Constructed in 1978, the mosque located in Petit-Saconnex in Geneva is Switzerland’s largest. In a recent interview in Paris, Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Issa, Secretary General of the Saudi-based Muslim World League, the organisation that funded the mosque’s construction, told the newspaper Tribune de Genève that the organisation would stop managing and funding the mosque. In […]
Unemployment in Geneva higher than neighbouring France
In December last year, the Observatoire statistique transfrontalier published unemployment figures for the French region surrounding Geneva. French unemployment calculations broadly follow the method used by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which includes all available job seekers – ILO definition of unemployment and French definition of unemployment. Official Swiss figures however include only those registered […]
French strikers vow to disrupt new cross-border train service for a long time
Early this week, the union representing French Léman Express train workers issued a press release stating that the current social conflict will be long, according to the newspaper Tribune de Gèneve. The press release concluded by stating that striking train workers are determined to turn the Léman Express into the Nothing Express. In addition to […]
Question of the week: what happens to failed asylum seekers in Switzerland?
A recent report by Switzerland’s federal migration commission looks at this question. Between 2008 and 2017, around 180,000 asylum seekers left Switzerland, mostly because their applications failed. Around 92,000 left in a “controlled” manner, most (80%) voluntarily with no support. The remaining 20% were given money to help them leave and resettle in their home […]
French strike threatens launch of new cross-border trains
The launch of the Léman Express, a network of new train links between the Switzerland and neighbouring France, is threatened by a strike by French train workers, according to the newspaper Le Messager. French unions are demanding French staff be paid more, pointing to the difference between their pay and that of their Swiss counterparts, […]
New cross-border trains launching soon in Geneva region
A new international train network, known as the Léman Express, is set to launch on 15 December 2019. Eight years in the making, the new rail network connects the Swiss cantons of Vaud and Geneva with neighbouring France. 40 new trains running on 6 new train lines will link 45 train stations across the region. Swiss […]
Staff suspected of stealing from passenger luggage at Geneva airport
Two people who work for the company Dnata at Geneva airport have been arrested, according the newspaper Le Temps. The individuals are suspected of stealing objects from passenger luggage over the last few months, possibly years. Last Monday, airport police undertook an unannounced search of the airport’s baggage handlers. During the search two Dnata staff […]
Worried about flying? Geneva Airport’s CEO is listening
By Scott Poynton With the world finally waking up to the reality of climate change, flying is increasingly coming in for a bad rap. Planes put a lot of carbon into the atmosphere. Greta Thunberg chose to sail across the Atlantic last month to attend the New York climate bash because she wanted to avoid […]
Nobel Prize awarded to two Swiss physicists
This week Swiss physicists Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz, who are based at the University of Geneva, were awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering the first exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star in 1995. Exoplanets, or extra solar planets, are planets beyond our solar system. The National Geographic video above explains their discovery […]
New 100 Swiss franc note coming soon
Recently, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) unveiled the new 100 franc banknote. The note’s design is inspired by Switzerland’s tradition of humanitarianism, represented on the note by water. The note remains blue but is much smaller than the existing one, making it easier to fit into wallets. The note is the last one in Switzerland’s ninth series […]
