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 […]
Swiss organ donor shortage
Every year 100 people in Switzerland die due to lack of an organ transplant, but the country’s nationwide organ shortage could now be reduced. A new smartphone app developed by Jocelyn Corniche, an anaesthetist at Lausanne University Hospital, and Swisstransplant, informs emergency-room staff that the phone’s owner is a registered organ donor – even if […]
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 […]
Michael Schumacher moves home to continue recovery
Michael Schumacher has returned to his home near Gland from the cantonal hospital in Lausanne to continue his rehabilitation after suffering serious head injuries in a skiing accident last year. No further details have been issued regarding his condition, although a statement issued by his manager Sabine Kehm did say that he has been making […]
Courage and company – dealing with cancer
On a rather cold and windy lakeside, a dozen or so corporate teams prepared to take each other on in the English Speaking Cancer Association’s (esca) annual dragon boat race at the Lac de Joux. All great fun and for a good cause – the event is esca’s major fund-raising event of the year. Hundreds […]
Ronald McDonald House overnight stays up by 10%
The Ronald McDonald House Charity provides families of seriously ill children with heavily subsidised accommodation close to the major hospitals in seven Swiss cities including Geneva, Bern and Basel. The service greatly assists families that have other young children and those that live far away. It allows parents and siblings to be together close to […]
Swiss search engine jumps for moon
Swisscows.com – Switzerland’s answer to Google – is beginning to give the California search engine a run for its money. Since launched by Hulbee AG in June, it has attracted 400,000 users. Responding to Google’s market hold, Swisscows presents itself as the first intelligent “answer engine” based on semantic information recognition coupled with intuitive search […]
Lausanne launches integration fund
With 42% of its population coming from 160 countries and carrying a passport other than Swiss, promoting integration is a key objective for Lausanne. The city announced that it is launching an integration fund of CHF 100,000 to give associations and not-for-profit groups the means to run projects that prevent racism and promote social cohesion. […]
Learning to live in the region
The International Women’s Club of Lausanne’s annual “Living in Lausanne and the Canton of Vaud Seminar (LIL)” will take place the 29th and 30th September 2014 at the IWC Clubhouse, Avenue Eglantine 6, in Lausanne. The IWC has organized this excellent seminar every year since 1983. Open to all, it provides newcomers with valuable information […]