According to race organisers, the FIS Alpine World Cup men’s Lauberhorn downhill race was cancelled today. The men’s race was to take place in Wengen in Switzerland’s Bernese Oberland. In Wengen, nearly half a metre of snow covered the men’s course and there was no window to prepare the surface, as it continued to snow throughout the day. […]
Archives for 2017
Comedy: Dara O’Briain, one of the most recognisable faces on British TV, is in Geneva
Brought to you by International Comedy Club. Dara is one of the most recognisable faces on British TV, as the host of the hugely successful Mock The Week and Star Gazing Live. Not forgetting his most recent shows the brand new series of Robot Wars for BBC Two and Go 8 Bit for Dave. Catch […]
Winds of over 150 km/h battered parts of Switzerland last night
Winds above 150 km/h hit Switzerland last night as winter storm “Egon” swept across the country, according to Vincent Devantay of MeteoNews. The strongest winds were recorded at Säntis (154 km/h), Pilatus (147 km/h), Chasseral (144 km/h), Saint-Chrischona (139 km/h) and La Dôle (132 km/h). These are all relatively high mountain peaks with the exception […]
Film: A Dragon Arrives – a Tarantino-like yarn set in Iran
13 January 2017. A DRAGON ARRIVES! ***1/2 (vo Farsi) A barren desert, a huge, rusting ship stranded on dry land, and a car driving towards it with an attractive, cool-looking driver in dark glasses and a hat. Then a bare, dark room with the same man and an interrogator. He is telling the tale we […]
Changes to health insurance zones could lead to steep premium rises for some
In Switzerland, how much you pay for compulsory health insurance depends on where you live. Premiums vary hugely by canton. For 2016, average monthly adult premiums in Basel City are CHF 545.60, Switzerland’s most expensive, compared to CHF 326.70, in lowest-cost Appenzell-Innerhoden. The difference between the two cantons is 40%. In addition to big differences between […]
Winter storm expected tonight followed by snow tomorrow
20 Minutes. Despite warmer temperatures today, the winter chill is far from over. According to Klaus Marquardt of Meteonews, a cold front called “Egon” is heading for Switzerland and will hit on Thursday night and Friday. “We should expect snow, lightening, thunder and falling temperatures” he told 20 Minutes. Swiss Meteo, has warned there will […]
Swiss mortgage rates climb in 4th quarter
20 Minutes. After reaching a historical low in the third quarter of 2016, rates started rising in the fourth quarter. Rate increases hit mortgage tenors of five and ten years. Compared to Q3, fixed mortgage rates on loans of ten years went up an average 0.2% to 1.62% according to price comparison website Comparis.ch. Five […]
Women’s march planned in Geneva on Trump’s first day in office
The Women’s March on Washington, timed to coincide with Donald Trump’s first day in office as U.S. president, has spread around the world – including Geneva. Currently, there are plans for 62 similar marches in 31 cities on 21 January, according to Women’s March Geneva organiser Karen Olson. Olson, a former interpreter for the United […]
Living close to a major road increases risk of dementia
A recent study published in the Lancet finds a link between living close to a major road and dementia. The study looked at 2.2 million residents aged 55-85 years in Ontario in Canada. Initially, all of these people were free of neurological diseases. Between 2001 and 2012, 243,611 cases of dementia were identified among the group. A […]
Swiss fact: Swiss eat half as much meat as Americans
In 2015, an average American consumed 95.4 kg of beef, mutton, pork and poultry. An average resident of Switzerland ate 47.1 kg, slightly less than half the amount. The biggest difference was the amount of poultry consumed. An average American ate 47.6 kg compared to 10.5 kg in Switzerland. There was also a big difference […]
