20 Minutes The newspaper 20 Minutes reported that the UDC (SVP) presented a motion in the Swiss parliament for an immediate moratorium on asylum. The UDC demand follows a move in Austria last week to stop examining asylum demands to spur other EU members to make more effort to welcome refugees. The UDC’s demand includes […]
Bertarelli boat involved in dangerous collision
24heures The newspaper 24heures reports that the Bertarelli trimaran Spindrift 2 was involved in an accident, which left a woman severely injured possibly requiring the amputation of her leg. Spindrift 2 hit another boat on 16 June 2015 at Lorient in Sweden, the starting point of the ninth and final leg of the Volvo Ocean […]
Geneva’s best 2014 wines named
Tribune de Genève On Wednesday night, in the presence of Brigitte Rosset and state counsellor Luc Barthassat in the courtyard of Geneva’s town hall, 60 wine experts tasted 650 local wines. 56 were awarded medals. Gamay and chasselas were the best represented grape varieties, unsurprising given they make up two thirds of Geneva’s grape production. […]
Frontaliers hit hardest by proposed changes to Geneva’s tax rules
Tribune de Genève According to the newspaper Tribune de Genève, proposed changes to Geneva’s tax rules, designed to pull in an extra CHF 28 million of tax revenue, will hit cross-border workers hardest. The changes, to be put before the canton’s Grand Council as part of the 2016 budget, will replace deductions for actual travel […]
Swiss vote results 14 June 2015 – 2 Yes and 2 No
The results of the votes are largely as predicted. The vote to allow the genetic selections of embryos for certain parents passed with nearly 62% in favour. Voters in Vaud and Geneva were strongly in favour both with “yes” votes of more than 80%. Plans to change how TV-radio licences are charged and who must […]
Discover the enchanting Talis music festival in Saas-Fee Switzerland
The hills are alive…with Cornalin grapes and the sound of music! This is not about singing or yodelling up the mountainside, but about a unique music festival, which established itself in Saas-Fee, the Swiss Alpine resort in July 2014. The brainchild of Maria Wildhaber, the Founder and Artistic Director, the Talis Festival and Academy is […]
More money for students? – Swiss vote
On 14 June 2015 Swiss voters will decide whether to increase tertiary student bursaries and make them a federal rather than a cantonal matter. Presently, bursaries are determined and paid by cantons and vary significantly from canton to canton. In 2013 the highest annual average of CHF 9,365 was in Vaud and the lowest of […]
Swiss vote to tax inheritance
On 14 June 2015 Swiss voters will be asked if they want to impose a 20% federal tax on inheritance. Gifts and donations while alive would also be caught by the tax. Currently inheritance tax is a cantonal matter and most Swiss cantons don’t levy any. The proposal The new federal tax of 20% would […]
High speed Swiss Gotthard tunnel countdown begins
On 2 June 2015 the 365 day countdown to the official opening of the new Gotthard base rail tunnel started. The 57 kilometre long train tunnel is scheduled to open on 1 June 2016. It is the world’s longest train tunnel, longer than the Channel Tunnel and the Seikan Tunnel in Japan, which links the […]
Swiss rents set to drop
Every three months the rate of interest used to set Swiss rents is reviewed. If it goes down some renters have the right to request a decrease in rent. On 1 June 2015 it was reduced from 2.00% to 1.75% so many currently have a chance to reduce their rent. The interest rate used to […]
