Swiss mountaineer Dani Arnold broke the speed record for climbing the Matterhorn on 22 April 2015. This new record replaces Ueli Steck’s record set in 2009. Steck, also Swiss, made it to the top in one hour and 56 minutes, 10 minutes longer than Arnold who made it to the summit in one hour and […]
Swiss Bishop says homosexuals can be cured
Homosexuality can be cured according to the Bishop of Sion, who was interviewed this week by the Swiss newspaper La Nouvelliste in Sion, a town in Valais, one of the main Swiss winter resort regions of Switzerland. The Catholic Bishop Jean-Marie Lovey said that being gay was a weakness of nature. And because someone is […]
Calls for tax breaks for Swiss investors
Start up businesses in Switzerland are being stifled by a lack of investment at the critical early funding stages. This message came across loud and clear at the Innovation Forum conference on Science and Technology this week at EPFL. Entrepreneurs who start new ventures often fund them with money from friends and family. But as […]
Who are the Swiss travelling community the Yéniche?
The neighbouring towns of Nidau and Biel/Bienne agreed last year to accept 50 caravans from the Swiss travellers’ group known as the Yéniche. It was a temporary arrangement and a reminder that no long-term solution has been found to accommodate this persecuted group, most of whom are Swiss citizens. When some 70 caravans arrived in […]
Switzerland’s problems with debt, taxes and billionaires
Switzerland was singled out in this week’s Economist cover story on the dangers of tax-free debt. The article however, skips over essential detail and overlooks the elephant in the room. Debt is more dangerous than equity. When crises strike the fixed obligations associated with it send shock waves through the financial system as lenders panic […]
Swiss narcissus in full bloom
That small window where the hillsides turn white with narcissus (often referred to in English as a white daffodil) is now upon us. The name of this flower comes from the narcissistic youth of Greek mythology, Narkissos. This poisonous plant can be used to make medicine for whooping cough, colds, and asthma. It is also sometimes used […]
Montreux festival legend BB King leaves us
Riley B. King, known to most as B.B. King, has passed away at 89. The American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist was a regular at the Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland. The son of sharecroppers Albert and Nora Ella King he was born on September 16, 1925 near the town of Itta Bena, Mississippi but […]
Swiss based Nepalese stand together during the Lausanne Carnaval
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on 25th of April at 11.56 a.m. local time had its epicenter in Gorkha. The one that struck on 12th of May at 12.50 local time had a magnitude of 7.3 and was centred southeast of Kodari (Sindhupalchowk District), 76 km northeast of Kathmandu. These two earthquakes created […]
Switzerland could now lead the world on whistleblowing rules
The Swiss government was on track to pass whistleblowing legislation that could have harmed whistleblowers, however on 5 May 2015 something extraordinary occurred. Dr. Yasmine Motarjemi and Alison Glick explain how Switzerland now has a chance to lead the world on the rules surrounding whistleblowing. On 5 May 2015 the Swiss National Council referred the […]
Switzerland leads the world of large family businesses
The University of St. Gallen in Switzerland recently compiled a list of the 500 largest family businesses around the world. There are some surprising companies in the list. Household names and some you might have never heard of. The United States is the clear winner based on total number (101) and combined revenue (US$2 trillion) […]
