Before 1993, Switzerland’s national day was not a public holiday. It took a vote on 26 September 1993 to make it that way. Up until 1977, surveys showed that Switzerland’s cantons were overwhelmingly against making the day a federal public holiday. However, on 26 September 1993, 83.8% of Switzerland’s voters agreed to make the 1st […] The post Swiss national day holiday celebrates 30 year anniversary first appeared on Le News ..read more

Every year on 1 August, Swiss celebrate the founding of their nation with barbecues, friends, town celebrations and a lot of fireworks. But what is it all about? 1. The Federal Charter of 1291 Switzerland’s national celebration, held every year on 1 August, celebrates the signing of the Federal Charter of 1291 in early August […] The post Swiss national day: 4 things you ought to know first appeared on Le News ..read more

Around 600 hiking trails covering 1,300 km of path have been closed across Switzerland after storm damage, reported the organisation Suisse Rando. Due to the weather conditions, there are currently many Swiss hiking trails that have been damaged and have been closed or diverted, said the organisation. The most affected regions include Goms, Binntal, Saas […] The post Storms close many Swiss hiking trails first appeared on Le News ..read more

From 1 August 2024, Switzerland will begin contributing to a fund supporting the protection of the borders of the Schengen zone, a group of European nations with combined land borders of 8,000 km and sea borders of 43,000 km, reported RTS. A total of CHF 300 million has been budgeted to cover the period between […] The post Switzerland to spend 300 million defending Schengen borders first appeared on Le News ..read more

Vehicle noise is a problem in Switzerland. The authorities receive a numerous and growing number complaints, particularly in cities. Switzerland’s Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) placed noise detection radars in Geneva to quantify the problem. This week, they released the results, reported RTS. Radars erected in a number of places in Geneva flashed between […] The post Anti-noise radar test completed in Geneva first appeared on Le News ..read more

19 July 2024. By Neptune THE GARFIELD MOVIE ***1/2 What can I say? I’m really a dog person myself, was never comfortable around cats. But I simply fell in love with outrageous Garfield, the cat. And came out of the film feeling as happy and tickled as a child. In this delightfully animated film, Garfield […] The post FILM: THE GARFIELD MOVIE ***1/2 first appeared on Le News ..read more

12 July 2024. By Neptune FLY ME TO THE MOON  **1/2 Scarlett Johansson is always excellent, whether it be in her early career as a troubled adolescent in Redford’s “The Horse Whisperer”, a lonely tourist in Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation”, a bombastic heroine in Besson’s “Lucy”, or that voice in the marvelous “Her”. She […] The post FILM: FLY ME TO THE MOON first appeared on Le News ..read more

There is far more to Switzerland than cheese and chocolate. Switzerland has watches too! Home to global watch brands such as Audemars Piguet and Jaeger-LeCoultre, La Vallée de Joux, is one of Switzerland’s most renowned watch making regions. Watchmaking is woven into the valley’s past. Farming has always been a challenge, given the region’s high […] The post Explore the rich history of Swiss watch making in the enchanting Vallée de Joux first appeared on Le News ..read more

After adjusting for weather conditions, emissions from heating oil and gas fell by 8% 2023, according to data published this week by the Federal Office of the Environment (FOEN). The main driver of the improvement is improved building efficiency from better insulation and more efficient heating technology. The fall in emissions from burning gas (-41.7%) […] The post Swiss heating emissions down dramatically in 2023 first appeared on Le News ..read more

The first suicide in the controversial death capsule, dubbed “Sarco”, is set to take place in the next few weeks, reported SRF. Philip Nitschke, the Australian inventor of the device, has chosen Switzerland to launch the use of his invention. The pod, which creates an airtight space, fills with nitrogen upon the push of a […] The post Plans to use controversial death capsule in Switzerland first appeared on Le News ..read more