Switzerland

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Olympic Snowboarder Killed in Avalanche

Switzerland's Sophie Hediger was 26

(Newser) - Sophie Hediger, a member of Switzerland's snowboard cross team at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has died following an avalanche at a mountain resort, the country's skiing federation said on Tuesday. The incident occurred on Monday at the Arosa resort in Switzerland, reports the AP . The New York ...

Callista Gingrich Gets Trump Nod for Ambassadorship

In Trump's first term, she was ambassador to the Vatican; now he wants her as Switzerland's envoy

(Newser) - Some big news for Callista Gingrich over the weekend: She's been selected by Donald Trump to serve as his ambassador to Switzerland, reports the AP . In a Sunday post on Truth Social, the president-elect said he was "pleased" to make this appointment. "Happily married to the Great...

Right-to-Die Activist Freed in 'Suicide Capsule' Case

Swiss authorities release Florian Willet of the Last Resort after 2 months

(Newser) - Swiss prosecutors said a right-to-die activist was released Monday after more than two months in police custody over the first use of a so-called "suicide capsule," after they ruled out the possibility of an intentional homicide. Florian Willet, head of advocacy group the Last Resort, was released by...

A New Stat May Spell Trouble for the Luxury Market

Sales of Swiss watches suddenly crater in China, a possible sign of bigger trouble

(Newser) - A humdrum-sounding trade stat has caught the attention of the financial press because it may signal bigger trouble on two fronts: the luxury market in general and the Chinese economy in particular. The story revolves around pricey Swiss watches.
  • A plunge: Sales of Swiss watches to mainland China cratered in
...

Use of 'Suicide Capsule' Suspended After Arrests

The 370 people waiting to use it will have to wait as criminal probe proceeds

(Newser) - Advocacy groups behind a so-called suicide capsule said Sunday they have suspended the process of taking applications to use it—which numbered over 370 last month—as a criminal investigation into its first use in Switzerland is completed, the AP reports. The president of Switzerland-based The Last Resort, Florian Willet,...

Switzerland, Italy Redo Their Border Due to Ice Melt

The nations are redrawing shared boundary, thanks to climate change, melting glaciers

(Newser) - There are the expected repercussions of climate change, and then there are the more surprising ones—like two nations having to redraw their shared border due to ice melt. That's what's currently happening in Europe, where Switzerland and Italy are remapping in the Alps, because "large sections"...

Teen Cyclist Dies After Crash at World Championships

Switzerland's Muriel Furrer, 18, suffered a serious head injury

(Newser) - A teen cyclist has died following a crash at the world road race championships in Switzerland, which took place amid heavy rain Thursday. Muriel Furrer, 18, of Switzerland suffered a serious head injury in a crash during the junior women's race Thursday as "torrential rain" fell on much...

Arrests Follow First Death in Swiss Suicide Pod

US woman used Sarco device to deliver a fatal dose of nitrogen gas on Monday in Switzerland

(Newser) - Several people have been taken into custody in Switzerland following the first use of an assisted suicide device that delivers a fatal dose of nitrogen gas at the touch of a button. The $1 million Sarco capsule developed by Netherlands-based assisted suicide group Exit International features a sealed chamber in...

Switzerland Offers Cash for Solution to Lake Munitions
Swiss Have an Ammo Problem
Hidden in Their Scenic Lakes
in case you missed it
Aug 24, 2024 7:30 AM CDT

Swiss Have an Ammo Problem Hidden in Their Scenic Lakes

Military ammunitions were dumped in 4 lakes over decades and the risk of explosion is real

(Newser) - Switzerland is offering big money to those with creative solutions to the problem of military ammunitions in its lakes. Many visitors to the picturesque lakes Lucerne, Thun, Brienz, and Neuchatel have no idea they conceal thousands of tons of ammunitions dumped by the Swiss military between 1918 and 1964, per...

In This Nation, Getting to Work Takes Just 17 Minutes

Denmark boasts shortest commute time in the world, per AHTI Games stats

(Newser) - Looking for the shortest, sweetest commute? Consider Scandinavia. That's per AHTI Games, which crunched the numbers to figure out how long it takes to get from home to work across the globe, per Digital Journal . Denmark tops the list, with an average commute time of just 17 minutes. Neighbor...

