Wearing your heart on your sleeve to take on a new meaning
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – A tiny new device could soon provide real-time heart monitoring that might help prevent some of the 70-100,000 deaths annually from sudden onset heart attacks. The new tool has yet to be tested in real-life conditions, but cardiologists are enthusiastic about its potential, says EPFL, which developed the medical tool. It is one of several “wireless body sensor networks” (WBSN) tools being developed at the polytechnic university in Lausanne, as part of the huge Guardian Angels project, selected as one of six finalist mega-research projects by the European Union (winner to be announced in 2012).
The project is also looking at similar monitoring systems for other health problems, such as the immediate impact of diet on obese patients.
The device consumes very little electricity and is made up of high-precision body sensors applied to the skin, a ZigBee radio module and a chip that’s optimized for analyzing and processing biological signals.It monitors the heart and detects anomalies, immediately alerting the patient’s cell phone in the case of a problem. Medical personnel are immediately alerted by e-mail and message.
“This system collects very reliable and precise data, it’s equipped with a very effective noise filtering system, and it has batteries that can last for 3-4 weeks at a time,” notes EPFL professor David Atienza, head of EPFL’s Embedded Systems Lab. “Above all it provides an automatic analysis and immediate transmission of data in compressed format to the doctor, preventing him or her from having to work through hours of recorded data.”
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – A Swiss Intercity train traveling at 140kph from Yverdon-Les-Bains to Lausanne struck a car whose front wheels were hanging in the space over the railroad tracks in the village of Bavois. The driver, a 74-year-old local man, was killed when his car was thrown 30 metres by the train. The train was not derailed and there were no other injuries.
The accident occurred at 20:00 Monday night 10 October. The man had driven to the Bavois parking lot but, for reasons that are not clear, his car didn’t stop there and continued on towards the quai, with the front of the car slipping over the edge just as the Intercity came rushing through the station.
The train line, a major Swiss rail artery, was closed for part of the evening for the investigation.
New research shows mothers, not just baby bottles, transmit BPA, source of mammary gland changes
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Researchers at the EPFL have shown through experiments with mice that indirect exposure by pregnant women and nursing mothers to Bisphenol A, also known as BPA, most likely predisposes infants to breast cancer by modifying their mammary glands.
BPA is an organic compound present in some plastics and it is the subject of growing concern in the medical world, especially concerning young children. The focus until now has been primarily on the role of plastic baby bottles that emit “a significant quantity of the molecule” when heated, according to the EPFL.
BPA has been the subject of numerous scientific studies, with conflicting research results. The World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization in September 2011 published the results of their ad hoc review of the situation. The report described the widespread exposure to BPA:
“Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical that is widely used in the production of polycarbonate (PC) plastics (used in food contact materials, such as baby bottles and food containers) and epoxy resins (used as protective linings for canned foods and beverages and as a coating on metal lids for glass jars and bottles). These uses result in consumer exposure to BPA via the diet.”
It concluded that for now it’s impossible to assess the impact of exposure, but noted that “BPA exposure during the perinatal period
has been reported to alter both prostate and mammary gland development in ways that may render these organs more susceptible to the development of neoplasia or preneoplastic conditions with subsequent exposures to strong tumour initiating or promoting regimens. In the absence of additional studies addressing identified deficiencies, there is currently insufficient evidence on which to judge the carcinogenic potential of BPA.”
The EPFL results would appear to challenge this conclusion.
The Lausanne-based polytechnic institute says that BPA is so pervasive that it is not possible to do a controlled study.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Weekend drivers heading in the direction of Valais from Lausanne on the A1 are being urged by Vaud police to use extra caution in the Blecherette-Venne area, with changes to the lanes Friday, as part of ongoing roadworks. Part, but not all, of the lane-marking work after resurfacing was done during the nights of Wednesday to Thursday, causing some confusion Thursday.
The right lane, shortly after the Blecherette exit is now an exit-only lane and drivers must get off the autoroute at Venne (hospitals exit) if they are in that lane: police point out that switching back to the other lanes across hatched markings is extremely dangerous and illegal; they will be watching traffic for this.
