GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – It’s the season for inaugurations, with Hublot opening its new building in Nyon.
Two days later the CFF invited guests to see the start of work on two new relay stations in Mies and Chambésy that are key to the 2017 programme for 15-minute train connections with Geneva.
A new private venture called Base Nyon in the centre of Nyon, to provide apart-hotels, that some local media say resembles Airbnb places, opened its doors: “It’s a new type of accommodation for todays travellers, and especially those who are coming in the area for business reasons,” says the company. “‘Base’ works for short or long stays, for quick visits or people relocating, for those on assignment or visiting friends.” It was founded by two entrepreneurs, Frederic Mydske from Norwood in Crissier and James Fry, a British entrepreneur from western Switzerland.
HUG lawyer’s CHF40 million raises eyebrows
The Tribune de Genève has been following the legal saga of the lawyer who was reportedly paid CHF40 million between 2007 and 2015 by the HUG cantonal hospitals. He and the head of the hospital’s accounting were arrested in mid-September; the justice office is investigating how the lawyer came to be paid CHF5 million a year.
Lindt stolen chocolates marketed by mafia
We all love chocolate, but few of us would stoop to stealing massive quantities of it. But chocolate-maker Lindt saw several dozen tons of it stolen at the end of 2014, and at the end of September an Italian-Dutch sting operation arrested several people for trafficking chocolate. The culprits: members of Ndrangheta, now considered the largest and most active criminal organization in Europe, involved in drug trafficking and an illegal flower market in The Netherlands, according to 20 Minutes.
Glaciers in trouble, Roundup in urine
Public broadcaster RTS 9 October carried a special report on shrinking glaciers, relying heavily on research done at the University of Lausanne. There are now two worrisome aspects to the impact of climate change on glaciers, say the researchers. Not only are they shrinking at a dramatic rate, but erosion around them is becoming a problem.
In another science report, RTS says that glysophate, the main ingredient in Roundup and several other herbicides, has been found in 40% of urines tested in French-speaking Switzerland, an indication that ingestion or exposure is probably chronic. Public health officials are calling for further investigations, given that Roundup was labeled carcinogenic in May by the World Health Organization.