Switzerland

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Cows Really Don't Like Cowbells, Study Finds

At 113 decibels, the 12-pound bells can be as loud as chainsaws

(Newser) - Cowbell-clad cows are an iconic part of Swiss culture, but that doesn't mean the cows are happy about it. A new study out of the federal technology institute ETH Zurich studied 100-plus cows over a three-day period at 25 farms. Those who wore cowbells—some of which rang, some...

Swiss Train Derails, Car Plunges Into Ravine

200 people on board, number of casualties unknown

(Newser) - A landslide today sent one carriage of a Swiss passenger train plunging into a ravine and left another hanging from the rails, the BBC reports. Officials are calling it a "serious" incident, though the number of casualties isn't known. The RT network reports 200 passengers were on board;...

All Old People Can Now Get Help Dying in Switzerland

Option usually reserved for terminally ill

(Newser) - Being old is now an acceptable justification for assisted suicide in Switzerland. At its annual meeting this weekend, the group Exit said that it would now help the elderly die even if they aren't terminally ill, the Guardian reports. While technically anyone in Switzerland—even the young and healthy—...

Swiss Voters on $25 Minimum Wage: Uh, No

About three-quarters of people vote against referendum

(Newser) - Swiss voters today considered the question of whether to institute a highest-on-planet-Earth minimum wage , and handed it back with a resounding "nope." Early returns indicate that about three-quarters of voters (76% per the BBC , 77% per the AP ) voted against the measure, which would have raised minimum...

Swiss to Vote on $25 Minimum Wage
Swiss to Vote on
$25 Minimum Wage
May 16, 2014 5:40 PM CDT

Swiss to Vote on $25 Minimum Wage

Referendum Sunday would make it the highest in the world

(Newser) - This makes Seattle's plan for a $15-an-hour minimum wage seem like chump change: Switzerland residents vote Sunday on a $25 minimum wage, which would be the highest in the world, reports USA Today . The change would affect about 10% of the nation's workforce, or 330,000 people, most...

ATMs Learn Self-Defense From Acid-Spraying Bug

Beetle's spray system offers model for cash machines

(Newser) - The ATM is getting a lesson in self-defense—from a bug. Researchers in Switzerland were inspired by the bombardier beetle, which shoots out a gas that can burn skin, the Atlantic reports. The beetle's mechanism works by mixing two chemicals normally kept separate in its abdomen. When under attack,...

143 Men Captured While Fighting Nazis Honored

They were imprisoned in notorious Swiss camp

(Newser) - After more than 70 years, the Pentagon has finally decided that 143 American airmen who served time in a tough prison camp after being captured while fighting Nazi Germany were prisoners of war who deserve recognition. The men weren't recognized as POWs until now because they were imprisoned not...

Judge: Cheese Restaurant Smell Not Too Bad

Manager of Swiss fondue place told not to pay fine

(Newser) - A judge has ruled that stinky-cheese smell isn't as bad as complaining about it in a rather mean way, the Guardian reports. Florian Kurz, the manager of a Swiss fondue restaurant, won't have to pay a $225 fine after two neighboring boutique clothing stores griped about the smell—...

Bank's 'Spy Novel' Tactics Hid US Tax Dodgers' Billions

And Justice Dept. did little to respond, per Senate report on Credit Suisse

(Newser) - Swiss bank Credit Suisse helped thousands of Americans keep as much as $12 billion in assets tucked away from the eyes of the IRS, a Senate report out yesterday alleges—and the bank used some unconventional techniques in the process, including once hiding bank statements in a copy of Sports ...

CERN Wants New Collider, 62 Miles Long

Contraption could be 4 times size of Large Hadron Collider

(Newser) - The Large Hadron Collider has only been in "full swing" for three years, notes a leading CERN physicist—but since planning for it began in 1983, it's already time to start thinking about what's next. In the case of the European particle physics organization, that means considering...

