GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Headline news this week in Switzerland
Swiss to decide on Fifa extraditions in September
The six Fifa (world football federation) officials arrested in June in Zurich at the request of a New York court will learn in September if Switzerland will indeed extradite them to face US charges. The Justice Ministry has confirmed that the initial decision will be made next month, but a final decision could take several months if the men’s lawyers appeal an extradition ruling. Details, Times, South Africa
Meanwhile, the Sun Herald reports that “The United States has blocked Nicaragua’s attempt to extradite FIFA bribery case suspect Julio Rocha to his home country.”
No seed sharing, thank anyway
Swiss agrochemical group Syngenta rebuffed American seed company Monsanto yet again 26 August, refusing to accept the latest enhanced bid from its main competitor. Details, Reuters
Cars to figure on new Swiss stamps
Swiss philately fans can expect new stamps featuring Swiss cars – remarkable given the penury of cars made in this country. The unveiling will be 10 September. Three weeks later you’ll be able to indulge your love of classic cars in Morges, at the annual Swiss Classic British Car Meeting.
Foreigners inch up to 24.3% of Swiss population
An additional 100,000 foreigners in Switzerland in 2014 boosted their place to 24.3% of the Swiss population. The latest figures from the federal statistical office show that at the end of last year the population was 8,237,666; the number of foreigners totaled 1,998,459. Geneva and Vaud saw increases of 1.7 and 1.6% respectively.
Airport changes: explosives checks, home baggage printouts
A new system to check passengers for explosives as they board was demonstrated Wednesday at Zurich aiport; the checks will begin next week in Geneva and Zurich.
Geneva’s steady stream of check-in improvements to speed up boarding now includes at-home printing of your luggage tickets. The airport’s press release notes that the new system allows passengers to “print a baggage tag at home, as well as a confirmation on A4 paper, at the same time as their boarding pass … For the first use of this service, the system allowing to securely hang the paper tag on the luggage is made available free of charge by Swiss at the airport. This tote in solid plastic is then reusable for all following trips. The traditional procedure of printing the baggage tag at the airport is also available for all Swoss flights.”
The service will also be available for Swiss in New York and, in September, in Moscow.