Drivers heading in the direction of Vevey and Valais must use the two left lanes.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Lausanne police Wednesday pulled in 44 of the 91 residents questioned at the Venne refugee centre, the Etablissement vaudois d’accueil des migrants (EVAM), in the city after a dawn raid that continued until 14:00. Authorities seized a quantity of drugs: 232 grams of cocaine, 22 g of heroin and 60 g of marijuana. They also seized CHF42,ooo and a smaller amount of euros in addition to 20 fake CHF100 bills.
The raid involved 158 police officer and several sniffer dogs. It was organized after investigations indicated that several residents were involved in the drug business and theft in the region.
Stolen goods uncovered included 216 cell phones, with one resident alone have 23 of them; 28 laptops, digital cameras and iPods, watches and jewelry.
CHUV in Lausanne
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The Chuv university hospitals, which have greatly tightened their financial auditing systems since a neurologist stole nearly CHF5 million to feed his passion for precious books, Wednesday 5 October faced a new theft. A woman who worked in the visceral (internal organs, especially digestive) surgery unit as assistant to the director of the César Roux foundation has been suspended after admitting to taking CHF100,000 to support her gambling habit.
The teaching and research in surgery foundation is not technically part of the university hospitals but is closely linked; since it is not legally part of the Chuv its financial operations are not under the same close scrutiny, a situation the Chuv noted Wednesday it intends to clarify and put in order. The employee had access to documents and had use of a bank card for the foundation, in the name of her boss.
It was only when the professor, her boss, was confronted by the shortfall during an annual audit by a privatr company that the woman was asked to supply receipts corresponding to the amounts she had taken out. She was unable to do so and she then admitted to the crime.
Lausanne (photo, ©2011 overthemoon on flickr, reproduced with permission)
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Police in canton Vaud are warning would-be renters to be wary of scams via Internet ads for housing. The fraudulent ads take a variety of forms, with several of them originating in Africa. Some are legitimate sites that have been hacked, while others look legitimate and are signed by lawyers or notaries but they are wholly fictitious.
Be on the alert for these signs that you might be looking at a fake advertisement:
- The apartments are described as high-quality, tastefully furnished, in a modern building but the rent is abnormally low for this type of housing
- The con artists ask what your availability is for a visit and request information by e-mail, such as a copy of your ID, your monthly income and more
- Advertisements in French often use French terms, rather than Swiss ones, to describe the apartment, such as F2, F3 instead of 2 pièces, 3 pièces
- There may be several grammar and spelling mistakes
- They ask for a deposit in advance, one month’s rent, to reserve the apartment. The money requested is to be sent to them via a funds transfer company.
The police suggest that if you suspect that a site is fraudulent or has fake information you contact the owner of the site directly to verify the details.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Lausanne will have more police on the streets weekend nights and a “white hour”, where no alcohol can be served from 05:00 to 06:30, to combat the problem of noise and disturbances of the peace.
The new measures go into effect 1 October. The later weekend opening hours affect only establishments that serve alcohol and will be enforced Saturday and Sunday mornings as well as holidays.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – A nine-year-old girl who was hit by a car in Aigle 13 September died Saturday, 11 days after the accident, at the Chuv university hospitals in Lausanne, Vaud Police say. The 49-year-old man who was driving the car had had his license suspended in 1997 and police say he lied to them about who was driving the car at the time of the accident.
The girl was crossing the Route de Transit, the Aigle ring road, en route to Lausanne from Aigle, at 19:40, when she was hit. The driver and the owner of the car, a 36-year-old who was a passenger, told police the owner had been driving. The friend was aware the driver did not have a license but had loaned his car to the man in the past.
Police say the driver has previously been charged with driving without a license, on a number of occasions.
Meet the teachers, see the refurbished premises, participate in a workshop and learn a lot more about the Lake Leman International School. “Come and see how much fun learning can be!”
