No charges over Brit killed by polar bear
The governor of Norway’s Svalbard archipelago has elected not to bring any charges in the case of a 17-year-old British schoolboy killed by a polar bear last summer.
Day: March 1, 2012
Norway
Sweden
Google sued by Swedish photo agency
Swedish picture agency Scanpix is suing search engine giant Google for around 5 million kronor ($753,000) for what the agency claims is unauthorized use of its images.
Germany
Duisburg lawyers fight dog poop with flags
Two lawyers in Duisburg who are fed up with the mountains of dog waste left behind by careless owners have “flagged” some poop in front of their office to call attention to the extensive problem.
Sweden
‘Racism’ ruins Iranians’ Sweden dog sled jaunt
A Swedish dog sledder's perceived racist insults ruined a recent reunion of Iranian graduates in Kiruna and left their Sweden-based host "ashamed" of inviting her friends to the country.
Norway
Demonstrators battle for ‘boobs to the people’
Chanting protesters demanded ”boobs to the people” at a rally in Oslo on Thursday as parliament met to debate the rights of breast cancer patients to speedy reconstructive surgery.
Germany
Half of urban playgrounds ‘unsafe’
Around half of children’s playgrounds in Germany’s big cities are in such dire need of maintenance that they may be dangerous for youngsters, a team of safety officials discovered after completing a countrywide inspection.
Germany
Petrol prices hit all time high in February
February proved to be the most expensive month in German history for petrol, with average costs for Super E10 at €1.59 per liter, or 5.1 cents higher than in January, the German auto club ADAC said Thursday.
Sweden
French complaint filed over Ikea spy claims
A French union on Thursday lodged a formal legal complaint against Swedish furniture giant Ikea accusing it of illegally spying on staff and customers, legal sources said.
Switzerland
Swiss customs in smuggling sting
Swiss customs officials said on Thursday several people have been arrested and 50,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes seized in a joint sting with French customs officials that dismantled a smuggling ring.
Sweden
Brain-damaged woman held for being ‘drunk’
A brain-damaged woman who was thrown into a jail cell on suspicion of being drunk has filed a complaint against local police in Gävle in eastern Sweden.
Germany
Deutsche Bank reject €800 million settlement
The decade long conflict between the Leo Kirch media empire and Deutsche Bank may go to court, after the bank rejected an €800 million offer from Kirch’s heirs to settle the dispute privately.
Switzerland
‘Schwarzie’ to pump green mission in Geneva
Arnold Schwarzenegger, former body builder, actor and ex-governor of California, is visiting Geneva next week in his latest incarnation as environmentalist.
France
Union lodges complaint over IKEA spying claim
A French union on Thursday lodged a formal legal complaint against Swedish furniture giant IKEA accusing it of illegally spying on staff and customers, legal sources said.
Germany
Star footballer’s house fire ‘likely arson’
A fire at Bayern Munich defender Breno Borges' house may have been started deliberately, new evidence has indicated, fuelling suspicions that the footballer himself may have been behind the blaze.
France
Government confirms new breathalyzer law
The French government announced officially on Thursday that all cars must carry a single-use breathalyzer kit from July 1st.
Sweden
Gang of thieving Swedish elk caught in the act
A family of mischievous elk have been photographed breaking into a barn in northern Sweden, providing the farmer an unexpected explanation as to why his horse food kept disappearing.
Norway
Norwegian admits killing Thai ex and hiding body
A Norwegian man arrested on Tuesday after Thai police found human remains during a massive raid on his home has confessed to killing his ex-girlfriend and leaving her body in a bin since July 2009.
Germany
Many German Muslims ‘refuse to integrate’
Nearly every fourth non-German Muslim rejects integration, questions western values and tends to accept violence, according to a study commissioned by the German Interior Ministry and released late Thursday morning.
Switzerland
Holy Swiss cheese, Batman! Gotham is moving to Geneva!
A Lausanne architecture firm has won a commission to design a megaproject dubbed “Gotham” in Geneva to create offices for 5,000 workers, as well as shops and up to 600 housing units.
