A study recently released by ch-x shows that only 28.2% of young people in the academic stream (Gymnase) at high school in French-speaking Switzerland speak German. On the German-speaking side of the rösti graben 40.6% of the same group speak French, still far from a majority. The number speaking a national language, other than their […]
Archives for September 2015
Swiss open criminal proceedings against FIFA president Blatter
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) opened criminal proceedings against the President of FIFA on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and suspicion of misappropriation. The OAG suspects that on 12 September 2005 Mr. Blatter signed a contract with the Caribbean Football Union, when Jack Warner was its President, that was unfavorable for FIFA. […]
Swiss break alphorn concert record in Milan. An amazing spectacle.
Over the weekend 420 Swiss alphorn players performed a concert in Milan’s Piazza del Duomo. The concert was the largest of it’s kind performed outside Switzerland and will be submitted to the Guinness book of records, according to a post by the Swiss Pavilion of the 2015 Expo in Milan. According to Swissinfo.ch the group […]
Large numbers flock to see Geneva’s “project of the century”
Last weekend over 32,000 people turned up to visit the sites of the ongoing construction of what has been dubbed Geneva’s “project of the century”. When complete the project will connect the train networks of France and Geneva to create a seamless link between Cornavin, Geneva’s central train station, and Annemasse in France. In addition, […]
Switzerland ranked best place to grow old. Why?
Switzerland did not have the longest life expectancy or the highest score on relative mental well-being. It did not have lowest old age poverty rate and it wasn’t perceived as the safest place for an older person to walk alone. So why did it rank as the best place to live in old age in […]
Switzerland bans Volkswagen sales
On Friday the Swiss Federal Roads Office (OFROU) issued a ban on the sale of certain models of Volkswagen cars in Switzerland. The ban covers all unsold cars that might have devices that can fool emissions tests. According to OFROU calculations, as many 180,000 vehicles might be affected. The ban includes Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and […]
Even the poorest countries pay for vaccines. Gavi’s Seth Berkley explains why.
A walk in the park. This is the first of a series of interviews of Geneva-based leaders done by Renu Chahil-Graf while walking through Geneva’s green spaces. This week Renu interviewed Seth Berkley, the CEO of the international vaccination organisation Gavi. Seth has been on the cover of the magazine Newsweek, recognised by Wired Magazine […]
Rare super moon lunar eclipse coming to the sky near you
This coming Monday a rare super moon lunar eclipse will be visible from Switzerland. It is known as a super moon eclipse because the moon is at its closest to the earth, appearing 14% larger. Only five have occurred since 1900. The last was in 1982 and the next will be in 2033. In addition […]
Swiss market down, watch sector dented, expat rating slumps, Zurich, Actelion, Nestlé
25 September 2015 – Weekly Swiss and global market roundup. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Swiss financial markets news The Swiss Market Index extended losses this week as concerns that… Read more. Swiss economic news Swiss watch exports fall as Apple watch dents demand. Switzerland’s expat rating slumps… Read more. Swiss company news Zurich […]
Swiss company news: Actelion, Zurich, Nestlé
25 September 2015 Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Zurich Insurance Group abandons RSA bid Zurich Insurance Group AG abandoned an offer for RSA Insurance Group Plc because it expects a loss in its own general insurance business in the third quarter and will conduct a review of the unit. Zurich expects a loss of […]