UK targets 6,000 HSBC accounts in Switzerland
British tax authorities are targeting some 6,000 British-based holders of HSBC bank accounts in Switzerland in a clampdown on customers who may have failed to report all their income and gains.
Day: October 13, 2011
Switzerland
Switzerland
Excrement and urine shower Zurich tunnel workers
Construction workers at the main railway station in Zurich have issued an ultimatum to rail operator SBB, threatening to stop working if excrement continues to fall from the ceiling of an alleyway they are building.
France
Prime Minister sets sights on Paris job
Prime Minister François Fillon took a step closer towards his ambition of becoming mayor of Paris when he confirmed his intention to run for a parliamentary seat in Paris in the 2012 elections.
France
French prosecutors drop DSK rape attempt probe
French prosecutors dropped an investigation into former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn on Thursday, saying they had prima facie evidence of sexual assault but the case was too old to prosecute.
Sweden
Loophole may make speeding legal in Sweden
Lead-footed motorists are escaping fines despite breaking the speed limits on Swedish roads due to a recently discovered bureaucratic oversight which has legal experts wondering whether current laws apply.
Germany
East Germany’s iconic traffic man turns 50
East Germany’s most enduring public figure is celebrating his 50th birthday this Thursday: The colourful little traffic light man has watched over millions of pedestrians and become an international design icon.
Sweden
Eatery forced Chinese chef into ‘slave labour’
A Chinese chef who collapsed from exhaustion on the streets of Gothenburg after being forced to work under 'slave-like' conditions has received a large indemnity following his ordeal.
France
French Socialist rivals turn up heat after debate
The two remaining candidates for the French Socialist Party's presidential nomination turned up the heat on Thursday after a tense but inconclusive final televised debate.
Germany
Merkel signs export deal with Mongolia
Germany and Mongolia signed a deal on Thursday aimed at developing exports of coal, copper and other natural resources, as the vast Asian country opens its huge reserves to foreign investors.
Sweden
Google adds Swedish timetable service
Google Sweden has announced the launch of its Google Transit service in the country, offering a nationwide timetable service integrated into its Google Maps navigation tool.
Germany
Officials urge calm as more firebombs found
As further makeshift incendiary devices were found on Berlin’s rail network on Thursday, German officials disagreed on whether they represented a new dimension of violence by leftist extremists.
Sweden
Bomb scare empties government offices
Parts of Sweden's government offices at Rosenbad in Stockholm were evacuated on Thursday morning following the discovery of two suspicious packages, one of which was reportedly a gift from Uruguay's visiting president.
Norway
Breivik to leave solitary confinement: police
Norwegian extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who has confessed to twin attacks in July that killed 77 people, will be allowed out of solitary confinement as he awaits trial, police said on Thursday.
Germany
Dresden’s Military History Museum gets Libeskind revamp
The Military History Museum in Dresden reopens this week after being completely revamped by star US architect Daniel Libeskind. Erin Huggins assesses the exhibition after the building’s stark transformation.
Norway
Oslo schools shut due to faulty fire extinguishers
All Oslo schools were evacuated on Thursday, after fire and safety officials determined some 500 fire-extinguishers containing carbon-dioxide gas posed a serious explosion risk if disturbed.
France
Teacher sets herself on fire in school playground
A depressed French maths teacher set herself on fire in a high school playground on Thursday, officials said, but she is expected to survive after pupils and fellow teachers rushed to her aid.
Germany
Recapitalisation ‘counterproductive’ says Deutsche Bank
Recapitalising Europe's banks will not solve the eurozone's current debt crisis, the only way is to restore confidence in the solidity of countries' public finances, Germany's top banker said on Thursday.
Switzerland
US sues Transocean for blocking oil spill probe
The US government sued offshore drilling group Transocean on Wednesday for blocking an investigation into the cause of the giant 2010 oil disaster off the coast of Louisiana.
France
First ‘hoverboard’ unveiled in Paris
It may not be quite as slick as the hoverboard from the Back to the Future movies in the 1980s, but visitors to the Paris science fair have been floating at a height of 2 centimetres on the first levitating skateboard.
Norway
Norwegian teachers less brainy than before: study
Norwegian teachers are 10 percent “less intelligent” than they were 10 years ago according to a study by professors at the Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen, or NHH.