Location: Avenue de la Gottaz 34-36, 1110 Morges
Link out: http://www.llis.ch
Date: 24 Sep 2011
Start time: 11:00
End time: 15:00
Zurich, one of three Swiss cities that will benefit from new jobs
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – The QS World University Rankings 2011-2012, published independently since 2010 and considered one of the main global education ranking systems, show EPFL in Lausanne slipping from slot no. 32 to 35, but ETHZ in Zurich holding its no. 18 place, just behind McGill in Canada and ahead of Duke in the US.
EPFL has gone up slightly with Leiden and remained at the same level with the Shanghai rankings in recent years, while since ETHZ has held steady with QS and Shanghai but gone up with Leiden. EPFL offers 20 programmes and ETHZ 44.
Swiss state universities that are given a world ranking: The University of Geneva is ranked 71, Basel University 137, Bern 162, Zurich 101.
The QS system was originally published jointly by universities by Quacquarelli Symonds, a UK-based company, jointly with Times Higher Education (THE), but the two split in 2010 to use different methodologies for determining rankings. The new QS system should not be confused with the older THE-QS World University Rankings.
THE publishes its new rankings in October.
Other major rankings systems, most of which show some national bias: Shanghai Jiao Tong, The CHE Ranking, The Leiden Ranking, CHE EUSID, Newsweek, several Financial Times specialty rankings, and the Karriere Hochschulranking.
The Swiss education department publishes a useful web site in four languages (including English) with a searchable data base of all the rankings for comparative purposes.
Highlights of the new QS rankings include:
- Cambridge is number 1 but close behind are Harvard, MIT, Yale and Oxford for the top five
- The top 10 are all US or UK universities
- Chinese mainland universities are inching up, with two of them, Peking and Tsinghua, in the top 50
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - The tight housing situation in Geneva is not likely to ease much thanks to new construction, if construction and permits issued in the first half of 2011 are any sign.
Throughout Switzerland, new permits were up by 19 percent, an increase of some 30,000 new units. Five percent more new units were under construction, some 70,000, during the first half of the year, compared to the same period in 2010.
Geneva new permits up but total units only 2,000
But the picture for the greater Lausanne and Geneva areas is mixed. Geneva had a 26 percent increase in new buildings in the first half of the year, but buildings under construction were down by 11.3 percent in the second quarter (semester figures not available).
New permits issued during the first six months rose by a 63.5 percent, representing more than 2,000 units.
Lausanne area sees slowdown in building
The greater Lausanne area saw new construction fall during the first half of the year by more than 39 percent, with buildings under construction up 6.7 percent and new permits down more than 11 percent.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – ITU, the International Triathlon Union is settling into its new European office at the International Sports Centre in Lausanne, following its move there in mid-August, the group says in a statement. The move took place around the time of the Dextro Energy Triathlon in Lausanne, one of eight events in a year-long series around the world.
The ITU’s head office remains in Vancouver, Canada and the president’s office in Madrid, Spain. The Lausanne office houses most of the “core” European staff, the group says, including its sport department. The office will be used “to continue to build a strong connection with the IOC and the Olympic family.”
William Fox-Pitt, Britain, made history with a record sixth Burghley victory when winning on Parklane Hawk with just a single jumping time penalty to add to his dressage score (Photo, ©2011 Kit Houghton/FEI)
Stamford, UK – British rider William Fox-Pitt “earned a standing ovation from the rain-soaked crowd as he clinched a record sixth title at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, second-last leg of the HSBC FEI Classics”, according to FEI, the Lausanne-based international equestrian sports federation.
He has now overtaken Britain’s Ginny Elliot and Mark Todd of New Zealand, who each have five Burghley victories to their names, and he has equalled fellow Brit Lucinda Green’s Badminton record of six wins on six different horses.
Fox-Pitt, 42, has been a member of the British team since 1993. He has won Olympic team silver (2004) and bronze (2008) medals, world team gold, silver and bronze, plus individual silver in 2010 on Cool Mountain.
