GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – A roundup of news from Western Switzerland Monday, shortly after the total eclipse of the “blood moon”, well documented by RTS.
Fires in Vaud
Firefighters were called to a fire in Pully and another near Rougement, on the Vaud-Fribourg border, over the weekend. The Rougement fire, very early Sunday, appears to have been started in an old fireplace that was used Saturday night at the alpage chalet. Seven people and several animals escaped safely, but given the difficulty for firefighters to reach the high mountain area, the chalet and barn were virtually destroyed by the time help arrived. The cows did not take part in the désalpes (descent from the higher alps) Saturday, as did most in the region.
A mother and her two children made it to safety Friday afternoon when their apartment caught fire in Pully, but the family dog perished. The mother was taken to hospital to be checked for smoke inhalation. The other apartment in the building at chemin du Vallon 24 was unoccupied at the time of the fire.
Cars galore
The new TCS (Touring Club Suisse) car centre in Cossonay, near Lausanne, drew in 2,500 visitors for its weekend inauguration. The centre works closely with the cantonal driving and car test centre at Blecherette; the revamped TCS centre now features tracks to train drivers for special conditions such as ice and all terrain tracks. It’s the second largest such centre in Switzerland, on 6.5 hectares. The two-year project to enlarge the centre cost CHF20 million [figured corrected, please note].
Cars were also the thing in Crans-Montana, with several hundred jeeps at the Jeep Heep Heep meetup, including vintage models. The cars paraded around the mountainside Sunday, tooting their horns.
Breast implants halted
Silicone breast implants by a Brazilian company, Silimed, are being halted by the Swiss medical supervisory office, SwissMedic, after impurities were found in isolated cases. Details
Health insurance premiums to rise
The average rise of health insurance premiums in Switzerland in 2016 will be 4%, the federal health office announced at the end of last week. The main driver is higher technology costs, for example x-rays and scans. The average hides the differences between cantons, with 2.8% for Bern and 4.7% for Vaud, for example, reports RTS. Comparis, the consumer comparison group, says the extremes will be much greater, with some individuals seeing a dip in their costs while others will see sharp increases.