It will soon be illegal to cover faces in public in Switzerland after the federal parliament voted in favour of a ban, reported RTS. With 151 versus 29 votes, parliament accepted new laws drafted in response to a successful vote known as the anti-burka referendum. On 7 March 2021, a vote to ban face covering was accepted […]
Switzerland’s population passes 9 million
Recently published data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) show that Switzerland’s total population passed the 9 million mark at the end of June 2023, reported RTS. At the end of June 2023, 9,006,664 people were living in Switzerland. 8,902,308 were permanent residents and a further 104,356 were present on visas lasting no longer than […]
Swiss National Bank holds interest rates at current level
This week, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) surprised many investors by leaving its benchmark interest rate on hold at 1.75%. The decision to hold mirrors decisions this week by the US Fed and Bank of England not to raise rates. By contrast Norway and Sweden lifted rates this week. In addition, like central bankers in […]
Swiss may get to vote on whether to nationalise UBS
A popular initiative has been launched in Switzerland to vote on partially nationalising the UBS Group. For a popular initiative to reach the voting stage 100,000 signatures need to be collected within 18 months. The banks initiative aims to change the Swiss constitution to require large banks and insurance companies of systemic importance to be […]
Swiss government adjusts tenancy laws in favour of landlords
On 18 September 2023, the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, followed parliament in passing changes to Swiss tenancy laws that make life easier for landlords, reported parlament.ch. Two changes reduce tenants ability to sublet and make it easier for landlords to end rental contracts. Supported by 25 versus 11, the upper house passed a […]
Swiss government’s generics push could cut 250 million from health bill
Many drugs come in two forms: expensive branded drugs and cheaper generic copies. Switzerland’s Federal Council hopes a shift to cheaper generic and bio-similar medicines can shave CHF 250 million from Switzerland’s rapidly rising cost of healthcare, reported SRF. New rules on medicine choices and health insurance were already set to come into force on […]
Vacancy rate – even fewer homes available in Switzerland
Switzerland has one of the tightest housing markets in Europe. Only Iceland has fewer empty homes. On 1 June 2023, only 1.15% of homes were empty across Switzerland, according to data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Across the whole country there were fewer than 55,000 places available to those looking for somewhere to live, […]
Afrik Rire – live English comedy comes to Geneva
The sixth edition of the Geneva comedy festival aims to make Geneva’s cultural diversity resonate through laughter. This year it presents comedy in English which includes well-established comedians from across the english-speaking world. The 10 first readers to email: info@lenews.ch with their names and email addresses will get FREE TICKETS. Here’s Aisha Alfa one of […]
Parliament wants to make Switzerland’s main motorway six lanes wide
The A1 motorway, which run between Geneva in the west and St Gallen in the east suffers badly from congestion. On 11 September 2023, Switzerland’s parliament voted in favour of adding an extra lane in each direction along the full length of the key route, reported RTS. The vote was in response to a motion […]
Switzerland’s catholic sex abuse investigation finds document destruction
In late 2021, the catholic church in Switzerland instructed historians to investigate sexual abuse within the organisation following evidence of widespread sexual abuse in the church in France. In May 2022 researchers from the University of Zurich started their investigation. This week they presented some of their results, reported RTS. The investigation marks the first […]
