20 Minutes. According to 20 Minutes, a Swiss court recently ruled that a 55 year-old Spanish citizen with a long criminal record, must leave Switzerland. The man found himself in front of a judge for the first time at the age of 17 for bodily injury. Following that he was tried for theft, drug offenses, […]
Anti-cowbell campaigner eventually gets Swiss passport
According to the Aargauer Zeitung, Nancy Holten, a 43 year old dutch citizen who had her Swiss citizenship application rejected twice by the commune of Gipf-Oberfick where she lives with her three Swiss daughters, recently learned that the canton of Aargau had overruled the commune’s decision, clearing the way for her to become a Swiss citizen. […]
Geneva looking at getting rid of dozens of traffic lights
According to Swiss Broadcaster RTS, Geneva plans to replace traffic lights with stop or yield signs at around 25 intersections. The plan is designed to improve traffic fluidity. The information was obtained by the newspaper 20 Minutes, and later confirmed by the news agency ATS, which spoke with Yann Gerdil-Margueron, spokesperson for the Department for […]
Vaud cantonal election delivers status quo on low voter turnout
Despite Switzerland’s reputation for democracy, only 39% of eligible voters bothered to vote at Sunday’s cantonal election in Vaud. The election, which gives voters a chance to choose the canton’s 150-seat parliament (Grand Conseil) and who goes into the second round run off for the 7-member executive (Conseil d’Etat) on 21 May, delivered little change. […]
Swiss climber Ueli Steck found dead in Himalayas
Ueli Steck, a former carpenter and climber from Ringgenberg near Interlaken in Switzerland, was found dead on 30 April 2017 by other climbers near Nuptse, a 7,861 m peak close to Everest. Steck, known as the “Swiss machine”, was acclimatising before climbing Everest via the Hornbein route on the West Ridge of the world’s highest peak. The […]
Museum night – Geneva opens its museums for a night of festivities
20 – 21 May 2017 One Saturday evening a year, Geneva opens its museums, workshops, and gardens until midnight. This year, the event starts on the evening of Saturday 20 May 2017, runs into the night, and continues on Sunday the 21st. The event is spread over 31 locations, together offering 240 activities. Not to be missed, the event […]
Swiss no longer thinks two people are needed in the cockpit
20 Minutes. From Monday the airline will drop the rule requiring two people to be present in the cockpit at all times. A security audit showed that the measure, introduced in 2015, hadn’t improved safety. Pilots started criticising the rule at the beginning of 2016. The decision was taken after consultation among all of the airlines […]
New Swiss company tax reform plan well received in Brussels
The Swiss government’s company tax reform plans have been reborn after the last plan met with defeat in a popular vote on 12 February 2017. The new plan, dubbed “Tax proposal 17”, aims to avoid issues that bedeviled the last project. Last time many were concerned by the potential financial impact of lower company tax rates, and […]
Snow returns to Switzerland
Meteo Swiss. Yesterday, Meteo Swiss predicted snow, and this morning, many in Switzerland awoke to a sprinkling of white on the ground. The main areas affected are central and western Switzerland, in particular the Alp and pre-Alp regions. The snow is the result of opposing high and low level air currents. North of the Alps, […]
Swiss naturalisation to get much cheaper in Geneva
20 Minutes. For those wanting to become Swiss, Geneva will no longer charge based on income. For some the price will be a less than a third of what they’d pay now. On Wednesday, the cantonal government announced that the fees will change on 1 June 2017. Currently the total cost ranges from CHF 930 […]
