Liverpool survive scare to beat Young Boys
Liverpool nearly paid the price for fielding a near second-string side for their Europa League Group A opener with Swiss side Young Boys in Bern on Thursday, but held on to win a thrilling match 5-3.
Day: September 20, 2012
Switzerland
Sweden
Why didn’t Sweden care about topless Kate pics?
Despite an ongoing royal uproar, a Swedish magazine on Wednesday decided to publish topless pictures of Prince William's wife Catherine. Was the decision right? And why didn't Swedes seem to react?
France
Four more Roma camps cleared in Paris
French authorities on Thursday cleared four Roma migrant camps that housed up to 350 people in outlying areas of Paris.
France
Business Brief: Get expat financial advice with Which Offshore
Michael Brinksman at Which Offshore explains how expats can navigate the financial services jungle.
France
Lab denies access to GM cancer crop study
The French scientist who linked Monsanto genetically-modified corn to cancer in rats on Thursday refused to let the EU's food safety watchdog, EFSA, verify his results.
France
Peugeot workers march against job cuts
Hundreds of workers from PSA Peugeot Citroen demonstrated in central Paris Thursday to denounce the French auto giant's plans to shed 8,000 jobs across France.
Sweden
‘Stockholm has to fix its housing problem’
With the clock ticking on the lease for her current home in Stockholm, US-native and parent Rebecca Ahlfeldt reflects on how Sweden needs to improve the housing situation for visiting students, researchers and other skilled workers.
Switzerland
Police smash global drug ring: Swiss prosecutor
A two-year police operation has brought down an international drug ring, with authorities in a number of countries seizing 45 kilos of cocaine and arresting 15 people, a Swiss prosecutor's office said Thursday.
France
Clashes in Pakistan over French cartoons
Thousands of Pakistanis clashed with police firing live rounds and tear gas Thursday as anger mounted in the Muslim world over a US-made anti-Islam film and French cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
Sweden
Housework helps men’s mental health: study
Men who don’t do their fair share of domestic duties in a relationship can suffer from psychological distress, according to a new Swedish study.
France
French drinks company Belvedere strikes creditor deal
Troubled French drinks company Belvedere, the maker of Sobieski Vodka and Marie Brizard liquor, said Thursday its creditors have approved a plan to restructure more than €500 million in debt.
Germany
Vice-chancellor fights for Vietnamese orphanage
German Vice-Chancellor Philipp Rösler is campaigning to save the Catholic orphanage in Vietnam where he spent nine months of his childhood before being adopted by German parents.
Sweden
Sweden budget bill sparks heated debate
Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg defended the government's 2013 budget proposition on Thursday, in the face of tough criticism from unions and opposition politicians.
France
Veiled woman jailed over police bite attack
A French Muslim teenager who was arrested for wearing a full Islamic veil was sent to prison for two months Thursday after being convicted of biting a policewoman.
Germany
Touts target Oktoberfest table bookings
Beating the crowds at Oktoberfest often means reserving a table – but as it gets tougher to find a place to park one’s Bierstein, scalpers are sensing opportunity. Tent landlords are now cracking down on the black market for table reservations.
Switzerland
Swiss agree on 100-franc fines for pot smokers
Switzerland’s parliament ruled on Thursday to fine adult cannabis users 100 francs ($107) if caught with small quantities of the drug.
France
Striking French workers threaten iPhone 5 launch
Workers in Apple stores in France may go on strike on Friday – the day of the much-hyped release of the iPhone 5 – if they do not get a pay rise, a union source said.
Sweden
Volvo turns to eBay for innovative truck auction
Swedish truckmaker Volvo has turned to internet auction site eBay to sell the first edition of the Volvo FH truck in a charity listing complete with videos of the truck in daredevil stunts filmed by Hollywood directors.
Germany
Catholics to exclude church tax dodgers
The Catholic Church in Germany is urging its followers to put their money where their faith is. Under a new rule, anyone who doesn’t pay church tax will no longer be considered a member of the flock.
France
Toulouse rugby club desperate for hookers
French Top 14 rugby club Toulouse have requested that the league grant a players' licence to forwards coach William Servat as the team struggle with injuries to hookers Christopher-Eric Tolofua and Gary Botha.
Switzerland
Swiss driver shot dead after high-speed chase
Police in Montreux shot dead a 45-year-old man in the early hours of Thursday morning after he stepped out of his car at a road block armed with a hunting rifle following a high-speed chase.
Sweden
Marcus Carter: radio owner walking on air
Radio Andra, a new English-language radio station based in Gothenburg, will begin broadcasting live on October 1st. The Local caught up with station owner Marcus Carter to find out more.
France
Paris police ban Grand Mosque protest
Paris police have banned two demonstrations planned for Saturday, including one in front of the city's Grand Mosque, to protest against a US-made anti-Islam film, a police source said.