Update 21:50 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Expect change! Geneva Friday night is experiencing heavy storms, as they build up to the east. Trains on the Geneva-Lausanne run are suffering 15-20 minute delays and a tree has fallen on the tracks near Rolle, reports TSR. Valais police have sent out a news alert asking media to inform the public that the danger level is ex 4 out of 5, rather than 4 to 5 – and please, they ask, don’t phone the police for weather forecasts!
Meteoswiss, the national weather service, in May moved to a new system for danger alerts: 4 out of 5 is described as “a dangerous meteorological event is expected that is unusual for the season.”
The weekend weather will shift from Friday afternoon’s occasional bursts of sun to storms starting along the Jura, with hail expected in some areas and falling temperatures.
Weekend highs in the French-speaking part of Switzerland should be 20-22C with evening temperatures falling to 8C. Snow will fall down to 2,000 metres.
The Swiss Alps in canton Valais will have gusting winds but temperatures will be higher thanks to warm, dry foehn winds initially, followed by strong northwest winds in the mountains and breezes in the valleys.
Sunday should be clement, with sunshine and highs of 22C.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The EPFL polytechnic institute in Lausanne and Aimago, a spinoff startup company, have been awarded CHF10,000 and given the top prize of the CTI (federal innovation and technology commission) Medtech Award. Aimago, which makes microcirculation cameras, has developed a camera that measures dermal blood flow. Its main application is likely to be for burns, to more rapidly and accurately determine the degree of burns.
CTI describes how the camera works:
“The Doppler effect allows the measurement of light reflected by red blood cells using a laser beam, to determine the quality of the blood flow. The precise measurement of dermal blood flow offers many advantages, not only for burns injuries, but also for plastic surgery, wound healing, diabetes, rheumatology and neurosurgery. The numerous areas of application provide the ambitious new company from Lausanne with promising business potential.”
The company placed first out of a field of 44 companies that applied for the award. The CTI Medtech Initiative was launched in 1997 and has since supported around 300 projects, says the federal office. Its 2010 budget of CHF10.2 million funded 33 projects; other partners provided an additional CHF14.4m.
The man who burned two police officers before escaping remains at large late Tuesday night, but TSR reports police as saying his car has been found, deserted by the 25-year-old near Clées, just off the A9 autoroute southwest of Yverdon, not far from the Swiss-French border.
Update 23:20 LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Two canton Vaud police officers were seriously injured when a man threw boiling hot oil at them as he tried to escape after police were called to a domestic violence incident near Orbe at 10:00 Tuesday morning 23 August. The 25-year-old Swiss man, who was known to police for drug abuse but not for domestic violence, had taken his wife hostage.
Police convinced the man, who appeared very aggressive, to let his 23-year-old wife, who is Algerian, escape at 10:50, but he then retreated further into his apartment and locked himself in. He refused to cooperate with police and threatened to kill them, so the team called for reinforcements and blocked off the premises. The man’s wife was taken in by social services and given counseling.
The specialist team took up positions around the building, with some of them in the elevator at 12:30 when the man suddenly burst out of the apartment and threw the boiling oil on them. One police officer has serious burns to a shoulder, arm and thigh and another has burns to one arm.
The man took advantage of the confusion to flee out a dormer window onto the roof, from where he climbed onto the roof of a neighbouring building and down to the street and his car, a black BMW 330 i with Vaud plates. A police office from Orbe tried to stop him and he nearly ran over the policeman as he tried to reverse into him. He drove off, in the direction of Montcherand.
By late afternoon a large manhunt was underway in the Orbe, Ste Croix and Vallorbe area for the man, who remains at large: 25 police patrols, an army helicopter with two air search specialist police officers, border guards, French gendarmes and police from Neuchatel, Fribourg and Geneva are also involved.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Jonathan Brownlee won the world championship triathlon sprint in Lausanne, 20August, winning in 52 minutes 23 seconds. His brother Alistair came in third after Spain’s Javier Gomez. The race consisted of a swim of 750 metres, 20km bike ride and 5km run. The first Swiss was 14th. In the women’s race Chilean world champion Barbara Rivero Diaz won ahead of Australian Emma Jackson, Andrea Hewitt and another two Australians.
http://www.dailymotion.com/videoxkn1isGENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The federal highway office’s Truckinfo site for international truck drivers is warning caution on the A1 autoroute, in both directions, between Rolle and Gland, with animals on the road following an accident.
