Switzerland

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This 'Zero-Star Hotel' Will Really Make You Think

That's the goal, anyway, of art installation by twin brothers erected next to Swiss gas station

(Newser) - Some people think best in the shower. Others may find they do their best ruminating while lying in bed in the middle of the street next to a gas station. The latter is what Frank and Patrik Riklin are banking on, anyway, with a concept they hope will spur people...

25 Hurt in Hot Coal 'Team-Building' Walk

13 were hospitalized after Swiss event

(Newser) - A company team-building exercise in Switzerland apparently didn't go the way the firm intended it to—although participants will have a shared experience of extreme pain and injured feet to bond over. Authorities say 25 people were treated for burns after they walked across hot coals at a private...

Switzerland Makes a Move to Shrink Organ Transplant List

Organ donation will become opt-out instead of opt-in

(Newser) - Switzerland has just taken a big step in its quest to shrink its organ transplant waiting list backlogs. Under its new model, all residents will be considered potential donors after death unless they have opted out, a reverse from the current set-up, in which people opt-in while still alive. The...

This Ex-Bank CEO's Expense Report Was Eyebrow-Raising

Former Raiffeisen chief Pierin Vincenz gets nearly 4 years in prison after $214K in strip club bills

(Newser) - A former "banker of the year" in Switzerland used his company credit card to pay for a Tinder date, a trip to Australia, and $214,000 in bills from strip clubs, according to testimony heard in a Zurich court before Pierin Vincenz was sentenced Wednesday to nearly four years...

Family Members 'Removed From Society' Jumped From Building

Swiss police had tried to summon the father shortly before

(Newser) - Update: Four members of a French family who fell to their deaths from an apartment building in Switzerland last week jumped "one after the other," according to police. A 40-year-old man, his 41-year-old wife, her twin sister, and the couple's 8-year-old daughter died. The couple's 15-year-old...

Neutral Switzerland Not So Neutral on Russia

Nation freezes assets of Putin and Russian oligarchs

(Newser) - Switzerland is traditionally, famously, neutral in international conflicts, but not this one. The nation said Monday that it would freeze the assets of Vladimir Putin, other top Russian officials, and nearly 400 individuals, reports the New York Times . In following the European Union's lead on the penalties, Switzerland condemned...

Whistleblower Reveals 18K Secret Swiss Bank Accounts

Credit Suisse did business with some nefarious characters

(Newser) - The idea of not-so-upright characters stashing money in a Swiss bank account is a staple of Hollywood—and a large leak of account holders with the giant Credit Suisse suggests it's right on the money:
  • The leak: A whistleblower gave the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung data on more than
...

Bank Leader Resigns Over COVID Breach
Bank Leader Resigns
Over COVID Breach
Jan 17, 2022 10:25 AM CST

Bank Leader Resigns Over COVID Breach

Credit Suisse Chairman Antonio Horta-Osorio reportedly traveled despite quarantine rules

(Newser) - Credit Suisse said Monday that its chairman has resigned following an internal investigation that reportedly found he violated quarantine rules intended to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, per the AP . The resignation of Antonio Horta-Osorio, a British-Portuguese national who took the job barely eight months ago, was announced shortly after midnight...

Suicide Capsule Can Be Used in Switzerland
Suicide Pod Can Be
Used in Switzerland
in case you missed it
Dec 11, 2021 2:45 PM CST

Suicide Pod Can Be Used in Switzerland

The Sarco is cleared for use

(Newser) - An assisted suicide pod first introduced three and a half years ago has now been cleared for use in Switzerland. The Sarco, invented by Dr. Philip Nitschke of the Exit International nonprofit, has passed a legal review and can be operated in the country, SwissInfo reports. Assisted suicide was already...

Facebook: Scientist Behind Misinformation Doesn't Exist

Account claimed US was pushing its scientists to blame virus on China

(Newser) - A disinformation network with ties to China used hundreds of fake social media accounts— including one belonging to a fictitious Swiss biologist—to spread an unfounded claim that the US pressured scientists to blame China for the coronavirus, Facebook said Wednesday. The company based in Menlo Park, California, did not...

