Fake fancy phone buyer set for compensation
A man who bought a fake luxury mobile phone via Ebay for €782 stands to get €23,000 in damages after the German Supreme Court ruled that the €1 price was no indication that it was not a real one.
Day: March 28, 2012
Germany
France
Free chicks for French village people
A village in northwestern France has come up with an innovative way to cut back on local rubbish production – offering each home two free chickens to consume organic waste.
Germany
Women push politician to take parental leave
A top German politician has reacted angrily to an open letter from a group of women asking whether as a new father he will be able to do his job properly, and how soon after the birth of his child he will return to work.
Sweden
Bigamist Swede prompts jealous wife drama
A woman from southern Sweden has been arrested on suspicion of preparation of murder after being apprehended by officers on the way to her bigamist husband’s first wife, armed with a knife.
Sweden
‘Getting sexy’ survey: Swedes don’t come first
While Swedes' supposed penchant for sex is a recurring theme in popular culture, a recent survey calls into question just how eager Swedes may be to get it on when the lights go off.
Switzerland
How foodies felt their way to Swiss blind dining
Total darkness can serve to enhance a top-notch gourmet experience, as Catherine McLean discovered on a recent visit to a trailblazing restaurant where the lights are off and the food's out of sight.
Sweden
‘Gay-bashing’ reggae star’s gig put off again
Jamaican reggae singer Sizzla, who had been given the green light to perform on Wednesday night in Stockholm despite an initial cancellation, has been put off again after show promoters gave in to the backlash from the gay community.
Germany
Fuming fans show team where goal is
Fans of Magdeburg football club, languishing at the bottom of the fourth tier of Germany's league, came up with an innovative way to try and turn the team's fortunes – big, multi-coloured arrows to help misfiring strikers locate the goal.
Switzerland
Swiss solar plane will try 48-hour flight to Morocco
The Swiss sun-powered aircraft Solar Impulse will attempt to fly from Switzerland to Morocco in coming weeks, in its longest flight to date, organisers said on Wednesday.
Sweden
Allsvenskan football 2012: a season preview
This Saturday the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s premier football league, starts a new season. Contributor Nic Townsend takes a look at each team and their prospects for 2012.
Sweden
‘Gay-bashing’ reggae star gets his Swedish gig
Jamaican reggae singer Sizzla will perform in Stockholm on Wednesday night despite strong protests against his "anti-gay" lyrics, even though the show had initially been cancelled by promoters.
Norway
Irate Norwegian reports Stockholm over ‘capital of Scandinavia’ claim
A Norwegian man has reported Stockholm to the Swedish consumer ombudsman claiming that the slogan "Stockholm – the Capital of Scandinavia" is "misleading".
Norway
Sunbed woman shocked as men crash through ceiling
While catching some rays at a tanning salon in western Norway, a 59-year-old woman was roused from her sunny slumber recently by two unknown intruders who came crashing through the ceiling.
Germany
Should cops target black people for ID checks?
A German court ruled this week that police are allowed to use skin colour as a reason for spot-checks when looking for people breaking immigration laws. Is that justified? Have your say.
Germany
Victim slams court’s racial spot-check ruling
The young black German whose refusal to show police his ID led to a court ruling that cops could use skin colour as a criteria for spot-checks, says he will fight the case all the way.
Sweden
‘Sweden needs laws against politicians’ reckless spending’
In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, Sweden needs to change its constitution to ensure that spendthrift politicians' failure to curb public spending doesn't leave the economy in ruins, argues Jacob Lundberg of the Moderate party's youth wing.
Sweden
Stockholm ‘no better than Oslo’: Norwegian
A Norwegian man has reported Stockholm to the Swedish consumer ombudsman (Konsumentombudsmannen – KO) claiming that the slogan "Stockholm – the Capital of Scandinavia" is "misleading".
Sweden
Judge: ‘I understand why jealous hubby hit wife’
A Swedish court judge has been slammed for a recent ruling in which he wrote it was "quite understandable" that a man hit his wife after she refused to tell him where she had been.