Details are not yet available. The site is updated every few minutes.
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – A man driving the wrong way on the A1 autoroute early Wednesday morning crashed head-on into an oncoming car, killing the driver of that car and seriously injuring himself.
The accident happened at 06:00 near the Chavorney exit on the A1 in the direction of Yverdon. The highway in that direction was closed for more than four hours while police investigated.
The man who died was a 55-year-old Frenchman living in eastern canton Vaud. He died at the scene of the accident after his car, which had been in the left lane, plowed into the central divider.
The 51-year-old driver who was on the wrong side of the autoroute was driving without a license; he lives in canton Fribourg and the Highway Service in that canton had earlier lifted his license, but police have not said why. His car ended up on its roof, in the righthand lane. He was taken by helicopter to the Chuv university hospitals in Lausanne. He remains in serious condition but his life is not in danger.
Several motorists had called the 117 emergency number to alert police to the driver; a police car was en route and was at the junction of Yverdon-sud and Essert-Pittet when the crash occurred.
Swiss taxes varied considerably from one city to another in 2010
Swiss taxes take a bigger bite in Neuchatel than in Zug
Update 22 July (new files added at end) BERN, SWITZERLAND – That magic moment in the year is here, when Bern tells Swiss taxpayers where they were best off, living or dying, in 2010, so the rest of the holidays can be spent planning a move. There is Zug, for those who are rich and single, or if you are married and have two children and you’re living in Neuchatel, Zug but also Geneva will look very good.
Federal income tax is a small part of the three-tiered tax system, with cantonal taxes usually the largest and communal taxes varying the most widely. Zug retains its champion’s title of the cheapest place in Switzerland from a tax standpoint, while Neuchatel remains one of the most expensive, for individuals.
Sample comparisons culled from the 2010 figures, published 21 July by the Federal tax office:
Single, no children, cantonal, communal and parish (if Catholic) taxes, on income of CHF100,000
Add on CHF2,067 for federal income tax
Zurich: CHF11,637 / 9.64%
Zug: CHF6,148 / 5.08%
Bern: CHF14,982 / 14.98%
Basel: CHF16,472 / 16.47%
Lausanne: CHF16,162 /16.06%
Neuchatel: CHF18,639 / 18.64%
Geneva: CHF15’370 / 15.37%
If you make CHF200,000, tax rates range from Zug’s 9.72% to Neuchatel’s 23.71%.
Married, two children, cantonal, communal and parish (if Catholic) taxes, federal tax not included, on income of CHF100,00, one spouse working
Add on CHF907 for federal income tax
Zurich: CHF6,136 / 6.14%
Zug: CHF6,148 / 5.08%
Bern: CHF8,710 / 8.71%
Basel: CHF7,690 / 7.69%
Lausanne: CHF9,175 /9.18%
Neuchatel: CHF10,054 / 10.05%
Geneva: CHF3,202 / 3.20%
If you make CHF200,000, tax rates range from Zug’s 4.43% to Neuchatel’s 17.91%.
When both spouses work the tax rate tends to be 2-3 percentage points higher, except in Zug, where it is half the rate, and in Geneva, where it is double the rate.
Inheritance taxes: avoid Graubuenden
Swiss inheritance taxes are not collected by several cantons, but Graubuenden has the highest rate and Lausanne is the rare city to collect a communal tax in addition to the cantonal one. It’s better to be a son or daughter inheriting than to inherit from a brother or sister, and beware, nieces and nephews, you’ll have to pay more when your uncle’s lovely chalet passes into your hands.
