20 Minuten. For quite some time Swiss has been promoting affordable airfares that compare favourably with airlines such as easyjet, which have lured customers away from established airlines by promising low cost air travel. Now according to an article in 20 Minuten, Swiss is increasing its airfares. Tickets issued for long haul flights from 6 […]
Swiss real estate bubble index rises significantly
The UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index rose significantly in the second quarter of 2015 and now stands at 1.37 index points. The report says that the housing market is still caught up in an investment property boom. House prices and private household mortgages went up disproportionately relative to Switzerland’s weak economy. The Index rose […]
50 billion loss for the Swiss National Bank
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) reported a CHF 50.1 billion loss for the first half of 2015. The loss is largely driven by changes in the Swiss franc value of the assets it owns. The rise in the value of the Swiss franc following the dropping of the euro cap in January 2015 means foreign […]
Jazz under the rocks… of an ancient fort
The usual reason one heads to Bellegarde is to jump onto the Geneva-Paris TGV, as it makes its first stop to pick up those living in neighbouring Pays de Gex. But next time, just before the downhill drive, swing a left to the Fort l’Ecluse where an exceptional jazz festival is taking place all summer […]
Revolution in the UDC? A Happy Valley Exclusive!
The August 1 Swiss national holiday is almost here. It’s a day awaited with bated breath by your loyal Happy Valley Correspondent. Why? Well, first of all there are fireworks. Many fireworks. Fireworks which even in the tiniest of bleds often rival those of an Olympic closing ceremony. And Happy Valley is no exception. Second, […]
Swiss ‘steal’ French water
This week pictures of a Swiss army helicopter scooping water out of a French lake in the Jura region of France flew around world media. The water was used to quench the thirst of Swiss cows after a long heatwave which depleted local water supplies. The Swiss army’s actions surprised bathers and drew criticism from […]
Vaud fireworks ban sparks anger
20 Minutes. Ahead of the 1st of August celebrations of Swiss national day, fireworks have been banned in the canton of Vaud unless set off from the lake by professionals at least 300 metres from the shore. Those working in the industry are angry and think the ban goes too far. Some Vaud fire fighters […]
Swiss corporate tax reform – patent boxes no panacea
Tages Anzeiger. The European Union (EU) doesn’t like the special tax deals that are offered to companies to entice them to set up in Switzerland. So the Swiss government is working hard to find a replacement. One element of their new plan is to offer patent boxes. A recent study by economists from BAK in […]
Mind-blowing facts about Switzerland
Quora.com – where questions are asked and answered by a community of users. Dheera Venkatraman says: That the annual CO2 emissions per capita is around 5-6 metric tonnes. That’s astounding efficiency for a developed nation. Compare that to 18-19 for the United States and 9-10 for Germany, 8-10 for Japan in recent years. That the […]
Growing crowds at Lausanne soup kitchen
Tages Anzeiger. Some might imagine there is little need for soup kitchens to feed the poor in Lausanne. Philippe Reichen, writing for the Tages Anzeiger, describes life at “La Soupe Populaire”, a soup kitchen in Lausanne which feeds around 200 people every day. “La Soupe Populaire” has been enormously popular for years. In 2008, when […]
