Tobacco is big business. The industry is expected to generate almost US$ 700 billion globally by 2021. This scale makes the industry a formidable foe for those hoping to spare people the damaging health effects of tobacco addiction. In 2018, a group in Switzerland launched an initiative to ban tobacco advertising targeted at young people. […]
Archives for 2019
MUSICAL SPECTACLE – SI MOLIÈRE M’ETAIT CHANTÉ
If you enjoyed the talented and amusing MAITRES CHANTEURS at the Salle Centrale Madeleine in early December (and coming again in late February 2020), you’ll be bowled over by their musical rendition of MOLIERE called SI MOLIÈRE M’ETAIT CHANTÉ on the 18th and 19th of December. A great French classic turned into a musical evening […]
FILM: JUMANJI – THE NEXT LEVEL – a quality ‘popcorn blockbuster’
13 December 2019. By Neptune. JUMANJI – THE NEXT LEVEL *** Here is what can be called a quality ‘popcorn blockbuster’. If you’re looking for a good family outing, this is great fun for kids from 5 to 95, with fast-paced action and story, and clever acting by all involved. This is the fourth installment […]
Switzerland bans toxic pesticides used since 1960s
Today, Switzerland’s Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG) announced it is withdrawing, with immediate effect, the authorisation to sell products containing the chemical chlorothalonil, an ingredient used since the 1960s to protect crops from disease. The decision follows a reexamination of the toxic effects of the chemical over the summer. FOAG said that after examining data […]
Swiss naturalisation boosts earnings, says research
Academics from ETH Zurich, London School of Economics and Stanford have produced research that suggests naturalisation boosts long term earnings. At first glance this might appear to be an impossible task. Surely those who gain Swiss citizenship are likely to earn more because they possess a range income-boosting attributes that also help them gain citizenship. […]
10 Swiss Christmas markets to get you in a festive mood
While Christmas may be considered an over-commercialised affair, the Swiss hold true to their roots. Traditional Swiss Christmas typically lasts from the beginning of Advent (Sunday 1 December 2019) to the end of Epiphany (6 January 2020). While each Swiss home may give the tradition a slight twist, some customs have remained intact: the excitement, […]
The colourful history of Swiss mountain air rescue
Today two notable organisations provide mountain rescue services in Switzerland. Prior to 1946 mountain air rescue did not exist. Air Glacier SA is based in Sion in Valais, and Swiss Air-Rescue Rega in Zurich. Rega has twelve operational bases around Switzerland but does not operate in Valais. In Valais, Rega uses the services of Air […]
Money for nothing – Swiss government gets paid to borrow
Imagine borrowing CHF 105,500 but only having to repay CHF 100,000 in 20 years time, including interest. You’d get an interest free loan plus an extra CHF 5,500 to keep. This is what the Swiss federal government will do on 20 December 2019, except it will borrow CHF 196.6 million by issuing zero interest bonds […]
2020 Swiss highway stickers on sale
Next year’s Swiss highway sticker, or vignette, is now on sale. Every year it changes colour. This year it’s red. The last time it was this colour was in 2014. Last year, stiffer penalties of up to 3 years in prison were introduced for vignette fraud. The amount lost from various forms of cheating is estimated to […]
Bernese Young Boys get their Wankdorf back
Sometimes things get lost in translation. A recent headline in German-speaking Switzerland shows how translation can go awry. An article published by SRF, Switzerland’s broadcaster, bears the headline “Die Berner Young Boys erhalten ihr Wankdorf zurück“. This translates to “Bernese Young Boys get their Wankdorf back”. Wankdorf – “dorf” is close the English word village […]