Djokovic crushes Federer to reach Paris final
Novak Djokovic moved to within one victory of Grand Slam history Friday, crushing Roger Federer 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 to reach a first French Open final and a clash with six-time champion Rafael Nadal.
Day: June 8, 2012
Norway
Business as usual at airports as strike ends
Security staff at airports around the country will end their strike and return to work on Saturday after the government intervened to bring an end to the week-long conflict.
Norway
Breivik has Asperger’s and Tourette’s: expert
A Norwegian psychiatrist proposed another diagnosis for gunman Anders Behring Breivik on Friday, adding to the confusion over the extremist's mental state after two teams reached contradictory opinions.
France
French tourists killed as bus hits train
Three French tourists died and 23 more were injured when the bus they were traveling on collided with a train in the Dominican Republic, officials said Friday.
France
Europe’s oldest woman dies in France
The oldest known woman in Europe, French national Marie-Therese Bardet, died Friday days after celebrating her 114th birthday, her retirement home in the western village of Pontchateau said.
Sweden
Sweden’s shirts may be key to Euro success
A Swedish research group has revealed good news for Sweden's Euro 2012 prospects, after a series of tests on each team's uniform proved that the Swedish side's ranked highly.
Switzerland
Google wins Swiss Street View privacy appeal
Google welcomed on Friday a ruling by Switzerland's highest court that it does not have to blur all faces and car registrations on its Street View service in the country.
Germany
Bhopal waste will be flown to Germany
A German environmental agency will fly more than 350 tonnes of toxic waste from the Bhopal factory in India to Germany for disposal, it was announced on Friday.
Norway
Norwegian okays order for 100 Airbus planes
Low-cost airline Norwegian has confirmed its order of 100 Airbus A320neo planes with a list price of $9.6 billion, Airbus said on Friday.
Germany
More young people going bankrupt
Germany's robust economy has reduced the number of private bankruptcies in the first quarter of the year -but the number of young people going bankrupt has jumped by over a third, new statistics show.
Sweden
‘He was carrying a long knife’: shooting witness
Police officers shot a man threatening passers-by with a knife, in the Gamla Stan area of Stockholm on Friday afternoon.
Switzerland
Lloyds TSB International increases Euro fixed-term savings rate
In the latest of a series of rate increases for international savers, Lloyds TSB International has raised the interest rates on its one-year Euro fixed-term deposit (FTD) account by more than 1.7 per cent to 2.65 per cent.
France
Lloyds TSB International increases Euro fixed-term savings rate
In the latest of a series of rate increases for international savers, Lloyds TSB International has raised the interest rates on its one-year Euro fixed-term deposit (FTD) account by more than 1.7 per cent to 2.65 per cent.
Switzerland
Swiss ramp up Syria sanctions
Switzerland announced on Friday a toughening of sanctions against Syria, hitting the country's finance, oil and precious metal sectors.
Germany
Lloyds TSB International increases Euro fixed-term savings rate
In the latest of a series of rate increases for international savers, Lloyds TSB International has raised the interest rates on its one-year Euro fixed-term deposit (FTD) account by more than 1.7 per cent to 2.65 per cent.
Sweden
Ikea’s product names too ‘sexy’ for Thailand
While perfectly normal to Scandinavian ears, Swedish furniture giant Ikea’s product names often make Thai customers blush, sounding just a little bit too close to “sexy” slang.
Germany
Fickle weather promises warm and wet weekend
After a sodden Corpus Christi day for much of Germany, the threat of rain will continue into the weekend, though there will be some decent temperatures and fair intervals, the German Weather Service (DWD) reported on Friday.
Germany
Cleaner in hospital after giant otter attack
A cleaner is in hospital after being attacked by a giant otter that escaped from its zoo enclosure in Hamburg. Two men who tried to pull the nearly-six-foot-long animal off her were also bitten.
Sweden
New ‘blingon’ berry found in Sweden
A new type of berry has been found in the forests of western Sweden and has been given the name "blingon" - a result of the natural union of the lingon and blueberry.
Switzerland
Einstein was right: CERN scientists
Scientists on Friday said that an experiment which challenged Einstein's theory on the speed of light had been flawed and that sub-atomic particles -- like everything else -- are indeed bound by the
universe's speed limit.
Switzerland
Swissmedic issues allergy drug alert
Allergy sufferers in Switzerland who use the emergency injection Anapen for relief are being warned not to use the drug due to a product defect.
Sweden
Segway Polo World Cup comes to Stockholm
Whilst most sports fans may be paying closer attention to the European football championships or the upcoming London Olympics, Stockholm boasts its own prestigious world sporting event this week with the Segway polo World Cup.
Germany
Should Schufa trawl your Facebook page?
Germany’s biggest credit bureau Schufa has been planning to poke around in your Facebook profile to find out if you're creditworthy. Is this just part of its job, or an intolerable violation? Have your say!
