Bitesize News

The government is being criticised for leaving more than 5,000 Swiss nationals stranded in the middle east - while other countries are successfully managing to get their own nationals back to their home countries.

In Bern, the upper house of parliament, The Council of States, has approved emergency federal support for victims of the Crans-Montana tragedy.

A court in Zurich has sentenced a group of four men who tried to smuggle 44 kilos of pure cocaine into the country through the airport - worth CHF 1.5m.

A Lausanne based design company has won the competition to design the new set of Swiss banknotes.

Swiss beekeepers are launching a popular initiative to anchor stronger protection for native pollinating insects in the Federal Constitution.

Students with dyslexia will not be allowed to systematically use computers and adapted software in high schools.

Swiss Federal Railways says assaults on train staff remain a daily reality - and it seems the government is ready to step in.

Switzerland’s Senate has voted to require police to systematically mention the nationality of suspects when communicating about crimes.

The association that represents bars and restaurants in canon Valais - GastroValais - has caused outrage by writing to all cantonal parliamentarians saying no new safety fire laws are needed.

The Swiss logistics firm - Kühne+Nagel - says it will have to lay off 2,000 staff. Around 1,000 more than previously believed.

If you’re voting by post this weekend - get your ballot in the mail.

MeteoSwiss says the winter was significantly warmer than average, despite dense fog on the Swiss Plateau in December and a bitterly cold start to the year.

Bern says it’s not able to repatriate thousands of Swiss citizens who are either resident in the middle east - or stranded as their flights have been cancelled.

Around a hundred people gathered in Geneva yesterday evening to protest the war in Iran.

Swiss President Guy Parmelin met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels yesterday to advance a new package of bilateral agreements between Switzerland and the EU.

Switzerland is moving closer to abolishing the 30 year statute of limitations for murder.

A worker has died after being buried alive in canton Fribourg.

A woman from Biel in canton Bern has launched an online petition calling for quiet carriages in second class on Swiss trains.

Legal uncertainty is preventing authorities from clearing camps built by the homeless in Geneva.

Swiss prosecutors have dismissed a rare homicide case involving an 87-year-old former family doctor who killed his partner while asleep in September 2024.

Switzerland will prohibit the purchase and import of Russian liquefied natural gas from April.

Geneva has recorded its first fatal traffic accident of the year.

Students and staff in Geneva are mobilising against planned cuts to higher education.

The president of the World Economic Forum, Børge Brende, has resigned following an internal probe into his past contacts with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

In a special edition of Infrarouge on RTS, the Swiss President Guy Parmelin defended his recent meeting with Donald Trump in Davos during the World Economic Forum.

A pharmacy in Zurich has apologised after a potentially dangerous dosing error involving a four-month-old baby.

Geneva’s car market is shifting gears.

The US government has confirmed it will spend CHF 36m on renovating the embassy in Bern.

Bern has announced it will pay each victim of the Crans Montana fire CHF 50,000 as a one time payment.

It looks set voters will reject the climate fund which will be decided on March 8th.

Another major issue which seems to be running into trouble is individual taxation.

Switzerland’s new electronic ID may be optional, but its future use is already sparking debate.

A group of small shop owners in Geneva have launched an initiative to end the ban on the sale of alcohol after 9pm.

February has been very wet - that's unlikely to be news to you.

A popular Geneva lakeside beach at Creux-de-Genthod remains closed five months after swimmers reported seeing toilet paper and waste floating in the water.

Two women who went cross country skiing near La Chapelle d’Abondance in Haute-Savoie close to the Swiss border, have been found dead after being buried by an avalanche.

We’re using public transport more.

The prestigious horse racing event, White Turf in St Moritz, has ended on a sombre note after a second horse was put down during this year’s event.

They declared they only had their modest state pension to live on - but they actually had more than a million francs saved up.

A wolf being tracked by researchers has surprised everyone by swimming across Lake Lucerne.

Several Swiss companies have either launched, or are preparing to do so, legal action against the Trump administration for illegally collecting tariffs on their products.

A coalition of left-wing parties and residents’ groups has launched a referendum against Geneva’s decision to reinstate a 50 kph limit on major roads.

A building in the Old Town in Geneva has been evacuated due to mysterious movements.

Bern Zoo is facing a difficult dilemma. Thanks to improved care and nutrition, animals are living longer - but that longevity is limiting space for younger generations.

