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Last Page 2017

Alain Berset elected Swiss president for 2018

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The Swiss parliament elected interior minister Alain Berset to serve in the largely symbolic position of president next year, making him the youngest to hold the post in a century.

The choice of the 45-year-old member of the Socialist Party from Fribourg came as no surprise, since it was his turn among the seven members of the Swiss government -- the Federal Council -- to take on the rotating one-year presidency.

   

Berset, who has been a member of the government since 2011, was voted through with the support from 190 voters out of a total 210 approved ballots, underlining strong support across the country's political divides.

   

He will replace energy and transport minister Doris Leuthard of the Christian Democrats at the helm of the government on January 1st.

Swiss Post reports bumper Christmas parcel trade

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The national postal service said delivery staff and workers in sorting centres had had to work extra shifts to ensure deliveries were made in time for Christmas handling over 18 million parcels from December 1st to 23rd.

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On peak days the three sorting centres of Frauenfeld in Thurgau, Härkingen in Solothurn and Daillens in Vaud handled more than one million parcels, on December 19th a new daily record was set with 1.3 million parcels sorted.

 

All available staff were on duty and the sorting machines were in almost constant operation.

World’s steepest classic funicular railway opens in Stoos Schwyz

 

Swiss president Doris Leuthard officially opened the Stoosbahn, the new funicular whisks passengers from the Schlattli valley station up to the village of Stoos, a height difference of 744m. 

 

Despite a maximum gradient of 110 percent, the train's unusual design keeps passengers upright during the four minute journey thanks to its four cylindrical carriages which rotate as it climbs the 1,720m track which costed 52 million francs.

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The Stoosbahn is the world's steepest classic funicular railway, meaning a system by which two trains, each connected to a cable, travel in opposite directions at the same time, passing half way down (see film below, at 3m15s). The trains balance each other out meaning only a small amount of force is needed to drive them.

Switzerland is world leader in attracting and retaining top talent

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The 2017 ranking by the Lausanne-based Institute for Management Development draws on extensive data and a survey of thousands of executives from 63 different economies to judge countries' performance in three main categories: ‘investment and development', relating to the nurturing of homegrown talent; ‘appeal', meaning the ability of the country to tap into the overseas talent pool; and ‘readiness', judging the availability of skills and competencies in the talent pool.

 

The three categories assess how countries perform in areas including education, apprenticeships, workplace training, language skills, cost of living, quality of life, remuneration and tax rates.  

Europe's largest freshwater aquarium opens in Lausanne

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The aquarium is spread over 3,500m2 and two floors, comprising a permanent exhibition and two temporary exhibition spaces.

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The first floor is dedicated to Europe, including the Swiss Alps, the Rhône area and the Mediterranean. Upstairs, visitors can discover freshwater environments from other continents, including the Mekong river, the Amazon, the Congo and African lakes. 

 

Aquatis comprises 46 separate tanks and will, when fully stocked, be home to 10,000 fish and around 100 reptiles and amphibians, of 200 different species.

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The aquarium hopes to welcome 450,000 visitors a year. Tickets are 29 francs per adult and 19 francs per child. Children under five go free.

Lausanne University professor wins Nobel Prize for chemistry

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Jacques Dubochet, a Swiss professor of biophysics at the University of Lausanne, was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry with his colleagues, German professor Joachim Frank from Columbia University in the US and Briton Richard Henderson from Cambridge University.

 

The winners received the prestigious prize for "for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution".

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Cryo-electron microscopy allows researchers to "freeze biomolecules mid-movement and visualize processes they have never previously seen, It “both simplifies and improves the imaging of biomolecules” and “moves biochemistry into a new era,”.

Hostility towards Muslims on the rise in Switzerland

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In a conference organized by the university of Fribourg and the Swiss Centre for Islam and Society (SZIG), the Federal Commission against Racism (FCR) reported that hostility and discrimination towards Muslim people in Switzerland is on the rise. Conference organizers blamed social media sites for allowing the cheap and easy dissemination of “propaganda” that spreads suspicion of Muslims and leads to their social exclusion.

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This hostility “is fed by facts that have nothing to do with Muslims themselves but with international events,” said FCR president Martine Brunschwig Graf in interviews after the conference. Federal interior minister Alain Berset warned against lumping in Islam with terrorism and “holding Islam responsible for all the extremist acts committed in its name”. 