Plane Forced to Land in Geneva, Hijacker Busted
 Co-Pilot Hijacks Plane, 
 Demands Asylum 
UPDATED
Feb 17, 2014 7:51 AM CST

Co-Pilot Hijacks Plane, Demands Asylum

All Ethiopian Airlines passengers safe after Geneva landing

(Newser) - An Ethiopian Airlines plane was hijacked early today by its own co-pilot, who was seeking asylum in Switzerland. The co-pilot locked himself in the cockpit when the pilot went to the toilet, and flew the Boeing 767-300—which had taken off from Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa and was headed to...

Syria Peace Talks Open—Unpleasantly

Sides take firm stances in opening speeches

(Newser) - With more than 100,000 dead in a divided Syria, government and opposition leaders are in Switzerland today for year-in-the-making international peace talks. Direct talks haven't even begun yet (that comes Friday), but so far, the tone at the "Geneva II" talks has been far from friendly, the...

Why Switzerland Airlifts Its Cows

It's not just about helping the cows, it's about helping the land: Aeon

(Newser) - The sight of a cow flying through the air isn't so rare in Switzerland: When a cow is injured—or dead—a helicopter may arrive to bring it to safety, or, if dead, to incineration. The practice, Aeon reports, isn't just about caring for our bovine friends, or...

Swiss Voters Dump Plan to Ax Executive Pay

Salaries would have been capped at 12 times lowest

(Newser) - A measure that would have ensured bosses didn't make more in a month than their lowest-paid workers made in a year has been voted down in Switzerland. The 1:12 Initiative for Fair Pay, which would have capped executive salaries at 12 times that of their lowest-paid employee, was...

'Banks Around the World' Probed in Currency Scheme

Swiss regulators looking into alleged plot to rig Forex

(Newser) - Is this the next Libor? Switzerland's top market regulator has announced a sweeping investigation into an alleged conspiracy to rig benchmark currency exchange rates, the Wall Street Journal reports. The regulator, Finma, says it's investigating "several" Swiss firms, but is also "coordinating closely with authorities in...

Swiss Hate War, but Want to Keep Big Army

Country votes 73% in favor of keeping the military draft

(Newser) - The paradox that is Switzerland: Due to its stance of neutrality, the country hasn't been in an international war in 200 years, yet it continues its policy of mandatory military conscription for young men. And that's the way the Swiss like it, apparently, with 73% of the country...

New in Zurich: $2.2M 'Sex Boxes'

Government facility could make life easier for prostitutes

(Newser) - Think prostitution should be legalized? Then check out what's happening in Zurich, where officials are set to open a $2.2 million facility so johns can take prostitutes into so-called "sex boxes," the Telegraph reports. The area will include a road where 40 prostitutes will be waiting...

'James Bond' Olympics Skydiver Dies in Accident

Mark Sutton hit mountain ridge while wing-diving

(Newser) - Mark Sutton, the stuntman who parachuted into the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony as James Bond, died in a wing-diving accident yesterday. Sutton, 42, jumped from a helicopter at 10,826 feet in Switzerland wearing a "wingsuit," an aerodynamic jumpsuit that increases the body's surface area and...

Oprah to Switzerland: Hey, Sorry

Regrets her story went viral, but stands by racism claim

(Newser) - After her comments about getting dissed by a racist saleswoman at a chichi Swiss boutique , Oprah Winfrey is, well, trying to be Switzerland—sort of. "I'm really sorry that it got blown up," she said last night. "I purposefully did not mention the name of the...

Oprah: Racist Clerk at Swanky Shop Refused Me

Swiss shop attendant said $35K bag too expensive, says Winfrey

(Newser) - It's safe to say no handbag in the world is too expensive for Oprah, but an attendant at an upscale shop in Zurich seemed to think otherwise. While visiting the city last month, the talk-show queen says a clerk refused to show her a $35,000 bag, claiming she...

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