ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – UK and Swiss banking regulators are reported by the Wall St Journal to be planning to fine Swiss bank UBS for shortcomings in supervising risky trades. The newspaper cites “people close to the situation”, noting that regulators from the two countries will complete their investigations by mid-February into the $23. billion loss by trade Kweku Adoboli.
The former UBS employee pleaded not guilty Monday morning 30 January in London to charges of fraud.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The London Wapping offices of News Corp, owner of British tabloid The Sun, were raided by Scotland Yard police early Saturday 28 January and during the morning Saturday four journalists and a police officer were arrested. The journalists are all current or former Sun journalists. The Metropolitan Police issued a statement that “Today’s operation is the result of information provided to police by News Corporation’s Management and Standards Committee. It relates to suspected payments to police officers and is not about seeking journalists to reveal confidential sources in relation to information that has been obtained legitimately.”
The raid and arrests are part of an investigation dubbed Elveden into police corruption that involves The Sun possibly paying police for news information.
Links to other sites: Financial Times, Guardian, Reuters
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – China’s currency, the renminbi, moves significantly closer to being traded internationally with a new agreement between the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the British Treasury, announced Monday. China and Britain agreed in September 2011 to extend trading in the currency, also called the yuan, by developing London as a trading hub. The new agreement will extend Hong Kong renminbi payments hours to make it easier to settle payments in London. It also sets up a private sector forum that “will work on tightening cooperation between Hong Kong and London, particularly on settlement systems, market liquidity and the development of renminbi financial products”, reports ABC News Australia.
British media note that the agreement gives credence to Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne’s argument that new, stiffer European Union regulations covering financial institutions will not harm The City’s position as a world centre.
Links to other sites: AP/Washington Post, BBC, Financial Times (free, registration required)
LONDON, ENGLAND – It took one hour, 28 minutes and it was a tough match, but Swiss Roger Federer defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2 2-6 6-4 Sunday 20 November for the opening match of the ATP World Tour Finals. The two faced off just a week ago when Federer beat Tsonga in the final of the ATP Masters tournament at Paris-Bercy.
Federer played a better first set and then Tsonga powered past him in the second set, breaking service twice.
The match was even in the third set until Tsonga fell apart in the final game.
LONDON, ENGLAND – The opening match of the ATP World Tour Finals in London Sunday 20November will have a familiar look as it offers Jo-Wilfried Tsonga another chance to meet Roger Federer. The Swiss star breezed past Tsonga to win the final at the Paris-Bercy Masters. Rafael Nadal and Mardy Fish complete the B Group.
The A Group is headed by Novak Djokovic, along with home favourite Andy Murray, David Ferrer and Tomas Berdych. Berdych beat Murray in Paris, while Djokovic withdrew to recuperate from shoulder strain. The top two from each group will face each other in the semi-finals. The final will be 27 November. An undefeated champion picks up 1500 ATP points plus $1 630 000. Roger Federer has won the ATP Tour Finals a record five times, equal with Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras.
LONDON, ENGLAND – The three dethroned heroes of Pakistan’s cricket team, Salman Butt, age 30, Mohammad Asif, 28, and Mohammad Amir, 19, were handed prison sentences and fines by a London court Thursday. Butt and Asif, who were found guilty of conspiracy to defraud and accept corrupt money earlier this week have been handed sentences of 30 and 12 months respectively. Amir was given a six-month sentence.
All three were suspended from the sport for five years by the ICC, the International Cricket Council, in February 2011. All are appealing their bans.
Mazhar Majeed, the agent who was behind the betting scam pleaded guilty and was given two sentences of 32 and 8 months, to run concurrently.
The judge in London also ordered the men to pay fines: Butt £30,937, Amir £9,389 and Asif £8,120. It’s not clear what fines Majeed will have to pay. The judge pointed out that he appears to have kept most of the money for himself.
The judge, in his sentencing remarks, notes that the name of the sport used to mean “fair dealing on the sporting field”. He reprimanded them in the name of the Pakistan team’s fans, saying “In Pakistan, where cricket is the national sport, the ordinary follower of the national team feels betrayed by your activities, as do your fellow countrymen in this country. You Butt, Asif and Amir have let down all your supporters and all followers of the game.”
