Switzerland has many laws relating to animals. In January 2018, it made world news after banning live lobster boiling. Now there is an initiative to prevent suffering among cats. More than 100,000 signatures, the number required to hold a federal referendum, have been collected for an initiative that aims to make it compulsory to have […]
Swiss clocks move forward one hour this Sunday
Early on Sunday 25 March 2018 – at 2am to be precise – Swiss clocks move forward one hour. This means you will miss one hour of sleep and it will be darker when you get up. On the plus side, it will be lighter for longer in the evenings. Much of the rest of […]
Raising Switzerland’s retirement age – like death and taxes
Last week, State Councillor Peter Hegglin (PDC/CVP) withdrew his motion demanding Switzerland’s retirement age automatically rise with life expectancy. He argues that Switzerland urgently needs to find a way to ensure the financial health of its pension system and raising the retirement age is the main way to do this. Across most of the OECD […]
Women in government – should gender equality be added to Switzerland’s constitution?
Should Switzerland’s constitution demand gender equality in government? This is the question being considered in Bern. Currently, the constitution only demands an equitable representation of Switzerland’s regions and linguistic groups. This text has a long history and is focused on ensuring cohesion across Switzerland’s diverse regional and linguistic patchwork. Gender has no regional dimension. In […]
Geneva’s mega apartment project now underway – 1,000 apartments and 2,500 jobs
Last week, work started on a project to construct 1,000 apartments in Geneva. The project known as the Quartier de l’Etang will unfold over an 11 hectare site in Vernier, not far from Geneva airport. The video above shows the commencement ceremony and a computer animation of the completed project. The man behind it, Claude […]
Switzerland’s parliament rejects plan to cut health insurance discounts
Switzerland has a system of compulsory health insurance. Residents must choose an insurer and pay. Those who don’t are automatically signed up and sent a bill. Other than shopping around, choosing a policy with an excess, a sum that must be covered out of your own pocket before the insurance kicks in, is one of […]
Geneva International Motor Show visitor numbers down in 2018
The Geneva International Motor Show ended this evening. Compared to 2017, the number of visitors was down. Putting a positive spin on the decline, the organizer pointed out that fewer people and more space in the car park made visiting a better experience. The number of attendees in 2018 was down by 4.5% to 660,000, […]
Swiss voters could get to decide on Switzerland’s Winter Olympics bid
In October 2017, when Switzerland’s Federal Council announced the government would stand behind Sion’s bid for the 2026 Winter Olympics, it sparked a backlash. A survey run by Tamedia in February 2018 suggests 59% of the Swiss public are against the bid, according to RTS. The estimated cost to Swiss taxpayers is close to CHF […]
Zurich and Geneva in top 10 most expensive cities
According to the Worldwide Cost of Living 2018 survey published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Singapore is the most expensive city in the world. Zurich and Geneva however are hot on its tail ranking 2rd and 6th respectively. Zurich is the most expensive in Europe in second position alongside Paris. The survey compares more than 400 individual […]
Snow returns to Switzerland this weekend
Snow is set to return to Switzerland falling on regions above 1,100 metres on Friday evening across the Lake Geneva region. On Saturday the snow limit is forecast to fall to 600 metres. In addition, the Bise wind is set strengthen over the course of Friday afternoon, according to Meteo Suisse. In German-speaking Switzerland the […]
