Switzerland’s legal definition of rape could be extended to cover both men and women. The National Council, Switzerland’s parliament, voted 151 to 39, with one abstention, to make this change to the law. The Federal Council is also in favour of the change. Currently, Switzerland’s criminal code defines rape victims as female. Section 190 of […]
Archives for September 2018
Majority of Swiss in favour of an agreement with EU, according to poll
A majority of Swiss are in favour of reaching a framework agreement with the EU, according to a poll run by Sotomo on behalf of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Negotiations on a framework agreement have become fractious over the summer especially discussions between the Swiss government and trade unions over job and salary protection measures that the […]
Swiss parliament accepts plan to strip asylum rights from those travelling home
A proposition put forward by the Swiss people’s party (UDC/SVP) to strip asylum from those travelling to their home country was accepted by 129 members of the National Council and rejected by 57. The UDC argued that returning home for a holiday or to visit parents proves the refugee is not threatened or persecuted there […]
What the successful bicycle vote could mean for Swiss cyclists
In 2017, accidents involving cyclists resulted in 4,200 injuries and 40 deaths. A map put together by RTS shows where each of these accidents occurred – red dots are deaths. Per kilometre cyclists are 10 times more likely to die than those in cars. In addition, while the number of vehicle and pedestrian casualties has […]
Russian billionaire Abramovich hoped to live in Verbier
According to reports by Tamedia, the billionaire football-club owner was applying for residency in the ski resort of Verbier when Switzerland’s Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) intervened and put an end to the process in June last year. The reasons for Fedpol’s intervention were unknown until this week when the Federal Tribunal in Lausanne lifted […]
FILM: DOGMAN – from the director of Gomorrah – 4 stars!
28 September 2018. DOGMAN **** (vo Italian) Coming with awards from various festivals and a highly deserved Best Actor award at the Cannes film fest, this powerful yet touching and tragic tale is from Italy’s great director, Matteo Garrone (“Gomorrah”, “Tale of Tales”). It’s a grim story, based on real events, of a little man […]
Swiss health insurance costs to rise further in 2019
More bad news for Swiss household budgets was released today for residents of all but three Swiss cantons. Health insurance premiums in 2019 will be on average 1.2% higher than in 2018 across Switzerland as a whole. However, within this figure there are significant cantonal variations. Hardest hit will be residents of Valais (+3.6%) and […]
Swiss vote results on cycling and agriculture – 23 September 2018
Today, Swiss voters voted on a cycling and two agricultural initiatives. Voters were asked to decide on whether to elevate cycling to the same status as hiking and driving. Currently, Switzerland’s constitution mentions roads and hiking trails, but not cycling lanes, something many cyclists would like to see changed. The first agricultural initiative, the Fair Food Initiative, […]
Switzerland’s two very different votes on food and agriculture
On Sunday, Swiss voters will get to decide on two initiative related to food. The first is the Fair Food Initiative, a proposal aimed at making food healthier and its production more environmentally friendly. It calls on the government to promote environmentally sound, animal-friendly and fairly produced food by introducing new requirements for Swiss produce […]
Switzerland set to get tougher on welfare fraud
New sanctions against those who fraudulently claim welfare, including stopping pension payments, have been approved by Switzerland’s upper house, according to the newspaper Le Matin. The new law, if approved by parliament, would provide a clear legal framework for halting or delaying pension payments to anyone guilty of welfare fraud who has emigrated to escape […]