The French satire news show Le Petit Journal recently made fun of a speech made by Swiss president Johann Schneider-Ammann. The speech, made to commemorate Switzerland’s day of the sick on 1 March 2016, recommends laughter to those suffering from illness. The message however, is delivered with no trace of humour. This absence of humour now has […]
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 […]
David Bowie’s life in Switzerland
David Bowie died on 10 January 2016 two days after his 69th birthday. His death was announced on his Facebook page. January 10 2016 – David Bowie died peacefully today surrounded by his family after a courageous 18 month battle with… Posted by David Bowie on Sunday, 10 January 2016 Tributes to the artist have flooded […]
How an American bird ended up being named after Turkey
The iconic American bird, eaten by many around the world at this time of the year, is called a turkey. But why? The large bird, native to Mexico and the United States, ought to have a native American name rather than the name of a country 8,000 km away. In Mexico for example it is […]
Sepp Blatter: no mobile, no email, 8 year FIFA suspension, what next?
According to Le Matin, following his eight year FIFA suspension, Sepp Blatter must hand over his professional mobile phone and access to emails. He is however allowed to keep his salary, company car and apartment in Zurich until 26 February 2016. On 22 December 2015, FIFA’s ethics committee imposed an eight year suspension on Mr […]
More people have climbed Everest than done this
If you are young, able bodied and looking for a physical challenge you might consider running a marathon or a triathlon. If someone suggested rowing across the Atlantic you’d probably think they were going mad. When I heard about the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, a race where rowers can spend months rowing the close to […]
Video of skier who plans to ski down 15 Swiss peaks over 4,000 metres
A new film called “La Liste”, starring 26 year old Jérémie Heitz, charts the history and evolution of steep skiing. Planned for release in 2016, the film will show the skier descending 15 Swiss peaks over 4,000 metres in his home canton of Valais. The film trailer below shows the incredible steepness and speed of his […]
Swiss “Jetman” takes to sky alongside an Airbus 380
Former Swiss fighter pilot, Yves Rossy, known as “Jetman” recently flew in formation with an Airbus 380 in Dubai with his famous jet pack. Born in Neuchatel, Switzerland in 1959, he previously flew for the Swiss military and as a commercial pilot for Swiss Air. Recently, he and Frenchman Vince Reffet jumped from a flying […]
Why Swiss rejected Daylight saving
At 3am this Sunday morning, Swiss time moves back one hour, giving Swiss residents an extra hour to sleep or party. Until fairly recently however, there was no Daylight Savings Time (DST) in Switzerland. In 1978 Swiss voters rejected plans to move to the current system of DST when 52.1% voted against it in a […]
Swiss justice agrees to FIFA extradition
Today the Swiss Federal Justice Office (OFJ) agreed to the extradition of Rafael Esquivel, one of six FIFA managers in custody, to the United States. The decision marks the culmination of a process that started on 27 May 2015 when six of FIFA’s senior managers where taken into custody after Swiss police captured them in […]
