If you have moved from London to Zurich, from Paris to Geneva, or from Brussels to Bern, then you now live in a much less stressful place according to a city stress ranking done by Zipjet, a home delivered laundry service. If you have moved to Lausanne or Basel, you’ll have to endure the stress […]
Blocked Geneva toilets full of 500 euro notes
The discovery of 500 euro notes blocking toilets in Geneva has made for easy headlines. A Bloomberg article opened with the line “Talk about money down the drain.” The notes were first discovered several months ago in a bathroom close to a bank vault at a Geneva branch of the bank UBS, according to the newspaper Tribune […]
Swiss canton of St Gallen bans full veil
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 […]
