Each Spring the Montreux Choral Festival hosts choirs from around the world, regardless of their size, style or the age of the singers. The sole requirement for selection by the jury is quality! Théâtre de Vevey Rue du Théâtre 4 1800 Vevey Auditorium Stravinski Grand Rue 95 1820 Montreux www.choralfestival.ch CHF 30. Concs: CHF 5. […]
Archives for April 2014
Burgundy: recycling France’s rail and tow routes
BEAUNE One of the most impressive cycle routes in France is the almost completed circuitous 800km Saône et Loire Voie Verte in Burgundy, built along abandoned railway lines and canal towpaths. Less than two hours from Geneva, this voie verte was begun in 1997 and follows a route away from car traffic through staggeringly beautiful […]
Switzerland at 14 million – with no towers
The people have spoken: the boat is full and cannot accept any more! LAUSANNE “Not so,” says a noted Swiss architect who has done a comprehensive study showing that Switzerland could accommodate as many as 14 million inhabitants over the next three decades, with no decline in lifestyle and without building more towers. Basel architect […]
“It’s not the end of the world!”
Geneva’s MP for the conservative Swiss People’s Party (UDC), which launched the 9 February referendum against mass immigration, tried to reassure a gathering of internationals organized by Le News on 3 April: “The end of the world has not come,” said Yves Nidegger. In his introductory remarks, Ed Girardet, the moderator and Le News’ Managing […]
Geneva housing – scarcity explained
Some statistics on Geneva housing may help explain the lack of accommodation in the area. A housing market is considered to be fluid when it has a vacancy rate between 1.5 and 2%, depending on who one speaks to. The vacancy rate column in the table below sets the stage. Geneva has been in a […]
Vaud unemployment falls
The canton of Vaud reported that unemployment in March fell by 0.2% to 5.1%. The number of unemployed fell by 815 during the month to 18,965. Cantonal authorities noted that there was no age bias in those regaining employment.
Multinationals open their doors
GENEVA The Groupement des Entreprises Multinationales (GEM) comprises 81 member companies that employ more than 30,000 people in the region. Responsible for more than 40% of GDP in the cantons of Geneva and Vaud, they account for one in three jobs and 75% of national investment in R&D. “Thanks to a diverse economy, with small […]
Canton Marittimo
Swiss Maritime Canton? CAROUGE Landlocked Switzerland might be interested in a 16 February regional election in Sardinia, which included a quasi-serious initiative demanding that Italy sell the Mediterranean island to Switzerland as its 27th canton. A group of Sardinians formed the Canton Marittimo, calling on Rome to allow their ruggedly beautiful island, with a population […]
Social media is not journalism
As many countries are finding, you’re only as good as your media. The killing of Geneva-based German photographer Anja Niedringhaus in Afghanistan brought it all home. Here was a world-class photographer who laid down her life (unintentionally) to bring back the images that so many of us have come to take for granted, or for […]
Rebranding Int’l Geneva
The UN’s acting head in Geneva is pushing for a complete renewal of the region’s global image. Michael Møller, appointed last November as acting director-general of the UN in Switzerland, would like to see a vibrant new International Geneva that includes not only the UN agencies and NGOS, but also multi-national corporations, Swiss businesses, donors […]