Migros Apologizes For Offensive Creamers; Criminal Charges for Wild Car Chase; Swiss Seek WHO Approval for Ebola Vaccine; Weil am Rhein Readies for Basel Shoppers; Switzerland #1 with Expats

Migros, the ubiquitous Swiss food retailer felt it necessary last week to issue public apologies after one of its subsidiaries distributed single serve coffee creamers to over 100 cafes with likenesses of Hitler and Mussolini.  Coffee Creamer labels are something of a collectible here and manufacturers often will release limited and new editions to keep clients interested.  The offending labels were part of a new 55 label series based on pre-world war 2 vintage cigar brands which unfortunately included the faces of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.  The creamers were distributed by the Milk company Elsa, usually associated with its logo of a happy, peaceful , smiling cow, and designed by the Karo company which specializes in designs for coffee creamer pots.  Migros cited insufficient internal controls for the error and has recalled the creamers with the offending designs.

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A 20 year old French man faces a criminal court judge today for his misdeeds last summer.  On the evening of June 8th, the young man led police on a chase throughout the city and over its bridges, sometimes in excess of 120 kilometers per hour, where the city-wide speed limit is 50.  In addition, on numerous occasions while trying to evade police, he nearly hit bystanders and forced at least one taxi and other motor vehicles to swerve dangerously out of the way.  Upon apprehension, the man was tested for drugs and alcohol, and was found to have an intoxicating quantity of the drug ecstasy in his system, making him unfit to legally operate a vehicle.  No word yet on his sentence.  

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Swiss medicine has approved a testing request for an experimental vaccine for the Ebola virus.

The University Hospital in Lausanne has been given the green light to start looking for volunteers for this ground breaking treatment. The study has also received preliminary support by the World Health Organization, as it seeks to consolidate testing already taking place in England and Mali. WHO hopes to produce a vaccine by the end of 2014, but will first need to find 120 healthy volunteers to participate in the trial.

 

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With the opening of the Tram 8 line extension now imminent, German retailing neighbors in Weil am Rhein are determined to get the word out about the ease of shopping across the border.  A large scale advertising and marketing campaign has been planned.  A new shopping map has been created that is available in both hard copy and smartphone app format that highlights participating retailers and their promotional offers.  Basel and Swiss authorities have of course anticipated the increase in shopping tourism by changing the import quotas to prevent a sudden drop in local demand for protected goods such as meat.

 

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Expats around the globe have voted Switzerland the number one destination for those seeking a higher quality of life. In the global survey conducted by HSBC, Switzerland, Singapore, China and Germany came in as the most desirable places to live, with job opportunities, quality of housing and environment all scoring well.

 

While those living in Switzerland may find the results unsurprising, what might come as a shock is the placement of the UK and the US. Of the 35 countries surveyed, the US came in 30th, while the UK could only manage a lowly 33rd  place. Spare a thought for poor old Egypt though, the country voted least desirable by travelling expatriots.