Links to other sites: BBC, CBC Canada (AP), India Today, Jakarta Globe
Young Swiss professionals best in Europe at WorldSkills 2011
LONDON, ENGLAND – Switzerland is the top European country and third in the world for professional skills training, based on gold and silver medals won at the WorldSkills competition which just closed in London 10 October. Fifty-three nations took part in the competition, which runs every two years and is open to professional workers under age 22.
The Swiss Federal Department of the Economy notes in a statement that the awards support Switzerland’s approach to professional training and education, with its emphasis on internships in order to master skills.
Two out of three Swiss teenagers opt for professional training programmes, rather than university studies.
Young workers from 53 countries competed at WorldSkills 2011
Switzerland entered young people from 60 professions who had competed at the regional and national level.
Nearly 1,000 young workers from around the world competed to show their talents in a wide range of professional skills, from automobile painting to carpentry and IT. Switzerland won 6 gold, 5 silver and 6 bronze medals.
Swiss team and their professional skills
UBS CEO's Oswald J Grübel resigns - Photo UBS
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Oswald Gruebel, 67, has resigned as CEO of UBS AG, Switzerland’s largest bank, after a $2.3 billion dollar loss from unauthorized trading.
On a statement released on Saturday 24 September, UBS stated that the board had named Sergio Ermotti, the bank’s European head, as interim CEO.
UBS said in July that former Deutsche Bundesbank President, Axel Weber would become chairman in 2013, but there’s no word yet if he will take on the job earlier than planned.
According to an article by Swiss financial-magazine Bilan, Oswald Gruebel was under heavy pressure from the board to leave, as they met on 22 September.
However, UBS’s Chairman Kaspar Villiger who announced Grübel’s resignation said:
“The Board regrets Oswald Grübel’s decision. Oswald Grübel feels that it is his duty to assume responsibility for the recent unauthorized trading incident. It is testimony to his uncompromising principles and integrity. During his tenure, he achieved an impressive turnaround and strengthened UBS fundamentally. He steps down having helped make UBS one of the world’s best capitalized banks. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to him for everything he has done for UBS.”
Grübel who took his post in February 2009, will receive no severance and have no further role at the bank.
UBS announces major unauthorized trading
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – UBS chief executive Oswald Gruebel is reported by Swiss financial magazine Bilan to be under pressure from the board to leave, as the executive committee meets in Singapore today.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg/Business Week carries a detailed report on the case of a former UBS manager who faces Britain’s financial regulators in November over his failure to manage risk from 2006 to 2008.
The American publication and news agency say the case involving the UBS manager, who now works in risk management for another company in Zurich, “is an example of UBS failing to police errant trading in London years before the bank said this week it lost $2.3 billion from unauthorized trades.”
UBS in 2009 paid $12.5 million in fines for unauthorized trades, to the UK regulator, then the third highest fine that had been set.
UBS, like a number of international banks, also paid hefty compensation to clients whose funds were involved in unauthorized trades before financial regulators began to tighten the rules.
The bank said the $2.3 billion loss by one of its traders in London last week did not involve client funds.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – The banking sector is coming under pressure in Switzerland, with some calls for UBS chairman Oswald Gruebel to resign following the arrest of a 31-year-old rogue trader Thursday 16 September in London. The man was charged Friday with abuse of his position and fraudulent accounting. He is being investigated for losing more than $2 billion for UBS.
The bank tipped off police, who arrested the young Ghanaian at his office. The man is charged with two cases of fraud, one in 2008-2009 and another that began in January 2011 and was run until the day before his arrest. According to TSR, he cried when the charges were read out in the London court.
Moody’s, late Thursday 16 September, said it has placed UBS’s AA3 long-term note under review, and it is studying the implications of the loss on the investment bank’s capacity to increase earnings with an appropriate risk level.
Martin Wolf at the Financial Times wrote a thank you to UBS saying that he could not think of a better way to illustrate the “unregulatable risks to which investment banks are exposed.” Wolf is a member of the UK’s Independent Commission on Banking.
The Wall Street Journal reports that several members working at the desk of the London trader have been suspended while the fraud is investigated.
The bank discovered it late Wednesday, contacted London police shortly after midnight and the man was arrested during the night. The bank is being accused by some observers with its supervisors taking too long to realize that a large amount of money was being traded without authorization.
UBS shares fell nearly 11 percent in a market that rose 0.29 percent. By Friday afternoon’s closing in Zurich they were trading at 10.38. They were trading around 12 at the start of September.
