How a far-right party came to dominate Swiss politics
It has become the biggest party in Swiss politics and one of the most talked-about far-right parties in Europe. Meritxell Mir looks at how the SVP became so successful.
Day: October 7, 2011
Switzerland
Germany
Rösler tells Greeks stability crucial to calm debt turbulence
German Economy Minister Philipp Rösler called for more stability in the eurozone to deal with debt turbulence as Greece pledged to fully repay its bailout loans on Friday.
Norway
One in three Norwegians on benefits
One in three work-aged adults, the most in the world, is on some sort of sick leave or disability pension in Norway, according to numbers that ended up in the national budget announced this week.
Norway
Melting ice spawns record cod catch
Helped by global warming, Norway’s near monopoly on the stuff of fish’n'chips is about to grow.
Norway
Three women share Nobel Peace Prize
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, her compatriot and "peace warrior" Leymah Gbowee and Yemen's Arab Spring activist Tawakkul Karman won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a nod to women's empowerment.
France
France and Germany split on bailout fund: report
Splits have emerged between the eurozone's top two economies on how best to use the beefed-up bailout fund to tackle the debt crisis, German business daily Handelsblatt reported on Friday.
Germany
Frugal Germans consider cost first at the supermarket
It may seem that low cost supermarkets are ubiquitous in Germany – and there are 16,000 of them scattered around the country – but shoppers here are generally confident of the quality of their groceries.
Sweden
Juholt to SVT: don’t have Åkesson stand so close to me
The leaders of the Social Democrats and the Left Party on Friday declined to participate in an upcoming debate to avoid having to stand next to Sweden Democrat party leader Jimmie Åkesson.
Switzerland
Red-faced Flyer scores own-goal for ex-team
Swiss hockey player Sven Berger has become a European sensation for all the wrong reasons after the Kloten Flyers blueliner scored an embarrassing own-goal in a game against his former team.
Switzerland
Swiss hockey legend found dead in Italy
The body of former Swiss national team player Peter Jaks was found on railway tracks near Santo Spirito on the southwest cost of Italy early on Wednesday morning.
Germany
Merkel praises Nobel Peace Prize choice
Chancellor Angela Merkel praised the decision by the Nobel Prize Committee to pick three women to win this year’s Peace Prize, deeming it a “wise decision” in a statement.
Sweden
Swedish girl’s message in a bottle answered after 22 years
A bottle containing a note thrown into the Baltic Sea by a child in the 1980s was recently found by a woman on the east coast of Sweden who was surprised to realise she knew the sender.
France
Why it really is OK to stray in France
The French are famed for their relaxed approach to extra-marital affairs, but is the country's love of a bit on the side really just a bit of a myth? Or is adultery really a very French affair? Matthew Warren investigates.
Sweden
This food may not be local, but it sure is good
Looking to break out of the meat+potato+brown sauce rut of typical Swedish cuisine? Contributor Gwen Ramsey offers some tips on where to authentic ethnic cuisine in the Swedish capital.
France
Ministry seeks ban on police watchdog site
A website set up by a group claiming to want to expose violent and racist police officers has been threatened with closure.
France
Dead dolphins found tied to concrete block
Two divers made a bizarre and macabre discovery when they came across three dead dolphins in the water that had been tied by their tails to a concrete block.
Sweden
Swedish feminists praise Peace Prize winners
Swedish women's rights activists and peace groups hailed the awarding of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize to three women who have been instrumental in promoting women's role in peace-building activities in Africa and the Middle East.
Germany
Dementia shop and advice centre comes to Freiburg
A shop and advice centre for people suffering dementia – and those caring for them – is set to open in southern Germany soon – claiming to be the first of its kind in the country, where more than a million people have the condition.
Switzerland
Geneva speed demon clocks 325 km/h
A 28-year-old driver is facing a hefty fine after speeding at 325 km/h in his Bentley Continental on a highway in southern Switzerland while recording his high-octane exploits on his mobile phone.
Sweden
Malmö mayor: time to try ‘temporary’ citizenship
Social Democrat Malmö mayor Ilmar Reepalu's proposal to combat criminality by deporting new Swedish citizens who commit serious crimes has been slammed by party colleagues as "pure racism".