Geneva opts for bridge over lake instead of  tunnel

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The 22 member consultation committee responsible for planning the proposed crossing over Lac Leman (Lake Geneva) has decided that a bridge rather that a tunnel would be the suitable option.

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In June last year Geneva residents voted in favour of a lake crossing in a referendum, the crossing is still a long way from being realized since any concrete plans will likely have to be put to another referendum.

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The idea of a lake crossing was also approved by Geneva voters back in 1988, before they subsequently rejected the idea of a bridge or a tunnel in another referendum eight years later.

There are now 2.1 million foreigners in Switzerland

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As of january 1st 2017 the population of Switzerland was over 8.4 million, up 1.1 percent from the previous year,

however while the number of Swiss citizens grew by 0.6 percent in 2016, the number of foreign residents was up by 2.6 percent, it said. 

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There are now more than 2.1 million foreigners living in Switzerland, up from just under 2.05 million a year earlier, comprising 24.9 percent of the total population.

Swiss Conductor appointed chief of Vienna State Opera

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The Vienna State Opera, the world-renowned cultural institution contracted the Swiss conductor Philippe Jordan to become its new music director as of 2020, he is currently music director of the Opéra national de Paris and chief conductor of the Vienna Symphony.

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Jordan comes from a musical family, he began to study piano at age six, his late father Armin having served as conductor of Switzerland's Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva from 1985 to 1997.

World’s longest suspension bridge opens in Switzerland

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At 494m long, the new suspension bridge that opened near Randa in the canton of Valais is the longest in the world.

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Sitting at 85m above the valley floor at its highest point, the bridge links two sections of the Europaweg two-day hiking trail between Grächen and Zermatt.

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The approximate 750,000 franc cost was sought from private investors.

Federer wins record eighth Wimbledon title 2017

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Roger Federer won a record eighth Wimbledon title and became the tournament's oldest champion with a straight-sets victory over injury-hit Marin Cilic, who dramatically broke down in tears midway through the final.

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Federer claimed his 19th Grand Slam title 6-3, 6-1, 6-4 and at 35 is Wimbledon's oldest men's winner of the modern era, succeeding Arthur Ashe, who was almost 32 when he won in 1976.

International marriages dominate in Switzerland

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Only 47 percent of weddings held in 2016 were between Swiss partners; in 36 percent of cases one half of the couple was non-Swiss, while 16 percent of weddings were between two foreigners.

 

Around a fifth of weddings were between a Swiss man and a foreign woman, while a sixth were between a Swiss woman and a foreign man. 

 

The stats are a reflection of the international nature of a country where some two million residents – a quarter of its population – do not hold a Swiss passport. 

ZKB plans new cable car across Lake Zurich

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In celebration of its 150th birthday, Zurich cantonal bank is planing to build a temporary cable car across Lake Zurich.

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The 1.4km cableway will connect Landiwiese with Zurichhorn across the northern tip of the lake and will be able to transport 2,000 passengers per hour in its 14 gondolas.

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The cable car is estimated to cost 40-60 million francs. The expected ticket price for a journey would be 5-15 francs.

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Go to the link and watch the video.

Swiss vote for gradual nuclear phaseout

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58.2 % of swiss voters supported a massive overhaul of the country's energy system by gradually replacing the power from its ageing nuclear reactors with renewable sources.

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The move has been in the making since shortly after Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant was destroyed in the March 2011 tsunami disaster.

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Four of the 26 cantons voted No.

Valais canton launches new local currency

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The Farinet was launched first in the city of Sion. It comes in eight denominations – 1,2, 5, 10, 13, 20, 50 and 100 – and has the same value as the Swiss franc.

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There is no coins, and please note the 13 Farinet note!

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Geneva launched its own currency - the Léman - since 2015.

Swiss guards, loyal soldiers of the pope, take the oath

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Forty new Swiss Guards will take the oath to join the 110 present small army created since 1506 when Pope Julius II recruited the supposedly invincible mercenaries for his protection.

 

To join, you have to be a practising Roman Catholic, Swiss, single, between 19 and 30 years old and at least 1.74 meters tall.

32 World records held by Switzerland and the Swiss.

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Interesting collection of records from Federer record of most men's grand slam single titles (18 todate) to the smallest inkjet printer to the largest machine in the world to the first solar powered round the world flight.