Germany
China boom helps Audi profits soar
German car giant Audi posted record profits, the company reported on Thursday after turnover soared by over 68 percent in 2011.
Germany
Merkel bows under pressure to up bailout
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is prepared to expand the emergency bailout package for the euro, according to reports on Thursday.
Switzerland
Lucie’s parents vow fight after murderer’s jail term
The parents of Lucie Trezzini expressed bitter disappointment over the 20-year jail sentence meted out by a district court in Aargau to the murderer of their daughter.
Sweden
Sweden to outlaw pics taken by Peeping Toms
Using camera-equipped smartphones to take compromising pictures of people without their knowledge will be punishable with jail time, according to a proposal from the Swedish government.
Norway
Fish fever hits Norway as Arctic cod spawn
It's boom time for Norwegian fishermen as millions of muscular cod complete their marathon swim journey north to spawn off the country's Arctic coast, writes AFP's Nina Larson.
Germany
Löw ‘annoyed’ with Germany’s defeat
Germany boss Joachim Löw admitted on he was annoyed by his team's performance in their 2-1 friendly defeat to France earlier on Wednesday - their first defeat in 11 games.
France
Unemployment rate hits 9.8%
France's unemployment rate came close to 10 percent in the final quarter of 2011, reported national statistics agency INSEE on Thursday.
Switzerland
Switzerland closes embassy in Damascus
Switzerland said on Wednesday it has temporarily closed its embassy in Damascus for security reasons as violence in Syria continued despite growing international pressure on Bashar al-Assad's regime.
Switzerland
Avalanche sparks search at Swiss resort
Swiss police began a search on Wednesday for two skiers who may have been swept away after an avalanche was triggered on an off-piste slope at the Swiss ski resort of Les Diablerets.
Switzerland
Swiss economy grew 1.9 percent last year
The Swiss economy grew by 1.9 percent last year after expanding by 2.7 percent in 2010, preliminary data from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs showed on Thursday.
France
Actress apologises for awards gaffe
French actress Mathilde Seigner apologised on Wednesday after comments made during the awards ceremony at the French equivalent of the Oscars sparked a wave of anger.
Sweden
Missing Swede found barefoot and freezing
A 58-year-old man from southern Sweden who had been missing since Monday was found on Wednesday evening far from his home, claiming to have been abducted.
France
French kiss celebrates victory over Germany
Two football players with the French national team found their own way to celebrate a goal on Wednesday night when one planted a passionate kiss on the other.
Sweden
Sweden beats Croatia 3-1
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sebastian Larsson starred for Sweden in their well deserved 3-1 win over Croatia in an international friendly on Wednesday.
Sweden
Four fined for buying stolen clothes on the net
Four Swedish women on Wednesday lost their appeal and will be forced to pay fines after buying what turned out to be stolen clothes on Swedish internet auction site Tradera.
Germany
Germany’s sexiest men
This week’s Local List is a tribute to all things handsomely masculine, as we run through our favourite sexy German men.
France
Protesters clash over high speed rail link
Anti-rail protesters clashed with police on Wednesday in northern Italy as they demonstrated against a high-speed rail link between Lyon in France and Turin, Italian news agency ANSA said.
France
Hollande in London: ‘I am not dangerous’
François Hollande, tipped to be France's next president, called for greater financial markets regulation during a visit to woo French voters in London on Wednesday.
Germany
What’s on in Germany: March 1 – 7
This Week's Highlights: An art party in Frankfurt, a music parade in Hamburg, and Jewish cinema in Munich.
Germany
Millionaires choose to live in Düsseldorf
You are most likely to bump into a millionaire on the streets of Düsseldorf than any other German city, according to recently released figures which put the Rhine-Ruhr region city ahead of monied Munich and well-heeled Hamburg.
Sweden
‘Sweden needs 60-80 new fighter jets’: military
Sweden will need 60-80 new Gripen fighter jets in order to replace its ageing fighter fleet, Swedish military said on Wednesday, handing a report to the government flagging for a replacement scheme to begin in 2020.