Begrimed baguettes cause bakery battle

It’s News in Brief Friday again, where we’ve captured some of the shorter tales that caught our attention – this week including a ski race around the Stockholm castle, begrimed baguettes, bungling bird baiters, and the anniversary of a rather unusual murder.

• Vibrating package baffles Swedish postal workers (9 Mar 12)
• Swede's parked car damaged in elk attack (24 Feb 12)
• 'My Jar Jar Binks is better than yours' (17 Feb 12)

Bird catchers caught by police
Two men have been caught by police on the suspicion of hunting crimes and animal cruelty after catching wild birds with rat glue.

The men, from Malmö, southern Sweden, used the chirps of a cage bird to entice wild birds, who then were fastened by the glue-trap, according to the Metro newspaper.

The men denied the claims when apprehended by police, but the police found birdseed and feathers in their car, and arrested the pair.

Begrimed baguettes cause bakery strife
Health inspectors in Norrtälje, central Sweden, have complained that a bakery’s display of baguettes in an open basket.

Inspectors told the Norrteljetidning newspaper that the bakes goods attracted dirt and dust, and needed to have a cover or a ceiling – or else they must be removed.
The bakery responded with a no, stating that they’d take it to the county council for a proper ruling.

It is unclear whether the baguettes are the bakery’s primary bread winners, or whether they’re just there to earn a crust, but either way, the publicity may just bring in the dough for the struggling bakery.

Did you know, on this day…
On this day in 1792, Gustav III, king of Sweden, was shot at a masquerade ball, sustaining injuries which ultimately lead to his death.

Despite a very specific death threat earlier, the king nonchalantly partied on, easily recognizable to the masked crowd due to the silver star on his cape.

The would-be assassinators approached him, whispering "Bonjour, beau masque" ("Hello, fine mask") in his ear, before shooting him in his side.

The king, whose wound became infected, spoke his famous last words.

"Jag känner mig sömnig, några ögonblicks vila skulle göra mig gott" -- ("I feel sleepy, a few moments rest would do me good") before dropping into oblivion.

The king never awoke from the sleep, and was declared dead on the on the 29th of March.

Ski race around Royal Castle
Fresh snow was laid around Stockholm’s castle for the annual Royal Palace Sprint, where the world’s skiing elite raced their way around one of Stockholm’s most famous landmarks.

Marit Björgen from Norway took home the women’s first place in the one kilometer sprint, while fellow Norwegian Eirik Brandsdal was first for the men.
Teodor Peterson, was the highest placing Swede and came in second.

Swedish Opera singer dies
Swedish-Austrian opera singer Margarete Sjöstedt died at the age of 88 in Vienna on Wednesday.

Sjöstedt was born in Sweden’s capital, and received her training from 1947 to 1951 at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm.

The contralto enjoyed an illustrious singing career, performing in over 1,000 performances at the Vienna State Opera, as well as performances in Berlin, Madrid, Lisbon and at the Salzburg Festival.

Oliver Gee

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