9 September 2022. By Neptune THE APPLE DAY ***1/2 (vo Farsi) This warm and touching Iranian film starts off with a father and his small son picking apples in their village to sell in the city. They transport the apples in the little van that the father drives. Later we see the young children […]
38% of Swiss speak more than one language at work
In many places one language is all that is required at work. In Switzerland, 37.7% of workers surveyed reported regularly using two or more languages at work, according to data published by the Federal Statistical Office on 6 September 2022. While 62.3% used only one language at work, 22.2% regularly used two and 15.5% used […]
Swiss government launches energy saving campaign
On 31 August 2022, Switzerland’s federal government launched its campaign to cut energy consumption to reduce the risks of an energy shortfall over the coming winter. The government stressed that there was currently no energy shortfall. However, Simonetta Sommaruga, the minister in charge of energy, said it was important to cut energy consumption to avoid […]
Swiss GDP growth jumps in 2021
Switzerland’s Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 4.2% in 2021, according to recently released data by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The increase follows a decrease of -2.4% in 2020, a year marking the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Thanks to this upswing, GDP in 2021 was above the level of 2019, although some areas of the […]
Chart of the week: Swiss forest cover compared to other European nations
Before humans settled in western Europe the majority of its surface was covered in forest. Since then much of the natural forest has been displaced by agriculture, buildings and infrastructure. In a list of 16 western European nations, Switzerland was ranked 9th in terms of the percentage of its surface covered in forest (32%). Finland, […]
Swiss inflation up slightly in August 2022
Figures published by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) on 2 September 2022 show annual inflation running at 3.5% in August, up from 3.4% in July. Switzerland’s consumer price index (CPI) was up slightly in August 2022 compared with the previous month, and 3.5% higher compared with the same month of the previous year, said FSO. […]
Covid among top three causes of death in Switzerland in 2020
In a typical year there are around 70,000 deaths in Switzerland. In 2020, there were 76,195 deaths, 12.4% more than the year before. The jump in deaths was due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), which published mortality data this week. The two leading causes of death in Switzerland in […]
The 3 biggest current concerns in Switzerland, based on survey
According to a recent survey, health costs, pensions and climate change and the three greatest concerns among Switzerland’s population. The online survey published by Tamedia on 26 August 2022 looks at support for the main political parties along with the main concerns of voters. Since the previous survey on 5 January 2022, support for the […]
2022 Switzerland’s second hottest summer since 1864
The summer of 2022 was Switzerland’s second hottest since the beginning of measurements in 1864, according to weather forecaster Meteo Swiss. The only hotter summer was recorded in 2003. The last three months were extremely dry, especially in western Switzerland, with repeated heat waves and sunshine hours well above the norm, wrote Meteo News. Average […]
Swiss to vote on marriage tax penalty
In Switzerland, marriage can increase the amount of tax a couple pays, something referred to as the marriage penalty. Higher tax is levied on married couples because they are assessed on their combined income rather than separately. Another argument against the current system is that it presents an economic barrier for second income earners who […]
