This week, Bell, a Swiss meat processor, announced an investment in Dutch synthetic meat start-up Mosa Meat. Mosa Meat, a leader in the market of cultured beef, was co-founded by Mark Post of the University of Maastricht, who is considered to be the global pioneer in the production of cultured meat. Rather than a meat […]
High fire danger in certain parts of Switzerland
Currently, fire risk is high in central Valais, Ticino, parts of Graubunden and St. Gallen, according to Switzerland’s government. The warning comes with a call not to light fires outside. Current warnings in these regions are at level 4 out of 5, which means burning matches, flying sparks from barbecue fires and lightning will very […]
How mathematicians solved glacier death mystery after 86 years
On the 4th of March 1926 three brothers and a fourth man set out on a hike to Koncordiaplatz on Switzerland’s Aletsch glacier, the largest in the Alps. They never returned. When their bodies were discovered in 2012, scientists and mathematicians were able to work out what happened to the men 86 years earlier. The […]
Plastic attacks hit Swiss supermarkets
Shoppers across Switzerland have started dumping plastic wrapping at supermarkets in protest at what they see as excessive plastic packaging. The practice, which started in at a Tesco in Keynsham near Bristol in the UK in March – see video below, has spread around the world. Groups, such as Naries, the association behind a plastic […]
The Swiss town that wants to ban disposable plastic straws
The Swiss town of Neuchâtel wants to ban disposable plastic straws. The plan calls for a ban in all of the town’s bars and eateries between now and the beginning of 2019, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. The initiative, known as operation Papaille – loosely translating to no straw (paille is French for straw) […]
Switzerland second siren test this year
On 23 May 2018, Swiss hills will be alive, not with the sound of music but the sound of sirens. At 13:30 the nation’s emergency sirens will be sounded to ensure they are in full working order. An earlier test on 7 February 2018 revealed a software issue in the command centre. According to the […]
Swiss to vote on synthetic pesticide ban
In Switzerland, a popular vote, or referendum, can be launched when 100,000 signatures are collected within 18 months. A crowd-funded initiative entitled: Save Switzerland from synthetic pesticides, now has more than 140,000 signatures and will be officially lodged with the government on 25 May. The initiative hopes to ban the use of synthetic pesticides in […]
Swiss earthquake – Vevey wobbles
If you live near Vevey you might have felt a mild earthquake this morning at around 11:32 am when an earthquake measuring 2.9 struck. No damage was reported and many would not have noticed anything. An earthquake of a similar magnitude (3.1) occurred in the region at 17:30 the day before, according to Switzerland’s seismological […]
Swiss Rail drops plan to put Wi-Fi in trains
Swiss Rail has dropped plans to install Wi-Fi in its trains, according to the newspaper Le Matin. After a survey revealed that customers would only use on-board Wi-Fi it was free, the company decided there was no justifiable way to cover the cost, according the the newspaper. Swiss Rail is not prepared to bear the […]
Weeding with water instead of herbicide – is this the future?
Designed in northern Italy by the company Caffini, the water powered Grass Killer, was spotted weeding grape vines in Valais Switzerland, by the newspaper 20 Minutes. Swiss grape growers have been testing the invention for the last three years. According to Caffini, the Grass Killer hits weeds with water sprayed at a pressure of 1,000 […]