Neuchâtel blanc – Château d’Auvernier 2010 It’s not often you get the chance to try aged Chasselas, but if you ever do, you must. It transforms into something entirely different from its young original state. It becomes more like a Marsanne (a variety found in Valais also known as Hermitage in the Northern Rhone valley […]
Archives for October 2014
Editorial comment: Can you be a good Swiss?
In an article highlighted last week by SwissInfo, a Swiss government-funded information service, a new survey on what is a Swiss has been issued by a group of artists, historians and sociologists fifty years after a controversially censored ‘Gulliver’ questionnaire was carried out during the Swiss National Exhibition in Lausanne in 1964. Basically, the landmark […]
Payot’s best sellers of the week
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban Hardcover – Published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson
When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. In 2012, when she was fifteen, she paid dearly for her beliefs. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while on the bus home from school. Miraculously she recovered after arduous surgery in the UK. Her ordeal failed to silence her and she has become a pre-eminent ambassador for women’s rights and education. In October she was awarded the Nobel Peace prize. This is her story.
UDC open to immigration compromise
Christophe Blocher, vice-president of Switzerland’s right-wing UDC party, has indicated that he is prepared to compromise on the controversial 9 February, 2014, referendum that demands quotas on mass immigration from Europe. In an interview last Sunday with the German-language SonntagsZeitung, the Zurich politician said that he was open to exploring more subtle approaches, such as […]
Lady Godiva pub in Geneva in dispute against Godiva Chocolate
The Lady Godiva pub in the centre of Geneva is being challenged over the use of its name by Turkish-owned Belgian chocolate brand, Godiva. The chocolate company claims the pub is trading off its name and brand and has delivered a 90 day ultimatum to the pub owner to stop using the name and associated […]
Swiss language row continues
A recent poll shows a majority of Switzerland’s politicians want cantons to be required to teach a second Swiss language at primary school, reported swissinfo. Two thirds of the 246 politicians surveyed said national cohesion could be threatened. The canton’s of Thurgau and Nidwalden recently changed the rules to delay French until secondary school and […]
The Equalizer; Still The Water
THE EQUALIZER *** (VO English) We all know how intense and great an actor is Denzel Washington. There is also a quiet majesty to the man. He’s back once again with his Training Day director, Antoine Fuqua, in this satisfying and thrilling film which manages to be both peacefully Zen and ruthlessly violent. Denzel […]
Geneva wins prestigious energy award
For the second time running, Geneva has won the Gold European Energy Award (EEA) for its visionary energy policies. Considered the most prestigious distinction of its kind for European cities and issued every four years, the award recognizes Geneva’s performance with a top rating of 82% of renewable energy initiatives compared to 77% in 2010, […]
Half of Geneva’s flights private
In 2013, Geneva airport recorded some 50’000 landing and take-offs (about 140 per day). What is interesting though is according to Wijet, a private aviation company, nearly half of these were private flights. The same company has announced that it is now offering private flights from Geneva to 1’200 destinations in Europe and North Africa […]
Who is speaking out for Swiss Muslims?
If Swiss Muslims are not speaking out with a single voice to condemn the brutalities of ISIS, it may be because there is no single voice that speaks for all of Islam. The majority of Swiss Muslims come from Balkan countries such as Kosovo, Bosnia and Macedonia, and practise Sufism, a moderate form of Sunni […]