Frenchwomen ditch G-string for comfy pants
Men may find it the ultimate turn-on, but the G-string is on its way out in France, a study showed on Thursday. But unlike Bridget Jones, Frenchwomen are insisting on sexy replacements.
Day: January 12, 2012
France
Norway
Stoltenberg surges as stablemates stumble
Norway’s Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, remains far more popular than his main rivals, but underperforming coalition partners could cost him his post, a new poll has shown.
Germany
Frederick the Great’s 300th birthday nears
Warrior, patron of the arts and all-powerful King of Prussia, Frederick the Great captured Germany’s imagination after ascending to the throne in 1740. As his 300th birthday on January 24 approaches, the country is preparing to celebrate.
Germany
Wulff silent as calls to resign multiply
President Christian Wulff hosted what was reportedly a tense New Year’s reception on Thursday, as the first open calls for his resignation came from members of parliament in his own political party.
Sweden
‘Fake’ hotel in Swedish resort advertised online
A hotel in the popular Swedish ski resort Åre advertised through a website, on travel blogs as well as being featured on a tourist website of the area, turned out to be fake when a local paper revealed that there has never been a hotel in that location.
France
Aga Khan appeals wife’s bumper divorce payout
Racehorse billionaire and Islamic spiritual leader the Aga Khan is contesting a divorce settlement that awarded his ex-wife a record €60 million ($77 million), a French judicial source said on Thursday.
France
Parents ‘can name baby after TV vampire’: court
A court in France on Thursday rejected a prosecutors' request for a couple to be barred from naming their son Daemon after a character in television series "The Vampire Diaries".
Sweden
Swedes arrested in major European drug bust
Policing agency Europol said Thursday it has busted a major synthetic drugs-making network and arrested nine suspects in four countries, while recovering drugs, equipment, guns and explosives.
Switzerland
Swiss bankers call for better market access
Switzerland's private bankers, concerned about a rise in protectionism and tighter regulations, called on Thursday for better access to the international financial markets.
Sweden
Malmö takes a stand against growing violence
The arresting image of the grieving father of 15-year-old Ardiwan Diaa Samir, attempting to climb down into his dead son's grave at the funeral on Wednesday, was a sombre reminder of the consequences of the escalating violence in southern Sweden.
Norway
Swedish hip-hop star slams Norwegian artist over ‘racist’ pic
Swedish hip-hop star Timbuktu labelled as "ignorant" and "offensive" a cartoon by Norwegian artist Frode Øverli that prompted a barrage of complaints from newspaper readers who perceived the cartoon to be racist.
Sweden
Swedish Bondage Fairies launch high-tech global treasure hunt
An underground Swedish band with a suggestive name has launched a technological treasure hunt through which fans can discover their new song by finding computer memory sticks hidden in public places around the world.
Sweden
Sweden keeps sex-change sterilization law
A move to scrap Swedish laws requiring compulsory sterilization for people undergoing gender reassignment surgery has been put on ice following opposition from the Christian Democrats.
Germany
‘We need a real leader – like Willy Brandt’
As politicians pile pressure on embattled President Wulff, The Local hit the streets to see what normal Berliners have to say about their head of state, for the latest edition in the Zeitgeist series.
Switzerland
Swiss president wants ‘clean’ finances
Swiss President Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said Thursday she wanted to restore credibility to the country's financial system after a scandal involving the central bank head rocked the country.
Switzerland
Swiss Migration Office ‘broke asylum law’
An independent report has established that the Federal Migration Office (FMO) violated Swiss law when it ignored the applications of up to 10,000 Iraqis who sought asylum at the Swiss embassies in Syria and Egypt.
Germany
Union: Allianz forced protest cancellation
Germany’s biggest trade union has accused insurance giant Allianz of making a multi-million euro payment to help laid-off workers conditional on the union calling off a protest rally.
Germany
Court acquits teacher who seduced teen
A teacher who seduced a 14-year-old schoolgirl and had sex with her at least 22 times has escaped punishment after a German court ruled that as he did not teach her class, he had not abused his position.
Switzerland
Ex Swiss bank chief ‘to get 12 months pay’
Former Swiss central bank chief Philipp Hildebrand will receive a full 12 months salary after quitting in a scandal over foreign exchange trades by his wife, media reported on Thursday.
