24 Heures. More must be urgently done to protect Switzerland’s drinking water, according the Swiss water and gas industry association (SSIGE). One fifth of drinking water samples analysed by the national underground water testing organisation (NAQUA), contained levels of pesticides and nitrates above acceptable levels. And 30% of measurement points, contained very high levels. The highest concentrations […]
Archives for 2017
Swiss traffic worse in 2016, especially in Lausanne
Recently published traffic statistics by the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) show an increase in road traffic and the number of hours spent in traffic jams. In 2016, the total collective distance covered by drivers on Switzerland’s national network of motorways grew 2.4% to 25.9 billion kilometres, equivalent to travelling to the moon and back 33,750 […]
FILM: Be sure to avoid these films
23 June 2017. There’s usually the good news and the bad news – unfortunately this week’s big releases are only bad news. Two films that you should waste neither your time nor money on. Sorry, but that’s what happens to movies in the summer – they release the mindless blockbusters. Maybe so we get a chance […]
Swiss town’s decision to change canton shows Switzerland’s complexity
Moutier, a largely French-speaking Swiss town of around 7,000 people, has voted to leave the canton of Bern and become part of the canton of Jura. Last Sunday, 51.7% of the nearly 90% of voters casting a ballot, voted to leave Bern and join Jura. Moutier is a commune in one of four districts that decided to remain […]
Swiss system being used to identify potential terrorists in Germany
Tribune de Genève. For several weeks Germany’s police have been using a method developed in Switzerland to identify possible terrorists. Developed by Jérôme Endrass, deputy head of the psychiatric psychological service at the office of justice of the canton of Zurich, the system involves police answering a series of questions on an individual based on […]
Switzerland sizzles on longest day of the year
Switzerland’s longest day of the year is here. Travelling at 110,000 km/h, the earth completes a circuit of the sun every 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, something called a tropical year. The longest day occurs in each hemisphere, when it reaches the point in this annual journey where it is most inclined towards the […]
Switzerland most expensive in Europe, but not for everything says new study
Few who have visited or lived in Switzerland will be particularly surprised to hear that Switzerland is the most expensive place in Europe. However the price differences are quite eye opening. The recently published Eurostat price level study ranks Switzerland as the most expensive overall, well ahead of second and third placed Iceland and Norway. […]
Heat wave descends on Switzerland
Swiss Meteo has issued a heatwave warning. Temperatures rose beyond 30 today across nearly all of Switzerland. A heatwave is officially declared when a period of high heat is set to last for at least three days. The heatwave warning covers all areas below 800m and is expected to last until Friday, except in Ticino where it will […]
For the first time many Swiss commercial apprenticeship positions to be left vacant
20 Minutes. Normally commercial apprenticeship positions in Switzerland are snapped up nearly one year in advance. However this year many will be left vacant according to Zurich newspaper NZZ am Sonntag. Commercial apprenticeships cover tasks such as accounting, administration and secretarial activities. Training takes around three years and results in a federal certificate. Graduates work for banks, […]
Swiss supercomputer now world’s third most powerful
A supercomputer ranking published on 19 June 2017, places Switzerland’s 19.6 petaflop1 Piz Daint supercomputer third in the world after Sunway TaihuLight and Tianhe 2, two Chinese supercomputers. Piz Daint’s recent upgrades allowed it to climb five positions up the ranking. With a performance of 93 petaflops1, China’s TaihuLight is by far the most powerful number-cruncher […]
