The grotesque assassination of the American journalist James Foley has publicly raised the complex question of whether or not governments, companies or individuals should pay a ransom to free hostages. There are supportable arguments on both sides of the issue and, not surprisingly, there are differences on to how to deal with the problem. There […]
Top ranked Switzerland’s Achilles heel
GENEVA Broadly confirming the findings of IMD’s World Competitiveness Report last May, the World Economic Forum’s latest global competitiveness report once again ranks Switzerland, for the fifth time in a row, at the head of the 148-country listing. But there is a serious caveat. One of the country’s biggest problems is to maintain this lead […]
Air 14 Payerne
The Payerne air show between Yverdon and Bern is a definite must-see. Both noisy and awesome, it literally makes the ground tremble as fast-manoeuvring jets show off the world’s latest technology. Operated by exceptionally courageous and spatially aware pilots, these planes are doing the real thing. Nothing like those imitation video games where you can […]
Americans abroad – Pushed to vote
Democrats and Republications Abroad, two non-profit organizations representing US citizens, are pushing hard over the next few weeks for expat Americans to register for the next presidential election. While some states retain permanent overseas registration, most require their citizens to re-register every time. Democrats Abroad Switzerland is holding informal events in Geneva and Zurich to […]
Suicide tourism rises
ZURICH More than 600 non-Swiss residents died of assisted suicide in Switzerland between 2008 and 2012, helped by organizations such as Dignitas. In 2012 alone, the majority came from Germany (77), followed by the UK (29), Italy (22), France (19) and the US (7). A study by the Journal of Medical Ethics, which looked at […]
Payot’s best sellers of the week
This week’s review: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green was again the week’s Payot top seller. Having already reviewed it, Le News instead looks at the third highest entry, I Am Pilgrim, the debut novel by former journalist and screen-writer, Terry Hayes. It was published in July 2013 […]
Hiking hazards in Switzerland: Not just bad weather
As Swiss meteorological records point out, July proved to be the wettest month in 50 years. Precipitation was four times higher than normal putting a severe dampener on Swiss tourism. The Lake Geneva region, Bernese Alps, Valais and Jura have all endured exceptionally high rainfall. Many resorts have reported cancellations, particularly among weekend vacationers seeking […]
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 […]
M4 Culture Festival, Crans-Montana
I have just spent a stimulating couple of days at the new M4 culture festival in Crans-Montana (the four M’s stand for Mountain, Music, Museum and More). Providing a wealth of entertainment ranging from photographic exhibitions to classical concerts to contemporary dance, the M4 culture festival attracted a varied crowd and proved to be a […]
Dawn concerts – Aubes Musicales (until 31 August 2014)
Have you heard of these concerts? Aube means dawn in French, and they are held daily during summer – come rain or come shine – at the Bains des Pâquis, in the middle of the lake in Geneva, from 6.00 to 7.00 every morning. Free, with even coffee thrown in – gratuit till 6.15! You […]
