20 Minutes. Four out of five judges from the canton of Vaud’s constitutional court rejected a call to do away with the canton’s law banning begging. Opposed by a group of political parties on the left, the law was passed by Vaud’s parliament, known as the Grand conseil, and became law in September 2016. The group opposing […]
Archives for May 2017
Half of Swiss happy to be tracked to reduce health insurance premiums
Ahead of Forum des 100, a Swiss health conference organised by the newspaper Le Temps, the organisers conducted a survey to see how many would be prepared to have their lifestyles electronically monitored in return for a discount on what they pay for health insurance. According to the results, 47% were happy to have their […]
Blatant age discrimination in Swiss job advert causes a stir
20 Minutes. While a recent job advertisement placed in a Swiss newspaper is not specific on gender, it makes it very clear that it doesn’t want anyone over the age of 50, or under the age of 25. The advertisement was placed by an organisation called Bureau des Métiers in Sion. The offending advert is also on the company’s […]
New 20 Swiss franc note officially launched
The Swiss National Bank is the process of issuing new bank notes. A new 50 franc note hit the streets last year. Now it is the new 20 franc note’s turn. Officially launched today, it will enter circulation on 17 May 2017. A photograph of the note was posted on Facebook by Bilan: The new red note, designed […]
Unemployment falls in Switzerland
Figures published on 9 May 2017 by SECO, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, show a fall in the number of unemployed in Switzerland. At the end of April 2017, there were 146,330 people registered as unemployed, 5,950 fewer than the month before, reducing the rate of unemployment from 3.4% to 3.3%. Unemployment across […]
FILM: Court – the story of a victim of India’s legal system
12 May 2017. COURT *** (vo Indian and English) The arbitrary and frustrating procedure of India’s court system is the theme of this film which at times borders on the tragicomedy. And the underlying feel is a play on the old adage, “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer…”, or rather, the habitual […]
Forty new Swiss papal guards sworn in
Over the weekend, 40 new Swiss guards were sworn in at the Vatican in Rome. They swore to sacrifice their own lives to protect the life of the Pope if required. Pontifical Swiss Guards have served since 1506. The new guards swore to “…faithfully, loyally and honorably serve the Supreme Pontiff Francis and his legitimate successors, […]
Swiss wine consumption declines to 40 bottles per person
Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) statistics show a decline in Swiss wine consumption in 2016. Swiss residents consumed less rosé, less white and less red wine. Total consumption in 2016 was 253 million litres, down from 262 million litres in 2015, a drop of 4%. This follows drops of 2% in 2014 and 1% in […]
Easyjet expands in Geneva adding a new aircraft
20 Minutes. On Friday, Easyjet added a 14th aircraft to its Geneva-based fleet. The new Airbus A320 will allow it to add new destinations. The new aircraft will create 36 new jobs on top of the current 500 at the airline’s Geneva base, Thomas Haagensen, Easyjet’s director of northern Europe, told Le Matin Dimanche. Last year, the […]
Canton of Geneva targets those employing domestic workers illegally
Brought to you by quitt.ch Recently, the canton of Geneva launched a campaign to raise awareness of the costs and risks of employing domestic workers illegally, including fines and legal sanctions. The campaign is focussed on explaining why undeclared work does not pay, employing the slogan: “ça se paie cash!”, which roughly translates to: paying illegal workers […]