Germany
Crisis to slow economy sharply next year
The eurozone debt crisis will have a major impact on Germany next year, the country's leading economic institutes said on Thursday, with Europe's top economy likely to only narrowly escape recession.
Sweden
Swedish castles with sizzle: a sampler
Sweden is home to hundreds of castles featuring tales of bloodthirsty royals, quirky millionaires, adult-rated films, and other untold secrets.
Sweden
How did the Social Democrats end up in such chaos?
The Social Democrats’ malaise goes far deeper than the expenses scandal engulfing leader Håkan Juholt, political scientist Nicholas Aylott writes, arguing that the party needs to decide its ideological path and to pick its leader accordingly.
Switzerland
SVP surges into huge poll lead
The far-right Swiss People’s Party (SVP) could claim almost 30 percent of the votes in the October 23rd federal elections, a milestone that no other party has ever reached in the history of modern Switzerland, a new opinion poll has shown.
France
MPs vote to ban use of Bisphenol A
Parliamentarians voted on Wednesday to ban the use of bisphenol A in all food packaging from 2014, with an earlier ban on its use in packaging aimed at children from 2013.
Switzerland
FC Basel lose coach Fink to Hamburg
Struggling German top flight side Hamburg have landed the coach of Swiss outfit Basel, Thorsten Fink, Blick newspaper reported on its website Thursday.
France
Town to fine anyone caught rummaging through trash
A wealthy suburb of Paris has decided to take tough action against people who go through other people's rubbish, causing split bags to spill their contents on the street.
Sweden
Kalmar mall gutted in suspected arson case
A major shopping centre in Kalmar in southern Sweden was ravaged by fire on Wednesday night in a blaze police believe was intentionally set.
Sweden
Borg: EU debt crisis not just a eurozone issue
The current debt crisis is a concern for all of Europe, not just to eurozone countries, Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg tells AFP's Nina Larsson, highlighting the vulnerability of banks and exports in Sweden as an example.
Germany
What’s on in Germany: October 13 – 19
This Week's Highlights: Lights in Berlin, "Dance" in Hamburg, and Kraftwerk's 3D installation opens in Munich.
Germany
Rain gives way to cool but sunny weekend
Blue skies will open up across most of Germany over the weekend. And while it will remain cool, the rain will hold back long enough for few golden autumn days, according to the German Weather Service (DWD)
Sweden
Jesse Jackson: Swedes are better than this
Reverend Jesse Jackson called for global unity in a speech in Lund on Wednesday night, telling students “it is in your interest to fight for multiculturalism,” in a visit prompted by the slave auction controversy in April.
France
US lawmaker Ron Paul to meet Marine Le Pen
Republican Representative and presidential hopeful Ron Paul aims to meet with the head of France's far-right National Front party, Marine Le Pen, during her upcoming US visit, his office said on Wednesday.
Norway
Nordic royals plan get-together in New York
Kings and queens from across Scandinavia, along with the presidents of Iceland and Finland, will join in a royal get-together in New York next week.
Germany
Germany ready to impose financial transaction tax
Germany is prepared to introduce a tax on financial market transactions on its own if it is unable to bring its European partners on board, according to Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble.
Switzerland
Swiss exchange probes Credit Suisse
The Swiss Bourse has opened an investigation into banking giant Credit Suisse over possible trading violations, it announced on its website on Thursday.
Sweden
Never Mind the Genitals, Here’s Lilla Lovis
With lyrics detailing oral sex and female rape, candy-haired Swedish singer Lilla Lovis leaves few listeners unperturbed, and offers no excuses for it, contributor Katherine Dunn reports.
Sweden
Nordic royals plan New York get-together
Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia plan to join other Nordic royals in New York next week for a glittering ball and exhibition of Scandinavian art.
Sweden
Swedes to face Ethiopia court next week
The trial of two Swedish journalists facing terrorism charges in Ethiopia will begin next week, a government spokesman said Wednesday.
Germany
Experts crack widely used smartcard
A team of German researchers has cracked a common smartcard used in transportation and security systems around the world with equipment that costs just a few thousand euros.
Germany
Ringing for Rock ‘n’ Roll room service
A hotel in Berlin is attracting attention for its loud décor and even louder room service perks: free guitars and keyboards for music-loving guests. Moises Mendoza checks in for the night.