Archive – Democracy

Swiss to vote on paedophile ban

This content was published on Apr 20, 2011 The Marche Blanche (White March) association said on Wednesday that it had collected more than 112,000 signatures in support of the move, more than enough to call a popular vote on the issue. If passed, the ban would be written into the constitution. In February the government started consultations on a plan aimed at preventing…

Switzerland faces a lack of new GPs

This content was published on Apr 2, 2011 If it continues, the decline in the number of GPs could have a serious effect on health care, they warn. To better inform the general public of the situation, their association has launched a campaign demanding a change to health policy that encourages more students to embrace the profession. Only ten per cent of medicine…

A day in the life of a GP

This content was published on Apr 1, 2011 Fewer and fewer medical students are choosing to become family doctors in part due to unattractive conditions and a heavy workload. At the same time, up to half of the country’s GPs are set to retire by 2016. Photographer Severin Nowacki spent time in 2006 with GP Walter Raaflaub at his practice in the Bernese…

Testing the limits of unlimited mobility

This content was published on Feb 24, 2011 Now the debate is on to determine who should pay for what as frustrated commuters consider their options – including navigating the choked roads and motorways. Some 162,000 commuters travel to Zurich every day: 90,000 of them come by car, another 70,000 arrive via public transport. Meanwhile, 44,000 Zurich residents leave the city every day…

Swiss voters stick to their gun tradition

This content was published on Feb 13, 2011 Just over 56 per cent of voters on Sunday threw out a proposal by an alliance of non-governmental groups and centre-left parties to ban army-issue firearms from the home and set up a central arms register in a bid to curb gun violence.Admitting defeat the supporters of the anti-gun initiative looked on the bright side.…

Swiss not as democratic as they think

This content was published on Jan 28, 2011 The Democracy Barometer, co-authored by researchers at Zurich University and unveiled on Thursday, found that Denmark, Finland and Belgium had the world’s best functioning democracies. Britain and France were among the worst performers.The barometer, developed with the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB) and the first of its kind, shows the development of the 30…

Swiss trains are victim of own success

This content was published on Jan 2, 2011 Raising the ticket price during peak hours is one of the solutions on the table, while another is an expansion of services offered by the Swiss Federal Railways. A typical day begins badly for many commuters. Seats are often only available for people who are lucky enough to get on the train at the first…

Flu campaign launched a year after H1N1 panic

This content was published on Oct 20, 2010 The consumer protection watchdog said it supported the health office but wanted to see figures on the efficacy of vaccinations. In August the government declared the 2009 flu pandemic, a global outbreak of a new strain of H1N1 influenza virus, officially over. The media reaction and logistical problems had been large; the spread of the…

Photo of a train and a young girl on it over mountain and lake background

Are Swiss trains on the right tourist track?

This content was published on Aug 6, 2010 This week the Public Transport Association announced that in December ticket prices for trains and postal buses would increase by an average of 5.9 per cent, the first major hike in public transport fares in three years. But there’s good news for tourists: the various train passes aimed at visitors will stay the same, according…

Labour laws questioned as 24-hour shops shut

This content was published on Aug 4, 2010 For the past two years, seven petrol stations in canton Zurich have been defying a recently introduced law on late-night trading by opening their shops from 1-5am. But no longer. In July the Federal Court upheld a general ban on opening shops at petrol stations late at night, ruling that there could be no exceptions.…

Archive – Democracy

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Archive – Democracy

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Swiss to vote on paedophile ban

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Switzerland faces a lack of new GPs

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A day in the life of a GP

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Testing the limits of unlimited mobility

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Swiss voters stick to their gun tradition

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Swiss not as democratic as they think

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Swiss trains are victim of own success

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Flu campaign launched a year after H1N1 panic

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Are Swiss trains on the right tourist track?

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Labour laws questioned as 24-hour shops shut

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