Tribune de Genève. Yesterday, the cantonal parliament of St. Gallen adopted a law banning the covering of faces in public spaces. The law, aimed at those who threaten public security and religious and social peace, follows a debate sparked by a ban on wearing veils at a school in the town of St. Margrethen in […]
A bridge across Lake Geneva becomes a little less imaginary
The nearly 30-year debate for and against a way to drive across Lake Geneva took a tentative step forward recently. The Geneva bypass, which would alleviate bumper-to-bumper traffic creeping through the city’s highway system, will probably be a bridge, not a tunnel, according to a preliminary cantonal report. Or maybe it will be a bridge […]
Geneva and Lausanne remain Switzerland’s toughest home markets
Home vacancy rates in Switzerland’s main cities have all risen over the last few years, bringing some hope to those looking for a place to live. The latest 2017 data confirm this trend. Over the last five years vacancy rates have risen by between 18% and 49% in the main cities of Zurich (+32%), Bern […]
How bees add 350 million francs to the Swiss economy
While they are buzzing around Switzerland gathering and spreading pollen, bees are also contributing CHF 350 million to the economy, according to a recent report by Swiss agriculture agency, Agroscope. Without these industrious bees, Switzerland’s (and the world’s) agriculture would wither. Though in Switzerland only 14 percent of cropland directly depends upon bee pollination, that […]
The Pope’s confusing message on climate change
Pope Francis sends diametrically opposed messages when it comes to climate change. This week, as he flew over the storm-ravaged Caribbean on his way back from Colombia, Pope Francis called on the world to save the planet. According to the NY Times, on the subject of climate change, he quoted from the Bible: “Man is […]
Swiss mobile roaming charges – a glimmer of hope
Switzerland’s federal council, the country’s seven-person executive or cabinet, has come up with a plan to cut those exorbitant mobile roaming phone bills that many of us return home to after trips abroad, an experience which hurts even more now roaming charges have been eliminated for EU residents. The roaming proposal is part of a […]
Geneva school staff to be trained to spot radicalised pupils
Tribune de Genève. Geneva school staff will be trained to spot high risk pupils by looking for social clues and highly ritualised religious behaviour. Geneva’s schools and culture department (DIP) plans to launch the training next year, according to the newspaper Tribune de Genève. The programme is the first of its kind in Switzerland. According […]
Switzerland’s home ownership illusion
When 10-year mortgage interest rates fall to 1%, home ownership becomes a very attractive alternative to renting. A recent report on home ownership shows why home ownership remains out of reach of the average Swiss household despite very low interest rates. The report, by Credit Suisse, says that despite the strong desire for people to […]
Two Swiss universities make top 50 of global ranking
Two Swiss universities made the top 50 in the times higher education 2018 world university ranking of 1,000 universities. The ranking is described as the only global university performance table to judge research-intensive universities across all of their core missions: teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. ETH Zurich, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, […]
The number of Swiss brewers continues to rise despite declining beer consumption
A recent report shows a 2% drop in average Swiss beer consumption in 2016. Over the last 20 years it has dropped 4% to 54.9 litres per person. On its own this would be no cause for alarm, however in 2016, the number of breweries in Switzerland rose by 21% to 753. Since 2011, the […]