Swiss Court Orders Prison for Billionaire Family Members

Hindujas found guilty of exploiting domestic workers

(Newser) - A Swiss criminal court on Friday sentenced four members of the wealthy Hinduja family to between four and 4½ years in prison for exploiting their vulnerable domestic workers. The court at the same time threw out the more serious charges of human trafficking. The four—Indian-born tycoon Prakash Hinduja; his...

Family Allegedly Spent 3 Times as Much on Dog Than Servant

Four members of Hinduja family, the UK's richest, accused of human trafficking in Geneva

(Newser) - Four members of Britain's richest family allegedly spent more money on their pet dog than they paid to a servant, who received less than $8 per day for up to 18 hours of work, seven days a week. The members of the Hinduja family, worth some $47 billion, are...

At Ukraine Summit, 80 Nations Call for Peace Talks

Several countries with trade ties to Russia decline to sign agreement

(Newser) - A two-day summit in Switzerland concluded Sunday with more than 80 nations and organizations calling for all parties to engage in talks to end Russia's war on Ukraine and the protection of the invaded nation's "territorial integrity." But several nations in attendance that are major trading...

Switzerland Sued Over Climate Inaction: 'This Is Huge'

2K older women had brought case over effects of heat waves to EU's high court for human rights

(Newser) - The European Court of Human Rights is holding an entire nation accountable for its tepid action against climate change, issuing a "landmark ruling" on Tuesday that Switzerland's lack of appropriate action violates its citizens' human rights, per the New York Times . "This is huge," University of...

Posh Swiss Ski Shop Not Renting to Jews

Davos shop condemned for sign saying 'our Jewish brothers' not welcome to rent after 'incidents'

(Newser) - Switzerland's main Jewish organization on Monday denounced an antisemitic sign put up at a local ski shop near Davos, barring Jews from renting equipment. Police in the eastern Graubuenden region opened an investigation for possible criminal violation of Swiss law banning discrimination and incitement to hatred, reports the AP...

Police Storm Train After Man Takes 16 People Hostage

Axe-wielding Iranian man was shot dead during incident in Switzerland

(Newser) - Swiss police say a 32-year-old Iranian asylum-seeker was killed by police after he used an axe and a knife to seize more than a dozen hostages for several hours on a train in western Switzerland. No passengers were injured. The man took the hostages early Thursday evening and police, alerted...

Swiss: Israeli President Hit With Criminal Complaints Post-Davos

It's not clear what the complaints against Isaac Herzog entail as war in Gaza continues

(Newser) - Friday is the final day of the World Economic Forum's annual get-together , but for one world leader, his visit to Davos has led to a criminal complaint, or complaints, against him. Reuters reports that Israeli President Isaac Herzog was in the Swiss city on Thursday, there to speak about...

Hermes Heir, 80, Wants to Adopt 51-Year-Old Ex-Gardener

Laws in Switzerland may stymie Nicolas Puech's new plans for his $11B fortune

(Newser) - Nicolas Puech may be 80, but he has apparently decided that's not too old to adopt a son. The problem is, the "boy" that the Hermes heir would like to welcome into the family fold is his 51-year-old "former gardener and handyman," per Swiss newspaper Tribune ...

Cheeky Ad Helps World Separate Sweden, Switzerland

No, they are not the same, as Visit Sweden so artfully explains

(Newser) - President Biden made headlines when he mixed up Sweden and Switzerland last year. But he's not the only one. Apparently the countries' "vaguely similar names and flags with crosses on them" have created quite the confusion, per Politico . In the last year, 85,000 US Google searches asked,...

This Is the Most Innovative Nation on Earth

Switzerland is No. 1, again, while the US falls one spot

(Newser) - Monday has already proven a banner day for innovation, with the Nobel Prize in medicine bestowed on Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman for their work that helped develop the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Now, certain nations around the world can crow about their placement on the World Intellectual Property Organization's...

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