Many new to Switzerland are shocked by the prices of things. High Swiss prices have not gone unnoticed by locals either, many of whom shop in neighbouring countries to avoid them. However, cross-border shopping hurts the environment – more time is spent in cars – and hurts local Swiss retailers. There are many reasons for […]
Switzerland ranks near bottom for solar and wind energy
While Switzerland makes the most of the hydro generation potential of its snowy mountains, it scores less well on wind and solar generation. In a Europe-wide comparison by the Swiss Energy Foundation (SEF), Switzerland ranks near the bottom for per capita solar and wind power production. In addition, growth in solar is slow and growth […]
Smoking ban on Swiss train platforms faces delays
From 1 June 2019, Swiss train platforms are to be smoke free, in theory at least. In practice the ban could take longer at some train stations, according to the news website Watson. Implementing the ban involves creating designated smoking areas, something which will require more time in some locations, particularly at small regional train […]
Geneva considers changing school holiday calendar
Geneva’s education authority is considering changing the canton’s school holiday calendar. The holidays under discussion are Easter, the long weekend of Ascension and the summer break. Proposed changes would extend the Easter break from one to two weeks, make the Friday following Ascension – Thursday 30 May 2019 this year – a school holiday and […]
Illegal nitrite found in tuna sold in Switzerland
Fresh tuna has is a nice red colour, however it quickly turns brown when exposed to the air. Tuna is easier to sell red than brown so those involved in the trade are faced with a temptation to reverse the discolouration. In 2017, an estimated CHF 200 million was made tricking retailers and consumers in […]
Swiss federal government against tax funded paternity leave
Recently, Switzerland’s Federal Council voiced its opposition to an initiative to create universal paid leave for the fathers of newborns, according to the newspaper Le Matin. The initiative, which aims to introduce 20 days of paid paternity leave and which collected the required number of signatures to go ahead in 2017, has encountered further resistance in Bern. […]
Parts of Switzerland shaken by earthquake
If you live near Montreux you might have felt an earthquake yesterday at 10:48 am when one measuring 4.2 struck. The quake was widely felt in the region and the police received a number of calls from concerned residents. Many would have heard a loud bang. The quake’s epicentre was around 15 km from Montreux in […]
Assura to refund 30 million francs to policyholders
Switzerland’s third largest health insurer had a good year in 2018, according to recently published financial statements. Instead of holding onto all of the CHF 61.9 million profit it made last year, the not-for-profit company plans to return some of the money to policyholders between now and the end of the year. Around half of […]
Lausanne to restrict child care places to working parents
Finding day care for young children can be difficult in Switzerland. In Lausanne it has been difficult for many years. The challenge doesn’t disappear when children go to school either. In Switzerland, schools close at lunchtime and children are the responsibility of parents, a system that works when one parent works and the other stays […]
60,000 imprisoned in Switzerland with no criminal trial
Up until 1981, the Swiss authorities imprisoned thousands of people who were not tried for any crime, under a procedure known as administrative detention. 60,000 were imprisoned, often for years at a time, in this way according to a recent estimate published by RTS. Referred to as a kind of compulsory welfare, people, including men, […]
