French minister rebuffs efforts to tax wine

jura_wine_3_010213

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Alain Juppé, mayor of Bordeaux and French foreign minister from 2011 to 2012, has come out strongly against a French Senate pre-project to tax wine in order to develop programmes against alcohol abuse. Juppé spoke up at a press conference 21 May after the national organization of Young Farmers protested Friday against [...]

Notice re: GenevaLunch rss and email feeds

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. [...]

Sierre 2012 bus crash: driver inattention or taken ill

SWITZERLAND TUNNEL BUS CRASH

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – All the tunnel cameras, police investigations and medical expertise were not enough in the end to say conclusively what caused the March 2012 bus crashed in a tunnel in Sierre, Switzerland that killed 28 people and injured 24, three of them critically. The final report from Olivier Elsig, prosecutor for the case, [...]

Road alerts for upcoming cycle race

cyclists

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Drivers, plan ahead: the Tour du Pays de Vaud cycling race will cause a number of roadblocks and slowdowns from Thursday to Sunday, 23-26 May. Traffic in the direction opposite the race will generally be stopped for stretches at times that depend on where the racers are, and drivers are cautioned to [...]

Alcohol plays big role in domestic violence

door_lock

BERN, SWITZERLAND – For nearly half of all couples touched by conjugal violence, alcohol is a factor, a new study mandated by the Federal Health Office shows. In 9 out of 10 cases, it is the man who is drinking, and in 1 in 4 situations alcohol was drunk at the time of the violence. [...]

Some delays on Geneva-St Gallen train line

rails_Swiss_train_300113

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Problems with a locomotive are behind delays late Tuesday morning and early afternoon on the Geneva airport-St Gallen main train line that runs through Fribourg and Bern. Some of the replacement trains do not have scheduled restaurant cars. Check the CFF rail site for updates.

Swiss sports, a long weekend of highs and lows

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The Swiss ice hockey team thrilled everyone by making it to the finals of the World Cup for the first time ever, then underplayed a sharper Swedish team Sunday to lose 5-1 in Stockholm. In football, Zurich Grasshoppers Club defeated Basel in what is being widely hailed as a well-deserved win, 1-1, [...]

World news highlights today

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Leading news stories from media around the world 21 May: Oklahoma mile-wide torndao kills at least 91, including children at a school hit directly Google joined by Apple as Congress sweeps up dirt on corporate “tax evaders”; the two companies raise the question of US tax system reform and UK tax reform [...]

Zurich Airport loses marks for disabilities help

kloten_airport_zurich_1109

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Elevators without braille despite tactile footpaths leading to them and charging non-Swiss travelers for wheelchair help on trains leading to the airport are two of the criticisms made by Roberto Castiglioni, editor of web site Reduced Mobility Rights, in his new Kloten accessibility report on Zurich Airport. Overall, his assessment is positive [...]

Darwin to fly Geneva, Milan to Cambridge

Darwin_03

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Darwin, Lugano-based airline with offices in Geneva, will begin flights 2 September between Cambridge, England and four European continental destinations, the company said Monday 20 May. The airline’s 50 flights a week to and from Cambridge include six a week to and from Geneva and eight a week to and from Milan’s [...]