For nearly 30 years, the city of Nyon has been pleasantly disrupted by the far° Festival of the Living Arts (theatre, dance and performance) during most of the month of August. As the only such event in the region, the far° explores new territories for the performing arts with Swiss and international artists combining both […]
Pay more for a 4 x 4
Anti 4×4 and SUV sentiment is being supported by a system of penalties being charged for importing polluting vehicles by the government. In a report by 24 Heures, importers of cars into Switzerland last year paid penalties of over CHF 5 million to the government for importing large polluting vehicles such as 4x4s. The penalties […]
Vevey – Folk Market and Camera Museum – a great day trip.
A visit to the Marchés folkloriques in Vevey is a wonderful way to get a real sense of the Lavaux region, its culture, history and people. A trip to the market makes a great outing for the whole family and can be combined with different activities such as a visit to the highly interactive Swiss […]
Plastic flags
Swiss National day is a relatively new public holiday, having only been officially established in 1969 (despite being mooted as early as 1889). With impressive fireworks displays, massive bonfires across the country and somewhat incongruous plastic flags, the holiday celebrates the establishment of the Confederation by what are now the cantons of Uri, Schwyz and […]
Climbing at your finger tips in the Bains des Pâquis.
A first in Switzerland and one of just a handful in the world, the Psychobloc is a climbing wall installed in the shallows of the Bains de Pâquis on the Geneva lake front. The structure has three faces so offering a progression of climbing routes ranging from easy to those that will challenge the most […]
Green really does mean go!
Getting hammered by “les flics” for racing a red light seems fair enough in the thrust and parry of Swiss urban traffic. But did you know that if you fail to move forward when the light turns green you can also be fined? Simply put, the law says that failure to obey traffic signals is […]
Space travellers & crowd pullers
Twelve men have walked on the moon and two of them have visited Switzerland thanks to SwissApollo an association that aims to keep mankind’s greatest achievement alive as an inspiration to current and future generations. This week Dr Edgar Mitchell (Apollo 14) spoke to a press conference moderated by Le News editor, Ed Girardet, at […]
Tougher Swiss customs allowances – don’t get caught!
Swiss Customs has introduced new regulations for personal importation of food and other goods. This is vaguely good news for true carnivores and pet owners, but bad news for lovers of delicatessen. Whereas a person used to be able to bring 500 grams of fresh meat or fish and 3.5 kilos of other meat products […]
Pay gap widens
Top executives earn more than 230 times the salary of their lowest-paid employee, according to a new study released by the Travail Suisse union. Its study of 27 Swiss companies suggests that the pay gap is widening, despite legislation mandated by a national referendum (the Minder initiative) to stop “abusive” pay in the country’s boardrooms.
Four Valleys multi-resort ski package to be scrapped
VERBIER Skiers looking forward to the 2014/15 ski season will be disappointed to learn that the one-ticket, multi-resort ski package usually offered in the Four Valleys Ski Area is to be scrapped. Because lift operators in these resorts, including Verbier and Nendaz, could not agree on how to share the revenue fairly. Skiers will have […]
