Geneva, Zurich and Basel-City are calling for an increase in the annual work visa quotas granted by the federal government in Bern. These cantons have already exhausted the number of permits they were granted for the year. The cantons argue that they need foreign workers and the visa cap is limiting economic growth. The visa […]
Archives for 2017
Swiss feel threatened by Islam, according to survey
A survey conducted by SonntagsBlick reveals a rising fear of Islam in Switzerland. 38% of the 1,003 people surveyed say they feel threatened by Muslims in Switzerland. This percentage is more than double the 16% recorded in a similar survey in 2004. Önder Günes, a spokesperson for the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Switzerland, told Blick […]
Geneva wants more vegetarian meals in school canteens
20 Minutes. The administration of the city of Geneva wants schools to serve more vegetarian meals. Administrative councillor Esther Alder told 20 Minutes “We are receiving more and more requests, particularly from children’s parents.” While the city cannot impose rules on school canteens it hopes that all of its 47 school restaurants start to offer […]
A majority of Swiss support legalising cannabis, says survey
According to a survey, a majority of Swiss support the legalising the sale of cannabis under certain conditions. The survey, conducted by GFS Zurich for Fachverband Sucht and GREA, an association of professionals focussed on addiction, involved questioning 1,200 people by telephone. Of those surveyed, 22% had tried cannabis. The biggest variation was across age. Only 4% […]
Swiss commune fighting to have accused hate preacher expelled
20 Minutes. According to reports in the Tages-Anzeiger and by Swiss broadcaster SRF, the Swiss commune of Nidau wants the canton of Bern to expel a Libyan imam who has preached hate. The preacher has reportedly called for the destruction of all enemies of islam, including christians, jews, hindus, Russians and shiites. The man arrived in […]
A Swiss parliamentary commission wants to get rid of imputed rent
20 Minutes. In Switzerland, home owners have to add a theoretical rent to their taxable income. This means home ownership can increase your annual tax bill, sometimes substantially. For many home owners the tax effect of the theoretical or imputed rent is cancelled out by deductions for mortgage interest and home maintenance expenses, however those […]
8 people missing after Swiss landslide
According to Swiss broadcaster RTS, 14 people are unaccounted for following a landslide in the Val Bondasca region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden on Wednesday. Rocks and earth poured down the valley. A video of the landslide can be seen here. RTS shows the aftermath in another video. According to local police, six of […]
FILM: The Beguiled – 4 Stars
25 August 2017. THE BEGUILED (Les Proies) **** Sofia Coppola won Best Director for this film at the Cannes film festival and deserved it fully. From the very first shots of dark, moss-covered trees in the woods near a girls’ school in Virginia during the Civil War, she sets the tone of the South – its […]
Swiss gender pay gap only 2 percent, says study
A report published by the head hunting firm Korn Ferry finds pay differences between men and women doing the same job are statistically insignificant. The report says that while it is true that, as a group, women get paid less than men, it is not because they receive less for the same work. It is […]
The super restaurant at the end of the Swiss universe
“At the end of the world and at the same time at its origin, at its beginning and at its centre.” That was Carl Zuckmayer on the Upper Valais. But as that environmentalist and writer Douglas Adams told us, at the end of every universe there’s a restaurant. By Peter Hulm How come you live […]
