In September 2019, groups of people belonging to the environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion blocked two road bridges in Lausanne. Local police cleared the bridges by removing, in some cases carrying, protesters away. On 7 November 2019, 117 of the people involved in the bridge protests were convicted and fined for breaking Switzerland’s penal code, […]
Archives for 2019
FILM: MIDWAY – if you are into classic war films of great heroism, run to this
8 November 2019. By Neptune From sparkling days of glorious colors to overcast mornings and heavy downpours, from tangy oranges and comforting pumpkins, to woolly cardigans, slick raincoats and shiny boots, autumn is back as the days grow ever shorter. And cinema time is here, happy to be indoors and warm, with good things to […]
Worried about flying? Geneva Airport’s CEO is listening
By Scott Poynton With the world finally waking up to the reality of climate change, flying is increasingly coming in for a bad rap. Planes put a lot of carbon into the atmosphere. Greta Thunberg chose to sail across the Atlantic last month to attend the New York climate bash because she wanted to avoid […]
Geneva to ban Uber if it doesn’t change its operating model
After a legal analyis the government of the canton of Geneva has decided that drivers of the ride hailing service are employees rather than independent contractors, effectively banning Uber from operating under its current model. In an interview with RTS, Mauro Poggia, a lawyer and Geneva state councillor, said that Uber is a transport company […]
Negative rates might go lower, says Swiss National Bank chairman
Thomas Jordan, chairman of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper recently that central bank interest rates might need to go further into negative territory. Responding to growing criticism of negative central bank interest rates, Jordan said negative interest rates could continue and a further reduction is possible. Could Swiss banks […]
How to learn a language as easily as a child
Brought to you by Swiss French School. Babies and toddlers have several advantages over adults when it comes to language learning. American linguist and cognitive scientist Noam Chomsky believes humans have an innate linguistic capacity that is biologically preset in the human brain. He calls this a Language Acquisition Device (LAD). We were all born with […]
WAGNER! 5 – 9 NOVEMBER 2019 GENEVA – EVIAN
In a city as Geneva and its environs, with a rich heritage of all sorts of world music, including the best of classical and operatic performances between such grand venues as Victoria Hall, the Grand Theatre or the BFM, a new idea dares to raise its head concentrating on lyrical music of the past while […]
Swiss commission supports new laws to protect whistleblowers
A commission of the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, is in favour of new rules to protect whistleblowers. The proposed rules, which would help to protect those who expose secretive information or activity that is deemed illegal or unethical, were supported by 6 commission votes to 2 with 4 abstentions. The proposal, which would […]
Swiss parliamentary commission supports fuel tax hike
The parliamentary environmental commission has endorsed a plan to increase the taxes on fuel in Switzerland. Following support for a fuel tax increase by the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, the commission said it supports a rise of 10 cents a litre until 2024 and 12 cents a litre from 2025. These increases are […]
Swiss government cuts drug prices by 100 million francs
Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) recently announced it had reduced the price Swiss healthcare providers and patients will pay for 257 drugs by 16.3%. These lower prices, which take affect on 1 December 2019, are expected to save CHF 100 million annually. The FOPH looked at the prices of 478 drugs and achieved […]
