When Swiss cyclists look back and see a car overtaking them, they have good reason to be extra cautious. One in ten bike accidents happen when a vehicle is passing a cyclist, according to The Swiss Bicycle Advocacy Association, PRO VELO. That’s why the group, meeting last weekend in Aarau, proposed that Switzerland adopt a […]
Celebrating Thanksgiving in Switzerland – at home or out on the town
The Thanksgiving holiday is a big deal in North America. Canada already celebrated theirs on October 9th, but the U.S. celebrates theirs the fourth Thursday in November – that’s the 23rd this year. For these New Worlders, Thanksgiving is an autumn holiday glowing with family, friends and a certain golden-brown guest of honour who always […]
How a single event caused Switzerland’s global gender gap ranking to plunge
Every year the World Economic Forum (WEF), a Swiss-based foundation, publishes its Global Gender Gap ranking. This year Switzerland slipped to 21st, down from 11th last year. This slump was caused by a single event. The ranking scores countries in 14 areas. These are weighted and consolidated into a single figure. On 9 of the […]
Second rape claim hits high-profile Swiss Islamic scholar
Late last week, another claim of sexual assault by Geneva-born Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan surfaced, according to the French newspaper Le Monde. The woman, who came forward anonymously, claims she was assaulted in a hotel room in Lyon in 2009. This accusation follows another from Henda Ayari, who named Ramadan as her aggressor in a Facebook […]
Swiss Rail to test smoke-free train stations and platforms
Swiss Rail has announced it will experiment with smoking restrictions at various train stations in response to customer complaints about second-hand smoke and cigarette butts on platforms impacting on comfort. The tests will be run during 2018 in 5 or 6 stations. A document obtained by the newspaper NZZ listed the stations involved in the […]
Tears of joy: the annual onion market returns to Bern
It’s almost that time of year again, when the square in front of Switzerland’s federal government building becomes a sprawling, noisy, confetti-strewn, odiferous altar to all things onion. Continuing a tradition dating from at least the 18th century, Bern’s annual Zibelemärit (Onion Market or Festival) takes place each year on the normally chilly fourth Monday of […]
Saving 4 tonnes of ‘junk’ from landfill: Swiss repair cafés
Switzerland’s Repair Cafés, part of a global movement started in the Netherlands, are turning the old saying: one person’s junk is another’s treasure, into: your junk is your treasure. On October 27th, about 1,500 items – everything from stuffed bears and toy tractors to vacuum cleaners and digital cameras – were saved from Swiss junk piles, […]
Why men in Switzerland die before women
It’s Movember, the season of unlikely moustaches, grown to highlight men’s health. Causes of disease and death are not always clear, however, gender differences in lifestyle and disease offer some clues to lower male life expectancy. Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) puts male life expectancy at 81.5 years, 3.8 years behind women, who live 85.2 […]
Swiss hate lateness – a study shows just how much
In Switzerland, punctuality is important. Expectations vary by age, gender, political leaning and language. Someone among the 15% that frown upon any degree of tardiness is most likely to be male, over 65, politically right, and Italian speaking, according to figures published in a survey by Sotomo. The survey, done on behalf of the insurance […]
Swiss depression rates far higher among French and Italian speakers
The results of a recent report by Switzerland’s Federal statistical Office reveal big differences in reported depression rates across Switzerland. The data, published by Le Matin over the weekend, show that almost 9% of those in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland suffer from depression, compared to 5.5% in the Swiss-German-speaking part. The regional difference for women […]
