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Swiss police have opened an investigation into a ski hire shop's announcement it would no longer rent skis and sledges to Jewish customers. The shop, in the famous resort of Davos, has now reversed its decision. It has taken down the signs, translated into Hebrew, which informed customers of the ban. But many have argued the case is a clear violation of Switzerland's laws against discrimination and incitement to racial or religious hatred. The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities has launched its own legal action, condemning the signs as clearly discriminatory. Posters in the sports shop window informed customers that,...

Germans accuse skiing hooligansBayern police say that a large cow made of synthetic material on display in connection with the skiing world championships in Oberstdorf has been stolen, and "Norwegian cowboys" are suspected.Police said that the 1.4 meter (4'7") high cow was on show at the cross-country skiing stadium for the world championships recently staged in the city.Newspaper Abendzeitung München reported that the defenseless cow was abducted on the last day of the championships.The cow was last seen at the railway station in Oberstdorf in the company of two people the newspaper described as "norwegischer Cowboys" (Norwegian cowboys). Local police...

Career bootlegger calls it quitsA Norwegian man who has spent the past 30 years producing and importing illegal liquor says his career is over. Erik Fallo also admitted partial guilt in a recent smuggling case, but denies responsibility for some bad brew that killed several of its consumers.Prosecutors claim at least seven people died painful deaths after drinking liquor that Fallo smuggled to Norway from Portugal. The liquor contained methanol, which allowed for cheaper production but had fatal consequences.Fallo is on trial along with 76-year-old Per Erik Fossum, who's also charged in the fatal smuggling case. The court has set...

Helly Hansen hauls in a recordThey used to be best known for rain slickers and storm gear, but Norwegian clothing maker Helly Hansen has since gone international and definitely upscale. The company is now eyeing record sales and has big plans."The younger generation in Norway, and all our customers worldwide, have a completely different image of Helly Hansen than grown-ups do," Hans Gunleiksrud of Helly Hansen told newspaper Aftenposten this week. That suits him just fine.Sales of Helly Hansen's spring collection are up 40 percent in Norway and 23 percent internationally. The company now aims to open a new so-called...

The Norwegian manufacturer Aasnes Ski has signed a contract to supply the US defence forces with a military version of the traditional Norwegian ski, named Combi Combat Cap. The contract was secured in tough competition with ski producers abroad, NRK reports. In addition, the Aasnes factory is also negotiating for a new contract wwith the US forces. Aasnes has also started production of a delivery of new skis for the Norwegian defence forces. Altogether, the US and Norwegian contracts are worth NOK 10-15 million, securing full production at the factory until the end of 2004. In addition to the military...