Swiss tax burden, by canton (Ger/Fre), pdf
Swiss tax burden, comparison, communes, pdf
SION, SWITZERLAND – Polyright SA, a Sion-based company jointly owned by Securitas and Kudelski in Lausanne, has been sold to US firm Identive Group. Polyright provides identity management solutions for the higher education and healthcare markets and is a leading Swiss provider of identity management platforms with open-ended rights and services management. The agreement was signed 18 July; the amount of the sale has not been made public.
The company describes its core competence as “the development, installation and maintenance of single-credential, multi-function identity management and cashless payment solutions integrated with third-party systems such as enterprise resource planning or access control. polyright’s platform allows integration of such functions as personnel and user management, physical and logical access control, cashless payment, and use of third-party services such as car parking, bicycle/vehicle rental, printing and photocopying and similar applications.”
EPFL, Rolex Learning Center
More than 150,000 students a day use a polyright card to access, pay, copy, print or ride a bicycle. EPFL, for example, began to use the system in 2005. The Bois Cerf and Cécile clinics in Lausanne, both owned by Hirslanden, use polyright card systems for parking, telephone and cafeteria purchases by patients.
Kudelski says the sale was prompted by its February 2011 strategic review, while Hans Winzenried, chief executive officer Swiss Securitas Group, says that the Identive Group will “further strengthen polyright’s products and services. I am glad that we can continue to offer and sell the polyright solution to our customer base.” Securitas, based near Bern, is a third-generation family business with some 12,000 employees, active in various parts of the security industry.
Lausanne train station
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – A 32-year-old ticket checker on a CFF train suffered a broken nose and facial lacerations when he was attacked by a man without a valid ticket last Friday, 15 July. His aggressor fled and police, who have a witness, turned the case over to judicial authorities, who have opened a criminal investigation.
The man’s ticket had earlier been checked, shortly before Vevey on the Brig-Geneva airport train, and it was valid as far as Vevey. When the conductor spotted the man in the last car of the train from Vevey to Lausanne, at 13:30, he asked to see the ticket again, remembering that it was not valid.
He was starting to write out a fine when the man suddenly grabbed his ticket back and became “violent and uncontrollable” according to Vaud Police. He grabbed the CFF employee by the collar and began punching him in the face and kicking him.
The two fell to the ground and the conductor, whose colleague was elsewhere in the train, tried unsuccessfully to hold onto the man at the Lausanne train station.
The Lausanne train station gendarmerie is in charge of the investigation.
The Yellow, Blue and Red will fly high this year in Lausanne with a two-day festival featuring Colombian music and food.
In Geneva the celebration usually takes place at El Paraíso de Tina in the quartier de St-Jean.
Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
Link out: http://www.colombiavive.com/suiza/
Start date: 16 Jul 2011
End date: 17 Jul 2011
A summer, packed with activities in beautiful Lausanne.
Download the Lausanne Estivale programme here, in French.
Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
Start date: 1 Jul 2011
End date: 28 Aug 2011
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Are you a gas-burning road hog who loves festivals and concerts? You might have to change your ways this summer, with environment and sustainable development the buzz words for Swiss festivals.
Montreux Jazz Festival, keeping an eye on electricity consumption (photo: Odile Meylan)
Montreux Jazz Festival, which runs to 16 July, is the first of the big summer festivals and it provides details about its environmental efforts on its web site. The MJF notes that it’s been given the Green ‘n Clean award from Yourope, which awards festivals that actively work to protect their impact on the environment.
Montreux turns on the lights, turns down the consumption
Two measures the MJF cites are its work with Alpiq to provide very low consumption lighting for Le Jardin and its work with e-covoiturage to reduce the number of cars coming to the festival.
Walk! World’s largest sports event encourages us to use our legs
The giant multicultural, multi-event Gymnaestrada, which has brought 20,000 gymnasts from around the world to Lausanne this week, said loud and clear at the outset that its sustainable charter was being given top priority. Walk to the events, as a starting point, it tells visitors.
Green festivals: a balancing act (photo, Gymnaestrada, 11 July group events)
The event increased the population of Lausanne by 20 percent overnight, creating rubbish and other problems, the organizers notes.
