Freddie Mercury, front man for the British rock band Queen, spent much of his final years in Switzerland. Mercury recorded his last music in 1991 in Mountain Studios, a recording studio in Montreux the band bought in 1978. David Bowie’s life in Switzerland (Le News) The band continues, but with only two of its original members: […]
New tax to pay for new minimum Swiss income?
20 Minutes. According to 20 Minutes, those behind this June’s vote proposing a minimum income, have come up with a new way to fund it. They want a tax on electronic transactions. The initiative calls for an unconditional minimum monthly income of CHF 2,500 for each adult and CHF 625 for each child. The projected annual cost […]
What would you do if you found 144,000 francs?
One week ago, a couple left CHF 144,000 in a bag on a tram in Basel. The bag was found and handed to the police by a public transport employee. The couple were on their way to visit their daughter when they left a bag containing 144,000 francs in a tram. Once returned to the […]
Are you a struggling writer? The Geneva writers conference could help.
The conference is for people who not only wish to take their writing seriously, but who also have a stake in eventually publishing their work, either through traditional outlets, or as independently published authors. In today’s publishing climate authors are making less money than ever. Higher percentages and more control pertain where authors have the […]
Franc surge temporary after ECB sends mixed signals
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The SMI is set to finish flat this week (-0.12%), outperforming global equity market (MSCI World -0.68% ) with European stocks losing value after the long awaited ECB policy meeting. Stock markets around the world were mixed with risk appetite increasing ahead of Thursday’s European Central Bank (ECB) policy […]
Vaud moves ahead with phase out of controversial Swiss tax deals
After nearly ten years of European Union (EU). OECD and G20 opposition to certain controversial Swiss tax structures, Switzerland’s government agreed a deal in 2014 to do away with such arrangements. Under current rules Swiss cantons can offer preferential tax rates to certain companies, mostly multinationals with most of their activity abroad. This is now changing. What […]
Swiss asylum numbers down sharply in February
On 10 March 2016, Switzerland’s administration published numbers on asylum requests in February 2016. 2,705 requests were made during the month. Most came from citizens of Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Eritrea. February’s number is more that 25% lower than January, when 3,618 requests were filed. The same countries, Afghanistan (651 requests), Syria (244 requests), Iraq […]
Geneva wants old French nuclear reactors shut down
20 Minutes. The Bugey nuclear power station in France is under attack by the canton and city of Geneva. At around 75 km from Geneva, as the crow flies, its condition continues to deteriorate according to the French lawyer representing Geneva. The lawyer, Corinne Lepage, a former French minister for the environment, said the plant is suffering […]
Products tested on animals to be banned in Switzerland
Switzerland’s government plans to ban the sale of cosmetics and cleaning products that have been tested on animals abroad. Maya Graf of the Green party called on the government to ban the sale of cosmetics and cleaning products containing ingredients tested on animals. The EU has already banned such products. Other tests can be used to avoid […]
Snow returns to Switzerland
This morning many in Switzerland awoke to snow. Here are some photos taken near Vevey this morning. This snow is unlikely to remain in many places with temperatures set to climb tomorrow according to Swiss Meteo. Temperatures are forecast to rise as high as 8C in parts of the country tomorrow. For more stories like […]
