GenevaLunch - Lake Geneva region

Vaud's Pine Processionary caterpillars threaten pets

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 10:08:51 +0100

WRG-FM - Pet owners in Vaud are being urged to watch their animals carefully, as the usual springtime outbreak of Pine Processionary caterpillar larvae is causing severe problems for some pets. The larvae can cause breathing and vision problems and, if swallowed, can be fatal. The caterpillars nest in trees, so owners near woods are warned to be particularly on the lookout. Notices on most village bulletin boards remind tree owners they are obliged by law to burn the nests.

Swiss French-speakers "into" all things French

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 08:17:31 +0100

swissinfo - Swiss people in French-speaking cantons are following the French presidential elections closely, which is no surprise given their tendency to look towards Europe when relations with German speakers become strained, according to swissinfo,which interviewed journalist Jacques Pilet. He notes that while German speakers like to emphasize how they differ from Germans, the influence of German is growing in Switzerland's German-speaking regions. The situation is not the same in French-speaking areas, which have tended in recent years to vote for projects and laws that create closer ties to Europe, in contrast with German-speaking areas.

Third rail line: Lake Geneva region politicians join forces to fight Bern

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 07:53:18 +0100

Le Matin, Fre - Regional politicians met Wednesday to begin mobilizing people in the Lake Geneva region to convince the Swiss Federal Council that a third rail line between Geneva and Lausanne is essential. Councillors Robert Cramer from Geneva and Francois Marthaler from Vaud made it clear that they will push for the additional track, not included in the government's ZEB programme of rail development to 2030, which was made public yesterday.

What the work conditions survey doesn't show

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 11:14:17 +0100

Switzerland has its head in the sand when it comes to work, and it is high time to look up and shake the sand out of our eyes. I have just published an article on GL about how well Switzerland comes out on a European survey of work conditions that includes 31 countries. Clearly, things could be worse, and for some people it is - the boss from hell or crazy hours. For the most part, though, the picture looks pretty good, with 91% of workers saying they are satisfied or very satisfied with work conditions. So far, so good, I think.

GenevaLunch hits 100,000 mark!

Mon, 02 Apr 2007 15:25:58 +0100

[Update, 3 April: Peter Ince of Geneva, who says he never wins anything, is the winner.]

GenevaLunch - GenevaLunch early Monday afternoon passed the 100,000 pages-viewed mark. The lucky winner of a meal for two at L'Esplanade in Aubonne will be notified shortly. Many thanks to the 23,000-plus individuals who have read their news on GenevaLunch since January!

Battle for Lausanne-Geneva third rail track heats up

Thu, 29 Mar 2007 05:09:20 +0100

Le Temps, Fre - Last weekend Moritz Leuenberger, transport minister, dropped a bombshell in Le Temps, stating that the Federal Council will not back construction of a third rail track between Lausanne and Geneva. Politicians and the media in the Lake Geneva region are gathering their arguments to fight back, using projections that could be closer to the reality than some of the official statistics.

The proposed track has been a major part of regional transport development plans and, notes the newspaper, is a critical link in encouraging greater use of public transport in the region. It is one of the projects tentatively included in the second phase of "Rail 2000," renamed ZEB, which is Switzerland's long-term rail planning programme.

Free Swiss papers have trouble counting readers

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 18:41:16 +0100

GenevaLunch -The battle for readers between the two leading free newspapers in Switzerland is raging so hard that they are having trouble counting. Le Matin Bleu and 20 minutes were allowed today to publish circulation figures provided by wepf/REMP, which measures Swiss commercial media. According to these figures Le Matin Bleu leads with 309,000 readers and 20 minutes has 241,000. The two newspapers published other figures, however, with the leader saying it now has 414,000 and its rival saying it will be printing 400,000 by next week.

Swiss continue to read but fewer buying newspapers

Tue, 27 Mar 2007 07:44:21 +0100

RSR, Fre - Swiss newspapers are losing their audiences although readership remains relatively high: 90.3% of people age 14 or over say they "regularly" read a newspaper. The latest six-month survey by REMP, which publishes circulation figures for Switzerland's commercial media, show that the Swiss regularly read even more magazines, 92.9%.

The latest figures do not include the free newspapers which hit stands at the end of 2005 and early 2006. REMP will publish a special report on them in the near future and will include these figures in September media review when the free papers have completed their first full 12-month publishing cycles.

Weather 21 March 2007, green Lake Geneva, St. Prex harbour

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 18:04:41 +0000

Close to shore Lake Geneva is churned up by the snowstorm just starting, and layers of colour - glacial runoff and sandy lake bottom being whisked together - streak the surface.

Weather 21 March 2007, Montreux and Swiss Alps before the storm

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 17:58:02 +0000

A touch of red on an inky Lake Geneva, with the storm heading for Montreux, still in the sunshine.

Weather 21 March 2007, black Lake Geneva to Evian

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 17:55:50 +0000

French Alps in the sunshine, Evian on the verge of snow, with a black and choppy Lake Geneva: the view from St. Prex.

Weather 21 March 2007, snow storm on French side of Lake Geneva

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 17:30:04 +0000

Sun in Switzerland, snow over the lake, uncertainty in France: the view from Féchy on the first day of spring.

Weather 21 March 2007, Geneva to Rolle to Féchy

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 17:23:59 +0000

Storms and sunshine fight over Lake Geneva. From Féchy's hills, looking down on Rolle, with Geneva in the distance.

It was a weathery kind of day

Thu, 22 Mar 2007 14:41:45 +0000

(Images can be seen larger on flickr)

Storms and sunshine fight over Lake Geneva. From Féchy's hills, looking down on Rolle, with Geneva in the distance.

Wednesday was a weathery kind of day, of the sort that changes completely every five minutes and reminds you that Lake Geneva is never boring. It was snowing in Founex while the sun beamed down on Féchy and Geneva. In the time it took to drive from the vineyards near Aubonne to St. Prex, 10 minutes, the skies turned black. The wind whipped up and the lake shifted from a startling green to dark, inky tones. Meanwhile, over in France, the Alps were toasting in the sunshine and Evian was shivering as it watched St. Prex.

It's spring: it's cold, it's normal

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 10:45:50 +0000

WRG-FM - WRG-FM interviewed Swiss weatherman Lionel Peyraud from the national weather services on this first day of brrrr, spring, to see if it's normal to be this chilly.