On 12 February 2017, the Swiss electorate will vote on constitutional changes to spend large sums on roads. The Swiss government says the country has a good transport system, which has been pushed to its limits due to increasing mobility. On many national roads and in the cities, traffic congestion is the norm, it says. Aim of the proposal […]
Swiss fact: 96% of Swiss workers earn more than 3,000 francs a month
A report published by the Swiss Federal Office of statistics, shows that only 4.3% of full-time1 workers earn CHF 3,000 or less per month2. The monthly figure is net of social security deductions, but includes one twelfth of the 13th bonus month typically paid in Switzerland. CHF 3,000 per month is CHF 36,000 a year, […]
Swiss threatened over Iranian researcher
20 Minutes. After being turned away from a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Boston last Saturday by a person in front of the Lufthansa gate, who introduced himself as a representative from the consulate of the United States of America, the Iranian Swiss-based researcher Dr. Samira Asgari, tried again, on 31 January 2017, to fly […]
Swiss foreign minister responds to Trump travel ban
Changes to immigration policy in the United States have raised a number of practical travel questions. They have also ignited a far-reaching debate on values. Swiss foreign minister Didier Burkhalter said “From a practical point of view, I think it is up to the United States authorities to set the conditions for immigration into their […]
Swiss to vote on fast-track citizenship for third generation immigrants
On 12 February 2017, the Swiss electorate will vote on the Federal Decree on the Simplified Naturalisation of Third-Generation Immigrants. Switzerland is well known for its strict citizenship requirements. Currently, most foreign nationals must live in Switzerland for twelve years before applying, and prove they are well integrated. There are numerous young foreigners living in […]
Siren tests in Switzerland. What you need to know.
Every year Switzerland tests its sirens. The sirens were installed across the country starting in 1936. Testing was introduced in 1970 and became compulsory in 1988. Testing now takes place once a year on the first Wednesday of February starting at 13:30. Sirens must be sounded for three minutes. The tests finish at 14:00 for […]
Toxic smog in Ticino forces authorities to ban cars from roads
20 Minuti. From midnight on Monday, driving a diesel vehicle with a Euro rating of 3 or lower was banned in the Sottoceneri region of the Italian-speaking Swiss canton of Ticino. In addition, local authorities made travelling on public transport free. Concentrations of fine particles per cubic metre of air reached alarming levels in Chiasso (126μg) Mendrisio (125μg), […]
Democracy’s decline: Switzerland now one of only 19 full democracies, says study
The latest Democracy Index by the Economist Intelligence Unit, entitled: Revenge of the “deplorables”, lists only 19 full democracies, down from 20 in 2015. 72 countries of the 167 surveyed, covering nearly the entire global population, experienced a decline in their total score compared with 2015. Now, only 4.5% of the world lives in a […]
More than 3,000 state beneficiaries in Geneva admit not declaring assets or other income
Tribune de Genève. Last October, Geneva state councillor Mauro Poggia, had his department send out close to 91,000 letters to those receiving social benefits, asking them to contact the authorities if they had failed to declare any assets or income. Laurent Paoliello, a spokesperson from the DEAS, said they received 3,200 letters back. So far, […]
Swiss-based scientist unable to go to Harvard because she is Iranian
20 Minutes. The executive order issued by the US president preventing those holding certain nationalities entering the US has caused travel chaos and upset the lives of many. Among them is Dr. Samira Asgari, a scientific researcher at EPFL in Lausanne. On Saturday, while trying to fly to the US, she was told she could not […]
