The Federal Council, Switzerland’s executive, has confirmed a decision made by parliament to raise the minimum speed of broadband internet connections in Switzerland. From 1 January 2020, the minimum download speed specified in Switzerland’s universal service agreement with Swisscom will rise from 3 to 10 megabits per second (Mbits/s) and the minimum upload speed will […]
Switzerland ranked 2nd best place to be a woman
With an overall score of 0.893 Switzerland was beaten only by Norway (0.904) in the 2019 Women, Peace, and Security Index, which ranks 167 countries on women’s equality and well being. The top ten countries were all in Europe while the worst ten were spread across central Asia, the middle east and Africa. The index […]
Woman set to lose Swiss citizenship
Last month Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) stripped a dual national of his Swiss nationality. Now it has started the process of removing Swiss nationality from a woman who is also a citizen of France and Tunisia, according to Le Matin. SEM recently announced in the Federal Gazette that it had started the process of […]
Swiss remain world’s richest in 2019
According to a recent report by the bank Credit Suisse, the Swiss are worth more on average than the residents of any other nation. The bank’s annual Global Wealth Report calculates average net worth per Swiss adult to be US$ 564,653 (CHF 560,643) at mid-2019. The median figure was US$ 227,891 (CHF 226,273). Switzerland’s combined […]
Suicide doctor convicted in Geneva
Geneva-based doctor Pierre Beck, vice-president of the assisted suicide organisation Exit, who helped a 86 year old woman end her life has been convicted by a Geneva court, according to the newspaper Le Matin. The retired doctor was sentenced to a 120-day suspended sentence and a fine of CHF 2,400 for helping an 86 year […]
Swiss central bank makes 388 million from negative interest rates
The Swiss National Bank (SNB), Switzerland’s central bank, has earned CHF 388 million from negative interest rates since introducing them in 2014 to tame the rising strength of the Swiss Franc, according to the newspaper SonntagsBlick. On 15 January 2015, the SNB announced that it was abandoning its policy of maintaining an exchange rate cap […]
Swiss fact: it is illegal to drive with your lights off during the day
In Switzerland, it is compulsory to drive with lights on during the day. The law came into force on 1 January 2014, as part of a package of rules to reduce accidents, known as Via Sicura. The lights rule is set out in article 41 of the Swiss federal road transport act and also applies […]
Swiss federal election results 2019 – winners and losers
On 20 October 2019, Swiss voters chose members of the 200-member National Council (parliament) and 46-member Council of States (upper house). Parties winning the greatest number of seats in the National Council were the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) – 53 seats (-12), the Swiss Socialists Party (PS/SP) – 39 seats (-4) , the Liberal Radical […]
Raising Switzerland’s retirement age – big differences of opinion
Switzerland’s government has long discussed the importance of raising the retirement age to ensure the financial viability of the pension system. However, it is not clear whether voters would support such a plan. According to a survey by Deloitte, an accounting and consulting company, raising the official retirement age might not find majority support among […]
Climate change could cause a billion francs of infrastructure damage a year in Switzerland
Climate change could soon cost Switzerland up to a billion francs a year in damage to infrastructure, according to an estimate by Switzerland’s Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC). Between now and 2050, higher temperatures and irregular rainfall could reduce the amount of electricity produced by Switzerland’s hydroelectric infrastructure by several […]
