Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Monday
SBB finds a way to prevent tardy German trains from 'spreading' delays through the Swiss network; a daycare center in Zurich is operated by Scientologists; and other news in our roundup on Monday.
Passengers from Germany must change trains in Basel to ensure punctual arrivals
Due to frequent delays experienced by trains from Germany en route to Switzerland, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) now use more of their own trains from the German / Swiss border in Basel onward.
This is intended to minimise the delays of Deutsche Bahn from affecting the entire Swiss network.
On the other hand, connections from Switzerland to Germany are exempt from changing trains. All night trains also run continuously in both directions.
Individual connections from Karlsruhe, Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Berlin to Switzerland are also not affected by the measure.
READ ALSO: Why Switzerland beats Germany for reliable trains
Retail wars: Swiss supermarkets must now compete with Aldi and Lidl
Both Migros and Coop, Switzerland’s largest and most popular supermarket chains, are faced with the increasing competition from Aldi and Lidl.
The lower prices that can be found at the two German discounters are becoming more appealing to consumers trying to beat the inflation-driven decline in the purchasing power.
Some have been choosing Aldi and Lidl over Migros and Coop, at least for certain purchases.
Migros, which has recently faced accusations of inflating its prices by 10 percent, is planning to undertake a major reorganisation in order to bring prices down. Certain prices have already started to fall at the two Swiss retailers in view of the competition from the discounters.
READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about Switzerland’s supermarkets
New Zurich daycare center is run by Scientologists
The Schlümpfli daycare center in Zurich’s Altstetten neighbourhood is operated by parents, many of whom are members of the controversial Church of Scientology.
In fact, it is entered in Zurich’s commercial register as being based “on the basic principles of the Scientology religion and the educational principles of L. Ron Hubbard [the sect’s founder] in accordance with the religious educational rights of the legal guardian."
The facility will be open “to children of all denominations, provided that the parents agree to the operating concept of the center," it said.
The city of Zurich is aware that Schlümpfli is run according to Scientology principles, but as it does not receive any public subsidies, and is therefore a private facility, “there are no legal requirements that affect its religious or political orientation.”
However, sect expert Georg Schmid, warned that children enrolled in Schlümpfli will “grow up in an ideological bubble.”
Switzerland is…part of France
Here is a piece of offbeat news to start the week:
A small French commune located in Moselle, in the east of France, is called ‘Suisse’, which means 'Switzerland' in French.
As you can imagine, this sometimes causes more confusion than the Switzerland – Sweden conundrum.
According to a Sunday report on RTS public broadcaster, the town’s post office often receives letters intended for Switzerland.
But the errors are not only human: it seems some cars' GPS systems also take motorists on a detour to the French commune instead to their desired location in Switzerland (the country).
The origin of the town’s name remains a mystery. The first traces go back to the beginning of the 18th century and speak of a derivative of Sulza, the old Germanic name of the village. But the name could also come from Swiss workers established at the time in the region.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
Comments
See Also
Passengers from Germany must change trains in Basel to ensure punctual arrivals
Due to frequent delays experienced by trains from Germany en route to Switzerland, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) now use more of their own trains from the German / Swiss border in Basel onward.
This is intended to minimise the delays of Deutsche Bahn from affecting the entire Swiss network.
On the other hand, connections from Switzerland to Germany are exempt from changing trains. All night trains also run continuously in both directions.
Individual connections from Karlsruhe, Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Berlin to Switzerland are also not affected by the measure.
READ ALSO: Why Switzerland beats Germany for reliable trains
Retail wars: Swiss supermarkets must now compete with Aldi and Lidl
Both Migros and Coop, Switzerland’s largest and most popular supermarket chains, are faced with the increasing competition from Aldi and Lidl.
The lower prices that can be found at the two German discounters are becoming more appealing to consumers trying to beat the inflation-driven decline in the purchasing power.
Some have been choosing Aldi and Lidl over Migros and Coop, at least for certain purchases.
Migros, which has recently faced accusations of inflating its prices by 10 percent, is planning to undertake a major reorganisation in order to bring prices down. Certain prices have already started to fall at the two Swiss retailers in view of the competition from the discounters.
READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about Switzerland’s supermarkets
New Zurich daycare center is run by Scientologists
The Schlümpfli daycare center in Zurich’s Altstetten neighbourhood is operated by parents, many of whom are members of the controversial Church of Scientology.
In fact, it is entered in Zurich’s commercial register as being based “on the basic principles of the Scientology religion and the educational principles of L. Ron Hubbard [the sect’s founder] in accordance with the religious educational rights of the legal guardian."
The facility will be open “to children of all denominations, provided that the parents agree to the operating concept of the center," it said.
The city of Zurich is aware that Schlümpfli is run according to Scientology principles, but as it does not receive any public subsidies, and is therefore a private facility, “there are no legal requirements that affect its religious or political orientation.”
However, sect expert Georg Schmid, warned that children enrolled in Schlümpfli will “grow up in an ideological bubble.”
Switzerland is…part of France
Here is a piece of offbeat news to start the week:
A small French commune located in Moselle, in the east of France, is called ‘Suisse’, which means 'Switzerland' in French.
As you can imagine, this sometimes causes more confusion than the Switzerland – Sweden conundrum.
According to a Sunday report on RTS public broadcaster, the town’s post office often receives letters intended for Switzerland.
But the errors are not only human: it seems some cars' GPS systems also take motorists on a detour to the French commune instead to their desired location in Switzerland (the country).
The origin of the town’s name remains a mystery. The first traces go back to the beginning of the 18th century and speak of a derivative of Sulza, the old Germanic name of the village. But the name could also come from Swiss workers established at the time in the region.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.