LONDON – The two-day, Caribbean-flavoured extravaganza known as the Notting Hill’s Carnival is off to a great start.
The carnival which draws up to a million revellers out onto the west London streets are “so-far, so-good.”
Yesterday 28 August dancers in exotic costumes performed on floats as powerful sound systems pumped out music; more than 50 people were arrested in the first day of the festival.
The festival hails itself as “London’s most vibrant celebration of diversity, colour and sound.”
Links to: Notting Hill Carnival website, Time Out London
LONDON – The capital was largely quiet on the eve of 9 August with some 16,000 police sent onto the streets in a show of force in districts where gangs had looted shops, burned cars and buildings had been virtually unchecked since Saturday 6 August when the riots behgan.
Last night in Manchester, groups of youths fought running battles with police smashing windows, looting and setting fire to shops.
A murder investigation into the deaths of three Birmingham men, following a night of violence that spread to West Bromwich, Wolverhampton and Salford where thugs torched a BBC radio truck and set fire to a housing office, was launched.
Prime Minister David Cameron cut short a family holiday to deal with the crisis.
Links to: The Telegraph, The Sun News
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The spread of London’s riots to more parts of the city and to other cities is the headline news Tuesday 9 August, not just in the UK but in most English-speaking countries, overtaking news of stock markets diving and the continuing fall of the dollar and the euro in currency markets. London’s Met Police are reported to be delivering people who are arrested to jails outside the city because it’s own are filled.
Stock markets:Carlos Slim, the world’s richest man, is calculated by Bloomberg to have lost $6.7 billion in the past week as markets dived amidst gloomy debt and credit rating news in the US and Europe. Wall Street fell more than 6 percent in trading Monday, the first day of trading post-Moody’s credit downgrading, and Asian markets continued their downward spiral Tuesday before easing, with the Swiss franc holding strong ($1.32 and euro.93) in what Reuters describes as “a global rout triggered by fears that political leaders are failing to tackle debt crises in Europe and the United States.” Bloomberg notes that Asian markets responded positively to talk of the US Federal Reserve intervening.
Links to other sites: BBC, Bloomberg, The Globe & Mail, Guardian, Irish Times, Sydney Morning Herald
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Tottenham’s night of violence in the north of London, sparked by the death of a man shot by police, spread Sunday to several other London suburbs: Enfield, Walthamstow and Waltham Forest in north London, Brixton to the south, according to the BBC. Police have been the target of much of what the BBC calls the “disorder”, with 35 police officers reported to be wounded, police vehicles overturned and large gangs of youths looting shops, especially mobile phone stores. Some 100 people were arrested.
Links to other sites: BBC, Met Police statement, Sky News, Telegraph
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Singer Amy Winehouse, 27, was found dead at her Camden, London home; AP reported the story and the BBC says London Metropolitan police have confirmed that a woman was found and the cause of death is as yet “unexplained.”
The Daily Telegraph says police have confirmed it was Winehouse, and that they received an emergency call from a woman at that address, but Winehouse was declared dead when they arrived.
Winehouse, who has had a long battle to overcome drinks and drugs, began a comeback European tour in June that was to include an appearance at the Paleo Festival, running now in Nyon, near Geneva.
But after she was booed off the stage in Serbia during a concert where she mumbled and appeared to be drunk, she cancelled the tour.
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The arrest 20 July of 21 hackers, some of whom are part of the loose networks Anonymous and LulzSec, is part of a wider net to catch computer hackers that included 60 searches, according to the United States Justice Department, but reactions, mainly in the US and Europe, have been tempered by skepticism. Hacks on sites, possibly including Nato, have continued since the arrests and there are doubts that the 14 Anonymous people arrested are ringleaders. The group has close ties to Julian Assange of WikiLeaks and has been tied to attacks on PayPal’s eBay in retaliation for the company’s refusal to accept donations for WikiLeaks. Most of the arrests were in the US, but four people were arrested in The Netherlands and one in London, with police in both cases working with US authorities.
The US crime of conspiracy and intentional damage to a protected computer carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Each count of conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Links to other sites: Christian Science Monitor, CNET, IP Watch, Main Justice
Kurimanzutto at Art 42 Basel
BASEL, SWITZERLAND – Artists, galleries and the public went home happy from Art Basel when the doors closed Sunday evening. The bottom line was sales, which totaled $1.8 billion. Bloomberg says that sales returned to 2008 levels, and it reports that “Mark Rothko, Maurizio Cattelan, Anish Kapoor and Bridget Riley were among artists with pieces each selling for more than $2 million” while several artworks went for higher figures.
