In 2015, Switzerland’s population rose by 1.1%, slower than in the previous two years, reaching a total of 8,327,100, an increase of 89,500. Increases in 2013 (+1.3%) and 2014 (+1.2%), were slightly higher. While the increase was largely due to immigration, the net effect of births and deaths, or natural growth, also added to the […]
Negative interest pushes Switzerland’s 2016 budget into positive territory
Switzerland’s budget for 2016 is looking better than expected. Instead of a shortfall of CHF 0.5 billion, the latest figures forecast a surplus of CHF 1.7 billion. Overall income was up CHF 1.2 billion and costs were down CHF 1.0 billion. This CHF 2.2 billion shift took the annual forecast from CHF -0.5 billion to CHF […]
Solar powered tuk tuk stops in Switzerland on its way from India to London
On 21 February 2016, after spending his life’s savings creating a solar powered tuk tuk, 35 year-old electrical engineer, Naveen Rabelli, set off to London from Bangalore, India in his creation, with Austrian film maker Raoul Kopacka. The pair want to prove that being good to the planet is a state of mind and something […]
Wearing burkinis is against social cohesion and integration, says Geneva councilor
Tribune de Genève. This autumn Geneva’s leaders will have their say on three projects proposing new laws related to Geneva’s system of religious neutrality or laicism. Burka and burkini bans will be among the topics debated. Laïcité or secularism is something fundamental to the the way the canton, or republic, of Geneva operates. It dates from […]
Britain’s Brexit binge on Swiss watches
Brought to you by Investec Switzerland. The pendulum for Britain has swung back to positive, and it’s tourists who’ve pushed it there. Britain was one of the few bright spots for Swiss watch exports in July, rising 13.4 percent from a year earlier and counteracting a massive 26 percent drop in June, according to data […]
Swiss need to retire at 67, says parliamentary commission
Le Matin. The Swiss might need to work until 67. In a report, a parliamentary commission suggests automatically raising the statutory retirement age, as part of a set of measures designed to eliminate a large pension funding shortfall brought on by an aging population and falling investment returns. The state pension system needs to find […]
Could Swiss pull out of Geneva airport?
Tribune de Genève. According to the Tribune de Genève, the airline has confirmed that its German owner, Lufthansa Group, is looking into the possibility. Aircraft carrying the Swiss logo could be replaced by planes from Lufthansa’s low cost airline, Eurowings. Le Matin Dimanche, reportedly heard of a meeting of employees of Swiss in French-speaking Switzerland, […]
Counting the cost of Olympic medals. Is it worth it?
After investing heavily, the UK has proved a medal superpower two Olympic Games in a row, chalking up 3rd place overall in Rio. Swiss broadcaster RTS (SFR) sets out how much Switzerland has spent on its athletes. Here is how the two nations compare. The Independent reports that the UK invested GBP 274 million, funneled from […]
Most popular Swiss baby names in 2015
Today, the Swiss government released statistics on the most popular baby names in 2015. The Swiss statistics office has been crunching this data for 30 years. Noah was the most popular boys’ name across Switzerland. 443 out of the 44,650 baby boys born in Switzerland in 2015 had this name chosen for them. However, while […]
Is the US slouching towards a Weimar scenario?
Remember Germany’s 1930’s Weimar Republic and the diminutive, firebrand populist who eventually seized power? Although he sees no problem in quoting Mussolini and at least initially hesitated at denouncing the Ku Klux Klan, Donald Trump is not exactly comparable to Hitler, at least not quite yet, but then neither was Hitler at the beginning. The […]
