Lausanne is renewing its backing for the Béjart Ballet. The city has signed an agreement to extend support to the Béjart Foundation for five years. By boosting the city’s image and promoting tourism in the region, the ballet is perceived as an excellent ambassador for the city.
Lausanne is bidding to host the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games
Lausanne is bidding to host the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will announce its decision in July 2015 on whether the Games will take place in Lausanne or Brasov in Romania. The Youth Olympics are much like the Olympics but with one small exception, the Olympians are between 14 and […]
Solar Impulse 2 test success
PAYERNE Bertrand Piccard’s and André Borschberg’s second solar-powered plane, Solar Impulse 2, successfully completed a two-hour maiden flight above La Broye on 2 June. This remarkable feat of engineering and ingenuity has captivated enthusiasts across the world — a suitable global acclaim considering the plane’s ability to reach far-off destinations without having to land. In […]
Quick guide to Switzerland’s unique form of democracy
This video from Swissinfo.ch is an engaging beginners guide to how Switzerland’s unusual bottom-up democracy works.
Plans to toughen drink laws in Vaud
A damper on a night on the town LAUSANNE Young people looking for a great nightlife are flocking in ever-greater numbers to Lausanne. Many come from Geneva where the bar scene is less lively and, above all, more expensive. Not everyone plans to get roaring drunk, but under peer pressure more are doing so. And […]
Vevey pushes back on invasive parking
Vevey market is undoubtedly one of the most picturesque markets in the region. Popular with residents and tourists alike, it has for hundreds of years served as the fulcrum of trade in the Riviera. Centred in the Grand Place and spreading out through the adjacent side streets, stall-holders offer an abundance of local produce, crafts […]
Lausanne celebrates its 140,000th inhabitant
On 24 April, Marc Vuilleumier, the director responsible for the integration and protection of the population presented a welcome gift to the 140,000th inhabitant of the commune to celebrate the city’s growth. Lausanne has seen a steady increase in its population from 124,800 in 2000. The rise is mainly due to the number of foreigners […]
Geneva: in the red but under control
The city has announced an annual deficit of CHF 35 million for 2013, although in a statement it said the deficit was due to an extraordinary payment of CHF 120 million made to the city’s new inter-communal pension fund to cover underpayment in previous years. Without this exceptional item, officials report that the city would […]
French elections: Round one, right wing won
GEX The first round of the French municipal elections confirmed the growing force of the right. With record breaking abstentions (38.7% failed to vote), towns such as Perpignan, Avignon, Forbach, Fréjus and Tarascon saw the Front National (FN) take the lead. More locally, the conservative parties (UMP, DVD and FN) have done well, especially in […]
More time to shop
BERN The Federal Council’s proposal to homogenize the opening hours of retail businesses throughout Switzerland will rescind existing cantonal and municipal laws. Given growing cross-border competition, where prices can be 20–30% less, and the strong Swiss Franc, the project seeks to address strident economic realities hindering the country’s retail market. If the plan passes, communes […]
