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 […]
News inequality – why Switzerland needs more female reporters
It’s a sexist world. Women and their efforts are poorly covered by the media. A recent 2015 report by the Global Media Monitoring Project shows how women’s airtime progress has stalled. In 2015, women were mentioned in only 24% of news stories seen in newspapers, on television or on radio, exactly the same percentage as 2010. Some […]
Bad news for Swiss commuters
Last year the Swiss government decided to increase the fees train operators, including Swiss Rail, must pay to run their trains on Switzerland’s rail network. Switzerland has 4,641 km of track running as high as 3,454 metres, and one of the densest rail networks in the world. Maintaining all of this track costs a lot of money, […]
Financials and miners drive SMI gain despite drag of one Swiss heavyweight
4 March 2016 – Swiss and global market roundup. Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The SMI is set to close higher this week but lagging behind gains of global equity markets after heavyweight Roche fell almost 5% on Thursday after paying its dividend. Stock markets around the world extended their rally this week, continuing to […]
Film: Zoolander 2 – stars making fools of themselves
4 March 2016. ZOOLANDER 2 *** I reluctantly went to see this film to be able to warn you against it. I had heard the worst about it. Ben Stiller is a mediocre actor (unlike his talented parents, Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara) with a one-expression face and a knack for making garbage hits that have […]
Bern wants shops to stay open longer
Le Matin. The National council thinks shops should stay open until 8pm across all of Switzerland. 115 members against 68 would like to see shop opening hours harmonised across the country. The proposal would mean that retailers across Switzerland would be allowed to open from 6am until 8pm from Monday to Friday and from 6am until 6pm on […]
