GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Falling numbers and tighter budgets took the ax to Mr Switzerland in 2011 and in 2012 it is the turn of the Miss Switzerland pageant, which has been cancelled due to lack of funding, Swiss media reported Sunday morning 15 April. Both shows were broadcast by Swiss Public Broadcasting (SSR) stations, but with budget cuts everywhere in the broadcast world and audience numbers that were dropping, the organizers say they will not be able to run the pageant this year.
Mr Switzerland now has a three-year contract with German-language TV channel 3+. The Miss Switzerland pageant has been talking to +3.
The current Miss Switzerland, Bern’s Alina Buchschacher, will continue to hold the crown while a solution is found.
Miss Switzerland on Swiss public television, September 2011
GENEVA / ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Flights in and out of Greece have been cancelled or in some cases delayed during a two-day nationwide strike 5-6 October that began early Wednesday, over austerity measures.
Swiss has cancelled its two flights to Athens from Geneva today.
Trains are not running, hospitals are operating only on an emergency basis and many schools are closed as the country’s main union, which represents about half the work force according to Reuters, defies the government.
Hundreds of thousands are expected to strike today.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Air Lingus, BA and Ryanair late Monday canceled several flights from Ireland and England to Scotland, with volcanic ash threatening northern Europe’s skies following the latest volcanic eruption in Iceland. Grimsvoetn in southeastern Iceland began to spew ash late Saturday 23 May and weather forecasters say ash could reach Scotland Tuesday, forcing airlines to cancel. The volcano is said by experts to most likely be Iceland’s strongest since the 1950s. The rest of the British Isles may be spared the ash for now, thanks to southeasterly winds.
Scotland was also hit by unseasonable weather, with winds gusting up to 150mph, power lines down and ferries and rail lines forced to close. One person died when a tree fell on his car and at the height of the storm 50,000 people were without electricity.
US President Barack Obama was able to travel from Ireland to England for the next leg of his European visit, despite storms and ash clouds to the north.
Links to other sites: Irish Times, The Scotsman
Protest fears behind charity group’s decision
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – George W Bush’s invitation to participate 12 February in an annual gala fundraiser for the Jewish charity Keren Hayessod (United Israel Appeal) has been withdrawn, the group’s lawyer, Robert Equey, told the Tribune de Geneve. The newspaper Saturday 5 February carries an interview with Equey.
The charity’s board took the decision to cancel Thursday night, based on concern about the number of public calls to protest his visit, including demands that Bush, former US president, be arrested for torture and war crimes.
Equey points out that the group has, in the past, invited well-known public figures such as Bill Clinton and Al Gore, and the invitation to Bush was in line with this practice. The recent publication of his memoirs was the rationale behind the invitation this year. “When we organized his visit we didn’t think we would be attacked and used as an excuse in such a dishonest way. It’s a reaction that is very close to intellectual terrorism.”
Groups on the left and right of the political spectrum were calling for Switzerland to open an investigation and possibly arrest Bush in Geneva, as was the International Organization Against Torture.
Read more…
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Musician Elton John won’t be appearing at the Arena in Geneva Thursday evening: the singer has the flu. The concert, where he was to appear with Ray Cooper, is postponed to 26 May, Opus One announced Thursday afternoon. An earlier concert, in December, was postponed until today due to sickness.
Tickets for December or 3 February are valid for May, says the organizer, but if ticket-holders are unable to attend they have until 3 March to be reimbursed.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Air traffic throughout Europe remains disrupted Monday morning 20 December, and while many flights are arriving in Geneva and Zurich, several others have been cancelled, notably from London, Paris and German cities. Both airports are requesting that passengers and people meeting arrivals check with airlines to see if their flights are on schedule before going to the airport: Geneva, Zurich.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Geneva’s Cointrin International Airport has announced that there are currently some flights arriving and departing, but travellers are cautioned to check with their airlines before going to the Geneva Airport. European weather continues to cause severe disruptions: flights have been cancelled or postponed in London, Amsterdam, Paris and Frankfurt due to snow, wind and icy conditions.
The web site of Geneva’s airport has been overloaded several times and only part of the site is accessible, but airport authorities are advising passengers to check directly with their airlines for flight information.
Here is the list of airlines from www.gva.ch 19 December, reproduced in pdf as a public service announcement. Note that if looking at this list later it will not include any contact information changes.
