Late last week, another claim of sexual assault by Geneva-born Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan surfaced, according to the French newspaper Le Monde. The woman, who came forward anonymously, claims she was assaulted in a hotel room in Lyon in 2009. This accusation follows another from Henda Ayari, who named Ramadan as her aggressor in a Facebook […]
The Pope’s confusing message on climate change
Pope Francis sends diametrically opposed messages when it comes to climate change. This week, as he flew over the storm-ravaged Caribbean on his way back from Colombia, Pope Francis called on the world to save the planet. According to the NY Times, on the subject of climate change, he quoted from the Bible: “Man is […]
Swiss hotel causes outrage with notice to Jewish guests
A Swiss hotel has caused outrage with a guest notice. A photograph of a notice posted in the hotel Aparthaus Paradies in the Swiss town of Arosa spread rapidly on social media after a Jewish family staying in the hotel noticed it. The notice singles out Jewish guests asking them to shower before swimming. SWITZERLAND: […]
Minister criticises Swiss vote against international courts
20 Minutes. On Wednesday Simonetta Sommaraga, federal councillor and head of the federal department of justice and police, publicly denounced the referendum launched by the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) to put Swiss law ahead of international law. The plan dubbed the initiative for self-determination passed the 100,000 signature threshold last year. It was officially submitted […]
Two suspected terrorists arrested in Vaud
24 Heures. Two people were detained by the police on Saturday afternoon in the car park of a retail park in Aubonne in Vaud, Switzerland. The arrest was part of an antiterrorist operation, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. The police arrested a man and a woman at around 3pm. Members of the public told […]
Switzerland makes top 10 most peaceful countries
The 2017 Global Peace Index places Switzerland in the top 10. The Global Peace Index, produced by the Institute for Economics and Peace ranks 163 countries covering 99.7% of the world’s population. The index looks at 23 indicators covering the level of safety and security in society, the degree of domestic or international conflict, and […]
Paris says no to sand from Swiss company that bid for Trump wall
Le Matin. The French-Swiss group, described as “disreputable” by the Ville de Paris, will not be supplying sand to the city of Paris this summer. Paris Plages (Beaches), a project that creates temporary beaches of sand along the banks of the river Seine every summer, said it would take no more sand from LafargeHolcim because […]
The ten most popular Swiss Google searches in 2016
According to Swiss broadcaster Swissinfo, the following ten items in the video below were the most searched things in 2016. The list includes, terror, a new train tunnel, sport, and one particular Swiss vote. More on this: Swissinfo article (in English) For more stories like this on Switzerland follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
6 Swiss news items that made international headlines in 2016
Last night, Swiss broadcaster RTS presented the six Swiss news items garnering the greatest international attention in 2016. The first news peak occurred in January with eyes focused on the World Economic Forum in Davos. This was the second most reported Swiss event in world media. Then in February, the Swiss story gaining the year’s greatest […]
With no fanfare or idealogical division Switzerland gets a new president
Today, Switzerland announced its new president for 2017. 53-year-old Swiss Christian Democrat party member, Doris Leuthard, will take over from outgoing president Johann Schneider-Ammann on 1 January 2017, less than three weeks before the scheduled start of Donald Trump’s term as US president. Her term will last one year. His will last four. Born in […]
