At around 10:20am on Monday 18 January 2021, ten people were caught in an avalanche below Les Attelas in Verbier – pictured below. All ten, who were wearing avalanche detectors, were found, however, a 38 year old British citizen and resident of Verbier died and another was rushed to hospital in a helicopter, according to […]
Swiss inflation turns negative in 2020
During 2020, average annual inflation was –0.7%, according to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO). In December 2020, Switzerland’s consumer price index (CPI) fell by 0.1% compared with November 2020. Compared to December 2019, prices in December 2020 were 0.8% lower. Annual inflation reached -0.7% across the full year. The main drivers of a falling CPI […]
Off-piste skiing discouraged as Swiss avalanche risk rises
The avalanche risk is currently high in Switzerland, according to WSL, a research institute that monitors avalanche risk in Switzerland. The area stretching from the border with Liechtenstein across to and including much of the Bernese Oberland is at greatest risk. Avalanche risk in this region is at Level 4 anywhere above 1,600m, said WSL. […]
Swiss referendum launched against same sex marriage
In early December 2020, the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house voted in favour of same sex marriage, finalising a government decision to change Switzerland’s laws to allow marriage equality for all. Since then those opposed to the idea have been busy. The proposed referendum is entitled: Yes to marriage and family, no to marriage […]
Covid: tension rises between Switzerland’s scientists and politicians
Tension between Switzerland’s scientists and politicians is rising, according to RTS. On Saturday, Christian Althaus, an epidemiologist working for the Swiss National COVID-19 Science Task Force, Switzerland’s scientific Covid advisory team, announced his resignation and voiced his frustration on Twitter. “One of the reasons why I left the scientific task force this week. Politicians must […]
Swiss unemployment up steeply in 2020
Today, figures on Swiss unemployment at the end of 2020 were published. At the end of December 2020, there were 163,545 people registered as unemployed in Switzerland, a figure 39.5% higher than at the end of 2019. At 31 December 2020, the number of job seekers was 260,318, a number 34.9% above the same figure […]
Swiss passport one of the most powerful in 2021
The Henley Passport Index ranks all the world’s passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. Without taking temporary restrictions into account, Japan continues to hold the number one position on the index, with passport holders able to access 191 destinations around the world visa-free. This marks the […]
Swiss rents and property prices up in 2020 due to pandemic
The pandemic had a significant impact on Swiss real estate prices in 2020, according to industry experts. Contrary to initial fears that property prices would fall, prices have risen over the period. Over the year, the offer prices of stand alone houses rose by 5.6% while apartment prices jumped by 5.5% across Switzerland as a […]
Company bankruptcies fell sharply in Switzerland in 2020
Despite the economic impacts of the coronavirus, significantly fewer Swiss companies went bankrupt in 2020 than the year before, according to the business data company Bisnode. During 2020, 3,811 Swiss companies filed for bankruptcy, 19% fewer than in 2019. Sectors that experienced the greatest fall in bankruptcies include artisans (-174 bankruptcies), hotels and restaurants (-124), […]
Errors made managing pandemic, admits new Swiss president
According to RTS, Guy Parmelin, Switzerland’s president since 1 January 2021, told the newspaper SonntagsBlick, that between July and September the government underestimated the pandemic. “We thought we could contain the virus but in reality we were far from doing so”, he said. Not only politicians but also many specialists were surprised by the sudden […]