Sweden
Bank cited for noting client’s bank heist past
The Swedish Data Protection Board (Datainspektionen) has criticised Swedbank for registering the fact that a customer had a prior conviction for robbing one of it branches.
Switzerland
Tobacco giant infiltrated Lausanne uni: report
Philip Morris, the world’s biggest producer of cigarettes, infiltrated the University of Lausanne as part of a campaign to make smoking “socially acceptable,” according to a Swiss newspaper.
Sweden
Teen’s fall ‘probably an accident’: police
Police investigating the death of a young woman in the Stockholm suburb of Hässelby, believed at first to have been pushed off a balcony, are now saying it is most likely she fell by accident.
Germany
German freelancers on the march
The number of people working without an employer in Germany has risen to a record high, according to new figures which come with a claim that freelancers and the self-employed generate 10 percent of Germany's GDP.
Norway
Norway presents new intelligence chief
Marie Benedicte Bjørnland, 47, has been named the new head of Norway's domestic intelligence service, PST.
Switzerland
Killer amphetamines surface in Switzerland
A lethal new form of the drug ecstasy has surfaced in Switzerland, raising concerns about the risks it poses for young people.
Switzerland
Swiss bus crash report due this month
The families of the Swiss coach crash that killed 22 children and six adults are to hear the findings of two expert reports on the accident later this month, ATS news agency reported on Friday.
France
France plans ‘boob job tax’ to restore balance
France's wealthy could take it on the nose if the French tax man gets his way and cosmetic surgery becomes subject to the value added tax.
France
Man ‘attacked Jewish youths with hammer’
A young man suspected of having attacked a group of Jewish youths with a hammer turned himself over to police on Thursday but denied involvement in the assault in Lyon, a police source said.
France
Le Pen: ‘I’ll sue Madonna over Nazi video’
Far-right former leader Jean-Marie Le Pen wants to sue pop star Madonna over a video that features a photomontage of Hitler and his daughter Marine Le Pen with a swastika.
France
Hollande: ‘I’m the president of kisses’
During a visit in a French nursery school, President Francois Hollande was greeted with requests for kisses.
Sweden
Shoe lovers camp out for new Kanye sneakers
Shoe enthusiasts have been camping on the streets of Stockholm in the hopes of snagging a limited edition pair of American rapper megastar Kanye West’s new line of sneakers.
Germany
Trade surplus drops as eurozone crisis bites
German exports and imports fell sharply in April as Europe's biggest economy begins to feel the effects of the long-running eurozone debt crisis, data showed on Friday. Analysts said the monthly data were worse than expected.
France
France nears recession as growth outlook cut
The Bank of France cut its growth estimate for French growth on Friday, saying the eurozone's second biggest economy would now likely contract by 0.1 percent in the second quarter.
France
Drunken deer forces driver off the road
A driver in northern France was forced off a country road after a drunken deer stumbled in front of his car.
Germany
Minister hits turbulence over flying carpet affair
A German minister with a taste for soft-furnishings has hit turbulence after he got a carpet flown home from Afghanistan free – on an intelligence service plane, avoiding import tax.
Sweden
Robyn slams minister over ‘racist’ cake cutting
Swedish pop star Robyn has criticised the culture minister Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth for her part in the 'racist' cake controversy which drew criticism from afro-Swedish groups and led to calls for her to resign her post.
Norway
Strike could force more airport closures
As security personnel continue to strike, airport ground staff and flight technicians are considering joining their ranks this weekend, a move that could force several airports to close.
Switzerland
Swiss banks dispute Madoff liquidator claims
Swiss banks targeted by liquidators seeking claims on behalf of investors duped in the Bernard Madoff fraud scandal on Thursday disputed their involvement in the affair.
Norway
Bolt edges Powell in Oslo thriller
Usain Bolt made it three out of three on his European tour of 100m outings with a thrilling victory over Jamaican teammate Asafa Powell in the Diamond League meeting in Oslo on Thursday.
Sweden
Outraged octogenarian fined for stone tipping
An 82-year-old man in the southern Swedish town of Hässleholm has been fined after flying into a rage and tipping over two gravestones in the local cemetery.
Germany
Ex-Schlecker staff to be offered care training
The 25,000 ex-employees of insolvent German drug store chain Schlecker could be offered training to fill gaps in Germany's workforce – such as in kindergartens or care homes - the labour minister said on Thursday.
Sweden
Fleeing burglar dives into canal to escape police
A man in his twenties attempting to break into a hotel in western Sweden got spooked by police officers arriving and tried to escape by jumping in the canal.
Sweden
Swede reported missing in Andes chopper ‘crash’
A helicopter carrying 14 people including a Swede, eight South Koreans and citizens from the Czech Republic and the Netherlands has gone missing in the mountains of southern Peru, officials said Thursday.
Germany
Stuka WWII dive bomber to be hauled from seabed
Eighteen metres beneath the Baltic Sea, ten kilometres east of the island of Rügen, lies a piece of German World War II history - and now it's ready to rise again.