Germany
Sex toy survey: Germans come first
Germans top the unofficial kinky league table, a new survey on between-the-sheets behaviour revealed Tuesday. It demonstrated that nearly half of Germans like "tools and gadgets" - more than any other country.
Switzerland
Catastrophes cost $370 billion in 2011: Swiss Re
Catastrophes and man-made disasters cost the world economy a record $370 billion in 2011, reinsurer giant Swiss Re said on Wednesday, raising an estimate it issued in December.
France
French reveal loathing for ‘violent’ suburban youth
Nearly 60 percent of the French say they distrust youth from the 'banlieues', France's impoverished, immigrant-dominated suburbs, according to a new survey that has laid bare the country's divisions.
Sweden
Proof of Saudi meeting ‘lost’ to protect minister
An official with Sweden's Defence Research Agency (Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut, FOI) requested that documents related at a secret Swedish-Saudi weapons deal not be recorded in order to “protect” defence minister Sten Tolgfors, according to a new report.
Switzerland
Sex abuse dentist jailed for 15 months
A dentist accused of indecent exposure and performing sexual acts on patients has been sentenced to 15 months in prison with no parole and a hefty fine.
France
France ‘to blame for euro woes’
Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti on Wednesday said the root of Europe's debt woes lay partly in the irresponsible parenting of Germany and France during the bloc's infancy.
France
DSK courtroom carousel moves back to US
Former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, mired in legal trouble in his native France, faces new courtroom worries across the Atlantic on Wednesday, with the first hearing in a US civil suit.
Switzerland
Most young sex criminals don’t re-offend: study
The majority of young sex offenders do not go on to re-offend after sentencing, according to a study published in the Swiss Journal of Criminology.
France
Court to rule on Guerlain ‘negro’ comment
A Paris court was to decide Thursday whether Jean-Paul Guerlain, for decades the "nose" behind the world-famous perfume brand, was being racist when he said that he "worked like a negro."
Germany
Italian PM: Germany to blame for EU debt
The Italian Prime Minister has blamed Germany for Europe's debt woes which, he told reporters on Wednesday, lie in irresponsible parenting from stronger member countries during the eurozone’s infancy.
Norway
Krekar back in court after ‘dream’ arrest
The arrest of Mullah Krekar could represent a dream scenario for the Kurdish Islamist convicted this week for issuing death threats, said terrorism researcher Magnus Ranstorp.
Sweden
Mobile operators seek to ‘block’ Skype in Sweden
Swedish telecom operators want to implement technologies that will block mobile phone users in Sweden from making free calls using services like Skype and Viber.
Germany
Police make arrest in child car park murder
Police have arrested a suspect in the murder of an 11-year-old girl whose body was found in a car park in north-western Germany, after CCTV footage from the scene was released to the public.
Switzerland
300 Swiss died by assisted suicide in 2009
Three hundred Swiss residents died in 2009 by assisted suicide, according to the first such official data published by the Swiss Federal Statistics Office on Tuesday.
Germany
Millions of women face poverty in old age
Millions of German woman may face poverty in old age, a government report revealed on Wednesday. Many of the country's part-time workers, most of whom are women, must live on a pension of €200 a month.
Sweden
Zlatan ‘among world’s best footballers’: Barcelona star
Centre-back Gerard Pique admitted his Barcelona team-mates will have to be wary of AC Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic when the teams clash in the Champions League quarter-final first leg in Milan on Wednesday.
Sweden
Extradition ruling set in Swedish bride slaying
Britain's High Court will on Friday announce its decision on British businessman Shrien Dewani's appeal to avoid extradition to South Africa over the murder of his Swedish bride, it said Tuesday.
Germany
German footballers to visit Auschwitz
A German delegation will visit the former Nazi death camp at Auschwitz before the Euro 2012 tournament, the head of the country's football federation (DFB) Wolfgang Niersbach has told a Jewish newspaper.
Sweden
Ikea says no to hiring cronies of Italian politico
Swedish furniture chain Ikea said Tuesday it had told a local Italian politician it would not be following up on his bid to get four cronies to work at a new branch opening up in the Abruzzo region.