In Switzerland one name really stands out. At the end of 2018, 82,577 people called Maria were living in Switzerland, almost twice the number with the second most popular female name Anna (41,582), according to figures from the Federal Statistical Office. Maria’s secret to success is partly its historical appeal across all of Switzerland’s linguistic […]
Asylum requests down in Switzerland
The latest figures on second quarter asylum requests in Switzerland show a drop of 11% compared to the same quarter in 2018. In the second quarter of 2019, there were 3,347 requests, according to the government. Eritrea, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka were the three leading countries of origin. In June, Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Migration […]
Excessive nitrate levels found in Swiss ground water
A recent study found excessive levels of nitrates in 15% to 20% of underground water samples in Switzerland, according to the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). Underground water is the source of most of Switzerland’s (80%) drinking water. The data was collected at 600 water testing sites between 2007 and 2017. In 2014, 15% […]
Survey of Swiss politicians shows growing support for extending carbon tax
An analysis of data from Smartvote done by Swiss broadcaster RTS shows how the views politicians hold on a carbon tax on fuel have shifted between 2015 and 2019. When asked whether carbon tax should be extended cover diesel and gasoline 52% of the 73 parliamentarians questioned in 2015 were against the idea. When questioned recently, […]
Lights out – most of Geneva to switch off street lights in September
In addition to making it difficult to see stars, artificial light has a negative effect on the natural biological rhythm of plants and animals. It also affects human health and consumes energy, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. In response to this the Natural History Museum of Geneva, the Geneva Astronomy Society and others came up […]
Violent debris flow sweeps away two people in a car in Switzerland
Last Sunday, a debris flow following a torrential downpour swept away a car containing a 37 year old man and a 6 year old child, according to various media. CLOSE call with a debris flow in Chamoson, Switzerland today, August 11th! Report: Jérémy Monnet / Météo Mettra – Météo Alpes Suisse France pic.twitter.com/iNQH6hMVI9 — severe-weather.EU […]
Swiss taxis Europe’s most expensive
In a recent comparison of taxi fares across Europe, Geneva and Zurich were the most expensive. In the study, which focused on the total cost of a taxi journey from the airport to the centre of town, Geneva (€36 – CHF40) and Zurich (€63 – CHF70) fared better than Milan (€105) and London (€104), which […]
Switzerland to test vehicle noise radars
The federal government has allocated CHF 3 billion to fight noisy vehicles, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. Despite significant investment in sound barriers and quieter road surfaces, many residents continue to lodge noise complaints, a third of them related to noisy cars and motorcycles. To combat the problem the Federal Office for the Environment […]
EU court rejects Swiss union criticism
Criticism of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) by Swiss unions intensified in 2007 after the Court ruled against workers in the Laval case in Sweden. Latvian workers were being paid less than the minimum wage on a construction site in Sweden. In protest, local workers blockaded the site. However, the CJEU […]
Four football bosses accused of fraud by Swiss Attorney General
Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has accused three former officials of the German Football Association (DFB) and one from FIFA of fraud and has filed an indictment against them. Horst Rudolf Schmidt, Theo Zwanziger and Wolfgang Niersbach, from the DFB, and Urs Linsi, a former Swiss FIFA official are all under the spotlight. […]
