The Swiss town of Vevey has staged a once-in-a-generation celebration of its winemakers, with fancy dress, alpine horns, cows and dancers kicking off a festival that dates back to the 18th century. The three-week Fête des Vignerons, which began in 1797, is held roughly every 20 years and on Thursday 5,500 locals donned costumes, wigs and makeup to take part in the gala opening
Continue reading...Category Archives: Switzerland
Former Manus Island detainee tells UN ‘human beings are being destroyed’
Abdul Aziz Muhamat delivers a plea for urgent action to the Human Rights Council
Since Abdul Aziz Muhamat left Manus Island for the last time, he has climbed a mountain in his new home of Switzerland, and then returned to advocating for the resettlement of the hundreds of men and women he left behind.
The Sudanese refugee spent more than six years in Australia’s offshore processing and detention system in Papua New Guinea, before he was granted residency in the European nation earlier this month.
Continue reading...‘Hell is coming’: week-long heatwave begins across Europe
Temperatures could hit 40C from Spain to Switzerland, with authorities urging children and older people to stay indoors
Authorities have urged children and older people to stay indoors and issued severe warnings against dehydration and heatstroke as an unprecedented week-long heatwave begins its advance across continental Europe.
Meteorologists said temperatures would reach or even exceed 40C from Spain to Switzerland as hot air was sucked up from the Sahara by the combination of a storm stalling over the Atlantic and high pressure over central Europe.
Continue reading...Man arrested over death of British woman in Swiss hotel
Anna Florence Reed was found dead after reports of noisy disturbance in middle of night
Police in Switzerland are investigating how a 22-year-old British woman died in a hotel room she was allegedly sharing with her boyfriend.
Anna Florence Reed was found dead on Tuesday at the four-star La Palma au Lac hotel near Locarno, on the banks of Lake Maggiore, after reports of a noisy disturbance in the room during the middle of the night.
Continue reading...Court overturns referendum as voters were poorly informed … in Switzerland
Incomplete detail and lack of transparency invalidated vote on tax laws, says supreme court
Switzerland’s supreme court has overturned a nationwide referendum for the first time in the country’s modern history, on the grounds that the information given to voters was insufficient.
In a ruling that may resonate in Britain, where remain campaigners have long argued that voters in the 2016 Brexit referendum were not adequately informed, the court said incomplete detail and a lack of transparency had violated the freedom of the vote, which could now be re-run.
Continue reading...Coffee beans not vital for human survival, Switzerland decides
Government proposes end to decades-old strategy of stockpiling bags of raw product
Switzerland has announced plans to abolish the emergency stockpiling of coffee, a strategy that has been in place for decades, saying the beans are not vital for human survival – though opposition to the proposal is brewing.
Nestlé, the maker of instant coffee Nescafé, and other importers, roasters and retailers are required by Swiss law to store bags of raw coffee. The country also stockpiles staples such as sugar, rice, edible oils and animal feed.
Continue reading...Vintage ski posters – in pictures
A collection of vintage ski and winter sports posters up to a century old – some worth thousands of dollars – is about to be auctioned in New York. The resorts advertised range from Europe’s Alpine jewels to the mountains of Canada, and all offer fun in the outdoors
Continue reading...The Latest: Old hand asks if Trump will aim big or for base
Swiss Federal President Alain Berset, right, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, shake hands prior to a meeting one day before the start of the 48th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos, Switzerland, Monday, Jan. 22, 2018.