Switzerland’s federal government is aiming to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 by making a series of changes to the way it operates. It plans to reduce air travel emissions by making greater use of trains rather than planes for short to medium distance travel in Europe, and it plans to fly […]
Swiss exports to the US significantly exceed those to Germany for the first time
According to an analysis by the Swiss broadcaster RTS, Switzerland’s reliance on EU exports has declined in recent years. Over the first quarter of 2019, for the first time, exports to the US exceeded those to Germany by more than CHF 1 billion reaching CHF 15.7 billion. Exports to the US have risen from 8.3% […]
Geneva bomb hoax perpetrator must pay 90,000 franc cost
In 2016, a French resident falsely warned that someone was carrying a bomb in the French sector at Geneva airport. Her motive was to prevent her husband and his mistress from departing on holiday to Turkey. In response to the call security staff sprang into action and Geneva police systematically checked all travelers as they […]
Chinese spy suspect to remain in detention in Switzerland
Switzerland’s federal criminal court has refused a request to liberate a Chinese researcher wanted in the US for suspected spying, according to 20 Minutes. The release request was made by the Chinese researcher who is living in Switzerland and accused of corporate espionage in the US against the drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The US embassy […]
Number below poverty line rises in Switzerland
In Switzerland, the revenue poverty line is income of CHF 27,108 (US$ 27,490) a year for someone living alone and CHF 47,880 (US$ 48,550) for a family of four. In 2017, the percentage of Switzerland’s population living below the poverty line was 8.2% or 675,000 people. In 2016, the percentage was 7.6%. Those most likely […]
Switzerland has highest percentage of millionaires
A generation ago millionaires were relatively rare. These days it is fairly easy to rub shoulders with one. According to a report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) there were 22 million US$ millionaires worldwide in 2018. One driver of the rising number of millionaires is inflation. A million dollars isn’t worth what it once […]
The rising carbon footprint of Switzerland’s new cars
In 2018, the average fuel consumption of newly registered cars in Switzerland rose by 3.6% compared to the year before. An average new car in 2018 consumes 6.08 litres per 100 km compared to the year before when it was 5.87 litres per 100 km. Average emissions for the same average new car in 2018 […]
Switzerland number one for expat pay and stability
In 2019, Switzerland came top overall in a ranking of destinations for expatriates to live and work, moving up from eighth last year. Singapore, which had held the top spot for four years in the HSBC’s list of the best countries for expatriates, dropped to second place. Switzerland scored highly on salaries (1st), stability (1st), […]
Animals mistreated on 13% of Swiss farms
Switzerland’s Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) recently published the results of its farm inspections in 2018. 35% of the 10,647 inspections were done without warning, a percentage above the 10% minimum. 87% of farms were found to be operating on or above minimum Swiss animal welfare standards, while 13% were below the minimum. […]
Court agrees – cross-border workers cannot expect places in Geneva schools
Geneva’s administrative court recently confirmed the government’s decision to refuse school places to children living in France. The court confirmed the legal validity of a ruling on the issue by the canton’s State Council, the government’s executive. Some opposed to the State Council’s position had taken the issue to court arguing that it was at odds […]
