Author: switzerlandtimes.ch
Switzerland, a land of majestic mountains, serene lakes, and vibrant cities, offers a plethora of activities for every kind of traveler. Whether you’re an adventure seeker, a culture enthusiast, or someone looking to relax amidst nature, Switzerland has something special for you. Here’s a curated list of the top things to do in this enchanting country, ensuring your visit is unforgettable. Traveling Across Switzerland While Switzerland boasts an efficient public transport system, exploring remote areas or traveling at your own pace might require a different approach. For such occasions, consider booking Switzerland taxis. Offering reliable and convenient transportation options, Taxiyo…
On 3 March 2024, Swiss voters voted on two federal initiatives on state pensions. The first asked voters whether to increase pensions by a 1/12th (8.3%), while the second asked if the official retirement age should rise slowly in line with life expectancy. With the votes in, the proposal to increase pensions by 8.3% (1/12th), known as the 13th (month of) pension, has been accepted. 58.4% of voters were in favour of more money for retirees. Majorities favoured the plan in 15 out of 23 cantons (of the 26 typically referred to, 6 are half cantons). The cantons with the highest percentages…
This week, Switzerland’s federal government reached a dead end on reducing the voting age to 16. It is unlikely the idea will be discussed again for a while, reported SRF. After years if discussion, federal parliament rejected the idea. The left favoured it – younger people are more likely to lean left, while those on the right were generally against it – younger peopel are more likely to lean left. In the end 106 voted against it and 84 supported it. Previously in June 2023, parliament supported drawing up a template for how a younger voting age might be introduced.…
This February in Switzerland was the warmest since records began in 1864, with an average temperature of 2.7 degrees, 4.6 degrees above the average recorded for the month over the last 30 years. High temperatures have been driven by strong air currents from the west, said Meteo Swiss. The next warmest Februarys were recorded quite recently in 2020 (1.6 degrees) and 1990 (2.1). This year, a high pressure zone over southern Europe has prevented colder polar air moving down as it normally would. One theory to explain this is unusually high sea and ocean temperatures coming out of the summer…
After two increases in a row the reference interest rate used for adjusting rents remains unchanged this quarter. After two rises from 1.25% to 1.75% last year, many tenants in Switzerland will be breathing a sigh of relief. Many economists forecast no increases in the rate this year. Every quarter the rate of interest used to set the rents in Switzerland is reviewed. If it goes down some renters have the right to request a decrease in rent. If it goes up landlords can generally raise rents. The interest rate used to set the reference rate is the average rate…
This week, the Socialist and Green Parties submitted sufficient signatures to trigger a popular initiative, reported RTS. According to the organisers, nearly 130,000 signatures were submitted to the Federal Chancellery on Thursday. The initiative aims to create a climate fund. It would compel all levels of government to invest in actions to meet international climate agreements. If the plan is accepted by a majority of voters, starting no more than three years after its acceptance the federal government would need to put 0.5% to 1.0% of annual GDP into the fund, a figure that could reach between CHF 3.5 and 7…
In 2023, 98,851 more people moved to Switzerland than left, according to data from Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Migration (SEM). The net number of arrivals in Switzerland in 2023, exceeded the number in 2022 by 21.5%. A total of 181,553 people immigrated to Switzerland, of which 71.9% came from an EU or EFTA member state. Immigration from the EU and EFTA nations rose by 14.1% to 130,483 people, compared to a rise of 6.3% in the number arriving from nations beyond the EU and EFTA. The vast majority (70.7%) of these new arrivals from the EU/EFTA came for work. At the same…
At the end of September 2023, driving was banned on a 60 metre section of Langstrasse in Zurich. To enforce the ban, cameras were later set up on 8 January 2024 to catch and fine errant drivers. Since then 17,310 fines have been issued. The driving ban, which excludes buses, was introduced to make the area more cycling friendly and applies from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. At CHF 100 each, the recent fines have generated 1.7 million of revenue for the city. However, a city official said the authorities are unhappy about the number of fines issued and would…
Much of the progress being made in AI is captured within private companies aiming to keep in to themselves in order to profit from it. Open AI, a project started as an open-source non-profit has morphed into a largely closed-source profit-maximising project increasingly integrated into the software company Microsoft. Many see open-source as critical to the healthy development of AI. A super computer combined with the knowhow of Switzerlands world-leading federal universities could help to swing the pendulum back into the open-source court, reported SRF this week. The supercomputer is based in the CSCS data center in Lugano. It will…
Lake Geneva is getting warmer and hit a record high in 2022, according to a recently published report by the International Commission for the Protection of the Waters of Lake Geneva (CIPEL). Since 2012, the water temperature at the bottom of Lake Geneva has risen by one degree while the average surface temperature has leapt by 1.2 degrees to 13.6 degrees. Similar changes have been recorded at Lake Constance, Switzerland’s second largest lake – these lakes also fall into French and German territory. These temperature changes might appear minor. However, they are not. As the surface water warms lakes become…