Recent government figures show a 13% rise in the number of vacant homes over the 12 months to June 2018. The number has more than doubled since 2009 when there were close to 35,000 vacant dwellings. By 1 June 2018, there were more than 72,000, a vacancy rate of 1.62%1 This might sound like good […]
Archives for 2018
Welfare fraudster risks expulsion from Switzerland
After listening to the culprit claim she had committed the fraud to help her family, the judge sentenced her to deportation, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. For the judge, the woman’s latest act of fraud, claiming unemployment benefits while working, was the straw that broke the camel’s back. This was the woman’s third welfare […]
Some Swiss Rail ticket machines set to disappear
Ticket machines once replaced many of the people selling ticket from counters. Now the internet and mobile phones threatens ticket machines. As more and more people dash past ticket machines with an electronic train ticket in their pocket, Swiss Rail is looking at phasing out some machines according to various newspapers including 20 Minutes. The […]
Number of cases of tick-borne encephalitis rises sharply in Switzerland
In around 1% of cases tick-borne encephalitis can be deadly. It is a virus carried by ticks, which can cause brain swelling and neurological damage. The period between March and November is when most people get infected, according to the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH). Ticks become active when the temperature reaches 7 […]
Swiss Rail plans barriers to stop suicides
According to RTS, Swiss Rail is planning to erect barriers in seven places between Lausanne and Geneva to reduce the number of suicides. Nearly 140 people across Switzerland die in rail related suicide every year. Around 20 of these occur between Lausanne and Geneva, one of the worst stretches of track in the country. The […]
FILM: SEARCHING for a daughter completely from a computer screen and a smartphone
14 September 2018. SEARCHING ***1/2 You cannot get more today than this! In a format that I have never seen before, this film that comes to us completely from a computer screen and a smartphone, is innovative to say the least. And captivating, as it evolves from a portrait of a loving family into a […]
Swiss agricultural policy costs households 2,500 francs a year, according to study
Switzerland’s agricultural sector costs the country CHF 19.9 billion while contributing only CHF 3.4 billion, concludes a study published by the think tank Avenir Suisse. The CHF 19.9 billion cost is made up of tax breaks and direct federal and cantonal payments to the sector (4.9b), the cost of artificially inflated consumer prices due to […]
Switzerland slides significantly in expat country ranking
A recent survey suggests Switzerland might be losing its attractiveness as a place for foreigners to live and work. Switzerland fell 17 places from 27th to 44th in the ranking of 68 countries done by the networking company Internations. Switzerland’s overall ranking is a mix of good and bad. 78% of expats in Switzerland said […]
New long-haul budget airline from Basel launches fundraising
The idea is simple. Keep costs low by flying point-to-point, thus avoiding costly hubs, use one model of aircraft to contain pilot and aircraft maintenance costs, and charge passengers for everything from coffee to checked-in luggage. Southwest Airlines was first to launch the model and copycats like EasyJet followed. Now a new, yet to be […]
The Swiss National Museum Château de Prangins celebrates its 20th birthday with lights and Lunch on the Grass
This year, Château de Prangins, the largest 18th-century castle open to the public in Switzerland, celebrates its 20th year as home to the Swiss National Museum in French-speaking Switzerland. To celebrate, the chateau is hosting a party, which includes a light sculpture on Saturday 29 September 2018 and the déjeuner sur l’herbe (Lunch on the […]
