GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - (and the EU, Israel, Malaysia, UK, US, Zambia) Following last week’s snow dumping and recovering from a vicious chest cold, I took a “virtual” bike tour of the web to air out my brain and found a few gems worth mentioning. Who would’ve thunk Top Gear’s James May was a bikers best [...]
100 missing off Bangladesh coast after ship sinks
November 1, 2012 by
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – At least 100 and up to 130 people are missing after a boat sank off the coast of Bangladesh Sunday 28 October. It was reportedly trying to illegally enter Malaysia, according to initial reports, but sank in the Bay of Bengal. Details are just now emerging and remain sketchy. Authorities in Bangladesh [...]
Rain forest fund targets UBS in Zurich court
June 12, 2012 by
ZURICH, SWITZERLAND – Bank UBS is being accused of lack of due diligence by Swiss-based rainforest advocacy group Bruno Manser Fund (BMF). The charges are made in a filing with the Zurich public prosecutor and are linked to corruption in Malaysia in the forestry industry. A month earlier, Geneva Social Democrat Carlo Sommaruga filed a [...]
Nestlé, P&G announce major product investments
April 26, 2011 by
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Two multinationals with strong ties to the Lake Geneva region, P&G and Nestlé, are investing heavily, the first in a major new product and sugarcane packaging, the other in new Asian markets, they announced 26 April. P&G’s mother company in Ohio, USA, says it is about to launch a new product, [...]
Malaysian sodomy trial of opposition leader to continue
August 16, 2010 by
A judge in Malaysia has ruled in favour of continuing the criminal case against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is accused of sodomizing a former aide, in 2008. Homosexual activity is illegal in Malaysia; he could face up to 20 years in prison. Ibrahim had argued that the prosecution’s case is politically motivated and has [...]
Malaysia, two Muslims to prison for torching church
August 13, 2010 by
A Malaysian court has sentenced two Muslim brothers, who admitted torching down a Protestant church, to five years in prison. The firebombing threatened decades of religious harmony in the country with a Muslim majority. Eleven churches, a Sikh temple, three mosques and two Muslim prayer rooms were assaulted before tensions abated. Additional information: Associated Press
Russia to increase arms sales by 12% this year
April 21, 2010 by
India, Algeria, China, Venezuela, Malaysia and Syria are the main customers for the Russian arms industry, which expects to see a 12 percent increase in international sales in 2010, to $9.5 billion. Vietnam also recently became a client, ordering submarines, aircraft and “other military hardware”, reports Russian news agency Ria Novosti. Russia’s main competitors are [...]
US “very concerned” over Iran on Human Rights Council
April 1, 2010 by
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A US official in Geneva says that the United States “is very concerned” over the possibility of Iran becoming a member of the UN Human Rights Council. Iran is one of five countries presenting themselves for four seats. The vote will take place 13 May. The other countries vying for the [...]
Malaysian bridge tragedy: 1 child dead, 2 missing
October 27, 2009 by
One girl died and two other students are missing after the bridge they were playing on collapsed late Monday 26 October into a fast-flowing river in Perak state, northern Malaysia, local police confirmed. Between 30 and 50 children were playing on a recently built suspension bridge that connects two parts of a camp in Sekolah [...]
