Edinburgh. The electorate in has voted by over 55% against independence making it mathematically impossible for the Yes campaign to win. Edinburgh voted by over 60% against independence, while Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow voted narrowly for independence, however it was not enought to deliver victory to the pro-independence campaign. Turnout in many places has […]
Archives for 2014
Nobody messes with the Easter Bunny
When my children were small, I decided that I would never lie to them. No matter how painful the truth, I would always be the one to tell it to them. (This was before they caught me scoffing the last of the cooking chocolate, and asked me what I was eating. And I said, “Broccoli, […]
Nuit des Bains – big night for contemporary art in Geneva
This Thursday is one of the biggest nights for contemporary art in Geneva. Nuit des Bains happens three times per year, and this night signifies the start of the contemporary art season. With 16 art galleries and museums participating, Quartier des Bains is transformed into a giant street party offering one vernissage after another, and […]
Fêtes de vendages à Russin, Geneva
It is a long and happy tradition in the wine producing areas of the country for wine-growers to celebrate the end of harvest. Geneva produces many fine wines and the vignerons in the village of Russin are typically pretty partial to a good party. This weekend in the village of Russin on the western side […]
Payot’s best sellers of the week
Swiss Watching: Inside Europe’s Landlocked Island Swiss Watching: Inside Europe’s Landlocked Island by Diccon Bewes is very firmly in the best sellers list despite being published over four years’ ago. It is a light, warmly humorous yet revealing description of this most special country. Bewes stylishly convinces the reader that there’s more to Switzerland than […]
European travelling insights – Les Relais Routiers, Logis de France and Le Chateau Blanchard
During the 1970s, 80s and 90s, British tourists became intrigued by Les Relais Routiers the red and blue-logoed truck bistros along the main roads of France, which offer solid, good value lunches and dinners. No French truck driver will ever put up with bad food (have you ever seen a French workman with a lunchbox?), […]
More than just highways
Switzerland’s worsening commuter nightmare may find some relief with the Federal Council’s decision to grant CHF 2.7 billion this year to improve highways, part of it to be channelled toward the Lake Geneva region’s own heavily populated zones, notably Lausanne and Geneva. While some Swiss are not particularly happy about this emphasis on the “Arc […]
Scotland’s independence vote – what does it mean for Switzerland?
Scotland, you might think, is just a small country populated by roughly five million people. But it is far more. Discounting its history and disproportionate achievements (you’re only as good as your last mega-invention – Grand Theft Auto), the country has Edinburgh, a vibrant, world-class financial centre; a significant oil industry; an unassailable whisky industry; […]
Apple’s U2 iTunes stunt has polarised opinion
Le News went to Swiss iTunes and found U2’s new album “Songs of Innocence” there for free. Yes free! This is Apple’s latest marketing stunt. Millions of U2 fans were happy to find it. Macrumours.com reported that the album had been downloaded over 2 million times by users just three days after being made available. Many others however have […]
Changing times at Le Temps
The Swiss Competition Commission last week approved publisher, Ringier’s take-over of flagship Swiss daily Le Temps. Managing director, Valérie Boagno has left the company and Daniel Pillard, CEO at Ringier Romandie, assumes operational management in the interim. From April 2015, Stéphane Benoit-Godet (44), Bilan’s current editor-in-chief, will be the newspaper’s editor-in-chief. Benoit-Godet worked for […]
