On 24 September 2015 the Federal Public Health Office (OFSP) announced basic Swiss health insurance premium increases for 2016. Many are in a state of shock. The average increase across all cantons and insurance companies is 4%, however this number masks huge rises for some. Increases vary significantly by canton, insurance company, level of deductible […]
Swiss justice agrees to FIFA extradition
Today the Swiss Federal Justice Office (OFJ) agreed to the extradition of Rafael Esquivel, one of six FIFA managers in custody, to the United States. The decision marks the culmination of a process that started on 27 May 2015 when six of FIFA’s senior managers where taken into custody after Swiss police captured them in […]
On the spot fines for littering. Coming soon to a commune near you.
Tribune de Genève. “If you’re caught with your fingers in the jam, you’ll get a smack on the hand”1 said Marc-Olivier Buffat of the Liberal Radical Party (PLR). The new law will allow commune staff in the Canton of Vaud to issue on the spot fines of up to CHF 200. The proposal lodged in […]
Why is Swiss French so similar to Standard French, but Swiss German so different from Standard German?
Quora.com – where questions are asked and answered by a community of users. Martin Strohmeier says “it is more about culture and attitude towards the countries than the languages itself….by the time of WW1, Swiss German proved to be a useful way of differentiation from other German speakers and to establish their own identity.” Richard […]
Plan to turn the canton of Schaffhausen into a single municipality
20 Minuten. The Mayor of Neuhausen am Rheinfall, Stephan Rawyler, wants to merge all 26 communes in the canton of Schaffhausen into a single municipality. If the proposal is implemented Scahaffhausen would become the first Swiss canton to have only one municipality. The idea however, has not gone down well with some local residents and […]
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 […]
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) […]
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 […]
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 […]