Ueli Steck famed for his speed ascents of iconic Alpine routes, has died on Everest Sunday morning April 30.

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Steck, 40, was on Everest to acclimatise before attempting to summit the world's tallest peak in May, using a never before climbed route.

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The accomplished alpinist sought to pioneer new routes throughout his mountaineering career, earning the nickname "the Swiss Machine" for his solo record ascents in the Alps.

 

Steck was buried in Nepal.

How to save money in Zurich

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Switzerland is the most expensive country in Europe and Zurich is its most expensive city, it is even expensive for people living in it.

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check the link below for a few tips that may help you save money (specially if you are an old timer who still remembers the 50 rape ticket for 6 stops and less).

Nour El Sherbini maintains her world title in an all Egyptian final at SPA Elgouna Squash pen

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Nour retained her world title for the second consecutive year after beating her compatriot Raneem el Welily 3:0.

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In the same tournament, the French Gregory Gaultier won the men's final against the Egyptian Karim Abdel Gawad 3:0.

 

The photo shows all four finalists.

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Charlie Chaplin fans set world record in Corsier-sur-Vevey

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662 people set a world record for the biggest gathering of Charlie Chaplins, each donning the black jacket, shoes, bowler hat, toothbrush moustache and cane of the comic's signature creation, the Little Tramp.

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Fans of all ages from all over Europe gathered at Charlie Chaplin's museum at his former home in Corsier-sur-Vevey, western Switzerland.

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The Chaplin's museum opened a year ago and had arround 300,000 visitors in its first year of operation far exceeding previous estimates>

 

Chaplin was born  1889 and died on Christmas day 1977 aged 88, he moved to Switzerland in 1953 after being accused of being a communist and denied re-entry to USA.

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Charlie received an Honorary Academy Award in 1972 for his role in making motion pictures the art of the twentieth century.   

EgyptAir celebrated International Women's Day 2017 by two full women crews and pilots flights

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Two EgyptAir flights took off Wednesday March 22 piloted and fully crewed by women.

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The first flight a long range Airbus 330 landed in Abu Dhabi piloted by Captain Hasnaa Taymour, First Officer Sarah Abdel-Fattah and 10 flight attendants, in addition to two female security officers; the second flight a medium range Boeing 800-737 piloted by Captain Heba Darwish, First Officer Sarah Roshdy and five flight attendants, with two female security officers on board.

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It is worth adding that Egyptair staff includes 12 female pilots and co-pilots.

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Zurich STILL most expensive city in Europe; Geneva second

 

The survey conducted by the Economist compares more than 400 individual prices across 160 products and services including food and drink, clothing, rents, transport, utility bills and recreation costs.

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Top of the ranking worldwide is Singapore followed by Hong Kong, Zurich, Geneva, Paris, London, New York, Copenhagen, Seoul and Los Angeles.

Swiss study: snow to largely disappear from Alps by 2100

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If global warming is not halted, only ski areas above 2,500 meters will have enough snow for winter sports, said the scientists from the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) and the EPFL Lausanne.

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If humankind succeeds in limiting average global warming to two degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels, the loss of snow cover would be 30 percent by 2100, the study found.

But if nothing is done, the figure grows to 70 percent.

Roger Federer claims two new tennis records

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Roger Federer won the final Australian Open against Rafael Nadal setting two records.

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This victory is a record 18 Grand Slam title, and aged 35 Federer is the oldest major-winner in 45 years and move four titles clear of Nadal and Pete Sampras on the all-time list.

Roger Federer voted ‘Most Stylish Man 2016

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Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer is used to beating the competition, and now he's done it again by being voted the world's most stylish man of 2016 by readers of Britain's GQ magazine.

 

The competition, voted for by the public, took place in rounds with big names including Ryan Gosling, Lewis Hamilton, Tom Ford, David Beckham and defending champion Kanye West.

 

In the final round against British actor Tom Hiddleston, the 17-time Grand Slam champion title was secured by his many fans.

Swiss Giant Supermarket Coop to start selling bug burgers

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The federal food safety office (BLV) announced that as of May 1st 2017; any food product can be sold commercially as long as it respects food safety regulations.

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Coop was quick to respond announcing that said it was working with Swiss startup Essento, which specializes in developing insect-based dishes, to create a range of “surprising” products containing insect proteins, including meatballs and burgers.

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