Le Matin. Earlier this month, the European Central Bank announced that it will stop issuing 500 euro notes. Known colloquially as the ‘Bin Laden’, because it helps criminals move large sums without detection, the 500 euro will not be produced from 2018 when the new Europa series of notes are launched to replace current euro […]
Archives for May 2016
Geneva residents alarmed by base jumpers leaping from buildings
20 Minutes. Base jumpers have been leaping from the 28th floor of the Lignon towers in Vernier near Geneva, Switzerland. The buildings, built in the 1960s and 70s house around 6,000 people or about 1 in 6 of Vernier’s residents. The development, covering around 28 hectares, includes a school and medical centre. The film below […]
Swisscom fined CHF 71.8 million by Swiss competition watchdog
20 Minutes. Switzerland’s competition watchdog COMCO has fined Swisscom CHF 71.8 million. The semi-privatised Swiss telecom operator has been accused of using market dominance to gain an unfair advantage over competitors. The commission said “the Swisscom group with its subsidiaries CT Cinetrade AG and Teleclub AG holds a dominant position particularly with respect to live […]
Nearly 4 tonnes of rubbish removed from Lake Geneva
20 Minutes. Early figures show nearly 4 tonnes of rubbish were removed from the lake and its shores by volunteers during the 8th edition of the lake cleaning event called Net’Léman. “Net” is short for the French word nettoyer and Léman the local name for Lake Geneva, although some locals at the Geneva end of the […]
Stock markets under pressure on US interest rate hike speculation
20 May 2016 – Swiss and global market roundup. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Swiss stocks are set for a modestly positive end to the week despite stock markets coming under pressure on growing speculation that the US Federal Reserve could raise rates as early as next month. Stocks markets were volatile this week after the […]
Gotthard pass opens again
20 Minutes. As summer approaches Switzerland’s high mountain passes open to drivers after spending the winter buried in deep snow. The Saint Gotthard pass, which connects the German-speaking Swiss canton of Uri with the Italian-speaking Swiss canton of Ticino, will open today. The pass, sitting at 2,106 metres above sea level, lies above the Saint Gotthard road […]
Swiss men top world life expectancy
20 Minutes. According to World Health Organisation (WHO) data released this week, Swiss boys born in 2015 will live longer than any other men on the planet. A boy born in Switzerland in 2015 can expect to live on average for 81.3 years, 12.2 years more than the global average of 69.1 years. The lowest […]
Highlights of the Cannes film festival – too many excellent films to list
20 May 2016. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2016 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL So here are the incredible numbers: the Festival has 40,000 accredited professionals working for, and running around its tightly guarded halls, its tented beaches and between the hotels, restaurants and fabled parties. Of that, some 4,500-plus are journalists, with 11,500 industry badges in the Marche […]
Swiss customs sees a huge rise in meat smuggling
Le Matin. Swiss customs couldn’t believe their eyes when they visited the garages of a Vaud resident who they had questioned at a border stop in Geneva. The two garages contained a total of 5,000 kgs of food. Among the stash they found 520 litres of spirits, 1,400 litres of wine, 2,800 kgs of meat […]
Too many Swiss mothers are fired after returning to work
Le Matin. According to statistics from the Conférence suisse des offices de conciliation, 11 cases of dismissal due to maternity were reported in 2013. In addition, there were 6 reported cases of women losing their jobs because they fell pregnant during their job’s trial period. In Switzerland, dismissal is deemed void if it is done during pregnancy or […]