Viola Amherd, one of two new women joining Switzerland’s seven-member executive team on 1 January 2019, will head the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS), a position focused mainly on military matters. This will be … [Read more...]
News and Features
Swiss supermarkets selling products with no country of origin on label
Even when labelled properly food labels provide precious little information on what a product might contain. For example, a piece of farmed salmon will typically be labelled only with its country of origin, containing no information on what … [Read more...]
Switzerland experiences its coldest night since last February
Tuesday night brought a chill to Switzerland. The temperature in the town of Brévine in the Jura plunged to -20 degrees. In Glattalp, another of Switzerland’s famed cold spots, the temperature went as low as -36.5 degrees. Neither Brévine … [Read more...]
FILM: SHOPLIFTERS – a Tokyo family that survives by shoplifting
14 December 2018. By Neptune SHOPLIFTERS (Une Affaire de Famille) **** There is a delicacy and sensitivity to the films of Japanese master director Hirokazu Kore-Eda that introduce us to a Japan which is often far from our preconceived ideas … [Read more...]
Strasbourg shooting suspect shot dead
According to BFMTV, French police have shot and killed the man suspected of killing and injuring people in a shooting in Strasbourg on Tuesday night. The man was killed in a police shootout in Neudorf in Strasbourg a little after 9 pm. EN DIRECT - … [Read more...]
Guides
15 things you should know about Swiss health insurance
It's health insurance season. Average premiums are increasing in 2018. Compulsory basic Swiss health insurance can generally only be changed once a year. To change you must notify your current provider by 30 November. This article explains the basics … [Read More...]
8 things you must do if you’re running a Swiss business
Brought to you by Winbiz. Once a business is established, there are many ongoing administrative tasks required by law. The main ones are covered in this article. The first few relate to employees and the rest to taxation and other essential … [Read More...]
Activities
Going underground – Touring Switzerland’s oldest salt mine
There is a reason why the Swiss excel at digging tunnels: they have been doing it for a very long time. In 1680, tunnels were dug into the Vaud Alps near Bex to get at salt buried there more than 200 million years earlier. According to legend, … [Read more...]
Lake Geneva’s beautiful paddlewheel boats – getting there is way more than half the fun
They say that “getting there is half the fun”. But sometimes it’s more. A lot more. For example: a Lake Geneva cruise on a grand historic paddlewheel steamboat. Destination? Who cares? On a recent gorgeous Sunday afternoon, I, your intrepid … [Read more...]
Foxtrail – an adventure game on the streets of Lausanne
As we zoomed down the metro line, the puzzle unfolded with the first clue we were given: watch for the fox’s green paw print on the rail track. Later, during our half-day adventure chasing the “fox”, we had to figure out a series of other … [Read more...]
