Some political parties say Switzerland needs to save, but not at the expense of farmers, reports 20 Minutes. Parties upset by planned cuts include the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), the PDC/CVP and PBD/BDP. The Swiss People’s Party in particular, has a long history of defending farmers’ interests. Some in French-speaking Switzerland still refer to it as the “parti agrarien”. […]
Ticino vote to tax employee carparks gets green light
20 Minutes. The Italian-speaking Canton of Ticino will soon ask voters if the carparks companies give their staff should be taxed. The Canton announced on Monday that more than 24,000 signatures from those supporting the proposal had been collected, enough to put the decision to a public vote on 5 June 2016. The proposal if […]
A good reason to scrape snow and ice off your car before driving
This video was posted by Vaud’s police on their Facebook page. The driver is in the United States however the message is universal. For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Geneva to provide official forms in English. Smart move or English invasion?
This week the city of Geneva announced plans to provide administrative and promotional documents in English and four other languages. The city welcomes nearly 20,000 new residents every year and city officials have decided language shouldn’t be a barrier to accessing public services. After a survey they decided on five languages: Spanish, Portuguese, Albanian, Arabic […]
Swiss real estate heads further towards bubble territory
Last week UBS released its real estate bubble index for the last quarter of 2015. According to the bank, the risk moved from 1.34 in Q3 2015, to finish the year at 1.41. Anything over 1.0 is considered risky and anything beyond 2.0 is bubble territory. Before property prices crashed in the 1990s, the index rose […]
Swiss stocks suffer amid global sell off as financial heavyweights are punished.
12 February 2016 – Swiss and global market roundup. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The SMI is expected to underperform global markets again this week after stocks lost further ground on rapidly declining global investor sentiment. Equity markets around the world tumbled as Japan, Europe and emerging Asia suffered heavy losses with global banking stocks […]
Speeding skier convicted after hitting another skier on a piste at Verbier
Speeding down a piste at Verbier in March 2014, a skier hit a German tourist from behind. The German tourist was skiing normally, but because he was hit from behind, he had no chance to avoid the impact, which dislocated his shoulder and broke one of his bones. The other skier broke his ankle, however his […]
Swiss vote to automatically expel foreign criminals. Sensible or perverse?
In 2010, 52.9% of Swiss voters agreed that foreigners convicted of certain crimes should be deported. Following the vote, in March 2015, Switzerland’s parliament approved laws enacting the measure. The Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), the vote’s organiser, cried foul, claimed the new laws watered down the original text, and proposed a more rigid formulation that voters […]
Swiss asylum requests dropped in January
Statistics released today show the number of asylum requests fell by nearly a quarter in January, compared to December. A total of 3,618 applications were lodged during the month. The largest number, 1,224, came from Afghanistan, followed by Syria (488), Iraq (367) and Eritrea (233). The Swiss State Secretariat of Migration said that numbers typically drop during […]
Have you ever wondered what Adele might sound like in Swiss German?
Below, the 23 year old Swiss singer Marina Ortega sings the Adele track “Hello” in Swiss German. Her Swiss German version was posted on her the music sharing website Soundcloud. On her Facebook page she describes herself as a singer and songwriter with a passion for motorsport. The singer from Lake Zurich started playing the piano when she was […]
