This 13th edition is once again bringing a multitude of films from the Near and Middle East, including Iran, Lebanon, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and many other countries, to show the amazing diversity of cultures. This year, with about 100 films from 30 countries and some 80 guests, the festival is focusing on women’s issues and […]
Archives for 2018
FILM: GAME NIGHT – Things don’t turn out quite as planned…
20 April 2018. Great week! We’ve got a brilliant French comedy of errors, a touching Italian romance, and this amusing fun-and-games yarn that gets somewhat out of hand. So grab this chance for varied and quality entertainment in our multilingual city of Calvin. GAME NIGHT *** Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman make the perfect couple […]
Facebook refused 70% of Swiss government requests for information
From 2013 to mid 2017, Switzerland’s authorities sent 361 data requests to Facebook, most related to suspected terrorist activity. The social network refused to provide information for 253 (70%) of these requests, according to the newspaper SonntagsZeitung. Part of the problem is legal differences between the US and Switzerland. Lulzana Musliu, a spokesperson for the […]
Swiss unemployment at lowest in 3.5 years
Swiss unemployment is at its lowest for 3.5 years, according to the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). The last time Swiss unemployment reached March 2018’s level was in October 2014. After reaching a peak of 3.7% in January 2017, the rate had fallen to 2.9% by March 2018. Unemployment has some seasonality however […]
Insurance boss suggests Swiss health insurance deductibles of 10,000 francs
Philomena Colatrella, the CEO of Swiss insurer CSS Insurance, has stirred the lively debate around Switzerland’s rising cost of health insurance by proposing deductibles of CHF 5,000 and CHF 10,000 – deductibles set the amount people pay out of their own pockets before their insurance kicks in. Colatrella discussed the idea in an interview with […]
Europe’s most expensive hotels in Geneva, Paris and Zurich
Across the road from Lake Geneva, sits Geneva’s and the world’s most expensive hotel suite. The Hotel President Wilson’s Royal Penthouse Suite is reported to cost $83,500 per night – the price is not listed on the hotel’s website but costs this much according to CNN. For most of those planning to visit Geneva, this price […]
Switzerland’s grueling high-altitude journey from Zermatt to Verbier
Every two years, around 5,000 hardy skiers make the grueling high-altitude journey from Zermatt to Verbier along a route known as the haute route. The event, known as the Patrouille des Glaciers, is organized by Switzerland’s army. This year it runs from Apr 17, 2018 – Apr 21, 2018, with different teams setting off on different […]
Bern considering stiff fines for drivers blocking emergency services
Switzerland’s government is considering stiffer sanctions for drivers who fail to make room for emergency services to pass in emergencies, according to SonntagsZeitung. The government wants to better inform drivers too. At this stage all options remain open. Switzerland’s Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) has not yet decided how to sanction drivers, according to the newspaper. […]
FILM: ISLE OF DOGS – a quirky animated tale of dog exile
13 April 2018. ISLE OF DOGS ***1/2 If you’re a Wes Anderson fan (“The Royal Tenenbaums”, “The Darjeeling Limited”, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”), you’re going to love his latest work. Once again a quirky tale, this time he’s done it in animation with some of the most distinctive voices in show business – Bill Murray, […]
Move over Montreux. True Jazz lovers go to Cully
On a sunny spring evening, the setting by the shore of Lake Geneva blows the mind away. It does not get better than this picture-postcard Swiss locale. It’s not just the lake but the 30 kilometre backdrop of Lavaux’s terraced vineyards, deservedly classified as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 2007. The music festival […]
