A recent study of Swiss German, the largest ever on the subject, was published this week. It offers insights into when and where the language is spoken. Switzerland has three (full) official languages: German, French and Italian, which are used more universally by federal government, and a fourth, Romansh, which is used when communicating with […]
Geneva to Paris for 34 francs
Train operator TGV Lyria is set to launch new fares to compete with low-cost airlines. Prices starting at CHF 34 will be offered on trips from Geneva to Paris. First class tickets at CHF 57 will be offered on the same journey. There will also be a fully-flexible first class business fare priced a bit […]
Talk of cutting Swiss pensions paid to foreign residents
Le Matin. According to Le Matin, Jean-Luc Addor, a parliamentarian and member of the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), wants to know what savings could be made if pensions paid to those abroad were adjusted for living costs in those countries. According to the newspaper, after the rejection of the vote to reform Swiss pensions, Addor […]
Aging population explains only a small part of rising Swiss healthcare costs
There are many reasons why Swiss healthcare costs continue to climb. One, often cited, is changing demographics, jargon for more older people. But how much of an impact is this having? A set of figures for 2014, estimate that the share of health spending on the 28.5% of the population over 60, was 60.7% of […]
Unlicensed teenage speeder breaks record
A teenager without a license, driving way too fast, will be among the last to arrive when it comes to eventually getting his drivers license. On 20 September, a 16-year-old boy was flashed at 158 km/hr in a 60 km/hr construction zone on the A9 highway outside Lausanne, according to Vaud Police. The construction zone, […]
Imam accused of hate speech loses Swiss asylum
An imam, accused of hate speech, who came to Switzerland from Libya 1998, and was granted asylum in 2001, has been stripped of his refugee status. Abu Ramadan, 64, who lives in Nidau, Canton Bern, has returned to Libya on a Libyan passport 12 times since 2013. The large number of trips over an extended […]
Swiss 2018 health premiums unveiled. Brace yourself.
Yesterday, the Swiss government released health insurance premiums for 2018. There are price hikes across the board, particularly in French-speaking Switzerland. Next year, the price of standard compulsory insurance for an adult with a CHF 300 deductible will rise 4% on average. The cost varies by canton. Prices rises range from 1.6% to 6.4%. Health […]
Swiss police issue WhatsApp message fine
20 Minutes. After noticing a roadside police check, a resident of the canton of St Gallen sent a message to a WhatsApp group warning of the check. Not long after he received a nasty surprise. Speaking to the newspaper 20 Minuten, the man said: “Me and several others received a penalty notice this week. I […]
Survey offers clues to why Swiss rejected last Sunday’s pension reform
A survey by Tamedia offers clues to why 52.7% of Swiss voters rejected the pension reform plan that was put to a vote last Sunday. 20% of those voting “no” thought it was a pseudo reform that didn’t go far enough, while 26% felt it left too much of a burden on younger taxpayers. In […]
Housing in Zurich and Geneva only moderately overvalued, says UBS
The UBS Global Real Estate Bubble Index 2017 describes housing in Zurich and Geneva as only moderately overvalued. The two Swiss cities rank 6th (Geneva) and 9th (Zurich) in a list of 20 selected global cities. The top eight: Toronto, Stockholm, Munich, Vancouver, Sydney, London, Hong Kong and Amsterdam are all classified as bubble risk. […]
