27 February 2014 Download the latest edition of Le News here: Le News 27.02.14 Edition 16 (Right click “save target as”)
Archives for February 2014
The battleship and the speedboat
The Good Witch of the North once said, “Age is something that doesn’t matter, unless you are a cheese.” As much as I like the sound of that, I’m not convinced. Physically I’m in great shape, having played competitive netball in primary school. But I must admit, I’m already starting to miss my once-firm young […]
Homes are getting “smart”
GENEVA What if your home could tell you when to take medicine, or when your body needed more exercise, or if it could call for help if you became ill? Or even find your reading glasses? Such so-called smart homes are approaching reality as Switzerland and other European countries increase their focus on researching new […]
Hijack farce
The Swiss Air Force didn’t respond to a hijacking over Swiss airspace on Monday because it happened outside the normal business hours of the nation’s air force, which only flies between 08h00 and 17h00. The Ethiopian Airlines 767 co-pilot hijacked his own flight while en route from Addis Ababa to Rome, and instead flew it […]
Avalanches: Still a danger
DAVOS With varying weather, skiers still need to remain vigilant about the avalanche risk over the next few weeks. By the end of January at least 25 people had died in avalanche-related deaths in the Swiss and French Alps since Christmas. A fatality in Nandaz this week brought the seasonal total for Switzerland alone stood […]
Swiss image suffers
GENEVA In 2012, Switzerland’s reputation ranked 8th among 50 countries on the Nation Brand Index largely due to its good governance and system of direct democracy. A study by Presence Switzerland then categorized its overall image abroad as ‘good’. For the current situation, however, Presence Switzerland’s director, Nicolas Bideau, gave a more cautious assessment in […]
Commodities: a suspect trade
GENEVA Developing countries could be losing between $8bn and $120bn a year as a result of commodity mispricing in Switzerland, the world’s leading commodities trading hub, according to a report published by the Centre for Global Development in January. Co-author Alex Cobham explained on the CGD’s website that it had also found evidence of “larger […]
How does the IB compare to other diplomas?
GENEVA Sabine Hutcheson explores the requirements for the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, which is growing in popularity among international and Anglophone schools in Switzerland. The appeal of the IB Diploma is primarily its international approach. No particular culture is favoured and students are educated to become world citizens, preparing them for careers wherever they choose. […]
Le News edition 15
20 February 2014 Download the latest edition of Le News here: Le News 20.02.14 Edition 15 (Right click “save target as”)
Becoming Swiss
Geneva Faced with the unknown prospects of this month’s referendum aimed at curbing immigration, some long-term residents eligible for naturalization are putting a rush on their applications. So who can become Swiss, and how? Citizenship may be granted through three different channels: birth, marriage or naturalization. Contrary to the US, UK or Germany where naturalization […]