By the beginning of August 2022 there were 57,376 Ukrainian refugees registered in Switzerland. Of the 33,379 people of working age among this group, 3,130 (9.4%) were working. The most common fields of employment were hotel and restaurant work (23%), planning, consulting and IT (17%), agriculture (8%), teaching (8%) and the service sector (6%). The […]
Moving glacier leaves Italian building in Switzerland
Two thirds of an Italian building on the Alpine border between Italy and Switzerland is now in Switzerland, reported Le Matin. The incident has triggered three years of intensive transnational negotiations with no breakthrough. The Rifugio Guide del Cervino (pictured above) sits at 3,480 metres above sea level on the border of the ski domains […]
Switzerland breaks river temperature records
During July 2022, measurements taken at 11 points on a number Swiss rivers have broken temperature records, reported RTS. The water in the Aar river, which flows through Bern, reached 24 degrees at the point where it reaches the city, the highest recorded level since the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) began measuring river […]
Heat wave returns to Switzerland on Monday
Despite a few clouds, cooler temperatures and rain in some corners of Switzerland on Friday 29 July 2022, temperatures are set to climb back above to 30 degrees or above across much of Switzerland from Monday, according to Meteo Swiss. On Saturday and Sunday, temperatures in nearly all of Switzerland’s main cities will remain below […]
No money likely from Swiss National Bank after large loss
Like most central banks the Swiss National Bank (SNB) is tasked with monetary stability. However, in the process it can inadvertently generate large profits and losses. When monetary policy is expansionist and the resulting assets held by the SNB rise in value it can generate large profits as it has over the last few years. […]
French administrative error behind forced landing of Swiss minister
On 5 July 2022, Alain Berset, Switzerland’s interior minister, took to the skies piloting a Cessna 182, a small 4-seat light aircraft. At 4:23 pm he entered a no fly zone close to a French military base, triggering the intervention of two French military jets. It was initially suggested that Berset had ignored instructions to […]
Swiss army helicopters water to drought stricken animals
On 26 July 2022, Switzerland’s military helicoptered water to alpine farms in the municipality of Kerns in the canton of Obwalden, reported RTS. Obwalden is the first canton to request emergency water during the current persistent dry period in Switzerland. The operation was aimed at ensuring the survival of livestock, which could not be easily […]
Switzerland faces energy uncertainty like never before, says energy authority
This week, Benoît Revaz, head of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), said there is an unprecedented level of uncertainty in Europe concerning energy provision, reported RTS. Prices have been seriously affected by the war in Ukraine and Switzerland has not been spared, said Revaz. We are now experiencing the first global energy crisis […]
3 things you should know about learning French that most schools won’t tell you
Brought to you by Swiss French School. Most language schools won’t tell you these things for fear you will never start. However, unless you know these things up front you are likely to fail. 1. Learning takes a long time Most know this but teachers don’t like to discuss it. Let’s face it it’s not […]
Swiss minister unlikely to be charged for illegal flight
On 5 July 2022, Alain Berset, Switzerland’s interior minister, took to the skies piloting a Cessna 182, a small 4-seat light aircraft. At 4:23 pm he passed close to a French military base, triggering the intervention of two French military jets, reported Blick. Two French fighter jets forced Berset, who was flying solo, to land. […]
