Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. Natalie Obiko Pearson and Katia Dmitrieva, writing for Bloomberg, look at the UBS 2016 Global Real Estate Bubble Index report. While Switzerland’s two main cities, Zurich and Geneva, are not described as having “Bubble risk” they are in the next category: “Overvalued”. Vancouver, London and Stockholm rank as the […]
Forget this and you risk getting fined in France
According to Tribune de Genève, one unlucky Swiss resident was fined in Gaillard in neighbouring France for using the wrong parking disk. They were fined 17 euros, despite not overstaying. Swiss rules require drivers to set their arrival time to the nearest half hour after their arrival. Someone arriving at 8:36 should set their disk […]
From Saturday, foreigners breaking the law risk expulsion
Tribune de Genève. A new law to deport foreign criminals comes into force on 1 October 2016. Geneva’s judiciary fears an explosion in the number of cases. In 2010, a referendum put forward by the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), was accepted by 52.9% of voters. This Saturday it comes into effect. This means anyone who […]
Swiss parliament allows retirement age to go to 67
Switzerland’s parliament voted today on whether the official retirement age should be allowed to rise to 67. With 106 votes for, and 90 against, the National Council approved a plan to deal with the financial challenges of providing pensions in an era with more old people who are living longer. The plan includes automatic hikes in […]
Swiss-based imam approves of niqab ban
20 Minutes. According to 20 Minutes, Bern-based imam Mustafa Memeti approves of the Swiss parliament approving a plan to ban full veils across the nation. Others are still unsure. Yesterday, Switzerland’s National Council accepted, with 88 votes for and 87 votes against, to ban the wearing of burkas and niqabs nationwide. The imam’s comments and those from […]
Plans unveiled for an exciting new building in Zurich
Plans were recently unveiled for a glitzy new office building in Zurich, designed by famed Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava. The grass-topped masterpiece, which will sit next to Zürich’s Stadelhofen train station, will include a bicycle park for around 1,000 bikes. Currently, the square in front of Switzerland’s seventh busiest station is crowded and littered with bicycles. The […]
Switzerland stays most competitive nation as WEF warns on trade
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The World Economic Forum named Switzerland the most competitive nation for an eighth straight year as it warned less open trade was threatening economic growth globally. Switzerland was ahead of Singapore and the U.S. in the annual rankings of 138 countries, with Netherlands overtaking Germany to take the fourth […]
Swiss parliament votes in favour of nationwide burka ban
Today, Switzerland’s parliament voted, by a slim majority, to accept the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) text banning the wearing of burkas across all of Switzerland. The text, accepted by 88 votes to 87, is the same as the text used for a similar ban in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, that went into force on 1 July […]
Swiss health insurance hikes announced for 2017
On 26 September 2016, the Federal Public Health Office (OFSP) announced Swiss health insurance premiums for 2017. The average increase across all cantons and insurance companies will be 4.5%, ranging from 3.5% to 7.3% depending on the canton. These figures are for standard cover for an adult with a deductible of CHF 300, including accident […]
This year’s best Swiss cheese, selected from over 800
Over the weekend a group of judges sniffed and tasted their way through more than 800 different cheeses at the tenth Swiss Cheese Awards hosted in the Vallée de Joux, in Vaud, Switzerland. The most pleasing to nose and mouth was an Alpine gruyère AOP (Appellation d’Origine Protégée) made by Jean-Claude Pittet, from Brassus in […]
