20 Minutes. A clinic in Zurich has warned Swiss cat owners to be on guard. Several cats have ended up at the vet after eating Coop’s little rubber collectables. A cat was recently rushed to the vet in Regensdorf for an emergency operation, according to 20 Minuten. The little rubber figurines were given to customers […]
Archives for May 2017
Petrol vehicles more polluting than diesel ones, according to Swiss research
Researchers at Bern’s University of Applied Sciences have done tests showing that modern petrol cars produce up to 100 times more particulate matter than diesel ones. The team has been testing exhaust emissions in a facility in Nidau for three years. The work has involved the collaboration of four organisations. According to a report by […]
Strong Swiss franc could be over reckons currency strategist at UBS
Tribune de Genève. After more than two years of a highly overvalued franc, relative to the euro, the currency should ease in the near term reckons Thomas Flury, senior currency strategist at UBS. He expects a euro to be worth 1.14 francs in 6 months and 1.16 within a year. Emmanuel Macron’s victory and Marine […]
Switzerland’s fascination with funny money spreads to Valais
A new local currency, dubbed the “Farinet“, was launched recently in the canton of Valais. A similar one called the “Leman” landed in some pockets in Geneva and Lausanne in September 2015. #DYK that the #Swiss canton of Valais has its own currency, the Farinet? Find out more via @TheLocalSwitzer… https://t.co/R7S7ZRZFTm pic.twitter.com/0kKAHD5SRg — Swiss Consulate […]
Swiss cantons consider imposing income tax at source
20 Minutes. To reduce the outstanding amount owed by taxpayers, Basel’s parliament is discussing imposing income tax at source. Vaud is considering a similar plan. Every year, the canton Basel-City has to chase around 15,000 outstanding tax bills amounting to a total of CHF 80 million. According to the newspaper NZZ, getting employers to deduct […]
Poverty in Switzerland has more to do with age than any other factor
A recent report classifies 570,000 people in Switzerland as poor. This number represents 7% of the population, and relates to 2015. In 2014, the same percentage was 6.6%. The report, which looks only at income, defines as poor a single person with income less than CHF 2,239 per month or a family of four with […]
Swiss authorities concerned about health impact of certain chemicals
20 Minutes. A pilot bio-monitoring project in Switzerland will measure traces of pollutants and micronutrient and endocrine disruptors in organic samples. According to 20 Minutes, the impact of certain chemical products worries the authorities. The pilot project was launched last week by the executive branch of Switzerland’s government, known as the Federal Council. Depending on the […]
Most annoying driving behaviours revealed in Swiss survey
A survey conducted by the insurer AXA Winterthur reveals the driving behaviours that most annoy Swiss. The act most likely to lead to road rage is following too close. Of the 1,200 people surveyed, 60.4% said they were often or very often annoyed by drivers who didn’t follow at a safe distance. Second on the […]
VIDEO: Two litters of Grand Saint Bernard puppies arrive in Switzerland
Earlier this week Le News visited Barry Land in Martigny, Switzerland, to meet the newest members of its canine family. The two litters, born on 22 March 2017 and 25 March 2017, are now seven weeks old. One litter of nine healthy pups are the offspring of a short-haired father and a long-haired mother, two breeds of the […]
6 Swiss regions in Europe’s 10 most prosperous
Six Swiss regions make the top ten most prosperous regions of Europe measured in terms of GDP per person, according to an analysis by the University of Lausanne. The six Swiss regions are Zurich (3rd), Ticino (4th), Basel (5th), the region around Zug (6th), Bern-Solothurn (7th) and Suisse romande, Switzerland French-speaking region (8th). The only […]