The federal vote to stop urban sprawl was rejected by 63.7% of voters. Majorities in all cantons voted against this initiative which would have frozen construction land. The only cantons close to majorities were Geneva (47.7%), Neuchâtel (46.2%) and Basel-City (46.5%). In Geneva the law restricting restricting religious clothing in public office was accepted by 55% of voters, while initiatives […]
Swiss health authority now recommends vaccinating against tick borne encephalitis
This week, Switzerland’s Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) issued a statement recommending vaccination against tick borne encephalitis for those living in or visiting nearly all of Switzerland. The vaccination is recommended for all people exposed to ticks in Switzerland and anyone living in or visiting any Swiss canton other than the cantons of Geneva […]
The best way to save forests, according to a forester
Last summer, two mates and I set out on what turned out to be a “bridge-too-far” walking project. Switzerland is blessed with more than 60,000 km of walking trails crowned by seven iconic National Routes. The National Route 5 (which extends as the GR5 into France’s renowned “Grande Randonnée” hiking network), but is also known the […]
Switzerland’s prison population swells 50% in less than 30 years
The number of prisoners in Switzerland rose 50% from 1988 to 2017. Much of this is due to population growth. Switzerland’s population grew 28% over the same period. However, population growth doesn’t account for all of the increase in prison numbers. In 1988, there were 70 prisoners per 100,000. By 2017, the same figure was […]
Switzerland set to ban the grinding of live baby chickens
Only female hens can lay eggs. Many of the hens used to produce eggs come from hatcheries that sort and dispose of the male chicks. One way some dispose of these unwanted chicks is by grinding them alive, a gruesome process known as maceration – this video shows how it’s done [WARNING: graphic footage]. Defenders […]
Swiss government commission favours parental leave over paternity leave
Switzerland lags behind most european countries on financial support aimed at easing the challenges of combining work with starting a family. An initiative, which aims to introduce 20 days of paid paternity leave to make it easier for fathers to help at home when their children are young, is being discussed in Bern, but no […]
Switzerland’s gender pay gap closes further
A recent survey by the Federal Statistical Office shows the overall median pay gap in Switzerland’s private sector shrunk to 12% in 2016, down from 12.5% in 2014 and 15.6% in 2010. In 2016, median pay for women was CHF 6,011 francs a month and median pay for men was CHF 6,830. The gap rose […]
Poll shows majority now against the vote to put a freeze on construction land
If next week’s vote had taken place on 19 January 2019 it would have failed suggests a poll run by Swiss broadcaster SSR. A similar poll in December 2018 show a majority in favour of the plan. The latest poll shows that only 47% are certain or fairly certain to vote in favour while around […]
Switzerland 3rd in corruption perception index
Every year, the NGO Transparency International ranks nations based on perceived corruption, with the least corrupt at the top. 100 is a perfect score and zero the worst. This year, Denmark (88) and New Zealand (87) came first and second. Switzerland (85), Finland (85), Singapore (85) and Sweden (85) were third equal. At the bottom […]
Sharp increase in judicial deportation of foreign criminals in Geneva in 2018
Last year, the canton’s court ruled that 439 foreign criminals could be deported, according to the newspaper 20 Minutes. In 2017 the number was 283, 64% of the number in 2018. In addition, the percentage of cases resulting in a deportation ruling went from 49% to 59% between 2017 and 2018. Deporting foreign criminals – […]
