After slipping In 2016, Switzerland gained ground in Simon Anholt’s 2017 good country index, which measures how much positive impact countries have beyond their own borders. Anholt is an independent policy advisor, mainly to governments, who started the index three years ago. He describes nations that do good abroad as “good countries”, pointing out that “good” […]
Geneva bans burkinis in swimming pools
Tribune de Genève. Last week, the municipality effectively banned burkinis from the city’s pools. A new rule says women wishing to enter the pool must wear a one or two piece swim suit that leaves arms bare and goes no further than the knees. Skirts and bath robes are not allowed. Invented in Australia by […]
Poverty risk high for Swiss pensioners despite high spending
A recent OECD study, which looks at retirement, shows the relatively large amount spent on pensioners in Switzerland. Switzerland consumes 11% of its GDP on retirees, compared to 9% across OECD nations. Despite this high spending, the risk of poverty is higher in Switzerland than across the OECD. According to the organisation, 19% of those […]
Basel’s Fasnacht festival gets UNESCO cultural heritage status
All those weird masks (and the people behind them) that are so much a part of Basel’s annual Fasnacht festival have a new reason for their crazy grins. The annual 3-day festival was just added to the UNESCO list of events exhibiting the “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”. With this list, UNESCO “seeks to protect […]
Switzerland’s “harmful tax regime” gets it on EU grey list
This week EU Finance ministers came out with a list of countries it thinks don’t measure up to its definition of good tax behaviour. There are two categories: blacklist and so-called “grey list”. Black is bad and grey is heading toward good, but not yet there. Switzerland is on the “grey list”. To stay off […]
Ski airline to skip this season
According to the airline Powdair, Brexit and the collapse of several airline operators – Monarch, Air Berlin and Darwin – caused their key investor to get cold feet and pull out. This happened last week. Richard Corbett, a member of the european parliament says falling back on old pre-EU aviation agreements after Brexit would only […]
Swiss rail tests its first automatic train
The Swiss train system is not throwing its engineers off the train (yet), but is experimenting with how to make their job simpler, while improving efficiency without compromising safety. Aircraft have long used a proven autopilot system that helps them fly efficiently, mostly hands-off, conserving fuel while minimizing travel time. Now CFF/BSS/FFS is testing similar […]
Large email hack reported – Swiss agency tool lets you check if your account was compromised
It’s the question lurking in many people’s minds, especially during the frenzy of online Christmas shopping: has my email account been hacked? MELANI has got your back – up to a point. The Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance (MELANI), is part of the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service. They have recently come into possession […]
My Swiss Story – how mountains changed my life
Everyone has a story. My Swiss Story is a series that looks at lives in Switzerland. This week we spoke to Alex Inchbald. He’s from just outside London, lives near Geneva, is married with two children, works as an extreme artist and leadership mentor and has a passion for skiing and the mountains. What brought […]
Former King Michael of Romania dies at his home in Switzerland
Michael I, Romania’s former king has died at the age of 96. A long time resident of Switzerland, he passed away today at his home in Aubonne, Vaud, Switzerland, a town more likely to be associated with an IKEA store than a former king. Under pressure from communists Michael was forced to abdicate in 1947 and […]
