Zurich

A four-inch-thick concrete and steel ceiling collapsed "like a lid" onto three indoor public swimming pools, killing at least 12 people and trapping others, police said today. Rescue workers drained some water from the pools, then used jackhammers and their bare hands to dig a hole through the slab, enabling divers to enter the pool and search for survivors and bodies. Workers at the scene said children and members of a local swim club had been among those trapped.

FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, is throwing a huge gala Monday in Zurich, where it will announce the men's and women's players of the year for 2012. But with FIFA following a well-worn script, what should be a time for celebration will again be clouded in controversy because a player who could arguably win the women's award won't even be there. Christine Sinclair, without question the most underrated elite player in the world, has been overlooked again. Consider that last year she accounted for more than half her team's goals while captaining Canada to an Olympic bronze medal, her country's first medal in a traditional Summer Games' team sport since 1936.

I believe it was in Los Angeles, just over 20 years ago, that I first heard the name of Sabina Spielrein. Film producer Howard Rosenman told me the fascinating story of the Russian doctor, one of the first female psychoanalysts, who, as a teenager, had been one of Carl Jung's patients, had stayed in Zurich to study psychology at the University of Zurich, and who might have had a love affair with Jung. She subsequently moved to Vienna, briefly became a patient of Sigmund Freud, married a Russian colleague and eventually returned to Russia.

Kings captain Dustin Brown has signed to play for Zurich of the Swiss League for the duration of the NHL lockout, Brown's agent, Scott Norton, said Thursday. Norton said he and Brown had discussed options in Russia's KHL, another European league and also playing in the ECHL. Norton said Brown chose Zurich and plans to leave around Nov. 7 so he can begin play on Nov. 13, after the league's break. Brown had previously said he wasn't sure if he would go overseas because he and his wife, Nicole, have three young sons at home, but Norton said Brown wanted to stay in shape by playing games.

If your travels take you to Zurich, Switzerland, you'll save money with an $823 round-trip fare, which includes taxes and fees, from LAX on United or Swiss International. You must buy your tickets seven days in advance and stay over at least one Saturday night for a visit that's no longer than three months. The fare is available for travel Sundays-Thursdays between Oct. 30 and March 26, and you must return Mondays-Thursdays by May 15. The fare, as always, is subject to availability.

Kings captain Dustin Brown has signed to play for Zurich of the Swiss League for the duration of the NHL lockout, Brown's agent, Scott Norton, said Thursday. Norton said he and Brown had discussed options in Russia's KHL, another European league and also playing in the ECHL. Norton said Brown chose Zurich and plans to leave around Nov. 7 so he can begin play on Nov. 13, after the league's break. Brown had previously said he wasn't sure if he would go overseas because he and his wife, Nicole, have three young sons at home, but Norton said Brown wanted to stay in shape by playing games.

BOOKS Fred Thompson Sandwiched between reminisces of small-town life growing up in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., Thompson charts his many incarnations — as a Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee, attorney, sometime lobbyist, talk-radio host and character actor ("Law & Order") who telegraphs governmental authority like nobody's business — in his new book, "Teaching the Pig to Dance: A Memoir of Growing Up and Second Chances." Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood.

Thieves stole a self-portrait of Russian painter Marc Chagall worth an estimated $570,000 from a private gallery in Zurich overnight, police said Saturday.

Bill Shoemaker will end his riding career with a 15-nation, round-the-world tour starting with a race June 4 in Zurich, Switzerland, then will ride his last race in California early next year.

Your article on Switzerland ("Different Paths Through the Swiss Alps," June 30) was informative, but didn't give your readers an accurate account of current Swiss prices. On a recent trip to Switzerland, I paid $45 for the eight-minute taxi from Zurich airport to downtown Zurich, $16 for a self-service sandwich, $4.50 for a soft drink and $140 for a hotel room in Zermatt. Most interesting, perhaps, is that I paid twice the price for Swiss chocolate in a Swiss supermarket that I regularly pay for the same thing here at Fedco.

Lionel Bringuier, resident conductor with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has been made the chief conductor and music director of Switzerland's Zurich Tonhalle. His post will begin with the 2014-15 season and will run for four years. “This is wonderful news for both Lionel Bringuier and the Zurich Tonhalle," said L.A. Philharmonic President Deborah Borda via email. "Lionel has been a member of our LA Phil family for 6 years now and we could not be more thrilled for him. The Tonhalle is a distinguished orchestra with a storied past, and we know that Lionel will bring the same passion and commitment to making great music there as we have experienced with him.   "We also look forward to a continuing relationship with him well into the future.”   It's the first major post for the 26-year-old Bringuier, who was born in Nice, France - and a high profile one at that.

