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 […]
Muslim politician in Geneva quits party after voicing differences on gay marriage
Earlier this year, Sabine Tiguemounine, a parliamentarian from the Green Party, made news when she decided to sit in an area of Geneva’s parliament building open to the public, rather than in the main area where parliamentary members normally sit. Earlier in 2019, the canton introduced rules preventing public officials, including members of parliament, showing […]
Lights out – most of Geneva to switch off street lights in September
In addition to making it difficult to see stars, artificial light has a negative effect on the natural biological rhythm of plants and animals. It also affects human health and consumes energy, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. In response to this the Natural History Museum of Geneva, the Geneva Astronomy Society and others came up […]
Lake Geneva region Switzerland’s jihadist hotspot
A recent study by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) shows the geographic distribution of known radicalized jihadists across Switzerland. According to figures in the report the Lake Geneva region is a hotspot with significantly higher radicalisation rates than the rest of the country. The region’s overall rate of 2.7 radicalized inhabitants per 100,000 residents […]
Climate change affecting Switzerland at twice the global rate
This week, meteorological bigwigs from around the world meet in Geneva, the home of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), to discuss meteorology and climate change. Among many things, the WMO is involved in measuring compliance with greenhouse gas emissions using measuring stations around the world. A report by WMO says that the four years from […]
Swiss vote could cause chaos at Swiss airports
A referendum aimed at rejecting changes to Swiss gun laws scheduled for 19 May 2019 could cause major disruption at airports in Zurich and Geneva if it succeeds, according to various newspapers. If the vote is successful it might eventually lead to the exclusion of Switzerland from the Schengen area. If this happened, immigration staff […]
