Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt could be facing a tough time among young voters in the country. That's because he's failed to keep his promise of cutting youth unemployment.
Topics
Britain: Security Patrols Booming
The UK's new prime minister David Cameron is cutting costs ruthlessly. Police are not being spared. It's a chance for private security companies.
The newly elected Conservative-led government is especially looking to the towns for savings potential. Police, social programs and hospitals are all having to cut back. Private security firms like "Sparta Security" stand to profit. Former boxers and soldiers are already patrolling at the request of private citizens, including in dangerous neighborhoods. This is where the government budget cuts are being felt hardest of all.
Sweden: Young and Jobless
One young person in three in Sweden doesn't have a job. During an election campaign, that's a heavy burden on the government, which vowed to take up the fight against youth unemployment.
Now it's still stubbornly high, which is a bad sign for this welfare-conscious country. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt promised to improve the situation. After initial progress, though, the global slump hit Sweden and worsened job prospects for the young. The employers' association sees two causes of the problem: Excessively high entry-level pay and professional training that doesn't reflect the companies' actual needs. Now the private sector is supposed to get more involved.
Russia: Life Costs More After the Fire
For Russia it was a summer of disasters. Enormous fires raged in the forests while on the fields the crops withered in the sun.
For months, temperatures topping 45 degrees in the shade scorched the earth. Hardly any rain fell after the spring. The grain crops withered on the stalk, the potatoes are miniscule. Many farmers face a total loss. For others, the harvest barely suffices for the winter sowing. Prime Minister Putin is worried about the price of bread. He's threatened speculators with heavy fines and an export ban has been imposed on grain until at least the end of the year.
Netherlands: Minimum Age for Prostitutes
Amsterdam is considering imposing a new law that all prostitutes there must be at least 23 years old. It's a way the municipal authorities are trying to crack down on forced prostitution.
UNICEF estimates that some 6000 young people under 17 are trafficked into Western Europe from the east every year. Introducing a minimum age, the authorities hope, would help ensure that the only people plying their trade in the red light district would be doing so of their own free will. The prostitutes themselves also reject the underage commerce, but feel the initiative is another step to marginalize them.
Czech Republic: Budweiser Under Threat
For Czechs, their original Budweiser beer is more than a quaff. It's a piece of national identity. If could be sold off soon.
Czech beer fans are nervous. The government is planning on turning the state-run brewery in Ceske Budejovice (Budweis) into a publicly-traded corporation. Officials insist the government would keep the majority of shares, but many doubt that. A sell-off would channel much-needed funds into the state coffers. One company keeping a close eye on the debate is InBev, the international brewing giant that is not allowed to trademark its US-based Budweiser brand in Europe.