France
More child cancer close to nuclear plants – study
An "excess number of cases" of childhood leukaemia around 19 French nuclear plants occurred between 2003 and 2007, a researcher said Wednesday.
France
Court rejects Renault heirs’ claim on company
A court on Wednesday rejected a bid by heirs of the founder of French auto giant Renault for the return of the firm seized and nationalized in 1945 when their grandfather was branded a Nazi collaborator.
France
Man dies of heart attack during police check
A man suffering from a heart defect has died during a police check in a council estate of Aulnay-sous-Bois, north of Paris. Tensions are high in the Paris suburb where four youths were arrested after setting bins on fire.
France
French watchdog ‘targeted left-wing police’
The French police watchdog is being investigated for rigging an investigation into an alleged trafficking ring within the police to discredit policemen close to the Socialist Party.
France
Rival implant makers offer boob job discounts
Two French manufacturers of breast implants are offering discounts to women who have received faulty implants from scandal-hit rival PIP.
Sweden
Swedish hip-hop star slams ‘racist’ cartoon
When Swedish newspaper Metro on Tuesday published a comic strip by Norwegian artist Frode Øverli, the paper received a barrage of complaints from readers who perceived the cartoon as racist.
Switzerland
Hildebrand’s wife says sorry to Swiss people
Kashya Hildebrand, the wife of Switzerland's former central back chief, has apologised to her husband and the Swiss people for the massive currency transaction that led to her husband's resignation amid accusations of insider trading.
Norway
Stowaway mouse flies to Oslo solo
An elusive little rodent was the only passenger on board a flight from Stockholm to Oslo on Wednesday evening as Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) sought Norwegian mousetrap expertise to snare the ticketless traveller.
Sweden
Festivalgoers’ pee pollutes Swedish river
The annual reggae festival in Uppsala, north of Stockholm, may have more serious consequences for the local community than a handful of stoned teens and a bad case of littering.
Germany
One woman tackles neo-Nazi graffiti
While the recently-discovered Neo-Nazi murders dominated the German media for weeks, the drip, drip, drip of xenophobic graffiti rarely gets much attention. AFP’s Deborah Cole meets a woman tackling it personally.
Norway
Norwegian and Swede die in helicopter crash
The two men killed a helicopter accident near the northern town of Mosjøen on Wednesday were a Swedish pilot in his forties and a Norwegian guide in his sixties, police have said.
Sweden
Police officer charged with raping colleague
A 26-year-old police officer from western Sweden has been charged with raping a colleague at a party in a Gothenburg apartment last summer.
Germany
What’s on in Germany: January 12 – 18
This Week's Highlights: Greek gods in Cologne, short films from Britain in Berlin and gallery openings in Leipzig.
Germany
Man who shot prosecutor only faced mild sentence
The businessman who shot dead a prosecutor in court in Bavaria, would have walked out a free man had he not fired a gun at the judge and then turned on the prosecutor.
Sweden
Breastfeeding mum in Swedish car wreck
A woman who was breastfeeding her weeks-old infant while behind the wheel is under criminal suspicion after crashing into a truck on a motorway in western Sweden.
Germany
Banks test touch-free payment cards
Germany’s Sparkasse group of banks is testing a new touch-free payment system that promises to revolutionise the way regular people do their everyday shopping.
Switzerland
Lenders extend lifeline to cash-strapped Petroplus
Embattled Swiss-based Petroplus said Wednesday that lenders had agreed to temporarily provide vital cash flows to keep two of its oil refineries running in Britain and Germany.
Sweden
Swedish teen girls ‘increasingly violent’
The number of Swedish teen girls accused of committing violent assaults has more than doubled in the last decade, new figures show, while the number of girls who are victims has also increased.
Germany
Doctors: law must cover breast implants
Germany’s doctors are calling for tighter laws on medical products after it was revealed that at least 25 women in the country had burst breast implants – and an unknown number will have to have theirs removed.
Germany
Internet users ‘should check for blackout virus’
The German government says all internet users should check their computers for a virus which could stop them going online from March 8.
Sweden
Dutch court orders ISPs to block Pirate Bay
A Dutch court Wednesday ordered two local internet providers to block their clients from accessing Swedish file sharing site The Pirate Bay, citing copyright concerns.