Chilean man convicted for Oslo tram attacks
A 38-year-old Chilean man has been sentenced to a year and three months in jail for stabbing three conductors on a tram at Solli Plass in central Oslo in January.
Day: June 27, 2012
Norway
Sweden
Sweden says no to Colbert Twitter takeover
Stephen Colbert will not be allowed access to Sweden's Twitter account, officials in charge of @sweden said on Wednesday, effectively rejecting the US comedian's long-running bid to tweet for Sweden.
France
Google reaches deal over ‘Jew’ searches
Internet search giant Google has reached a deal under legal mediation with French anti-racism groups which objected to the search engine suggesting users add "Jew" to searches for prominent names.
Germany
Banker jailed for $44m Formula 1 bribe
A German banker who told a court he took a $44 million bribe from Formula 1 head Bernie Ecclestone, has been jailed for more than eight years after being convicted of corruption, tax evasion and fraud.
Sweden
Swedish researchers in Parkinson’s drug ‘breakthrough’
Swedish scientists have come one step closer to finding a drug that will slow down symptoms in patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
Germany
Schlecker stores close doors for last time
Thousands of Schlecker shops, once Germany's largest drug store chain, closed its doors for the last time on Wednesday afternoon, pushing thousands of people out of work.
Norway
Cops put drugs bust on hold for snack break
Amid a flurry of sirens and flashing blue lights, two Norwegian police officers pulled in to a petrol station on Friday evening to stock up on refreshments before speeding away again to hone in on their target.
Sweden
One month, 36,000 kilometres: Europe’s Interrail champion
Twenty-five years ago this year Manfred Weis travelled 36,030 kilometres by train in the space of just one month. This gave him a place in the Guinness Book of Records and a whole new perspective on the world.
France
Hollande’s bodyguards forget guns on Rio trip
French President François Hollande’s absent-minded bodyguards left their charge with less protection than usual on his recent trip to a climate conference in Brazil after leaving their guns in France.
Germany
Half of German teens ‘unsure Hitler a dictator’
About half of young Germans are unsure whether the Nazi state was a dictatorship – and even more are not sure whether the socialist East German regime was one, a new study shows.
Germany
Muslims, Jews denounce circumcision ruling
German Muslims and Jews spoke with one voice on Wednesday – to denounce a court ruling which said circumcision was a crime of bodily harm. Both communities called for the criminalisation to be reversed.
Sweden
Kamprad gives millions to house Swiss retirees
Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad is using some of the fortune he made helping people furnish their homes to help a small town in Switzerland build housing for elderly people.
Norway
Norwegian artist jailed for tax evasion
A Norwegian appeals court has sentenced one of the country’s best-known artists, Odd Nerdrum, to two and a half years in jail for tax evasion.
Switzerland
US blasts Bern over underage prostitution
A visiting US envoy has criticized Switzerland for its failure to ban the prostitution of minors.
Sweden
Two Poles convicted for ‘brutal’ farm murders
Two Polish nationals have been sentenced to life in prison by a Swedish court for the brutal double murder of an elderly couple on a farm in Långared in southwestern Sweden last autumn.
Sweden
Swedish vet warned after cutting off cat’s penis
A veterinary surgeon from southern Sweden has been issued with a warning after amputating a cat’s penis during a routine operation for urinary stones, resulting in complications that ultimately led to the cat’s death.
Germany
Schumacher could lose car if F1 boss corrupt
Corruption allegations against Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone could threaten the future of Michael Schumacher and his Mercedes race team, as majority owner Daimler has a strict policy of not dealing with crooks.
Switzerland
Ikea chief donates millions to Swiss town
Ingvar Kamprad, the Swedish founder of furniture retail giant Ikea, will donate 10 million francs to a small Swiss town to build new apartments for the elderly, according to Swiss media reports.
France
Teen phone hoax sparks missing corpse inquiry
Police in Toulouse launched a lengthy investigation after a fifteen-year-old sent a hoax text message about a missing person.
Germany
Sportswear giants ‘cutting off’ discounters
Major sportswear companies who cut off dealers who sell their products cheaply online have come to the attention of German competition authorities.
Norway
Tourist’s Antarctic injury costs 1.5 million kroner
After breaking his collar bone during an Antarctic cruise, 70-year-old tourist Olaf Andre Birkeland had to pay 1.5 million kroner ($250,000) to get back to Norway.
France
Cannes bans poll of OAP’s sex habits
The mayor of Cannes has stopped a survey on the sexual practices of old people living in nursing homes in the southern costal town, after interviewees complained the questions were too intrusive.
France
Hollande assures Suu Kyi of support
Burmese pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi will meet with officials in France on Wednesday after winning assurances from President François Hollande that Paris will back her reform efforts.
Sweden
Flood of email support for Assange asylum bid
The Ecuadorian embassies in the United States and Britain have received over 10,000 messages in support of political asylum for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, Ecuadorian authorities announced Tuesday.
Sweden
Mats Sundin elected to Hockey Hall of Fame
Swedish ice hockey legend Mats Sundin was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame on Tuesday, making him only the second Swede to gain entry into the exclusive club of hockey greats.
France
French-speaking countries ‘must drop English obsession’
The Francophone world should vigorously defend the language of Molière and abandon its "obsession" with the English language, an on online appeal declared Tuesday ahead of a major gathering here celebrating French language and culture.
Germany
Landowners get right to refuse hunting access
Landowners have been told they have the right to refuse access to hunters, after the European Court for Human Rights (ECHR) stepped in and told the German government they must change the domestic rules.
France
France ‘faces sluggish growth in 2012’
The French economy will grow only 0.4 percent in 2012, the INSEE national statistics institute said on Tuesday, slightly less than the 0.5 percent previously forecast and budgeted by the government.
France
Teens trash villa in huge ‘Facebook party’
Two twenty-year-old men have been given a six-month jail sentence for using Facebook to invite hundreds of people to a party and smashing up an empty house in the south of France.
France
Helicopter rescues girl on Eiffel Tower
A French helicopter rescued a girl who climbed up the Eiffel Tower on Monday. This is the second incident at the Parisian landmark in two days.
Germany
Merkel: No eurobonds ‘as long as I live’
Chancellor Angela Merkel swore there would be no eurobonds for, “as long as I live” ahead of what has been described as a last-gasp EU summit to save the currency on Thursday.
Germany
Seven hurt as funfair ride breaks up mid-spin
Seven women were injured, three of them seriously when a fairground ride span out of control throwing a car carrying three of them into a group of people in western Germany on Tuesday evening.
Sweden
High protein diets ‘bad for women’: study
Diets with high protein and low carbohydrate levels can cause long term health risks for women, according to a new Swedish study.
Sweden
Sweden exploits factory workers in China: report
Swedish businesses with production facilities in China have been criticized for the poor conditions the Chinese workers suffer, according to a new report from the labour rights watchdog Swedwatch.
Sweden
Stockholm set for rainiest June on record
Stockholm has seen record amounts of rain in June, more than four times the normal precipitation, meteorologists said on Tuesday.
Germany
Police mistake rogue vibrator for burglar
German police called to a break-in on Sunday night found the “noisy intruder possibly armed with a drill” was a vibrator buzzing against the apartment's pipes.