Swiss voters are likely to have their say on a proposal to introduce parental leave. The Green Liberals announced on Wednesday that they had submitted 112,517 signatures in support of the initiative to the Federal Chancellery for … [Read more...]
News and Features
Swiss central bank maintains world’s lowest rate
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has left its policy rate unchanged at zero, the lowest policy rate in the world. Inflation remains subdued. Consumer prices rose by 0.8% in August, the highest rate in two years but still comfortably within the … [Read more...]
Swiss passport ranks ninth worldwide — but several European neighbours beat it
The Swiss passport remains one of the world’s most powerful travel documents, ranking ninth globally in the latest Passport Reports index. Swiss citizens can travel visa-free to 119 destinations. Another 54 allow entry with a visa on arrival or … [Read more...]
Major job cuts planned at Switzerland’s second largest mobile operator
Sunrise, Switzerland’s second-largest telecoms company, is planning another round of job cuts. Up to 450 positions could go, equivalent to almost 16% of its current workforce, reported RTS. The cuts form part of a broader overhaul of the … [Read more...]
More than 700 medicines face shortages in Switzerland
More than 700 medicines are currently affected by supply bottlenecks in Switzerland, according to drugshortage.ch, a platform run by Enea Martinelli, a hospital pharmacist. Mr Martinelli is also behind a popular initiative that would require the … [Read more...]
Guides
15 things you should know about Swiss health insurance
It's health insurance season. Average premiums are increasing in 2018. Compulsory basic Swiss health insurance can generally only be changed once a year. To change you must notify your current provider by 30 November. This article explains the basics … [Read More...]
6-step guide to hiring a cleaner in Switzerland
Brought to you by quitt.ch - No. 1 provider of registration and administration services for domestic help in Switzerland. 1. What do cleaners cost in Switzerland? Cleaners are expensive in Switzerland and good personnel are hard to find. Prices … [Read More...]
Activities
Why you should visit the Gianadda gallery in Martigny
Gianadda, that spectacular cultural centre in Martigny, specializes in exhibitions you want to wander round more than once. Its latest show – Hodler, Monet, Munch: painting the impossible (3 February to 11 June 2017) – also lives up to the … [Read more...]
How Switzerland’s best river swim became a summertime commute
Most people float down the Aare River in Bern just for fun. For Evelyn Schneider-Reyes, it was her summertime commute home. “I only had like 30 seconds walking from my office to the river,” she recalls. “I had an ‘Aare Bag’, where I put all my … [Read more...]
“Snow of May” – Swiss narcissus season in full bloom
The spring narcissus bloom in Switzerland's riviera region, a star tourist attraction of the Belle Epoque - the 30 to 40 years before the war in 1914 - was described as the "snow of May" by Ernest Hemingway in his novel A Farewell to Arms. The book … [Read more...]
