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Switzerland

Swiss Locals Lose Patience As Davos Private Jet Traffic Multiplies

By some accounts, private jet traffic around the Swiss mountain resort of Davos has doubled for this year's edition of the World Economic Forum. Airport parking spots for lear jets are running out...just like the locals' patience.

A private jet approaches landing at St.Gallen-Altenrhein Airport, one of several arrival points for Davos (Kecko)
A private jet approaches landing at St.Gallen-Altenrhein Airport, one of several arrival points for Davos (Kecko)

*NEWSBITES

ZURICH - The preferred mode of transportation for arriving at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos is, unsurprisingly, private jet. But this year there appears to be an unprecedented overflow of private planes arriving in Switzerland's airports.

Zurich airport spokeswomen, Sonja Zöchling, said they were counting on 1,000 extra flights coming in and out during the forum, which runs through Jan. 29. There is space to park 54 planes. "Anything over and above that has to be distributed to other airports," Zöchling said.

One of the alternative parking spots in past years has been the military airport in Dübendorf. Stefan Hofer, head of communication for the Swiss army's high command, said demand for space has risen. "We usually make space for 15 planes available," said Hofer. "This year, depending on the size of the plane, we're making room for 25 to 30 planes."

Normally, the planes would stay parked until the end of the five-day meeting, "but there are exceptions." Normal operations at the airport are not affected by the extra traffic, Hofer said.

As they have been in the past, communities near the Dübendorf airport were informed that there would be extra traffic during Davos week. But locals, who tolerated air traffic for military necessities, are losing patience with all the WEF air and noise pollution. In nearby Volketswil, town clerk Beat Grob expressed astonishment that traffic at the airport had doubled during the WEF meeting, but said that only after the meeting was over would they be able to establish exactly how much extra traffic there had been.

The town clerk of Wangen-Brüttisellen, Christoph Bless, said that when the army starts using the field again in 2014, with the exception of Rega rescue helicopters, "there should be no civil aviation at all there."

Read the full story in German by Tina Fassbind

Photo – Kecko

*Newsbites are digest items, not direct translations

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

War, Corruption And The Overdue Demise Of Ukrainian Oligarchs

The invasion of Russia has forced Ukraine to confront a domestic enemy: corruption and economic control by an insular and unethical elite.

Photograph of three masked demonstrators holding black smoke lights.

May 21, 2021, Ukraine: Demonstrators hold smoke bombs outside the Appeal Court of Kyiv.

Olena Khudiakova/ZUMA
Guillaume Ptak

-Analysis-

KYIV — Since Russia’s invasion, Ukraine's all-powerful oligarchs have lost a significant chunk of their wealth and political influence. However, the fight against the corruption that plagues the country is only just beginning.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

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On the morning of September 2, several men wearing balaclavas and bullet-proof waistcoats bearing the initials "SBU" arrived at the door of an opulent mansion in Dnipro, Ukraine's fourth largest city. Facing them, his countenance frowning behind thin-rimmed glasses, was the owner of the house, the oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky.

Officers from the Ukrainian security services had come to hand him a "suspicion notice" as part of an investigation into "fraud" and "money laundering". His home was searched, and shortly afterwards he was remanded in custody, with bail set at 509 million hryvnias, or more than €1.3 million. A photo of the operation published that very morning by the security services was widely shared on social networks and then picked up by various media outlets.

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