Switzerland news stories on Newser

Bachmann Ditching Swiss Citizenship

Matt Cantor — Thu, 10 May 2012 16:15:05 CDT

If you were concerned that Michele Bachmann's Swiss citizenship meant she'd given up on America, worry no longer: She's getting rid of it. "Today I sent a letter to the Swiss Consulate requesting withdrawal of my dual Swiss citizenship, which was conferred upon me by operation of Swiss law when...

Bachmann: I've Been Swiss All Along

Kevin Spak — Thu, 10 May 2012 08:14:56 CDT

Michele Bachmann today tried to downplay the revelation that she'd become a Swiss citizen , saying she has actually been a Swiss citizen for 34 years, but just hadn't bothered to tell anyone. "I automatically became a dual citizen … in 1978 when I married my husband, Marcus. Marcus is a...

Michele Bachmann Now a Swiss Citizen

Rob Quinn — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:04:00 CDT

If things in America don't work out for her, Michele Bachmann now has Switzerland to fall back on. The Minnesota congresswoman and former Republican presidential candidate became a Swiss citizen in March, and now holds dual nationality, Politico reports. Her husband is of Swiss descent, and when he claimed his...

Einstein Safe: Neutrinos Do Not Break Light Speed

Dustin Lushing — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 16:06:06 CDT

Einstein's theory apparently remains untouchable, and flabbergasted theoretical physicists can cease hyperventilating: Neutrinos do not exceed the speed of light, but they do appear to travel at the same speed as light, according to the results of a recent experiment. The new data confirm Einstein's foundational ideas and refute an...

Swiss Tunnel Bus Crash Kills 22 Kids, 6 Adults

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 04:52:05 CDT

A bus carrying students returning from a ski holiday crashed into a wall in a Swiss tunnel last night, killing 22 Belgian 12-year-olds and six adults. Another 24 students were hospitalized with injuries after the crash near the Alpine city of Sierre. The cause of the crash has not been...

Swiss 'Janitor Satellite' to Clean Space Junk

Kevin Spak — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 10:20:33 CST

Switzerland is on a mean cleaning bender: The fastidious folks at the Swiss Space Center are building a "janitor satellite" that will grab space junk orbiting the Earth and push it into the atmosphere to burn up, the AP reports. The first of these spacecraft, the $11 million "CleanSpace One,...

Protesters Occupy Davos —in Igloos

Matt Cantor — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:59:59 CST

The Occupy movement has hit Davos ahead of the World Economic Forum, and this time protesters aren't pitching mere tents in the frigid weather. Instead, they're building an igloo village near where the WEF is set to convene, the New York Times reports. The igloos are half as big as...

World's Timekeepers: Kill 'Leap Seconds'

Matt Cantor — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:17:06 CST

Countries across the globe are divided—and it's only a matter of time. Some, including Britain and China, want to retain a special "leap second" occasionally added to the calendar to keep atomic clocks in line with the Earth's rotation. The US, France, Germany, and others, however, want to ditch...

Special Skier's Underwear Banned at World Cup

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:37:10 CST

The newest suspicions of cheating in sports come not from the use of performance enhancing drugs but from the wearing of special underwear. Professional skiers who will compete in the upcoming World Cup in Switzerland were bluntly told by officials they cannot don a "full-bodied, plastic-neoprene hybrid sheath" worn under...