I come from a long line of handymen and handywomen, and so does my husband. There is absolutely nothing these people can’t do: they bake, garden and make jam; they build bookshelves, dig French drains and put in their own swimming pools; they sew, embroider, knit, make jewellery, do their own tiling and house painting […]
Archives for October 2014
A global fund for reporting: Who should pay?
At last week’s Women’s Forum in Deauville, many participants said they wanted the private sector, governments and society-at-large to respond more effectively – fewer words, more action – to global humanitarian and development concerns. Whether clamping down on female genital mutilation or the need for companies to assume more socially responsible roles, there were at […]
The ICRC – Doing the impossible
Earlier this month, Laurent DuPasquier, a 38-year-old Swiss national, was killed when a cluster bomb landed near the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the Ukranian town of Donetsk. DuPasquier had been working for the Geneva-based humanitarian organization for more than five years in Pakistan, Yemen, Haiti, Egypt and Papua New Guinea. For […]
The Snowden effect: Switzerland’s cyber security business
Could NSA leaker Edward Snowden find refuge in Switzerland? It is a notion that has been seriously discussed in Swiss political circles recently. Snowden does not qualify for political asylum, as he is not under immediate threat in Russia. But he could be granted legal immunity and invited to testify as a material witness if […]
Le News – 23 October 2014 – Edition 34
23 October 2014 Download the latest edition of Le News here: Le News 23.10.14 Edition 34 (Right click “save target as”)
Black-outs: a growing trend?
Geneva’ utility organisation, SIG has stated that the blackout that occured late on the evening of 15 October across Plainpalais and old city affected nearly 15,000 of its customers including restaurants and television broadcaster, RTS. It was caused by the breakdown of a transformer. This was the second large powercut in the region in as […]
Flocons de Sel, an affordable three-star restaurant in Megève
What makes a three-star restaurant better than a two or one-star, considering the huge difference in price? My answer would be that in a three-star establishment there can be no mediocre dish on the menu, no errors in cooking time or service. Of course one can eat fabulously well in places without stars, but there […]
The Human Brain Project: a very expensive headache
On Reflection is an occasional column contributed by a reader. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily shared or supported in any way by Le News. By now, most of us have heard of the Human Brain Project, whose aim is to simulate the complete human brain using supercomputers. The […]
Exploring the intersection of creativity and war. L’Elysée Lausanne
Situated in beautiful gardens next to the Olympic Museum, L’Elysée in Lausanne is a museum dedicated to photography. The museum strives not only to preserve the photographic medium in the traditional sense, but also to explore and stimulate new advancements in the art of image-making. Currently on view are three politically charged exhibitions that explore […]
They grow up so fast these days
The seven-year-old surprised me the other day by hopping into the back seat of the car, with full make-up on: eyeliner, mascara, gold eye-shadow (mostly all over her forehead, but still), blusher and lipstick. And engulfed in a cloud of perfume.We looked at one another in the rear-view mirror for a few moments. I know […]