Stories from Switzerland

Swiss motorcycle racer Jacques Cornu has died at the age of 72 following a long illness. Cornu was a multi-time Swiss champion in the late 1970s and won three 250cc Grand Prix races starting in 1988. He also achieved success in endurance racing, winning the world title in 1982 and the 24 Hours of Le Mans the following year. He achieved a total of 21 podium finishes, according to the ARK-Info newspaper. The report noted Gornu had written several columns for the publication in recent years. The news was reported by SRF 4 News. The Neuchâtel native passed away following a long illness, according to reports from the portal 8Afo.

The Swiss government approved nearly 40 million francs for a new cantonal road between Blatten and Wieler and a provisional cable car. The new road is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2029. The provisional cable car is scheduled to be in use by the end of this year. This project follows a rockfall in May last year that damaged access routes to Blatten. Currently, the village is only accessible via an emergency road that is impassable during winter.

Authorities in the Valais Lötschental region have closed two hiking trails following a rockfall. The incident involved rock breaking away from a mountain near a glacier. Observers noted unusual movement in the mountain above the area. The rockfall was triggered by a landslide, according to the report. The movement occurred above Blatten, where a crack in the mountain near the glacier was observed. Local reports indicate the mountain is moving in an manner. The evacuation includes 16 holiday guests and over 92 residents. Representatives from the Office for Nature are currently on-site. Authorities are investigating potential links to previous geological observations in the area.

Editors Peewee and Therese Windmüller are stepping down after more than 26 years of leadership. A newly founded association has taken responsibility for the magazine. Sebastian Brunner, formerly the program director at Jazzclub Moods in Zurich, will take over as managing director. The first issue under this new leadership is scheduled to appear at the end of June.

Conductor Michael Tilson Thomas has died at the age of 81. The source noted his career included teaching in Basel and Freiburg, and conducting in Wuppertal and Brandenburg. He was a frequent guest conductor for international orchestras and received the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2014.

A district judge in the Ticino canton has declared suspected terrorist Bruno Brege missing. Brege has been missing since 1995. The source stated he was arrested in 1970 at age 20 for possession of explosives and was known as an associate of Venezuelan terrorist Carlos.

A temporary aerial cableway is being installed in Blatten to ensure access to the Platte area during the upcoming winter. Stefan Lukkan of the Valais Mobility Office stated the cableway is necessary because the emergency and rescue road is impassable above 2,000 meters due to avalanche risks. The installation aims to allow residents with intact houses in Rhein-Blatte to reach Platte next winter.

The payments were intended to maintain the operations of a cement plant in northern Syria. The court proceedings were reported by RTS La 1ere. A court sentenced a former head of the Font Betok fund to eight years and two months in prison. The ruling was issued in a second instance hearing, according to the report.

The Swiss National Council rejected a proposal to reduce the maximum weekly working hours for nurses from 50 to 45 hours. SVP National Councilor Diana Gut says the proposal is too expensive and could lead to costs in the billions. The source stated that no majority financing solution has been reached despite three rounds of discussions with affected stakeholders. There is a stated risk that insurance premium payers may face cost increases of two to four percent. The report was filed from the Federal Palace. SP National Councilor Farah Rumi, a professional nurse, stated that the commission's version of the proposal does not change the daily lives of caregivers. The decision was met with dissatisfaction from nursing personnel. The new draft addresses the issue of trained nursing specialists leaving the profession after several years.

The Umverkehr alliance has proposed a mobility bond to fund public transit and climate initiatives. The plan suggests imposing a fair levy on flight tickets and private jets. This initiative is estimated to generate approximately 1.6 billion euros per year. Two-thirds of the revenue would be distributed to the public as vouchers redeemable for local, national, and international public transport. The remaining funds would be used to expand affordable international train connections, such as the route from St. Gallen to Munich. Proponents state the measure will benefit 90 percent of the Swiss population by addressing rising costs. Supporters note that Swiss train ticket prices have doubled over recent decades.