Syrian refugees can’t bring family to Sweden
Syrians granted temporary residence permits to Sweden will not be allowed to send for their relatives, the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) ruled on Wednesday.
Day: August 8, 2012
Germany
Top marks for Germany from US ratings agency
The international credit rating agency Fitch on Wednesday affirmed Germany's top-notch triple-A (AAA) debt rating and said the outlook was stable.
France
Mother: I arranged for my daughter to be raped
A woman from eastern France has admitted delivering her 5-year-old daughter to be sexually abused by a 38-year-old paedophile she met on an internet forum.
Sweden
EU rules leave migrant pickers out in the cold
Over the last decade migrant workers scouring the woods of central Sweden for berries have become a common sight. However, after reports of poor conditions and violence, contributor Jacob Sommer heads to a campsite in eastern Sweden to find out more.
Germany
Germans put the paddle to the medals
Germany's paltry medal tally at the Olympic Games in London was given a boost by the country's paddle-wielding athletes on Wednesday, with four medals for the kayakers, and a bronze for the ping pong team.
Germany
Tourist killed in boating accident
A 22-year-old German woman has died and teenager seriously injured after a boating accident on holiday in Turkey, it was reported on Wednesday. She was thrown from an inflatable ring into another boat.
Switzerland
Swiss drop ban on German ex-terrorist
A member of the former German Red Army Faction terror group convicted for his part in nine murders has had a ban on entering Switzerland overturned by the country's highest court.
Germany
African swine fever ‘could cost billions’
German pig keeping experts warned on Wednesday that if the African swine fever spreading across Russia and Ukraine hits Germany, damages could cost billions of euros and spark mass culls.
Germany
Swiss bank buys up German debts
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) is buying up German debts to protect the Swiss franc and the country's exports. The move provides some much-needed backing for the German economy.
Sweden
Dewani case hitman accepts plea bargain
One of the South African men accused of killing Swedish honeymooner Anni Dewani pleaded guilty Wednesday and was sentenced to 25 years in a plea deal that implicated her husband Shrien Dewani.
Germany
Germany braces for yet another airline strike
Cabin staff of the German airline Lufthansa have voted overwhelmingly for strike action in a dispute over wage increases and the use of temporary crew members, labour union UFO said on Wednesday.
Sweden
Sweden’s Olympic effort an underachievement?
Sweden is currently in 30th place in the medal table after having only won seven medals at the Olympic Games. Is the team underachieving or is this perfectly lagom?
Norway
Canoeist snags Norway’s first Olympic gold
Eirik Verås Larsen paddled his way to the Norway's first gold medal of the 2012 London Olympics in the K1 1,0000 metre race on Wednesday.
Sweden
All Swedish diplomats expelled from Belarus
Sweden said on Wednesday all of its diplomats had been expelled from Belarus, five days after the ex-Soviet state expelled the Swedish ambassador in a move Stockholm linked to his pro-rights stance.
Sweden
Nuns ask council for help finding new convent
Three catholic nuns have asked local authorities in Gällivare for help in finding a suitable convent in northern Sweden after allegedly being called by God for this very purpose.
Switzerland
Noah crosses boundaries as favourite Swiss name
Noah was the most popular name for Swiss boys in 2011, crossing language barriers to come second among both German and French speaking parents. Mia was the most favoured girls' name thanks to its popularity among German speakers.
Norway
Statoil writes off stake in Russian gas field
Norway's Stataoil announced on Tuesday that it had written off a 24 percent stake in a consortium developing the Arctic Shtokman gas field in Russia, while stating its continued interest in the project.
France
French student: I’m not an extremist
A French-Turkish student detained in Turkey for nearly three months on suspicion of links to an outlawed far-left extremist group said Tuesday the case against her is "rubbish".
France
Parisian policeman saves puppies from suffocation
A Parisian policeman saved three puppies from certain death yesterday after freeing them from the plastic bag they were tied up in.
France
France heading back into recession – bank
France is headed back into recession for the second time in just over three years, the country's central bank warned on Wednesday.
Norway
Sex buyer law causes human trafficking: study
The 2009 law criminalizing the purchase of sexual services in Norway has led to prostitutes being more dependent on pimps and encourages human trafficking, according to a new research study.
France
Travellers invade town’s brand new stadium
A fleet of 200 caravans invaded the local stadium in Marguerittes, southern France, this weekend, leaving the local authorities in despair.
Switzerland
France puts tax pressure on Switzerland
France is putting Switzerland under pressure to help it recover inheritance tax from its citizens resident in Switzerland.
Sweden
Cops suspect murder after woman found dead
A 53-year-old woman was found dead in her apartment in northern Sweden on Tuesday night, with police suspecting foul play.
France
Babybel offends disabled children with ‘mental’ slogan
Cheese company Bel is apologising after a summer advertising campaign sparked a threatened boycott of its products from the disabled peoples' unions.
Switzerland
Street Parade in financial straits
Zurich’s biggest street party will take place on Saturday with the tightest budget yet, with the future of the event in doubt.
Germany
Millionaire dentist falls to death ‘after lovers’ tiff’
A retired German millionaire who fell out of a window and died may have been trying to get into his building after he was locked out by his 20-something-year-old lover, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Sweden
‘Dangerous’ bank robbers still on the run
The search for the three masked men who robbed a bank in western Sweden on Tuesday morning continued through the night, with police warning the public that the men are armed and dangerous.
Germany
Gold glory for German discus thrower
Robert Harting won the men's Olympic discus title on Tuesday with a throw of 68.27 metres to give Germany their first athletics gold medal of the London Games.
Germany
Juncker: Greek exit manageable, but it’ll hurt
Eurozone finance ministers' group chief Jean-Claude Juncker told a German broadcaster on Tuesday that a Greek exit from the eurozone would be "manageable" but not "desirable."
Germany
‘Cops punched me,’ says Megaupload millionaire
German internet millionaire Kim Dotcom, AKA Kim Schmitz, has accused New Zealand police of "kicking and punching" him as they raided his house in Auckland, as his trial for internet piracy and fraud re-started.
Sweden
Missing driver ‘probably died on impact’: coroner
Police in northern Sweden came under fire in July after failing to find the dead body of a motorist which lay 17 metres from the crash scene; however coroners have confirmed Tuesday that the man most likely died immediately.
Sweden
‘This bronze is like ten golds for me’: Swede
Jimmy Lidberg took home a bronze medal in the men’s 96 kilogramme Greco-Roman wrestling on Tuesday night in an emotional win over Belarus.