Last February’s referendum seeking to restrict mass immigration from the European Union already has seriously damaged Swiss universities and complicated student exchanges. The federal government in Bern has less than three years (February, 2017) to decide how to implement the curbs on the free circulation of people, the pillar of the European cooperation, as constitutionally […]
CHF 117 million for International Geneva
According to Bern, Switzerland’s budget for International Geneva is to be increased by CHF 44.8 million annually from 2016-2019. Seeking to strengthen the country’s role as premier host to the United Nations, the Federal Council plans to dish out a total of CHF 117.2 million over the three-year period. While the UN headquarters operates as […]
Swiss democracy and xenophobia: Need for more open debate
Last week’s Le News editorial questioning whether the over use of Switzerland’s referendum system was actually undermining democracy through too much democracy received considerable reaction, much of it irate. Clearly, we had touched on a sacred cow, even if not of the Swiss Brown or Simmental variety. How dare one criticize Swiss democracy? It has […]
Ripped off by illegal French tax? Claim a refund by end of 2014
In the past year, Le News and specialist publications such as French-Property.com, have highlighted the problems facing Swiss-based (and other) non-residents of France. Taxation of rental income and unequal capital gains of non-residents are now the source of considerable legal controversy in France. Earlier this month, the Avocat General of the European Commission gave an […]
Gurlitt’s Nazi art legacy accepted by Bern
Switzerland’s oldest art museum, the Kunstmuseum in Bern, will be accepting a collection of modernist artworks bequeathed by Cornelius Gurlitt, the son of a Nazi-era art dealer. The masterpieces, among them paintings and drawings by Picasso, Chagall and Monet, were discovered in Gurlitt’s home a couple of years ago, according to The Guardian. Following an […]
The Swiss deflation puzzle
There is currently much talk of the dangers of deflation and the specter of its imminent arrival in the Eurozone. The Economist newspaper proclaimed last week that if deflation were to set in, the single currency would be in peril. Economists assume that deflation, or falling prices, reduce consumption as consumers defer spending in the […]
New kindergarten planned for Lausanne
The Petit de Chateau de Vennes, a charming period mansion originally built in 1839 is being re-developed as a nursery and kindergarten at a cost of nearly CHF 3 million. The much-needed municipal facility, on the Route de Berne, will service families in the Vennes and La Sallaz neighbourhoods of north Lausanne. It is expected […]
Web inventor Timothy Berners-Lee wins prestigious Swiss Award
The brains behind the creation of the world wide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee has been awarded prestigious Gottleib Duttweiler award. According to the institute, the award recognises people who have made “outstanding contributions to the well-being of the wider community”. Previous winners include: Václav Havel, president of the former Czechoslovakia; and Wikipedia founder, Jimmy Wales. […]
Meet the new President
Switzerland’s parliament has re-elected Social Democrat, Simonetta Sommaruga (54) to the Federal Council to become the new President of Switzerland. She received 181 votes (well over 80%) in Wednesday’s parliamentary vote in Bern. She replaces Didier Burkhalter, the Foreign Minister. Sommaruga was first elected to the seven-strong cabinet in 2010 where she took over the […]
The plague of plagiarism in schools
Rather than simply punishing students for passing off other people’s work as their own, schools need to help them become more discerning – and critical – with their use of online research. William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde and Martin Luther King all have been accused of plagiarism, so what chance do young students stand in coming […]
