Last Friday two driverless vehicles painted with the TPG’s logo, the acronym for Geneva’s public transport, were spotted at Palexpo, the location of the Geneva International Motor Show. Le Salon de l’auto en mode autonome ! Profitez de votre visite au Salon pour peut-être avoir l’occasion de monter à bord du véhicule autonome des tpg […]
Switzerland – a definition of middle class
A recent survey calculates 60.1% of Switzerland’s population was middle class in 2015, a figure that has remained broadly stable since 1998, reaching its highest in 2009 (61.3%) and lowest in 2013 (56.8%). But what is middle class in Switzerland? According to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office, it is anyone living in a household with a […]
Swiss politicians with links to health sector can still fully participate in health commissions
Lukas Reimann, a parliamentarian and member of the Swiss Peoples Party (UDC/SVP), fought to have parliamentarians paid by health companies partially excluded from government commissions dealing with health issues. He thinks vested interests are behind high health premiums and that cartels must be broken. According to him 23 out of 25 of the members on […]
Plan to increase fines for cyclists in Switzerland
If you run a red light in a car it costs CHF 250. On a bike it costs CHF 60. Other cycling fines, such as riding with no hands on the handlebar (CHF 20) and riding on the pavement (CHF 40) are also comparatively low. Hans-Peter Portmann, a federal councillor from Zurich wants this changed, […]
Geneva – investigators now actively hunting for welfare fraudsters and tax cheats
The team, which has been operating since the beginning of March, is hunting for people on welfare who might be working or have undeclared assets, according to 20 Minutes. In addition, it is looking for those living in the canton but pretending to live somewhere else like Monaco, Dubai or another Swiss canton. Last year […]
My Swiss Story – leaving the flip-flops behind and returning to Switzerland
This week we spoke to Simone Aïda Baur, an interior designer who runs her own design business and a blog offering design tips. She was born and grew up in Basel, and now lives in Zurich. Her other passion is travel. She’s lived in seven countries, speaks six languages, and especially loves the Caribbean – last […]
How hot politics in the Balkans slowed the clock on your oven
Switzerland’s power grid is part of a large pool of ebbing and flowing electricity spanning 25 countries, known as the Continental European (EC) power grid. Enough electricity must be fed into it to keep it at a stable frequency. The EC’s magic number is 50 Hz. Maintaining this requires a carefully coordinated trans-national balancing act. […]
Geneva Motor Show 2018 – the problem with electric cars
The Geneva International Motor Show 2018 opens in two days. Running from 8 until 18 March 2018, the show will present close to 180 exhibitors. This year the focus is on electric cars. Electrification of transport offers the hope of lower emissions, however there is a huge challenge that many are only starting to seriously […]
Geneva Motor Show 2018 – fewer fawning females
Car shows are well-known for their use of women as display decoration. This was highly evident at last year’s show. However a lot has happened in a year and the number of mini-skirted young women fawning over glistening cars has declined sharply. A quick scan of Instagram (#gims) on this year’s show reveals very few […]
Suicide leading cause of death among Swiss youth
A recent press release by Stop Suicide, an organisation for the prevention of youth suicide, highlights the vulnerability of young people in Switzerland. In 2015, 2.5 times as many people aged under 30 died from suicide as from car accidents. In addition, it is the first time since 2011 that the rate has risen. In […]
