The Episcopal Conference of Switzerland (ECS) recently released figures that show a steep rise in the number of cases of sexual abuse reported in 2017 in the Catholic church in Switzerland. After a steep fall in reported cases from 115 in 2010 to 9 in 2012, the number rose to 65 in 2017. The ECS said […]
Halogen light bulbs to be banned in Switzerland
At the beginning of September 2018, Swiss retailers stopped replacing their stocks of nearly all halogen light bulbs. Along with standard incandescent bulbs, which were forced from Swiss shop shelves in 2013, the sale of halogen bulbs will be banned from the end of August 2019. The only halogen bulbs that will remain on sale […]
Certain cat foods sold in Switzerland might be causing cancer
Recent tests show there are high levels of toxins in some dry cat foods available in Switzerland, according to the Swiss romande consumer federation (FRC), a consumer advocacy group. The FRC’s investigation was aimed at finding out whether industrially produced cat food plays any role in the number of cats dying from diseases like cancer […]
FILM: MCQUEEN – the passion and turmoil of a rebel British fashion designer – 4 stars!
7 September 2018. MCQUEEN **** About the rebel British fashion designer, this brilliant documentary shows the span of a career, the span of a character and the span of creation – in it’s purest form – from the gut, from complete passion and from inner turmoil. Alexander McQueen came from London’s East End, with little […]
Daylight saving likely to go in Switzerland
After a public consultation where 84% of 4.6 million people across the EU called for an end to daylight saving, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said millions “believe that in future, summer time should be year-round, and that’s what will happen”. The European Parliament said it is “crucial to maintain a unified EU time regime”. […]
Paddling for cancer – dragon boat racing on Lac de Joux this Sunday
This Sunday, dragon boat teams will take to the waters of the picturesque Lac de Joux to battle it out in a race to raise money and awareness for cancer support in Switzerland. There are two categories of teams: corporate and open. Each team requires a minimum of 16 paddlers, four of which are female. […]
Young Swiss far less worried tech will take their jobs than in other countries
A recent report shows only 34% of young Swiss are concerned the jobs they take will eventually disappear compared to 79% in the US, 74% in Brazil and 76% in Singapore. The main worry is the impact of rapid technological change. Fear levels are mirrored in the response to another question: what kind of job […]
Costs of owning a home in Switzerland could be set to rise for some
Currently, home owners in Switzerland must pay tax on fictional rent, calculated based on a home’s size and location. At the same time home owners get to deduct mortgage interest and home maintenance costs from their taxable income. The system was designed to bring the taxation of home owners into line with that of renters. […]
After the Genoa bridge collapse, how safe are Swiss flyovers?
On 14 August 2018 a viaduct in Genoa collapsed killing 43 people. Switzerland’s national road network, which covers 1,840 km, contains 4,548 road bridges and viaducts. The highest, the Mentue bridge, is 113 m above the ground, and the longest, the Yverdon viaduct, is 3,155 m long. Both are in the canton of Vaud. Another […]
CERN makes a big breakthrough
On 28 August 2018, six years after the discovery of the Higgs boson, physicists at CERN unveiled their latest breakthrough. The Standard Model of particle physics predicts that about 60% of the time a Higgs boson will decay to a pair of bottom quarks. CERN has just announced that this decay has at last been […]
