According to Le Matin Dimanche in 2013 over 40,000 bicycles were stolen in Switzerland of which fewer than 500 were recovered. The costs are enormous. Insurers pay out around CHF 60 million in claims a year, a cost that is ultimately borne by policy holders via premiums. In Geneva, Bern and Zurich, Le Matin Dimanche put GPS trackable chips […]
Netflix streaming service arrives in Switzerland
Netflix, a US provider of on-demand Internet streaming, this week launched a second wave of European expansion. The film and TV series streaming service is now available in France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland. Netflix promised its shareholders growth and this latest development is central to its plans. Competition in some of these markets, however, is stiff. Germany has Prime Instant Video from […]
Nuit des Bains – big night for contemporary art in Geneva
This Thursday is one of the biggest nights for contemporary art in Geneva. Nuit des Bains happens three times per year, and this night signifies the start of the contemporary art season. With 16 art galleries and museums participating, Quartier des Bains is transformed into a giant street party offering one vernissage after another, and […]
Apple’s U2 iTunes stunt has polarised opinion
Le News went to Swiss iTunes and found U2’s new album “Songs of Innocence” there for free. Yes free! This is Apple’s latest marketing stunt. Millions of U2 fans were happy to find it. Macrumours.com reported that the album had been downloaded over 2 million times by users just three days after being made available. Many others however have […]
SMS tickets to move smoothly around town
Both Geneva and Lausanne transport companies have recently introduced easy ways to buy tickets on public transport. Travellers just send an SMS (text message) to buy a ticket on their phones and voila! But be aware that you need to buy your ticket before you get on the bus, tram or metro. Gaming the system […]
Apple takes aim at Swiss watch industry
Apple, the US-based technology company, has predictably tried and to a degree succeeded in getting a rise from the Swiss media by claiming that its latest device, a digital watch, will cause the demise of the Swiss watch industry. The campaign disingeniously ignores the truism that a wristwatch is worn for far more than just […]
Travel from your couch with a drone
You can now travel around Switzerland – and neighbouring France and Italy – via a recently established site, TravelByDrone.com, that allows you to visit a town, prepare a hike, or plan a boat trip or skiing holiday, by first viewing the area from the air. The site currently comprises over 3,500 quality drone videos by […]
Toxic Loom bands alert
Loom bands, those colourful American fripperies much beloved by young people around the world have been identified as a serious potential health risk. Birmingham Assay Office, an independent laboratory in the UK, has tested Loom bands and found them to contain over 500 times the recommended safe level of phthalates, a known hormone inhibitor. The […]
The désalpe – she’ll be thundering down the mountain
The season of the “désalpe” is here again, when the cows led by La Reine come down from their summer pastures, where they have been feeding on lush grass and alpine flowers. The spectacle of hundreds of cows –giant bells round their necks, ornate floral bouquets on their heads – clattering through village streets at […]
Le Livre sur les Quais has record attendance
MORGES Le livre sur les quais bookfair in Morges had a record breaking year. Over 40,000 people came to this annual literary festival, but this year more people participated in discussions, interviews, readings and film screenings; all the literary cruises were full; and more than 25,000 books were sold, far more than in previous years. […]
