Currently, anyone serving as at least eight years as a state minister for the canton receives a pension for life. The Liberal Green party recently launched an initiative to have this system abolished, something that has already happened in other Swiss cantons. Initiative organizers have until 8 July 2019 to collect the 5,227 signatures required […]
Muslim parliamentarian sits in public section of parliament to comply with new Geneva dress code
Recently introduced rules in Geneva prevent people in public office wearing religious symbols at work. This week, during a parliamentary session, Sabine Tiguemounine, a parliamentarian from the Green party, decided to sit in the area of Geneva’s parliament building open to the public, rather than sit in the main area where parliamentary members normally sit. […]
Bern bans jet skis on Lake Geneva
Switzerland’s Federal Council recently banned boat-based parasailing along with the use of jet skis and other jet propelled vessels on Lake Geneva. Rules in place since 1979 covering what can be used on the lake did not specifically mention such activities or vessels. After France specifically banned them the baton was the Swiss Federal government […]
Geneva Motor Show 2019 – the list of absent car makers
Car technology is transforming. So is the way people find out about new cars. Buyers are increasingly preferring the internet to find out about new models. In addition, presenting at car shows is expensive. Jaguar Land Rover, the maker of the Jaguar I-Pace, 2019’s Car of the Year, seems to have recognised these shifts and […]
Gilets Jaunes protest in Geneva
Today, members of the group Les Gilets Jaunes came from France to protest outside the United Nations. Geneva police gave the group, expected by organizers to be around 5,000, a permit to assemble in La Place des Nations outside the United Nations in Geneva until midday. A report by RTS said the police put the […]
Sharp increase in judicial deportation of foreign criminals in Geneva in 2018
Last year, the canton’s court ruled that 439 foreign criminals could be deported, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. In 2017 the number was 283, 64% of the number in 2018. In addition, the percentage of cases resulting in a deportation ruling went from 49% to 59% between 2017 and 2018. Deporting foreign criminals – […]
CERN in contact with Elon Musk about new super-sized collider
Elon Musk has been in communication with the director of CERN about the construction of a tunnel for the proposed super collider under discussion at the Geneva-based organisation. Elon Musk’s Boring Company has been busy boring a hole under Los Angeles, making him a logical person to contact if you have plans to dig a […]
Vote against laws restricting religious clothing in public office divides Geneva
In Switzerland, religion is a cantonal matter. Cantons decide on the relationship between religion and politics. This has created a patchwork of different systems across Switzerland. In April 2018, the government of Geneva introduced new rules designed to further protect religious freedom and preserve religious neutrality in its public institutions, known as laïcité or secularity laws. Laïcité […]
Government looks at anti-sound radars in Geneva
A parliamentary commission in Geneva is considering developing a radar to measure vehicle noise. The motion, put forward by the Greens and supported by others, is aimed at the noisiest road users. 13 out of 15 political parties are in favour of the plan. Only the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) was against it. The party […]
Swiss yellow vests protest a flop
On 5 January 2019, a Swiss version of the recent gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protest in France was born. The plan, publicized on social media, was to meet at various train stations around the country and take the train to Switzerland’s capital Bern to protest. However, in Geneva, only three people turned up, according to […]
