On Sunday, Swiss will be asked to vote on two federal referenda, one on gun laws and another on tax and pension reform. Gun laws Following the gun attacks in Paris and Brussels, the EU tightened gun rules in 2017. In 2018, the government of Switzerland, a nation outside the EU but within the Schengen […]
Swiss open to the idea of raising retirement age, according to union
Employees Switzerland, a union organisation representing Swiss workers, is resigned to the idea of raising the retirement age, according to Swiss broadcaster RTS. Speaking to the newspaper NZZ am Sonntag, Stefan Studer, director of the association, said raising the retirement age is inevitable because of the financial difficulties facing Switzerland’s state pension system, known as […]
Protests against 5G mobile continue in Switzerland
Last week, a crowd assembled in Bern outside Switzerland’s federal parliament building to protest the roll out of 5G mobile technology in Switzerland. Frequencia, the organisation behind the demonstration, claims that around 3,000 people attended. Switzerland’s “Stop 5G” movement is demanding a halt to further roll out of the technology in Switzerland, a process already […]
Swiss discuss banning young drivers from roads at night
Nights, particularly weekend nights, are when most accidents involving young drivers occur. Between 2013 and 2017, 2,267 young adults between 18 and 24 were seriously injured on Swiss roads and an average of 32 were killed annually, around 14% of Switzerland’s total road deaths. Because driving reflexes are less internalized among inexperienced drivers, distractions, such […]
More than 40 serious threats against Swiss politicians and judges in 2018
In 2018, 669 threats against politicians, judges and other public servants were reported to Swiss police, according to RTS. In 43 serious cases, Swiss police came to protect the threatened individual from danger. Victims of serious threats included parliamentarians (National Councillors), members of cabinet (Federal Councillors) and judges. The threats were mainly associated with refugees […]
Question of the week: why do so many expect government to solve climate change?
Climate protests are becoming increasingly regular and their message appears to be aimed primarily at government. However, we are all, protestors included, contributing to the problem by consuming food, energy, clothing and by moving around. And while there are things governments could do, they appear to be largely damned if they do and damned if […]
Swiss nuclear power station automatically shut down
Over the weekend the nuclear power station at Leibstadt was stopped, according to the broadcaster RTS. At 2:16am on Sunday one of the reactors at the nuclear power station of Leibstadt was automatically stopped in response to the malfunction of a pressure regulator. After the shutdown the reactor was in a stable state with no […]
“CH” stickers might disappear from Swiss cars
The “CH” sticker that Swiss drivers must legally put on their vehicles before entering another country might disappear, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. The sticker, a distinguishing sign of the state in which the car is registered, must be attached to rear of any vehicle driven in a foreign country1. It is required under […]
A family apartment in Geneva close to twice the price of one in St. Gallen
On average, renting a 4.5 room apartment of 100 to 110 m2 costs CHF 3,820 a month in Geneva. The same apartment in the Swiss city of St. Gallen costs CHF 2,004, 52% of the price, according to a report on rents in Switzerland’s ten main cities by the price comparison website Comparis. For an […]
Swiss politicians call for fines for those who don’t vaccinate
The recent rise in the number of cases of measles, a disease which is easily prevented by vaccination, has led some Swiss politicians to call for compulsory vaccination, and fines for those avoiding them, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. Switzerland’s system of collective compulsory health insurance means the costs of the actions of individuals […]