It details its green efforts on a web page, which at the end puts the onus on you and meet to make the charter work: “Help us to make this idea of sustainable development a reality! On a daily basis, travel sensibly, eat healthily, sort your rubbish and switch the lights off after you. From now on, you can support the WG-2011 by calculating your carbon footprint and committing to reduce it!”
Gymnaestrada runs until 16 July.
Paleo pushes festival-goers to reflect on transport
The Paleo Festival in Nyon opens 19 July and it will pull in more than 230,000 people by the time it ends 24 July. Paleo sent out a newsletter Tuesday 12 July about its efforts to push concert-goers in the right direction: greener travel.
The CFF rail company offers 20 percent off to anyone who goes by train, and online car-sharing options work for both Switzerland and France. RouteRank, newly improved, is a great way to find the best options for getting from your place to Paleo, and to find out your environmental impact in the process.
St Prex Classics, small is beautiful but also gentler on the environment
A late summer festival, the newly renamed St Prex Classics, takes another approach to the environment by keeping things manageable: 10 concerts over two weekends in intimate surroundings in the lakeside old town (Vieux Bourg) of St Prex (two are in Morges, this year only). The concert, now in its fifth year, runs from 16-28 August.
Gymnaestrada mascots in front of Lausanne's cathedral
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Lausanne is awash this week with people who specialize in horses, hoops, tumbling, rhythmics, scarves, rings and just about anything else that is part of the world of gymnastics. The Gymnaestrada brings together some 20,000 people from around the world to put on a week-long show, which opened officially Sunday 10 July.
This is the world’s largest gathering of gymnasts, but no medals will be handed out and world records won’t be broken: the Gymnaestrada, hosted this year by Lausanne, is a demonstration event, with groups rather than individuals, highlighted.
The colourful performances take place mainly at the Beaulieu Palace and the Pontaise sports stadium.
Tickets (note: 20 percent off train travel if you buy through the CFF rail company)
Vaud police say they have lifted 66 licenses for speeding in roadworks area near Lausanne; the lower speed limit also keeps traffic moving more smoothly they say
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Canton Vaud police say they have taken away 66 drivers licenses, 11 a week, since 19 May on the stretch of A9 autoroute between Lausanne and Villeneuve, for speeding.
The speed limit of 80kph is well marked in several areas to protect workers and there are signs saying the section is checked by radar, plus a sign at each end notes how many licenses have been lifted for not obeying the lower than usual limits.
The worst offender was going 140kph, the 9th of June.
In addition, police have handed out 2,591 speeding tickets, out of more than 97,000 cars on the road: 2.65 percent of drivers are speeding in the area.
The lower speed limits have been set to protect road workers.
Police caution that lower speed limits will also be in effect on the Lausanne ring road from 15 July to 15 October, when road works are underway there.
The work on the A9 continues until November; details on the Swiss autoroutes web site.
Chateau d'Ouchy, on Lausanne waterfront, sold to Lausanne Palace
GENEVA / LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The Loterie Romande’s offshoot, Romande des Jeux, Monday 4 July sold the Chateau d’Ouchy to the Lausanne Palace hotel and spa for CHF45 million. The Loterie Romande paid CHF35m for it several years ago with the idea of turning it into a casino.
The federal gaming authorities refused to give it a license, however, and the owners, a public service utility under Swiss law, decided to invest CHF15m for major renovations in 2008, paying particular respect to the historical landmark nature of the building.
The Lausanne Palace was given a mandate in 2008 to run the Chateau, an arrangement that appears to have suited both parties.
Rocco Forte’s sale of Le Richemond followed by new management
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – Sunny skies, clement temperautres and a light wind suited Jamaica’s Asafa Powelll just fine, giving him the men’s 100 metre race at Athletissima in Lausanne shortly after 21:00, in 9.78, off the meeting record he set earlier, of 9.72.
France’s Teddy Tamgho set a meeting record for the men’s triple jump, 17.91.
