There are many reasons why Swiss healthcare costs continue to climb. One, often cited, is changing demographics, jargon for more older people. But how much of an impact is this having? A set of figures for 2014, estimate that the share of health spending on the 28.5% of the population over 60, was 60.7% of […]
Archives for 2017
VIDEO: Flowery cows descend on town with cheese named after it
Last weekend, the alpine hamlet of Etivaz, known for its eponymous hard cheese, was overrun by brightly dressed cows. During autumn, cows, which have spent the summer grazing high mountain pastures, are brought down for the winter. Désalpes, or Alpwirtschaft in German, is Switzerland’s way of marking the change of seasons. Cows are dressed up with […]
Unlicensed teenage speeder breaks record
A teenager without a license, driving way too fast, will be among the last to arrive when it comes to eventually getting his drivers license. On 20 September, a 16-year-old boy was flashed at 158 km/hr in a 60 km/hr construction zone on the A9 highway outside Lausanne, according to Vaud Police. The construction zone, […]
Imam accused of hate speech loses Swiss asylum
An imam, accused of hate speech, who came to Switzerland from Libya 1998, and was granted asylum in 2001, has been stripped of his refugee status. Abu Ramadan, 64, who lives in Nidau, Canton Bern, has returned to Libya on a Libyan passport 12 times since 2013. The large number of trips over an extended […]
Swiss 2018 health premiums unveiled. Brace yourself.
Yesterday, the Swiss government released health insurance premiums for 2018. There are price hikes across the board, particularly in French-speaking Switzerland. Next year, the price of standard compulsory insurance for an adult with a CHF 300 deductible will rise 4% on average. The cost varies by canton. Prices rises range from 1.6% to 6.4%. Health […]
Swiss police issue WhatsApp message fine
20 Minutes. After noticing a roadside police check, a resident of the canton of St Gallen sent a message to a WhatsApp group warning of the check. Not long after he received a nasty surprise. Speaking to the newspaper 20 Minuten, the man said: “Me and several others received a penalty notice this week. I […]
Giant puppets take to Geneva streets this weekend
Thursday afternoon, amazingly, though she was surrounded by excited children who were not using their indoor voices, a giant mechanical grandma appeared to be catching a few winks in Geneva before she and her grand-daughter wake up and stroll through the city Friday, Saturday and Sunday. During their three days in Geneva, they’ll be exploring […]
FILM: The young Karl Marx
29 September 2017. THE YOUNG KARL MARX **** (vo German, French, English) Haitian director Raoul Peck knows how to make films that move you and shake you to the core. As a political militant, he makes films about history, humanity and injustices that cause you to reflect and feel the larger truths with your gut, […]
Survey offers clues to why Swiss rejected last Sunday’s pension reform
A survey by Tamedia offers clues to why 52.7% of Swiss voters rejected the pension reform plan that was put to a vote last Sunday. 20% of those voting “no” thought it was a pseudo reform that didn’t go far enough, while 26% felt it left too much of a burden on younger taxpayers. In […]
Housing in Zurich and Geneva only moderately overvalued, says UBS
The UBS Global Real Estate Bubble Index 2017 describes housing in Zurich and Geneva as only moderately overvalued. The two Swiss cities rank 6th (Geneva) and 9th (Zurich) in a list of 20 selected global cities. The top eight: Toronto, Stockholm, Munich, Vancouver, Sydney, London, Hong Kong and Amsterdam are all classified as bubble risk. […]
