This week, the government of the canton of Fribourg decided to raise the smoking age from 16 to 18 across the canton, according to RTS. Research suggests that 57% of smokers start before the age of 18. The hope is that if tobacco is less accessible to young people fewer will end up with a […]
Easyjet makes first loss in its history
This week, Easyjet announced its first ever annual loss of nearly £1.3 billion, its only loss in 25 years of operating. As Covid-19 grounded the airline’s planes, revenue disappeared. Revenues for the year to 30 September 2020, were reduced to £3 billion, only 47% of the £6.4 billion earned the year before. Costs were cut […]
Swiss government promises one billion francs for Covid hit businesses
This week, Switzerland’s federal government decided to increase aid money to Covid hit businesses to CHF 1 billion. Before this announcement, Bern had already committed to providing CHF 400 million to struggling businesses. Funding for the first CHF 400 million is split 50-50 between cantonal and federal tax payers. The additional CHF 600 million will […]
Man raising money to help men
Men live shorter lives and are more likely to take their own than women. 17 years ago a group of friends in Australia decided to start the Movember foundation to raise money and awareness of the often overlooked health challenges, both physical and mental, faced by men. Globally, the life expectancy of men (70.8) is […]
Government resists call to use banned insecticide to save Swiss sugar beet
The use of a class of insecticides known as neonicotinoids has been restricted in Switzerland since 2018. Neonicotinoids are a class of neuro-active insecticides chemically similar to nicotine developed in the 80s and 90s. They attack the nervous system of insects causing paralysis and death. Their use has been linked to the collapse of the […]
Swiss government wants to extend GMO ban
The use of genetically modified organisms (GMO) is currently banned in Switzerland. Their use was outlawed after a majority of Swiss voters voted in favour of a moratorium on their use in 2005. This moratorium, which expires at the end of December 2021, has been extended three times since 2005. This week, the Federal Council […]
Unemployment rises in third quarter of 2020 in Switzerland
Between the 3rd quarter 2019 and the 3rd quarter 2020, the number of people employed in Switzerland fell by 0.4% (–21 000). In addition, weekly hours worked per employee decreased by 2.7%. During the same period, the unemployment rate in Switzerland as defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) increased from 4.6% to 5.3%. At […]
The Swiss tax money transfers in 2021
Swiss cantons have very different tax bases, tax rates and costs. To even things up rich cantons are required to help those with less money via a system set up in 2008 known as the péréquation financière nationale (French) or Nationaler Finanzausgleich (German). This week, the government decided on next year’s payments. The system relies on […]
Public worker absenteeism costs Geneva 285 million francs a year
Public worker absenteeism in Geneva costs at least CHF 285 million, according to Heidi.news, which calculated the sum based on information contained in an internal document. According to the news service the cost of absenteeism, which continues to rise, is equivalent to 11% of the 2.54 billion spent public sector workers’ salaries in 2019 and […]
One third of Swiss prone to believing conspiracy theories
One third of Swiss are prone to believing in conspiracy theories, according to a study run in 2019 by researchers at ETH University in Zurich. Researchers at ETH Zurich’s department of delinquency and crime prevention questioned around 10,500 people (2,111 adults and 8,317 young people) in 2019 regarding their beliefs. Survey takers were asked questions, […]
