Every year in the Chinese lunar calendar is associated with one of 12 animals combined with one of five elements: metal (gold), earth, water, wood or fire. This year is the year of the fire rooster and celebrations to mark the new year take place on Saturday 28 January 2017. Roosters are hardworking, resourceful, courageous, […]
Archives for 2017
Swiss to vote on wide-reaching overhaul of the way companies are taxed
On 12 February 2017, the Swiss will vote on whether to accept the Corporate Tax Reform Act III, a set of new rules that will affect how all Swiss companies are taxed. Historically, Switzerland has offered certain foreign companies lower taxation in order to attract them. According to the government, these special status companies employ around […]
Swiss fact: work days lost to strikes in Switzerland a ninth of surrounding nations
Across the ten years to 2008, Switzerland lost an average of 3 working days per 1,000 workers to strikes a year. This compares to 32 days in Austria, 33 days in France, and 55 days in Italy. Germany was close behind Switzerland with 4 days. The combined average over this period for these four neighbouring […]
Film: La La Land – a glorious film from the new wonder boy of Hollywood
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 […]
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 […]
