Society

How blatant is the problem of racism and xenophobia? While many of us, including Swiss and French from abroad, have encountered few if any deliberate affronts because of our nationality, colour, culture, or language, it appears to be happening more and more (Read below and send us your experiences). While some prefer to let it pass in order not to rock the boat, the authorities on both sides of the border recommend that one press charges as verbal abuse is against the law.

For the first time in history, US democrats abroad can vote as a group in the US primaries.

GO VOTE !! and make Internet Voting a success.

Any US Citizen who is, or is willing to become a Democrat, and lives abroad may walk in and vote.  BRING A US FRIEND!!!!

The French and Swiss hunting seasons for most game have been open since mid-September. Only in the Canton of Geneva is “la chasse” banned. However, apart from resounding gunshots and the ringing of  hunting dog bells in the Rhône et Alpes, Vaud or Valais countryside , most ordinary citizens would not know it. Public notices are few and far between, particularly on the French side, and the regulations for when and where hunting is allowed are obfuscated by a quagmire of dates, species and zones. Efforts by the national hunting associations and local authorities – over 90 percent of France’s communes support the sport - to keep the public informed are hazardously insufficient. So if you are living in the Lake Geneva region, you are risking your life – and that of your children – every time you venture out into the woods or mountains. The result is that walkers, bikers and runners no longer dare go for morning or evening outings from late September to February, or allow their dogs to roam off the leash.

GENEVA -- Switzerland’s recent joining of the Schengen Agreement (see previous Essential Edge article) alongside 24 other European countries has made travel a lot easier for many by becoming border free, but also more difficult for others, notably those from non-European countries such as South Africa, India or Afghanistan. The latter is particularly bad news for those seeking to visit Switzerland on short notice or for organizations hosting international conferences in Geneva.

While Swiss consulates abroad used to have flexibility in deciding who could enter Switzerland or not, sometimes turning around visa applications in one or two days, this is no longer possible. Switzerland now needs to consult all the other Schengen countries, and Interpol, before granting a visa. It means that applicants, regardless whether tourists, business people or government ministers, may now need to wait weeks to be issued a visa.

Ornex, Pays de Gex, France -- The Mairie of Ornex located between Ferney-Voltaire and Gex on the Route Nationale 5 has warned about a recent kidnapping attempt at a school bus stop in the Vert Village area. An unidentified man in a white van drove up to the bus stop and attempted to persuade one of the children to climb in. He was unsuccessful and fled when nearby parents approached. The gendarmerie have been informed. The police are warning parents to be vigilant and adopt basic security procedures, such as not allowing their children to walk unaccompanied  to school or wait alone at  bus stops. This is not the first time that something like this has happened in the Pays de Gex. In late 2008, there were at least two reported kidnapping attempts (See Essential Edge story ) in the Pays de Gex. Anyone witnessing anything unusual should report this to the police or any other local authorities immediately.