Germany
Nearly 50 US paratroopers hurt in Bavarian training exercise
Nearly 50 American army paratroopers were injured – some seriously – during a mass parachute training exercise in southern Germany this week.
Germany
Honecker’s plane gets new lease of life as luxury hotel
A plane used by East German leaders – including, it is rumoured, Erich Honecker - has been transformed into a luxury hotel complete with Jacuzzi, sauna, bar and flat-screen television.
Germany
German bank reclaims 50 trains from Bulgaria over payment row
Germany's state development bank KfW has claimed back 50 Siemens trains leased to Bulgaria's state railways company BDZ over delayed payments and an insurance row, a press report said on Friday.
Sweden
Daycare sends infant girl alone in taxi
A daycare centre in Jönköping, southern Sweden, sent an unaccompanied 15-month-old girl by taxi when she needed to be transported between care facilities.
France
Buoyant French left set to select its champion
With poll after poll suggesting they are within touching distance of ousting President Nicolas Sarkozy, France's left-wing opposition will vote to choose a champion on Sunday in determined mood.
Sweden
Snow storm slams northern Sweden
The season's first winter storm walloped northern Sweden on Thursday night, dumping more than 10 centimetres of thick, wet snow, snarling traffic, and prompting warnings from police.
Norway
Peace Nobel to Liberia, Arab Spring, or EU?
Africa's first democratically elected woman president, cyber activists who helped bring about the Arab Spring uprising or maybe the European Union? Speculation ahead of Friday's Nobel Peace Prize announcement is rife.
Norway
‘World will rally around Peace Prize pick’
The 2011 Nobel Peace Prize will be seen as a unifying choice and will be less controversial than last year's award, the head of the prize committee said Thursday, a day before the announcement.
Germany
German terrorist ‘killed by drone’
A German terrorist who helped found a group dedicated to attacking Germans and Americans has been killed by an US drone in Pakistan, according to media reports.
Sweden
Ericsson to sell stake in Sony Ericsson: report
In a push to enhance its smartphone business, Japan's Sony is nearing a deal to buy out Swedish telecom firm Ericsson's stake in their mobile phone joint venture, according to the Wall Street Journal.
France
NBA star takes wage cut to play in France
French basketball player Tony Parker will swap the glamour of the American NBA for a more down-to-earth existence in his temporary spell playing for French team Villeurbanne, even claiming he will "take the bus, like everyone else."
France
‘I acted in self-defence’: metro death suspect
The man arrested on suspicion of being responsible for the death of an Indian man on the Paris metro has been giving his version of events.
Switzerland
Two injured in Swiss passenger train collision
A Swiss train collided into another Thursday in the country's north with two people injured and many carriages derailed, police said.
France
French ticket collectors strike after attack
French railway ticket collectors went on a wildcat strike on Thursday, severely disrupting services and stranding thousands of travellers after a colleague was stabbed by a passenger.
Sweden
Man denies buying sex: ‘I couldn’t get it up’
A 71-year-old Swede caught paying for sex has claimed he is innocent as his erectile dysfunction made it impossible to go through with the act.
Germany
Violence still simmers months after Berlin squat eviction
Police say they are still dealing with violent reprisals even months after they forced the eviction of residents from a controversial leftist squat house in Berlin.
Sweden
Reinfeldt: intensify ‘peer pressure’ to boost EU growth
Three European leaders Thursday called for an ambitious growth agenda to get the continent back on track, including tight fiscal discipline by member states as the euro debt crisis deepens.
Sweden
First narcolepsy cases receive compensation
The first children in Sweden who fell ill with the sleeping disorder narcolepsy after being given the swine flu vaccination Pandemrix, have been awarded 50,000 kronor ($7,340) in compensation.
Sweden
Bildt rejects mounting Ethiopia criticism
Foreign minister Carl Bildt on Thursday repudiated the mounting criticism regarding how he has been handling the case with the two Swedish reporters jailed in Ethiopia.
Germany
Outrage after researcher denied entry to Russia
Germany's foreign ministry summoned the Russian deputy ambassador to Berlin on Thursday over a German political scientist who was refused entry to the country at a Moscow airport.