Update from Heathrow, 16:15
“Heathrow Airport will not be accepting arrivals on Sunday, and will only manage a handful of departures as our airfield team continues to deal with the impacts of yesterday’s bad weather.
“No flights will operate from Terminals 1 or 4 and a limited number of departures will leave from Terminals 3 and 5. We are extremely sorry for the disruption this will cause to passengers and airlines and we stress that passengers must check with their airlines before travelling to the airport. We will provide regular updates and you can contact your airline here.
“This morning, we listened carefully to the advice of our airside operations team and reluctantly judged that while Heathrow’s northern runway remains clear, the change in temperature overnight led to a significant build up of ice on parking stands around the planes and this requires the airfield to remain closed until it is safe to move planes around.
“We have 200 aircraft parking stands and have a team of several hundred people working to treat these airside areas and to keep passengers in the terminal as warm and as comfortable as possible while we do everything we can to get Heathrow moving.
“We are removing 30 tonnes of snow from each stand, but the temperature remains firmly below zero and Heathrow’s capacity is limited to the extent that all parking stands are occupied by aircraft, making the job of clearing and treating them more difficult.
“Safety is our first priority and we hope this course of action will allow us to offer a fuller service to passengers and airlines using Heathrow tomorrow.” (link)
Update from Amsterdam Schiphol, 16:15
“Due to weather conditions in Europe flights are delayed or cancelled. Please see the latest flight information on this website or contact the website of you airline. Before travelling to the airport we kindly advise you to check the latest flight information. If your flight is cancelled, please contact your airline before travelling to the airport.” (link)
Update from Paris Charles de Gaulle, 16:15
“Flights can be delayed or cancelled due to snow over Europe. Please contact your airline before going to the airport.” (link)
Update from Frankfurt, 16:15
“Flight delays and cancellations might occur at Frankfurt Airport due to wintry weather and reduced visibility. Passengers are kindly requested to contact their airline and to check traffic reports, e.g. on the radio or on teletext.” (ed. note: all flights on the departures page are cancelled or delayed), link
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A “person” accident, CFF rail and police euphemism for a person who has been hit by a train, often a suicide, resulted in eight trains being cancelled early Sunday afternoon between Lausanne and Geneva, reports the Tribune de Geneve.
TGV connections to and from Paris could be cancelled Tuesday 12 October: Lausanne train station
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The SNCF French rail company is warning travellers to expect disruptions to train traffic Tuesday 12 October, with French rail workers planning to strike. The industrial action is part of continuing strikes in France against President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plans to raise the retirement age but unlike previous strikes this one has no end date.
TGV’s between Lausanne and Paris as well as Geneva-Paris trains and some to the south of France are expected to be cancelled.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) – The rumours have been flying for days, but late Friday Prince’s publicists in London confirmed in an e-mail to media that the kid from Minneapolis would not be appearing Friday evening 23 July in Geneva:
Prince’s tour organizers regret to inform his fans in Switzerland that his concert at Geneva’s Stade de Geneve on Friday 23rd July has been cancelled. Due to apparent difficulties between the promoter and the venue Prince has been informed he is now not able to perform.
Prince is disappointed for all his fans who were due to travel to Geneva.
Having played to a phenomenal audience at the Montreux Jazz Festival last year, he was very much looking forward to performing in Geneva. Those due to attend the concert should hold on to their tickets for now and will be informed in a few days how to apply for reimbursement. Prince’s tour continues at the Espace Nikaia in Nice on Sunday night.
The ticket sellers, Resaplus, and organizers Kikit in London say the problems were technical and beyond their control. The concert was originally planned for April but was bumped to 12 July and then to the 23rd.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Thousands of airline passengers trying to head for the UK have found themselves stranded at Geneva’s Cointrin Airport, with flights canceled because of the coldest weather in the UK in 30 years and fresh snow in many parts of Britain. Airport spokesperson Bertrand Staempfli has recommended that passengers contact their airlines for more information. London is the top destination from Geneva. Flights from Zurich and Basel have also been delayed or cancelled.
Update 01:00 Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - An accident involving a person on the rails near Roche-Aigle in canton Vaud stopped most train traffic between Martigny and Sion late Saturday night, according to a 21:45 CFF notice. Several trains were cancelled: update – service has been resumed. Link to CFF alerts