The United Nations has marked a new milestone in Geneva. Secretary-General António Guterres and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis have inaugurated the UN Gateway, a new visitor centre set to open in May.

After weeks of heavy snowfall, we’re now seeing a sudden surge of spring warmth.

Switzerland is weighing its response after the US Supreme Court struck down much of Donald Trump’s tariff regime.

The Iranian foreign minister says there could be a new meeting with the American delegation in Geneva to discuss their nuclear program.

A young man is being praised for his bravery after he tackled a fire in the Vernier tunnel on the A1 just outside Geneva on Friday afternoon.

A 22-year-old skier has died in an avalanche in Verbier.

No-shows are becoming an escalating problem for Swiss businesses.

Researchers at the University of Bern say genetic changes in cat tumours closely mirror those seen in human breast cancer - a discovery that could open new paths for treatment.

Roadworks around Lausanne are set to start soon and they’ll be causing disruption for most of the year.

Two women have been arrested after a burglary in Grand-Lancy yesterday afternoon.

The minimum wages in cantons Geneva and Neuchâtel, which were threatened by a conflict with federal laws, have been granted a reprieve.

The Swiss charity, Caritas, says it has raised CHF 35m for Ukraine since the start of the war.

A crane operator has been seriously injured after a construction accident in Stallikon, in canton of Zurich.

In what may seem a bizarre situation - it’s easier for a police officer in this country to search through an EU criminal database to get information of someone in Switzerland than to ask another canton.

The two football clubs have been sanctioned after crowd trouble at Sunday’s Lake Geneva derby led to major rail disruption in Lausanne.

It wasn't that long ago many ski resorts were thinking the season would be a write off as there was no snow.

A survey shows there’s a massive difference in health care between Geneva and Vaud, and neighbouring France.

There will be no Pride Festival in Zurich this year.

No-shows are becoming an increasing problem for Zurich’s restaurant industry.

Ukrainian president Volodmyr Zelensky says the only way to end the war in his country is for his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin to meet him directly - and he’s suggesting Putin should travel to Geneva. The current peace talks underway in Geneva are faltering.

The Ukrainian negotiations are not the only high level talks underway in Geneva.

The Russian propaganda TV channel, Russia Today, has weighed in on the debate if the fee paid to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation should be cut to CHF 200.

Heavy snowfall and a high avalanche risk have brought parts of Valais to a standstill.

Debate is flaring ahead of the revision of the Federal Aviation Act.

Switzerland was planning to buy Patriot missiles from the United States - but with relations with the US under scrutiny and the fuss of the purchase of US made fighter jets - the Confederation may opt for a new European model.

For at least 48 hours, Geneva becomes the world’s diplomatic epicentre, hosting two sets of high-stakes talks at the same time.

Heavy snowfall is tightening its grip across the Swiss Alps, triggering deadly avalanches and major disruption.

A train derailed near Goppenstein in canton Valais after an avalanche swept across the line yesterday morning.

Train travel between Geneva and Lausanne remains problematic today.

Pressure is mounting on the Swiss national bank to intervene to slow the franc's relentless rise.

Switzerland’s economy edged up by 0.2 per cent in the fourth quarter, according to an initial estimate from the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.

Rail traffic between Geneva and Lausanne is disrupted after football fans caused a fire at Lausanne station late last night.

Eleven people were injured, one seriously, when a confetti cannon exploded during the Bagnes carnival in Le Châble, Valais, on Saturday afternoon.

After a survey last week that shows people are strongly against raising VAT to pay for the army - other options are now appearing - including working for another year.

The Geneva Grand Council was ready to pass a motion that would have made wearing the burkini illegal in the canton’s swimming pool.

The City of Geneva is being urged to review the investments of its staff pension fund.

The president, Guy Parmelin, is heading back to Brussels next month to finalise a new package of agreements with the European Union.

The Geneva branch of fast-food chain Five Guys has been found guilty of workplace sexual harassment between 2020 and 2022.

Clocks change at the end of the week - and it could be dangerous - as it sends more people to hospital.

**** APRIL FOOL**** Many thanks for all your comments!

Residents in the threatened village of Brienz in Graubünden were allowed to visit their homes briefly yesterday.

Courtesy of the Interlaken tourist office, you can win 2 nights for two people at the Hotel Metropole in Interlaken with fantastic views of the Jungfrau.

WRS normal programming back in January