There were some disappointments, with Galerie Krugier et Cie. from Geneva reportedly failing to sell three Picasso oil painting it had ticketed for $52m.
Art 42 Basel, the name for the 42nd annual event, was a measurable success in several ways, with a record 65,000 visitors showing up, more than 300 galleries present and selling the works of 2,500 artists and over 50 museum groups visiting, representing almost all the world’s major museums according to the organizers.
Alex Logsdail of the Lisson Gallery in London was one of several sellers who were upbeat at the end of the show. “The fair this year has been a great success in terms of both volume of sales and the diversity of artists that we have sold. By the end of the first day there were only five works left unsold on the stand. People seem to have enormous confidence in the future of both established and emerging artists, which is highly encouraging. Over all, another great year in Basel.”
Art Statements is a part of the fair that presents young gallery owners and artists. Its two Baloise Art Prizes of CHF30,000 per artist were awarded to Alejandro Cesarco and Ben Rivers. The Baloise Group will also acquire works by both artists and once again donate them to the Hamburger Kunsthalle and the MUMOK Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation in Vienna (www.artbasel.com/statements).
Pre-television: swimmers training for 1912 Stockhom Olympics (Photo, ©2011 International Olympic Committee, by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND – The Beau Rivage in Lausanne will be bustling with sports and TV executives Monday and Tuesday 6-7 June, as intense bidding gets underway to win US broadcast rights for upcoming Olympic Games. Day’s end Tuesday, after a cocktail party where the bidders will socialize while waiting for news, should see the winner named—or just possibly, everyone adjourned to come back another day with another bid.
The stakes are high for all concerned: US rights provide about one-third of all IOC (International Olympic Committee) revenues for the Games and about half of the TV revenues, according to USA Today. The US Olympic Committee, whose senior executives are in Lausanne for the bidding, receives 12.75 percent of the rights, according to Insidethegames.
The Beeb will be watching closely for the impact on world Olympics coverage
And the BBC in London is watching closely because this week’s bids could have a major impact on their ability to continue covering the Olympics, reports the Telegraph in the UK.
The IOC is hearing bids from three networks, ESPN, Fox and NBC, who are vying for the potentially valuable TV broadcast rights to two and possibly four Olympic Games after the 2012 London Games.
“Nothing else in US sports costs so much and has so many variables. Airing the Olympics means selling millions of viewers on largely unknown athletes in sports few Americans watch,” USA Today sums up.
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – The Wall Street Journal is creating a stir in the international banking world with its report Thursday 26 May that Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS, plans to move its investment bank out of Switzerland, perhaps to London, Hong Kong or Singapore. The move would in theory allow it to escape tough new capital requirements for Swiss banks that were approved 19 May by Swiss parliamentary commissions, with a final parliamentary debate scheduled this summer. The new regulations, if passed, could start to go into effect in 2012.
Banks worldwide are struggling to prepare for tougher international standards under the Basel III agreement, but Switzerland has taken its capital requirements a step further, and UBS has expressed concern in the past about the timeframe for the requirements, suggesting a corporate reorganization might be the answer. Its comments have sparked much speculation that at least parts of the bank might be based elsewhere, but the implications for regulating the UBS group if part of it leaves Switzerland remain fuzzy.
Reuters reports that UBS and Finma, the Swiss bank regulatory body, are offering no comment on the WSJ article, but it notes that a UBS spokesperson called it “speculation”.
The investment bank is the arm of UBS that required a CHF39 billion bailout by the Swiss government at the end of 2008 and in early 2009.
The
International sports, football
BASEL, SWITZERLAND – FC Basel became Swiss football champions after the club smoothly ran over FC Luzern Wednesday 25 May. The Swiss title, its 14th, owed much to Alexander Frei’s early goal in front of the crowd of 38,500, which set the tone for the match.
Switzerland will be sending FC Basel into the qualifying rounds of the Uefa Champions League
Zurich defeated Thun 1-0 and will also go to the qualifying rounds, but its win wasn’t enough to give it the Swiss title.