During Pandemic, This Nation's Economy Takes Top Billing

Switzerland is No. 1 on WIPO's Global Innovation Index for 132 economies around the world

(Newser) - To get through something like a pandemic, countries have had to innovate—especially when it comes to keeping their economies humming. And there are "reasons to be optimistic" on that front, according to one of the editors of the World Intellectual Property Organization's annual Global Innovation Index , which...

Same-Sex Marriage Wins Overwhelming Support

Switzerland approves referendum backed by government and all parties but one

(Newser) - Swiss voters overwhelmingly approved same-sex marriage on Sunday, endorsing a measure that carried all 26 of the nation's cantons. The referendum was on track to receive the support of 64% of voters, the BBC reports. Supporters expressed relief, and Amnesty International called the decision a "milestone for equality,...

Protest Precedes Vote on Same-Sex Marriage
Thousands Demand
Same-Sex Marriage
Sep 4, 2021 1:54 PM CDT

Thousands Demand Same-Sex Marriage

Only civil unions are legal in Switzerland now

(Newser) - Tens of thousands protested in Switzerland on Saturday for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the Alpine country. The protests came ahead of a national referendum Sept. 26 on the legalization of gay marriage, which has already been introduced in European countries including Germany, Austria, France , and the Netherlands, the...

This Is the Most Livable City in the World

Auckland, NZ, takes top spot in Economist's rankings, though Kiwis give honor the side-eye

(Newser) - The pandemic has caused a major upset on the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual list of the most livable cities on the planet. Thanks to their relative isolation from the rest of the world, the island nations of New Zealand, Australia, and Japan all had strong showings in the top...

Biden to Meet With the Guy He Called a 'Killer'

President, Vladimir Putin will get together next month in Switzerland

(Newser) - President Biden will meet face to face with Vladimir Putin, the man he recently labeled a "killer," next month in Switzerland. The meeting will take place June 16 in Geneva, and the New York Times expects it to focus heavily on nuclear arms. But the pair should have...

Gymnast&#39;s Competition Outfit Causes Quite a Stir
Gymnast's
Competition
Outfit Causes
Quite a Stir
in case you missed it
Apr 25, 2021 3:45 PM CDT

Gymnast's Competition Outfit Causes Quite a Stir

German athlete Sarah Voss wore full bodysuit to take stand against 'sexualization' in the industry

(Newser) - When the German women's gymnastics team was practicing ahead of the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships held in Basel, Switzerland, this week, the athletes wore full bodysuits for maximum comfort. That's when it hit them, says gymnast Elisabeth Seitz, per the BBC : Why couldn't they wear these outfits...

Swiss Army Relents on Women's Underwear

It will no longer be made-for-men only

(Newser) - One of Switzerland's big ideas to boost military recruitment involves women's underwear. The BBC reports by way of local media that the country has never provided women's underwear to military recruits. All members of the armed services, regardless of sex, are provided with men's underwear. That...

This Is the Happiest Country in the World

It's not the US, which comes in at No. 14, per 'Forbes'

(Newser) - Saturday is marked as the International Day of Happiness , and in some parts of the world, that contentment factor is especially prevalent. Forbes reports on the 2021 World Happiness Report , the ninth installation, which calls the past year a year "like no other." The Gallup World Poll team...

Swiss Approve Banning Burqas
Swiss Vote to Ban
Face Coverings
Mar 7, 2021 1:00 PM CST

Swiss Vote to Ban Face Coverings

Measure covers burqas as well as protesters' masks and bandannas

(Newser) - Voters in Switzerland on Sunday narrowly approved a proposal to ban face coverings, both the niqabs and burqas worn by a few Muslim women in the country and the ski masks and bandannas used by protesters. The measure will outlaw covering one's face in public places like restaurants, sports...

Switzerland To Let Voters Decide on Lockdown Power

The populace will choose whether their government can impose such restrictions

(Newser) - Switzerland will hold a referendum on whether the country's government should have the power to impose lockdowns and other measures used to slow the spread of COVID in the country. Per the Wall Street Journal , the vote could be held as soon as June and comes amid disagreement over...

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