Norway
Norway’s farm subsidies highest in OECD
Norwegian farmers get a larger proportion of their income from government subsidies than any other country in the OECD, a report showed on Wednesday.
Sweden
Top judge blasted for ‘bias’ in serial killer case
Supreme Court Justice Göran Lambertz has been slammed for taking a personal stance in the debate about alleged mismanagement of the case of convicted serial killer Thomas Quick, who has since been acquitted of several murders.
Sweden
AIK fans in Naples ‘hooligan’ stabbing
Two Swedish football fans and the owner of the pizzeria where they were eating in Naples were stabbed overnight in an apparent attack by Napoli hooligans, Italian media reported on Thursday.
Germany
1 in 7 German children growing up poor
The number of children living on the basic welfare payments known as Hartz IV may be shrinking, but latest figures from the Federal Employment Agency (BA) show that one in seven German children is still dependent on those benefits.
France
Anti-France protests spread to Iran
Up to 200 people protested without incident in front of France's embassy in Tehran on Thursday over a French satirical weekly's publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, an AFP correspondent reported.
Germany
Apple truck upset causes sticky situation
Two German truck drivers could be in trouble after they drove for 60 kilometres despite knowing that gallons of concentrated apple juice was seeping from their vehicle, police said on Thursday.
Germany
What’s on in Germany: September 20 – 26
This Week's Highlights: Music Night in Cologne, a jazz festival in Leipzig, and the Bavarian Agricultural Festival celebrates a jubilee.
France
Afghans protest over French cartoons
Hundreds of Afghans on Thursday protested for the first time against cartoons of the prophet Muhammad published in France and staged fresh rallies against a US-made anti-Islam film.
Norway
EU anger at new Norway tariff plans
A Norwegian government proposal to increase tariffs on meat and cheese has sparked concern and anger in the European Union.
Germany
Court: Post must deliver neo-Nazi junk mail
A federal court in Karlsruhe ruled on Thursday that German postal service Deutsche Post must deliver un-addressed far-right newsletters, saying that the neo-Nazi National Democratic Party enjoyed the same rights as other parties.
France
Peugeot set to raise €800 million in Russian deal
French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen said on Thursday it was in negotiations to sell 75% of its logistics subsidiary Gefco to Russian railway firm RZD for €800 million ($1.04 billion).
Germany
Thief racks up €300,000 bill on church phone
Church staff in Dresden, eastern Germany were faced with a €300,000 monthly phone bill after a thief stole one of the parish smartphones and used it to surf the internet and call people all over the world, police said on Wednesday.
France
US criticizes French magazine over cartoons
The White House on Wednesday questioned the judgment of a French weekly that published cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad, but said the decision was no justification for violence.
Sweden
TeliaSonera under fire over Uzbek bribe claims
The CEO of TeliaSonera, the Nordic telecoms firm in which the Swedish state has the largest ownership stake, said he was prepared to resign should new money laundering and bribery accusations related to the firm's contracts in Uzbekistan prove true.
France
French magazine hands over topless Kate pics
The French magazine that published topless photos of Prince William's wife Catherine handed over files with the images Wednesday to the couple's representatives, a source close to the matter said.
Switzerland
Boss of ‘rogue trader’ tells court of disbelief
The former boss of a UBS trader accused of losing the Swiss bank $2.3 billion in "rogue trades" told a London court on Wednesday of his disbelief at seeing a confessional email.
Germany
Hewlett Packard execs face bribery charges
Current and former Hewlett Packard employees have been indicted in Germany as part of a nearly three-year probe into bribes paid for a multimillion-euro Russian contract, the US firm said.
Sweden
H&M burnt over super tan bikini campaign
Swedish clothing giant H&M has been slammed by Sweden's advertising watchdog over an ad campaign featuring a deeply tanned model that sparked outrage among cancer groups.
Switzerland
Swiss enflamed over divisive smoking vote
Switzerland is deeply divided ahead of a vote Sunday on whether to beef up a ban on smoking in indoor workplaces and public spaces, with supporters stressing the health benefits of less second-hand smoke and opponents decrying a "witch-hunt".
Germany
Bayern start Champions League with win
Bayern Munich produced a dominant performance on Wednesday in their Champions League opener to beat Spanish opponents Valencia 2-1 in a repeat of the 2001 Champions League final.
Sweden
Suspect re-arrested in axe victim murder trial
The 23-year-old man acquitted by a Luleå court last week of the murder of a 51-year-old Haparanda man in April, has been re-arrested by police.
Sweden
Borg unveils budget amid slow growth fears
Despite a stable Swedish economy, Finance Minister Anders Borg fears that the country’s growth may prove weaker than the government has hoped for in the budget, set to be presented on Thursday.
Germany
German trains to be made in Poland
German national railway company Deutsche Bahn on Wednesday awarded its first ever train supply contract to a Polish manufacturer, which is set to be worth upwards of a billion euros.