The Credit Suisse 2017 Global Wealth Report, shows total global wealth rose 6.4% to USD 280 trillion in 2016, taking it to the its highest level since 2007, before the financial meltdown in 2008. Globally, average wealth per adult was USD 56,540. In Switzerland, the same figure was USD 537,600 (CHF 533,000), close to ten […]
Archives for November 2017
Deadly effects of flu and heatwave in Switzerland
A recent report shows 67,606 people died in Switzerland in 2015, 6% more than in the previous year. Two the big drivers of the rise were a flu epidemic over spring and a heatwave in July of that year. In 2015, an extra 4,000 people died compared to in 2014. Most of these extra deaths […]
Swiss government moves closer to personal digital IDs
The idea of digital IDs in Switzerland has been kicked around since 2002 when the government decided it was a good idea. Since then it has been hotly debated. Following a process of consultation, the government met on 15 November 2017, and announced it’s aiming to have some form of digital or e-ID written into Swiss […]
FILM: 6 you should probably avoid
17 November 2017. Not a great week, I’m afraid. Wait for next week when there will be some fine ones. TEHRAN TABOO **1/2 (vo Farsi) This is a film that is done in animation, atmospheric and politically-attuned, with quite an intriguing storyline. It is well-made, has been making the rounds of film festivals and audiences […]
Montreux’s Christmas market – get ready for this year’s festive line up
No wonder the annual Montreux Noël festivities are among the most popular in Switzerland. Here’s what’s lined up. Lakefront Christmas market Kicking off on 23 November until 24 December 2017, about 160 merchants and craftspeople will be offering countless gifts from their mini chalet-style stalls twinkling with lights and decorations at the Montreux’s Christmas Market. There […]
Swiss dietary changes that could halve environmental damage and improve health
A new study in Switzerland shows the impact dietary choices have on the environment. Compared to current eating habits, three different diets all roughly halve the environmental damage wrought by food production. Put together by Agroscope, a Swiss government research centre, the analysis looks at scenarios that would reduce environmental damage while maintaining the current […]
Earthquakes – Swiss study shines new light on the risks in the Alps
A study by scientists at ETH Zurich, published on ScienceDirect on 15 November 2017, provides a powerful new way of looking at the risk of large earthquakes in the Alps, Apennines, Zagros and Himalaya mountain ranges. Most know that mountain ranges are built by tectonic plates pushing against each other. However, some forget how seismically […]
My Swiss Story – reunited after 32 years
Everyone has a story. My Swiss Story is a series that looks at lives in Switzerland. This week we met Bill Harby, an American freelance writer and photographer living between Geneva and Neuchâtel. Married with three grown stepchildren, he has a third home in a forest on Hawaii’s biggest island, an erupting volcano. What brought […]
Life expectancy – Switzerland’s men drop from first place
Last year, Switzerland tied with Iceland for the prize of longest male life expectancy, according to the OECD. In this year’s report, published last Friday, Switzerland slipped into second place alongside Japan. Why? Male life expectancy in Switzerland declined. It moved from 81.1 years to 80.8, a drop of 0.3 years. At the same time […]
Passing on the right – a grey area in Switzerland
The rules in Switzerland are clear. With one exception, anyone passing on the right is breaking the law. In practice, many drivers are confused. Article 35 of Switzerland’s federal road traffic states that drivers can only pass on the left. The only time passing on the right is permitted is when there are parallel queues of […]