On 10 November 2022, Switzerland and the UK, two nations outside the EU, signed an agreement deepening the relationship between the two nations’ research and innovation communities. The agreement was signed by UK Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation, George Freeman MP, alongside Federal Councillor Parmelin, Head of Switzerland’s Federal Department of Economic […]
Huge Covid test fraud potentially uncovered in Switzerland
While checking statements from health insurers a number of people have noticed Covid tests that were never administered. One individual in St. Gallen discovered 30 Covid tests billed by a doctor in Vaud on their statement, reported RTS. A spokesperson for Santésuisse, a health insurance association, said the organisation estimates that 1% of Covid tests […]
Swiss environment and energy minister resigns
On 2 November 2022, Simonetta Sommaruga, Switzerland’s minister for the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication, a role she’s held since 2019, tendered her resignation. Sommaruga said the reason for her departure was personal and related to the health of her husband. The minister had already taken a week away from her duties to be with […]
Month of October the hottest ever recorded
According to Meteo Swiss, Switzerland experienced its hottest October since weather records began in 1864, surpassing the monthly average maximum by 1 degree. The unusually high average temperature was caused by a persistent air current from the west and southwest. In addition to higher temperatures, this led to less rain than normal and longer sunshine […]
Swiss inflation stable in October
Switzerland’s consumer price index (CPI) remained stable in October 2022 compared with the previous month, reported Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) this week. This left year-on-year inflation at the end of October 2022 at 3%, the same level that it was at the end of September 2022. The stability of the index compared with the […]
New Swiss passport features rivers and mountains
The new Swiss passport, available from Monday, features Switzerland’s rivers and mountains. The latest series, Switzerland’s fifth passport design, aims to be both traditional and cosmopolitan. Water, a key feature of the new design, shapes and forms the Swiss landscape and symbolises life and motion, announced the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol). The first page […]
Swiss pay rises don’t keep up with inflation
Recent data from Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) show recent collective pay rises fall short of inflation. Switzerland’s key labour agreements between employers and unions included a nominal pay rise of 0.8% for 2022 and a 0.6% nominal rise in minimum wages, wrote the FSO on 31 October 2022. However, set against inflation of 3% […]
Switzerland breaks record for longest train
On 29 October 2022, Switzerland ran the longest passenger train in the world from Preda to Alvaneu in the mountainous canton of Graubunden in eastern Switzerland, reported RTS. The train, made up of 100 carriages and measuring close to 2 km long (1,910 metres), made the 25 km journey in around 45 minutes. The train, […]
Switzerland to tax e-cigarettes
Those with a vaping habit in Switzerland will soon have to pay tax on vaping liquid, reported RTS. On 26 October 2022, Switzerland’s Federal Council sent a project to tax the product to the federal parliament. Different levels of tax will be applied to two different categories of product. Reusable products will have their liquids […]
No price rises for Swiss public transport in 2023
For the seventh consecutive year, the price of tickets on Swiss public transport will remain unchanged. It will also become easier to buy tickets for bicycles and canine companions, reported RTS. News of no price increases is likely to be welcomed given the relatively high price of Swiss public transport. A survey several years ago […]
