Hot! Sion breaks 50-year-old record with 36.2C

lakegeneva_beach07

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – It was a hot, hot day in many parts of Switzerland, but Sion, which often tops the national temperature charts, broke its own 50-year-old record for the hottest day in June with 36.2C. On an EasyJet flight today from Bordeaux this noon (bucketing iwth rain and 15C), our captain announced that unfortunately [...]

Brit fined CHF3,000, loses right to drive in Switzerland

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The zoom along the Grand St Bernard road came at a high price for a 50-year-old British man caught by Valais police. He was doing 176 kph in an 80 zone at 16:30 Sunday 16 June., heading towards Martigny when he was flashed by a stationary radar at Les Trappistes. Police stopped [...]

Lower house says no to Lex USA

BERN, SWITZERLAND – The lower house of the Swiss parliament Tuesday rejected the government’s proposed urgent law known as Lex USA. The vote was a strong 126 to 67 rejection, with two abstentions at the end of three hours of debate. The next step is for the upper house to vote Wednesday, followed by a [...]

Fun today at EPFL: fast-cat robots and room mapping

LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Research results in science and engineering aren’t always easy for the general public to digest, but EPFL has a bonanza this week from its various research labs, starting with a fast-cat robot that could speed up search efforts following natural disasters and accidents. It’s all in the legs The robot holds enormous [...]

Motorcyclist killed at Col du Marchairuz

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A motorcyclist died Monday following an accident at 11:35 at the Col du Marchairuz in canton Vaud after being hit by a fork-lift truck. The victim, an area man, 72, pulled out to pass a cyclist, say Vaud police, when he collided with the truck. He was thrown to the ground. A [...]

Bear with us on this one

BERN, SWITZERLAND – If you subscribe to Google’s city news for Bern, Switzerland, you’ve probably already been surprised to occasionally find stories from New Bern, a new world away. Today’s story is a special treat, though, with a bear-like tie between the two cities being renewed. Read on: “Police: Bear Wandering Through Downtown”.

ABB names new boss from among ranks

Ulrich Spiesshofer

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – ABB has named one of its top managers, Ulrich Spiesshofer, as chief executive officer to succeed Joe Hogan. Spiesshofer, who is German, is currently head of the company’s discrete automation and motion (DM) division. Hogan announced in a surprise move last month that he is leaving the company, for personal reasons. He will [...]

Art Basel closes to record crowd of 70,000

Art Basel 2013

BASEL, SWITZERLAND – ArtBasel had its best performance ever, in terms of public visitors, with some 70,000 registered during the three-day art fair, “with galleries reporting exceptionally strong sales across all levels.” More than 70 museums attended, with the fair serving as the world’s main contemporary and modern art show, where acquisitions are made by [...]

Police seek witnesses in Begnins fatal crash

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Police in canton Vaud are seeking witnesses or information about a purple-mauve Ford Fiesta, older model, following a fatal accident Friday about 18:00 on the Begnins-Burtigny road. A car pulled out to pass the Ford, and at the same time a motorcycle pulled out to pass both cars. The second car touched [...]

I spy, with my little eye …

Are we all spied on? Chappatte

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Spies are suddenly everywhere in the news: over in Hong Kong we have Edward Snowden hiding out from the US government whose CIA spying secrets he made public last week. In Switzerland the president, Ueli Maurer, told the Sunday German language media that if Snowden’s allegations about the CIA in Geneva are [...]