Uefa in a statement Wednesday reminded fans not to travel to London for the finals without a ticket for the match in hand, noting that there will be no public viewing of the Champions League final. It will be played at the new Wembley Stadium for the first time, but the 90,000 seats were allocated in draws that took place between November 2010 and March 2011. Visit London offers a list of sports bars in the city where the match can be watched.
Links to other sites: Fifa, Reuters/Los Angeles Times, UEFA match results
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Christies Europe will auction off an extraordinary art collection 21 and 22 June, the last of the artworks owned by Ernst Beyeler and his wife Hildy, whose collection has often been called one of the great private art collections of the 20th century.
Agency AFP reports that the collection sale will mark the close of the couple’s Basel gallery and includes work from iconic 20th century artists including Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Matisse, Klee and Roy Lichtenstein.
The sale will come just two days after Art Basel ends. The artworks will be part of a Christies evening sale in London the 21st and day sale the 22nd.
Beyeler was the founder of Art Basel, the world’s largest contemporary and modern art fair (note: which last week announced it is adding a third fair, Art Hong Kong to the main fair and a second one, Art Basel Miami Beach).
His career in art took off when he transformed and developed the antiquarian bookshop of a former employer into
Beyeler Museum (photo, ©2011 Mark Niedermann / Beyeler Foundation)
the Beyeler Gallery in Basel, which allowed him to build his personal collection.
Ernst Beyeler died, age 88, in February 2010, two years after the death of his wife and close art partner Hildy.
He left instructions for the gallery to be closed upon his death, and the private and business collections to be sold, with proceeds to go to support the Beyeler Foundation in Basel.
The Foundation was created to provide a home, the Beyeler Museum, for the collection, and its purpose is to make the collection available to the public. The museum opened in 1997 and it has become hugely popular, with 300,000 visitors a year.
A Segantini exhibition that ended 25 April had pulled in 100,000 visitors between January 16 and 20 March.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – For those who can’t get enough of the next royal wedding, the one Friday in London, here are a few details of what to expect if you’re in Switzerland:
- various private groups will have their own showings, usually in pubs, so beware that your favourite pub, such as the Pickwick in Geneva, might be closed to the general public (the British Residents Association has that one reserved – you can still reserve Tuesday 26 April, if you’re quick)
- swissinfo reports that Karin Herzog cosmetics, a Swiss line, has seen sales climb 20 percent since the start of April, when it was revealed that Kate Middleton has used their products for several years
- Camilla, the step-mother of Prince William, will plant a tree called “Wedding Cake” to commemorate the marriage, reports the BBC
- one man could win £72,000 if Kate wears the George III tiara that has graced royal heads, including Queen Elisabeth at her own wedding, according to the Telegraph
- Winston Churchill’s favourite champagne will be served to guests: Pol Roger, according to Decanter magazine, says the Independent
- need a wedding biscuit tin and royal mugs if you’re visiting friends to watch the extravaganza together? Try Jim’s British Market in St. Genis
- key detail, where to watch it: online, on The Royal Channel, on YouTube and if you have access to it, on British television or, in Switzerland
William Mountbatten-Windsor, Catherine Middleton
And if you still don’t know what we’re talking about, the wedding will unite Kate Middleton, commoner, and Prince William, second in line to the British throne, Friday 29 April starting at 11:00 at Westminster Abbey in London, with 1,900 guests and 5,000 police, thousands of special wedding parties around town and millions expected to watch on television and via the Internet. Weather forecast: 80 percent chance of showers.
British royal family wedding site
Links to UK media’s special wedding pages: BBC, Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, Sky, Telegraph, Times (subscription)
Here’s your very own invitation, compliments of the British royal family:
Police in London have brought charges against 149 of 201 people arrested Sunday 27 March part of a violent group that spun off from a massive, peaceful rally in the British capital. At least 250,000 people took part in a march organized by the TUC, trade unions organization, to protest government spending cuts.
Police have told UK media that while there were advance indications on the Internet that violence was planned, virtually the entire city was targeted, making it difficult for the 4,450 police officers on duty to protect property. A luxury shop in Piccadilly, where a sit-in was staged, was one of the more visible targets.
The UK government says it is pushing ahead with its plans to make £81 billion in budget cuts.
