed speculation about a multi-billion-dollar deal potentially involving Swedish Saab's Gripen NG.
Germany
Teachers don’t want metro attacker in class
Teachers at a Berlin high school are threatening to strike if the teenager convicted of brutally beating a man in a metro station in April is allowed to attend classes there.
Sweden
Q&A with Paul Johnston, new UK ambassador to Sweden
The Local catches up with the new UK ambassador to Sweden, Paul Johnston, and has a quick chat about how he is finding his new posting in Stockholm.
Norway
Fighter jet sent to rouse drunk Norwegian captain
A drunken Norwegian freighter captain steering his 70-metre-long vessel on autopilot had to be awoken from semi-consciousness by a Danish F-16 fighter-bomber after a helicopter sent from Denmark failed to get him to alter course.
Germany
Tracing the capital’s history by canoe
Crossing Berlin can be as simple as getting on a train or hopping on a bike. Shane Thomas McMillan and his friends decided to get a different view of the capital – taking its snaking waterways by canoe.
Sweden
Swedes bask in late summer heat
Just when all but a few hardy souls had fished out their thicker coats from their wardrobes, the city of Hudiksvall measured a record high temperature of 25.6 degrees with the weekend promising more of the same.
Germany
Koch-Mehrin accused of skipping work
German European parliament member Silvana Koch-Mehrin, who was stripped of her PhD title earlier this year for plagiarism, has not been to a parliamentary committee meeting since the end of 2009, a TV show claims.
Norway
Norway tops list for unsafe sex
A study of contraception use has revealed young Norwegian men in their late teens have the least safe sex in Europe.
Sweden
Migration Board offers fast track jobs migration
The Swedish Migration Board (Migration Board) is set to launch a new programme to cut processing times for immigrants seeking to come to the country on working visas, by allowing major companies to handle the process.
Sweden
‘Homesick’ dog takes metro home alone
Four-year-old black Labrador Eira took exception to being left at a new kennel for the day and after having escaped her carers, she ran to the metro and made her way home to Gullmarsplan in southern Stockholm, six stations away.
Sweden
Caregiver steals from 98-year-old, goes free
A caregiver in western Sweden, caught stealing from her elderly charge, has been freed after a court ruled that police planting money in the old woman’s wallet was entrapment.
France
Paris Metro gives lessons in good manners
Police, sociologists and elected officials got together with the management of Paris’ metro and bus network this week to talk about ways to improve the behaviour of the 10 million passengers the system carries each day.
France
Paris prepares for a Sleepless Night
The annual Nuit Blanche (Sleepless Night) takes place on Saturday night with artists and performers staging exhibits and events throughout the night until Sunday morning.
Sweden
Swedes among the ‘gloomiest’ on Twitter
Swedes are among the most melancholy tweeters on the planet, according to scientists from Cornell University in the US.
France
Marine Le Pen tries to woo teachers
Front National leader Marine Le Pen struck a very different tone to her father, the former leader of the far-right party, when she gave a speech aimed at winning over teachers to the party cause.
France
Top Lyon cop held in corruption probe
The number two in the Lyon police has been held for questioning over alleged corruption charges.
France
Banon confronts DSK over alleged rape attempt
Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn had a police-arranged confrontation on Thursday with the French writer who accuses him of a 2003 rape attempt, an allegation she repeated in the face-to-face meeting.
Germany
Designer creates clothes from milk
A Hannover microbiologist and fashion designer is releasing a new clothing line with a twist: the clothes are partly created from powdered milk - aiding skincare.
Germany
Disgraced Guttenberg now at US think tank
Former German Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, who stepped down earlier this year after he was found to have plagiarized his doctoral thesis, has taken up an honorary post at a leading US think tank.
Germany
Police nab boxer driving 230 kilometres per hour
Former world boxing champion Arthur Abraham’s driving licence is at risk after he was pulled over by police in Berlin doing 230 kilometres per hour (142 miles per hour) in his Ferrari, a new speed record for the city.
Sweden
Moderates in decline: poll
Sweden’s ruling Moderate Party has received the lowest poll results since the general election, according to fresh figures from research company Synovate and daily Dagens Nyheter (DN).