Every three months the rate of interest used to set Swiss rents is reviewed. If it goes down some renters have the right to request a decrease in rent. On 1 June 2015 it was reduced from 2.00% to 1.75% so many currently have a chance to reduce their rent. The interest rate used to […]
Switzerland ahead of the US in the “sharing economy”
Sharing or renting your house when you are not using it, or your car when you have a seat to spare is a very old idea. Home swaps started in the 1950s when, as part of a project to improve cultural exchange, the Swiss and Dutch Teachers’ Unions started the home-exchange revolution. In a similar […]
FIFA’s Blatter resigns
On 2 June 2015 Sepp Blatter resigned as president of FIFA only four days after re-election. Mr. Blatter said “I have been reflecting deeply about my presidency and about the forty years in which my life has been inextricably bound to FIFA and the great sport of football. I cherish FIFA more than anything and […]
Bad weather forces Solar Impulse to land
The former Swiss fighter pilot Andre Borschberg has been forced to make an unscheduled landing in the Japanese city of Nagoya. The 100% solar powered plane was bound for Hawaii after taking off from Nanjing, China on Sunday morning. The five-day five-night trip from Nanjing to Hawaii was the longest and most difficult leg of […]
How Europe’s highest vineyard ended up with 500 owners and Indian connections
Get high on Switzerland this summer, writes Renu Chahil-Graf from her Swiss mountain retreat. There are many reasons to visit, not least its exceptional food and wines and salubrious climate. The highest altitude vineyard in Europe is known to be in Visperterminen, a village of 1,400 people, nestled in a mountain range just across from […]
Swiss tax changes affecting international companies
Many of us who come from abroad to live in or around Switzerland are here either directly or indirectly because of favourable tax rules that generously benefit certain companies and branch offices in Switzerland. Switzerland’s harmful state aid Unfortunately, the European Union (EU) does not like Swiss tax rules that tax certain income differently. In […]
FIFA arrests in Zurich hotel raid change tone of presidency vote
According to the New York Times plain-clothed Swiss police officers arrived unannounced at the five star Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich where FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) officials were staying. The officers went to the officials’ rooms to arrest them. The operation was carried out peacefully. The Swiss Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) […]
Lake Geneva’s belle epoque paddle boats attacked by pirates
On Sunday 24 May 2015 around 10,000 people turned up in the village of Rolle on the shore of Lake Geneva, Switzerland to see a parade of the world’s largest fleet of operating paddle boats. This was the 20th parade of these beautiful boats. Six boats, all from the early 20th century, took part: Montreux […]
First impressions: Switzerland at Milan Expo 2015
Here in an unseasonably chilly Happy Valley, this has been a week of fulfilling one’s national duty. I am talking about visiting Expo 2015 — and seeing how the Swiss pavilion stacks up against the parade of great nations eager to showcase their wares a few kilometres outside of Milan. (I also could throw in […]
First high powered particle collision photos from CERN
For the first time, on the night of 20 May 2015, protons collided in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN at the record-breaking energy of 13 TeV. These test collisions were part of the systems set up that includes adjusting the collimators that protect the machine and detectors from particles that stray from the […]
