A recent report shows 67,606 people died in Switzerland in 2015, 6% more than in the previous year. Two the big drivers of the rise were a flu epidemic over spring and a heatwave in July of that year. In 2015, an extra 4,000 people died compared to in 2014. Most of these extra deaths […]
Swiss depression rates far higher among French and Italian speakers
The results of a recent report by Switzerland’s Federal statistical Office reveal big differences in reported depression rates across Switzerland. The data, published by Le Matin over the weekend, show that almost 9% of those in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland suffer from depression, compared to 5.5% in the Swiss-German-speaking part. The regional difference for women […]
VIDEO: Rock slide in Swiss town of Le Locle, Neuchâtel
On Tuesday, a rock slide in the town of Le Locle was captured on video. The video contains some swearing (in French). The rock slide happened on the outskirts of the town. According to local media no one was hurt. Le Locle, a town of around 10,000 people, borders France and is in the Jura […]
Hunting season opens in Valais
Every year hunters take to the mountains of Valais in search of deer and chamois for two weeks. The hunt is a highly regulated and well planned exercise with clear targets. The canton’s hunting authority sets annual hunting targets, part of a system of regulating wild fauna. This year the target is 1,800 red deer, […]
Switzerland’s welfare spending jumps 53 percent
A recent report shows welfare spending increased 53% over ten years. From 2005 to 2015 it rose from CHF 1.7 billion to CHF 2.6 billion. These figures only include cash payments. The sum is even more significant when other elements are included. Once added the bill rises to around CHF 8 billion. In 2005, the same […]
The super restaurant at the end of the Swiss universe
“At the end of the world and at the same time at its origin, at its beginning and at its centre.” That was Carl Zuckmayer on the Upper Valais. But as that environmentalist and writer Douglas Adams told us, at the end of every universe there’s a restaurant. By Peter Hulm How come you live […]
FILM: Neptune reports from Locarno film festival
11 August 2017. Switzerland’s most important film festival, LOCARNO, celebrated its 70th birthday this year. With its penchant for “new” cinema, its exquisite setting of the Lago Maggiore, velvety mountains and its magical nightly screenings of films on the gigantic Piazza Grande (seating up to 8,000!), it draws more cinephiles every year. Despite incredibly high temperatures […]
Switzerland braces itself for a storm
Tribune de Genève. Swiss Meteo is predicting heavy storms this evening. A mass of heavy unstable air is poised to unleash heavy rain, winds, and possibly hail. Storms are predicted to cover much of the Swiss plateau from Geneva through to Lake Constance. The warning is level 3, which is described as considerable danger. and […]
New 50 Swiss franc note wins international beauty contest
The new 50 franc note, launched last year, was voted the best new bank note in 2016 by the International Bank Note Society, a society founded in 1961. Nearly 120 new banknotes were released worldwide in 2016. The Swiss 50 only narrowly beat the Maldive Islands 1000 Rufiyaa bill, Argentina’s 500 Peso jaguar, and the […]
Cyclists offended by insurance company video
A video published by Suva, an Swiss insurance company, has offended a number of cyclists. The video portrays the grisly fate of a smug dimwitted cyclist who ridicules his vindictive car-driving colleague and neighbour. His neighbour takes his car to work, even in winter, while the hardy cyclist rides rain, hail or shine. When the cyclist fails […]