If your travels take you to Zurich, Switzerland, you'll save money with an $823 round-trip fare, which includes taxes and fees, from LAX on United or Swiss International. You must buy your tickets seven days in advance and stay over at least one Saturday night for a visit that's no longer than three months. The fare is available for travel Sundays-Thursdays between Oct. 30 and March 26, and you must return Mondays-Thursdays by May 15. The fare, as always, is subject to availability.

Former President Bill Clinton's speech ran long and wandered off point. Actor Morgan Freeman lost his place in the script. Landon Donovan kept it brief. But Sunil Gulati, the president of U.S. Soccer, saved the day in Switzerland on Wednesday by telling the 22 members of FIFA's executive committee in Zurich exactly what they wanted to hear. Staging the World Cup in the United States in 2022 would produce a financial windfall for international soccer's governing body, Gulati said, with the event raking in more money for FIFA than it could imagine.

BOOKS Fred Thompson Sandwiched between reminisces of small-town life growing up in Lawrenceburg, Tenn., Thompson charts his many incarnations — as a Republican U.S. senator from Tennessee, attorney, sometime lobbyist, talk-radio host and character actor ("Law & Order") who telegraphs governmental authority like nobody's business — in his new book, "Teaching the Pig to Dance: A Memoir of Growing Up and Second Chances." Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood.

Jason Bohn had a three-stroke lead Saturday when third-round play in the weather-plagued Zurich Classic at Avondale, La., was suspended because of darkness. Bohn, celebrating his 37th birthday, shot a five-under-par 67 in the completion of the second round and was even par through six holes in the third. Greg Chalmers and Alex Cejka were tied for second at nine under. Chalmers played seven holes in the third round, and Cejka completed six. Kevin Sutherland , Greg Owen , John Senden , Jeff Overton and Shaun Micheel were eight under.

Dark clouds rolled in hours before the rain started at the Zurich Classic in Avondale, La., on Friday. However, even the brisk winds before the storm did not seem to hamper those who teed off early. Lightning forced play to be halted at 10:57 a.m. PDT, and heavy rain continued for hours. Play was officially called for the day at 3:21 p.m. According to the National Weather Service, 1 1/2 to 2 inches of rain had fallen by noon. Forty-seven players had finished their rounds when play was halted, and three — Lee Janzen , Alex Cejka and Brian Davis — were atop the leaderboard at seven under par after two rounds.

Three Belgians were arrested in New York and charged with robbing a Swiss gallery in Zurich of 21 Dutch master paintings, prosecutors said. Arrested were Rene De Grove, 54, Thierry Houze, 29, and Martine Wins, 26. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan said De Grove and Houze were two of three armed men who held up the Koetser art gallery in Zurich on April 12 and fled with the paintings. All three are accused of transporting stolen property into the United States. Nine of the paintings from the collection, valued at $4 million, were recovered, including works by Jan Davidszoon de Heem, Jan Meartens the Younger and Jan Steen.

The bank, Wozchod Commercial Bank Ltd. of Zurich, which is the Soviet Union's principal gold-trading outlet in the West, is being liquidated by the Soviets following "very large" losses, the head of the Swiss Federal Banking Commission said. The announcement came three months after Wozchod's chief gold dealer, a Swiss national, was fired for alleged irregularities. Swiss newspaper reports then cited estimates that the losses ranged between $140 million and $350 million.

Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva bounced back from losing her world title by setting a world record of 16 feet, 7 1/4 inches in the Weltklasse meet on Friday in Zurich. Usain Bolt , in his first race since smashing world records in the 100 and 200 meters, shook off Jamaican teammate Asafa Powell to win the 100 in 9.81 seconds. He was well off his world record of 9.58 set less than two weeks ago at the world championships in Berlin. World champion Sanya Richards won the 400 meters in 48.94 seconds, the fastest time in the world this year.

We knew something was afoot in Zurich when our lazy walk through the streets of the old city turned into a full-fledged history lesson. My husband, 8-month-old daughter and I had flown into the city just a couple of hours before, and as we wandered along the Limmat River, we heard three booms that sounded as though they'd come from a cannon. We weren't sure what it was -- or why -- but as a crowd began gathering at the Weinplatz, an open plaza just off the river, we joined in.