In 2015, Swiss residents made 24 million shopping trips abroad. The average Swiss-based cross-border shopper travelled 69 kilometres to shop in a neighbouring country, 55 kilometres further than they did when shopping in Switzerland, according to a study published by Credit Suisse. Credit Suisse calculated that, on average, a cross-border shopper would need to spend […]
Archives for 2018
Push to extend shop opening hours to 8pm in Geneva
The Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) in Geneva wants shopping hours in Geneva to be standardized and extended. In general, French-speaking Switzerland has stricter laws on opening hours that the rest of Switzerland. For example a Migros store in Zurich is open until 9pm every night except Sunday. A similar store in Geneva is only open until […]
Geneva Airport cleans up its emissions but ignores its past
In 2016, the airport says it removed 10,000 tCO2 from the atmosphere, the amount it emitted that year. It has been investing in extracting carbon since 2011. Based on its emissions effort in 2016, it became one of 37 carbon neutral airports, according to airport carbon accreditation. These emissions relate only to the airport and […]
A quarter of Swiss workers stressed and exhausted, according to new research
Around a quarter of Swiss workers are stressed and exhausted, according to new research. A three-year study by the University of Bern and Zurich University of Applied Sciences, which covers the period from 2014 to 2016, estimates that this stress and exhaustion cost Swiss companies between CHF 5 and CHF 5.8 billion a year. The […]
Roger Federer – a few facts
Yesterday, Roger Federer won the Australian open, beating Marin Cilic from Croatia, making him the first male player to win 20 grand slam finals. “Of course winning is an absolute dream come true,” Federer told the crowd while holding the trophy. “The fairytale continues for me after the great year I had last year. It’s […]
Swiss fact: nearly half of Swiss rental properties owned by individuals
If you rent a home in Switzerland it is more likely to belong to an individual than a big real estate company or pension fund. In 2017, 49% of residential rental properties in Switzerland were owned by individuals, according to Statistics published by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. The highest rate of rental home ownership […]
My Swiss Story – a multilingual life in a multilingual nation
Everyone has a story. My Swiss Story is a series that looks at lives in Switzerland. Born and raised in a small German village near Stuttgart, Diana Linder lives with her husband and two boys in Veigy-Foncenex, a French commune bordering Geneva. A freelance interpreter, working mostly in Switzerland, she speaks German, English, French and Spanish. […]
Income inequality in Switzerland remains stable after redistribution
Income inequality in Switzerland has remained stable according to a report published by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office. A key measure of inequality involves dividing the income share of the top 20% by that of the bottom 20%, a measure known as S80/S20. 1 is complete equality. In 2015, the latest figure, the S80/S20 for Switzerland […]
Geneva’s Black Movie Festival
A bright spark in this dreary January in Geneva is certainly the Black Movie festival. Take “Silent Mist”, a visually mesmerising film shot on location in a remote Chinese village. “Still no electricity”, says the Director, Zhang Miaoyan, explaining the string of red lanterns that light up the movie and the night. A moving story, […]
FILM: THE POST (The Pentagon Papers) – It could make you a better more hopeful person
26 January 2018. THE POST (The Pentagon Papers) **** Stephen Spielberg must be a good man. It’s simply obvious in his filmography: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND; SCHINDLER’S LIST; AMISTAD; LINCOLN; SAVING PRIVATE RYAN; BRIDGE OF SPIES; etc. etc. He always has his audience in mind – offering them worthwhile, historical themes, or thrilling […]
