Books in English about the Lake Geneva region are rare and good books are even rarer. In his third book about Switzerland, Farrol Kahn, a British journalist who has lived in the region for several years has succeeded in describing in a refreshingly eclectic style, the Montreux Riviera (a region he denotes as starting in […]
Switzerland’s national broadcaster to stop religious programming
Radio Television Swiss (RTS), the French language arm of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, plans to discontinue three religious programmes by 2017. According to a spokesman the decision was taken for cost-cutting reasons. A group of cross-party politicians, academics and civic leaders has protested that the decision was taken without consultation or debate and has demanded a […]
Summer guide to delicious hot smoke barbequing in Switzerland
Hot smoking is the rage in Canada and the US and its popularity is spreading like wildfire throughout Europe. Hot smoking adds wonderful flavour to even the blandest food and transforms fish such as salmon into a delightful and impressive summer barbeque dish. Tempt your family and friends with well-tried and tested hot smoking ideas […]
Calls for tax breaks for Swiss investors
Start up businesses in Switzerland are being stifled by a lack of investment at the critical early funding stages. This message came across loud and clear at the Innovation Forum conference on Science and Technology this week at EPFL. Entrepreneurs who start new ventures often fund them with money from friends and family. But as […]
UK election analysis: possible downside for Switzerland
That the Conservative party has won a majority in the UK’s elections is just one of several surprises from a contest that confounded pundits and party strategists alike. So what does the Conservative’s slim majority mean for Switzerland? The key points to haul on board are: The inglorious defeat suffered by the Liberal Democrats, the […]
This vegetable keeps ice off your windscreen
Frozen windscreen? Just how cool are all these winter coping tips? If you’re tired of having to scrape your icy windscreen each morning before setting off, then according to Swiss motoring association, TCS, just cut a potato in half and rub it over your windscreen. Then in your morning rush to get going you won’t […]
TedX Lausanne – interfacing and interacting
Ted X (the X in this instance stands for Lausanne) is alive and very much provoking. The 2015 event held this week on the UNIL campus in Lausanne offered over 200 attendees a remarkably diverse selection of presentations in English. But this is to mislead – because it’s often not just the presenters who are […]
Switzerland continues nuclear power cutback
World-wide, the use of nuclear energy, including new investment, is falling back. The Italians already made the decision in 1987 following the Chernobyl crisis to close nuclear power stations. In Germany, eight stations have been shut since 2011 leaving nine others to continue producing 16 percent of the country’s needs. Over the next decade, Berlin […]
Ripped off by illegal French tax? Claim a refund by end of 2014
In the past year, Le News and specialist publications such as French-Property.com, have highlighted the problems facing Swiss-based (and other) non-residents of France. Taxation of rental income and unequal capital gains of non-residents are now the source of considerable legal controversy in France. Earlier this month, the Avocat General of the European Commission gave an […]
A drone for Christmas! Beware stiff laws
“Drones are just brilliant!” enthuses 17 year-old David, a student in Vevey. “I’ve asked my parents to give me one for Christmas”. He may be disappointed. With more and more mini-drones being flown throughout the country, the government recently initiated a ban to prevent them from being flown over populated public areas. Events such as […]
