Denmark: Jewish Community Gripped by Uncertainty - Copenhagen's Jewish community is reeling after the recent attacks that killed a Jewish security guard at a synagogue and a film director. Many Jews are considering leaving the Country. But the chairman of the Jewish community is urging members to stay put. In 1622, Denmark became the first Scandinavian country to welcome Jewish people fleeing persecution in Spain and Portugal. Anti-Semitism has traditionally not been a problem in Denmark as it has elsewhere, with the population largely rallying around the Jewish minority during the Second World War. In 1943, 8000 Danish Jews were smuggled across the Baltic Sea to Sweden so as to save them from deportation by the German occupiers. France: Place Gabriel Peri - DW Series: Famous European Squares. Robert Menard is mayor of Beziers in the South of France. Endorsed by the far-right National Front even though he is not a member, he has wasted no time cleaning up the town. This includes a ban on satellite dishes and drying laundry on balconies. The far-right mayor is encountering resistance from various migrant associations. But he had a clear majority when he was elected a year ago, and can count on broad support for his hardline law-and-order campaign. Switzerland: Tourist Industry Tricks - Switzerland's tourist industry is hard hit by the rise of the Swiss franc against the euro. Many resorts are seeing German and Dutch guests cancelling their reservations. They're now hoping to lure them back with a range of special offers. After the Swiss Central Bank abandoned the cap on the currency's value against the euro, many ski resorts have started slashing prices to remain attractive - much to the outrage of some locals. They feel that the fact the offers don't apply to Swiss holidaymakers amounts to discrimination. But tourists from the euro-zone are delighted and snapping up the special offers. Russia: The Sofa King - Once dubbed "the sofa king of post-communist Russia," Max Ibragimov's business enterprises have made him a multimillionaire. He makes luxury furniture mainly for the Russian market. Russian president Vladimir Putin is a loyal customer and a friend. Ibragimov's first major commission was for a bed for former president Boris Yeltsin. He's since made the fittings for Putin's private airplane, while another high-profile commission was the reconstruction of the organ in the Kaliningrad cathedral. He's now a fully-fledged member of Russia's super- rich elite and a powerful man in the Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea.
