BERN The number of people on welfare in Swiss cities is generally higher in Suisse romande than in German-speaking cities, according to a study by Bern University and the Cities Initiative for Social Policy. Lausanne and Bienne/Biel have the greatest percentage of people on welfare among 13 cities surveyed, with increases in five other cities, […]
Your future: “80 is the new 60”
UBS this week released a survey it carried out on age and pensions. Normally pretty dry stuff – summaries of massive data sets – these findings offer interesting insights into Swiss attitudes and give ample food for thought. We know, for example, that the Swiss are living longer; however the survey also tells us that […]
CERN agrees open access to research with American Physical Society
The American Physical Society (APS), and CERN have agreed that all CERN-authored articles published in the APS journal collection are to be Open Access. CERN Director General Rolf Heuer called the agreement “A very important step towards global Open Access for a global discipline”. Thanks to agreement, articles will be available free of charge for […]
Throwing off the yoke: Swiss farm numbers decline
It is hardly news that Swiss peasants have been abandoning farming in recent decades but the phenomenon increased even further in 2013. By the end of last year, there were 2.4% fewer farms than were worked in 2012, particularly smaller farms of between 5 and 20 hectares. On the other hand, the number of farms […]
Franz Weber announces retirement
Doyen of the Swiss environmental movement, Franz Weber has announced his retirement from the foundation bearing his name, which he formed 40 years ago. Weber has been a sometimes controversial force for environmental policy change across the country. His daughter, Vera will take over the running of the foundation.
US mid-terms: What Americans need to know!
With US mid-term elections coming up, expatriate Americans need to be aware of their rights and how to go about voting. GENEVA An American friend recently recounted how his parents, after many years of living in Switzerland, were surprised to learn that they still had the right to vote in US federal elections. In fact, […]
Ebola nurse arrives in Geneva from Sierra Leone
According to the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs, a foreign nurse who was working for an international organisation in Ebola affected Sierra Leone, arrived in Geneva yesterday suffering from a bite inflicted by a child suffering from the Ebola virus. The communiqué stated that this is the first person to land in Switzerland from a region affected […]
More than just highways
Switzerland’s worsening commuter nightmare may find some relief with the Federal Council’s decision to grant CHF 2.7 billion this year to improve highways, part of it to be channelled toward the Lake Geneva region’s own heavily populated zones, notably Lausanne and Geneva. While some Swiss are not particularly happy about this emphasis on the “Arc […]
Scotland’s independence vote – what does it mean for Switzerland?
Scotland, you might think, is just a small country populated by roughly five million people. But it is far more. Discounting its history and disproportionate achievements (you’re only as good as your last mega-invention – Grand Theft Auto), the country has Edinburgh, a vibrant, world-class financial centre; a significant oil industry; an unassailable whisky industry; […]
Changing times at Le Temps
The Swiss Competition Commission last week approved publisher, Ringier’s take-over of flagship Swiss daily Le Temps. Managing director, Valérie Boagno has left the company and Daniel Pillard, CEO at Ringier Romandie, assumes operational management in the interim. From April 2015, Stéphane Benoit-Godet (44), Bilan’s current editor-in-chief, will be the newspaper’s editor-in-chief. Benoit-Godet worked for […]