GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – If you subscribe to GenevaLunch.com by email, you will probably receive a double dose of our news for a couple days as we switch to a new email feed. My apologies for the inconvenience, but we want to make sure all of our fans make the move over to the new system. [...]
Former Serono site to become biotech campus
May 22, 2013 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Ernesto Bertarelli and Hansjoerg Wyss are putting up the money to buy the old Merck Serano site, 45,000 square metres that they want to see become the new “Campus Biotech” in Geneva. They announced Wednesday afternoon that they have now purchased the property, a key step in bringing to life the project [...]
Court says day of vote applies to second home bans
May 22, 2013 by
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss Federal Tribunal is reviewing today, 22 May, the application of a law approved by Swiss voters 11 March 2012, to limit the construction of new second homes. In a first ruling Wednesday the court says the law is officially applicable 11 March 2012, in other words immediately after the vote. [...]
New law on illegal “potentates’ assets” first one in world
May 22, 2013 by
BERN, SWITZERLAND – “Politically exposed persons”, those in political offices and people close to them, might do well to avoid stashing illegally obtained funds in Switzerland in the future, as the country moves to put into effect the world’s first law covering freezing and restitution of potentates’ (dictators) assets. The law came about largely as [...]
Mysterious case of the not-missing banker
May 22, 2013 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND / EDITOR’S NOTEPAD – RTS and the Times in London carried stories one week ago about one of the more baffling (to the public) police cases of the moment, that of a Coutts banker, Swiss, age 55, who was arrested in the US when he landed in New York, moved to Florida, held [...]
Swiss, EU, sign to reinforce competition
May 22, 2013 by
BERN, SWITZERLAND – The European Union and Switzerland are strengthening their ties to combat cartels and other efforts to skirt competitive pricing, with a new agreement that the Federal Council approved Wednesday 22 May. The year-long negotiations for the agreement led to a deal whereby authorities from each will have better access to documents and [...]
Kellenberger, former Red Cross head, to lead Swisspeace
May 22, 2013 by
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Jakob Kellenberger, who headed the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) until June 2012, has been named president of swisspeace (Swiss Peace Foundation), effective 10 September. The independent research organization, based in Bern, is funded mainly by the Swiss Confederation’s foreign office, the Swiss National Science Foundation and the UN. It [...]
WEF’s Sheeran to head Asia Society
May 22, 2013 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Josette Sheeran, vice-chair at the World Economic Forum in Geneva, has been named president of the Asia Society, a non-profit organization based in New York that aims to strengthen ties between the US and Asia, through educational means. She takes up the post 10 June. Sheeran headed the World Food Program before [...]
Swiss hockey gets stamped, nicely
May 22, 2013 by
BERN, SWITZERLAND – Swiss Post was cheering on the Swiss hockey team last weekend, it seems, when they tied their skates for the semi-finals and finals of the World Cup. Now there’s a new stamp to celebrate the feat. From Swiss Post today: “The members of Switzerland’s national ice hockey team made Swiss sporting history [...]
Geneva packed out for major int’l meetings
May 22, 2013 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – International Geneva is having an ultra-busy week, with several thousand more visitors in town than usual, so if English sounds like the city’s language, don’t be surprised. The World Health Organization Monday 20 May opened its 66th World Health Assembly, a week-long meeting of members to review the budget and debate pressing [...]
Fire at winery warehouse in Rolle
May 22, 2013 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A warehouse loading dock in Rolle that belongs to Schenk, one of Switzerland’s largest wineries that is also the country’s largest wine importer and wholesaler, caught fire Tuesday evening at 20:15. The warehouse is next to the A1 autoroute and the loading dock, on the lake side of the building, is just [...]
