Bitesize News

Much of France is on strike today – and the effects will be noticeable in Geneva.

Geneva Airport is hitting turbulence. For the first time since the pandemic, passenger numbers are down - just over 12.2 million travelers from January to August, a dip of 0.36% compared to last year.

The abolition of Switzerland’s controversial rental value tax is suddenly in doubt.

Swimmers beware - Creux-de-Genthod beach on Geneva’s Right Bank is off-limits again.

A Swiss woman has been arrested in the Philippines after six kilograms of methamphetamine was found in her luggage at Manila Airport.

Two motorcyclists have been banned from driving in Switzerland after performing dozens of illegal overtakes in the Gotthard tunnel.

France is bracing for a day of massive disruption tomorrow.

In just one year, the City of Geneva has seen vacant retail space soar by 39%, between June 2024 and June 2025.

The Désalpe in Saint-Cergue will not take place this year.

The threat by UBS to move its base to the United States wouldn’t be welcome – but wouldn’t be catastrophic, says a former bank regulator.

We all know property prices in Switzerland are high – and tenants are being forced to pay ever higher rent.

A woman from the Bernese Oberland suffered severe burns after her hot water bottle burst while she was sleeping.

According to the NZZ am Sonntag, the federal government is considering lifting the import ban on US poultry washed in chlorine – a practice banned in both Switzerland and the EU.

In Geneva, two unauthorized wooden sculptures in the forest of Saint-Jean will be spared from destruction.

The Federal Office of Cybersecurity has issued a warning about so-called SMS blasters – devices that mimic mobile antennas and can intercept telephone communications.

After more than two decades of planning, the long-awaited Evouettes bypass tunnel in canton Valais was unveiled to the public on Saturday.

A circus currently in St Genis, in neighbouring France, lost a few of its camels.

The bank UBS is reportedly furious over new Swiss regulations and is looking for ways to escape them – maybe by buying or merging with a US bank.

Groundbreaking begins today on the Geneva section of the Tram des Nations.

Switzerland’s defence minister is warning Europe’s security is under growing threat.

Security around embassies is tightening.

After weeks of searching, police in Haute Savoie found a wrapped body in a ditch near a forest road in Bonneville.

Around a thousand people marched through Bern on Saturday afternoon demanding climate justice.

Major industrial action is planned for France today – and it will affect Switzerland.

The Swiss franc continues to climb against the dollar, gaining more than 12 percent since January and now trading at 79 cents.

In Bern, the Swiss People’s Party is showing a rare willingness to compromise.

Switzerland’s housing shortage is deepening.

Nearly 50 organizations are sounding the alarm over cuts to sexual health prevention programs.

Rheinfelden in canton Aargau is stepping up its fight against the Asian tiger mosquito.

The Geneva Secondary II Teachers’ Union is escalating its protest against new working time directives.

We’re going to have to live with higher electricity prices for a while yet.

FM radio could get a reprieve.

The French-speaking police Association, and the Accident Prevention Office are teaming up with a new awareness campaign: “When you drive… drive! Without a phone, with your eyes on the road.”

Police in Ticino have tracked down a 22-year-old Italian woman who drove at 225 kph in a 100 zone.

A dramatic incident shook Lausanne on Saturday during a pro-Palestinian demonstration.

A political storm is brewing in Haute-Savoie after Paris gave the green light to tolls on the A40 autoroute between Saint-Julien-en-Genevois and Annemasse, starting in 2029.

The president of the large union, UNIA, Vania Alleva is calling for Swiss companies to be prioritized in public procurement in response to Donald Trump’s new customs duties.

Public transport could soon become completely free for retirees and those on disability allowance in Geneva.

Zurich’s decision to scrap French lessons in primary schools is drawing sharp criticism from the federal government.

If you’re driving a tank for the army – and it breaks down – who do you call?

A man in Zurich has been jailed for 5 years after admitting he used date rape drugs to rob sexual partners.

A teenage motorcyclist has been killed and another is in a critical condition after a violent collision in Vernier.

A French elite police unit stormed a snack bar in Valence last Sunday, freeing a Swiss man in his mid-20s who had been kidnapped and held for several days.

The company that runs the boats on Lake Geneva has sent a warning to its customers that their personal details may have been leaked.

Unions are calling for higher wages.

Something you may not know – the shape of the ‘Toilet Duck’ bottle is a Swiss invention – that’s now famous all over the world.

One person was killed and eight others injured after a pile up on the A14 near Epikon in canton Lucerne yesterday afternoon.

Violence against Geneva’s public transport employees remains a concern.

The Zurich Film Festival opens on September 25 with a touch of Hollywood glamour.

Swiss authorities are stepping up the fight against the Asian hornet, the deadly bee predator.

Swiss Post is testing four-legged delivery robots in Regensdorf, Zurich.

Lausanne is drowning in litter. Every year, 1,200 tons of waste clogs streets and parks.

The decision by Geneva to ban children living outside the canton from its schools has gone to the very top.

A long-running dispute in Geneva has reached its end: a new gravel pit will soon open in Cartigny.

There’s some health insurance relief for frontaliers - their premiums will stay flat in 2026.

Thousands of cyclists are expected to head for Lucerne next weekend for the Klausen Pass challenge – and a special exemption is being made for the famous road that hugs Lake Lucerne – the Axenstrasse.

Plan-les-Ouates is turning on the future of street lighting.

The head of the Swiss food giant Nestlé has been sacked after an office affair.

Tenants may be able to get a cut in rents after the Federal Housing Office lowered the benchmark mortgage rate for rental contracts to 1.25%, its lowest level since the system was introduced in 2008.

Storms, heavy rain and hail swept across the country last night.

The Federal Councillor Albert Rösti visited the works at Lausanne train station yesterday – saying he’s happy with the progress that’s being made.

The government has accepted a proposal in principle to end the option of not paying a fine, and going to prison instead.

Nail salon owners are angry at Brussels.

Parliament has quietly approved a major reform: from 2027, health insurance will cover all pregnancy costs from day one, including abortions.

In its attempt to persuade the Trump Administration to cut the 39% tariff it’s levied against Switzerland, the government has offered not to apply a digital tax on the US based tech giants.

A campaign to make sure that Switzerland doesn’t end up in the EU by the back door has collected over 140,000 signatures.

A new generation of weight loss jabs could soon be on the market, thanks to work going on in Zurich.

Restaurants and cafes in Geneva will be required to offer at least one wine produced in the canton.

Yesterday’s swim in Lake Geneva – which was due to attract over a thousand swimmers – had to be cancelled due to a sudden drop in water temperature.

Two missing climbers have been found dead in the Valaisan Alps, four days after they called for help.

Geneva city police have been cracking down on drivers near schools – and in one week, they issued 236 tickets.

Last Friday’s strike by baggage handlers at Zurich airport has paid off – but they will still lose their jobs.

**** 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