27 January 2017. LA LA LAND **** Damien Chazelle, the 31 year-old director of this glorious film is the new wonder boy of Hollywood. He was first noticed for his brilliant second film “Whiplash”, which won an array of awards some two years ago. No one would have imagined he could top that one, and […]
Archives for January 2017
On track for the coldest January in 30 years as arctic ice melt slows jet stream
20 Minutes. So far in January temperatures in Switzerland have been below zero for ten days and there is ice floating on Lake Constance. According to SRF Meteo, January hasn’t been this cold for 30 years. So far the average temperature for January is below -3 degrees, 3 degrees lower than the long term average […]
The number of cross-border workers in Geneva now exceeds 100,000
Tribune de Genève. According to the canton’s statistics office, the number of foreigners with permits allowing them to cross in to the canton of Geneva to work rose by 8.7% in 2016, reaching 104,272 by the end of December 2016. This is the highest number of G permit holders, or frontaliers, ever recorded in the canton. Because […]
Geneva driver faces parking fine of more than 1,800 francs
Tribune de Genève. Last Thursday, the driver of a car parked near the intersection of place Bel-Air and rue de la Corraterie received a nasty surprise. The driver, who works in a nearby bank, left her car parked across tram tracks for 40 minutes, according to Tribune de Genève. This single mistake had a knock-on […]
Lac de Joux, Switzerland’s largest natural ice skating venue is open
Switzerland’s largest natural ice skating venue is open. Lac de Joux in the Jura in the canton of Vaud has frozen sufficiently to allow ice skating. The lake, which is Switzerland’s largest above 1,000 m, covers 9.5 km² and is relatively shallow, reaching a maximum depth of only 32 m. It lies in a microclimate […]
Women’s march drew thousands on to the streets of Geneva
Story, photos and video by Bill Harby In spite of freezing temperatures in Geneva on Saturday, an estimated 3,000 people or more took part in the Women’s March for Dignity in support of human rights. The event was one of hundreds around the United States and the world on this day – not coincidentally on […]
Nyon’s Paleo music festival wins at European Festival Awards
Last week, Nyon’s Paleo music festival won the award for the best medium sized festival at 2016 European Festival Awards in Groningen in the Netherlands. Paléo remporte le prix du meilleur festival européen (best med-sized fest) lors des European Festival Awards! #paleo pic.twitter.com/Ayp8ZqAqAv — Paléo Festival Nyon (@PaleoFestival) January 11, 2017 Competing festivals on the […]
Chateau d’Oex balloon festival has started
Le Matin. The international hot air balloon festival starts at Chateau d’Oex this Saturday, 21 January 2017. 70 pilots and their teams will converge on the pre-Alpine town in Vaud for the 39th edition of the festival. For nine days pilotes from 15 countries will take to the mountain sky. Special displays will be staged […]
Swiss fact: Switzerland’s president has no Twitter account
Political Twitter habits vary enormously across cultures and personalities. The US is at one end of the spectrum and Switzerland at the other. A look at some other European nations throws up a few surprises. US President elect Donald Trump seems to have decided he can govern in 140 characters. He currently has more than […]
Why was China’s president not served Chinese fondue rather than a cheese one?
A few days ago, RTS showed Chinese president Xi Jinping in Bern eating cheese fondue, a food quite alien to the Chinese palate, although local cheeses can be found in parts of China and it is being eaten increasingly in western foods such as pizza and burgers. From the look on his face in the video it […]