A recent report from Switzerland’s Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) puts annual plastic pollution at 5.12 million kilograms in Switzerland, a figure that excludes plastic pollution from vehicle tires – road abrasion creates tire fragments, which are significant source of environmental plastic pollution. Plastic pollution represents around 0.7% of the 710 million kilograms of […]
Rents have risen in Switzerland’s main cities, according to rental website
The website homegate.ch has compiled data on rental prices in Zurich, Basel, Bern and Geneva over the last two years. The data shows how rents have risen in these cities and presents them on maps showing prices rises by suburb in each of these cities. The data presents rental prices for a 70 square metre […]
Switzerland signs post-Brexit security deal with Britain
Last week, Switzerland agreed with Britain to maintain the flow of information on organised crime and terrorism even if the UK leaves the EU with a no-deal. Karin Keller-Sutter and British Home Secretary Sajid Javid signed the contracts in London, according to a government press release. Should Britain leave the EU without a deal, “all […]
Retirement age to rise for women in Switzerland
The Swiss government has been looking at measures to shore up the finances of Switzerland’s pension system for some time. The difference between the official retirement age for women (64) and men (65) is an obvious target. Recently, the Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive, said it would include increasing the retirement age of women from 64 […]
Children cleaning Swiss classrooms divides opinion
In 2002, Prilly, a municipality in French-speaking Switzerland decided it needed to cut its spending. The roughly 15,000 francs it was spending on school cleaning didn’t escape the cuts, according to 20 Minutes. Less commercial cleaning meant pupils and teachers had to pitch in and help keep the school clean. Commercial cleaners continued to clean […]
UBS warns of a looming shortage of workers in Switzerland
The Swiss bank UBS estimates there could be a shortfall of 500,000 workers in Switzerland in the coming 10 years as the baby boomer generation retires. However, the bank predicts the shortfall will not be even across all industries. Some sectors are expected to stagnate. Workers in these industries might find it harder to find […]
easyJet adds two new destinations from Geneva
easyJet will add two new destinations from Geneva starting in November 2019, according to Geneva airport. From November the airline will offer flights to Prague, in the Czech Republic, and Aqaba, in Jordan, to its list of destinations from Geneva. Aqaba is a port city next to the Red Sea not far from the archaeological […]
Swiss federal government aims to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030
Switzerland’s federal government is aiming to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 by making a series of changes to the way it operates. It plans to reduce air travel emissions by making greater use of trains rather than planes for short to medium distance travel in Europe, and it plans to fly […]
Swiss exports to the US significantly exceed those to Germany for the first time
According to an analysis by the Swiss broadcaster RTS, Switzerland’s reliance on EU exports has declined in recent years. Over the first quarter of 2019, for the first time, exports to the US exceeded those to Germany by more than CHF 1 billion reaching CHF 15.7 billion. Exports to the US have risen from 8.3% […]
Geneva bomb hoax perpetrator must pay 90,000 franc cost
In 2016, a French resident falsely warned that someone was carrying a bomb in the French sector at Geneva airport. Her motive was to prevent her husband and his mistress from departing on holiday to Turkey. In response to the call security staff sprang into action and Geneva police systematically checked all travelers as they […]