Links to other sites: BBC, Guardian, Telegraph
Guardian video, March for the Alternative, Fortnum & Mason occupied
WikiLeaks and criticism of Putin appear to be behind it
Luke Harding, the correspondent in Moscow for the British newspaper, the Guardian, was deported by Russian authorities Monday 7 February, without being given an explanation, he says. The reporter returned to Moscow after two months away, but upon arriving at the airport he was “detained in a cell for 45 minutes”, according to Ria Novosti. He was then put on a plane to London and once on the plane he was given back his passport, with his Russian visa cancelled.
Ria Novosti mentions that Harding reported on WikiLeaks cables, publishing at least one that was critical of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, but the information is taken virtually word for word from the Guardian‘s own report. The Russian state news agency also notes, as does the Guardian, that this is the first time since 1989 that a British journalist has been expelled.
The Guardian reports that the British Foreign Office is trying to ascertain, with its Russian counterpart, what lies behind the expulsion, but no explanation has been provided yet:
“Alan Rusbridger, the Guardian editor-in-chief, said: ‘This is clearly a very troubling development with serious implications for press freedom, and it is worrying that the Russian government should now kick out reporters of whom they disapprove. Russia’s treatment of journalists – both domestic and foreign – is a cause of great concern. We are attempting to establish further details, and are in contact with the Foreign Office.’”
Trains are in Europe are filling up, as flight options shrink (photo: Zurich main station)
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - European flights remain chaotic Tuesday morning 21 December, and there are now fears that the repercussions will continue to affect flights through Christmas. Among Tuesday’s announcements from airports and airlines: no flights are departing or arriving at Geneva’s Cointrin (update: still closed at 11:00). BA says that only half its Heathrow flights are operating (Gatwick and City flights are running, however), Duesseldorf in Germany is iced in, Frankfurt is closed due to fresh snow, after first cancelling 300 flights on the heels of cancellations for nearly 600 Monday. Brussels is accepting flights, but none are leaving, reports TSR, due to a shortage of de-icing liquid for the planes.
Trains are proving a difficult option as well, with a one-kilometre line forming at St Pancreas station in London for the Eurostar train, Swiss television TSR reports.
Background and contacts for airlines in Geneva / GenevaLunch
Links to other sites: BBC, Guardian, Le Monde (Fre) TSR (Fre), The Local, Germany
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
Julian Assange could soon be free from Wandsworth Prison on £240,000 bail, once the cash is collected, in a London Westminster Magistrates Court bail hearing marked by more than just the news about the his freedom. The judge agreed to let journalists covering the case tweet the news directly from the courtroom. Assange’s temporary near-freedom was almost secondary news in the face of astonished reporters’ coverage of their own “freedom”. Metro, a UK online paper, notes that “Direct, live reporting from within court is not normally allowed in British courtrooms. Making sound recordings, taking pictures or even making sketches are all explicitly against the law (court sketch artists have to work from memory), and those present are often ordered to turn any mobile devices off before proceedings start.”
Links to other sites: Atlantic on how many tweets Assange gets you, BBC
WikiLeaks founder to appear in Westminster to answer sex charges from Sweden
London, England (GenevaLunch) - Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, has been arrested in London, after turning himself into a police for a 09:30 appointment Tuesday morning 7 December. Assange has been in hiding since he was in Geneva in early November, after Swedish police announced they were looking for him in relation to the charges, brought by two women. He is expected to appear before a judge in Westminster later, but the process of deciding if there are grounds to extradite him could take months, British media report.
International sports, tennis
O2 Arena, London, England (GenevaLunch) - Roger Federer rounded off one of his best weeks of tennis for some years with a masterful win over his Spanish rival, and current ATP number one, Rafael Nadal, in the end-of-season ATP World Masters series in London 28 November. The Swiss player won 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to follow up his 6-1, 6-4 crushing of Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. Rafa Nadal had a much harder time before edging out Andy Murray 7-6, 3-6, 7-6. Federer dominated the first set with immaculate serving, driving forehands and unusually aggressive whipped backhand shots. He dipped slightly in the second set but quickly took command in the final set as Nadal appeared to run out of energy and ideas.
International sports, tennis
O2 Arena, London (GenevaLunch) - Andy Murray looked in excellent form as he swept past Robin Soderling 6-2 6-4 in their round-robin match on the opening day of the end of season ATP World Tour Finals 21 November. Roger Federer also made short work of his match with David Ferrer, winning 6-1 6-4. The winners will meet Tuesday.
