Bitesize News

Negotiations between Switzerland’s private health insurers and medical associations have broken down, escalating tensions in the healthcare system.

Valais cantonal police blocked over approximately 150 travellers and over 40 caravans from France on the A9 motorway between Vevey and Martigny yesterday, diverting traffic onto local cantonal roads.

Around 1,000 members of the Swiss Armed Forces are heading to Austria for joint military training alongside Austrian and German troops.

Egg consumption in Switzerland reached an all-time high last year, according to figures released by the Federal Office for Agriculture.

A slight majority of Swiss residents support abolishing the rental value tax, according to a new survey published on Tuesday.

A Citizens’ Assembly has come out in favour of introducing a tax on sugary drinks and foods as part of a series of proposals to promote public health.

In Geneva, five men aged between 38 and 56 have been sentenced to prison for their roles in two violent home invasions — or "homejackings".

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) has confirmed that it has been informed of the kidnapping of a Swiss woman in Niger.

Migros is planning to launch its first 24/7 store in Herisau, in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. The company has submitted an application to the local authorities and, if approved, test operations are expected to begin in summer this year.

The Swiss emergency hotline 147, which supports children, teenagers, and young adults, saw a significant rise in demand last year.

The canton of Neuchâtel is calling on more people to help save lives. Currently in the canton, over 1,000 volunteers are trained to deliver critical first aid before professional teams arrive.

A man has turned to the media after being scammed into buying a “junk bed” and losing CHF 40’000.

Switzerland is spending half a million francs on lobbying the United States to make sure it keeps access to the latest AI technology.

Geneva is expected to be Switzerland’s richest canton and that will mean it will be the largest contributor to the federal fund which aims to equalize standards across the Confederation.

Last week’s traffic predictions from the TCS proved correct.

After the second round of Geneva’s municipal elections, left-wing parties maintain their control of the city with a Green and Centre alliance. Also, the Administrative Council is now majority female.

Geneva school holidays will change next year.

The Geneva tram network was thrown into disarray on Friday evening after one derailed at the Place Neuve at 7pm.

Three renowned investigative journalists Cecilia Anesi, Antonio Baquero, and Frederik Obermaier are avoiding Switzerland due to fears of criminal prosecution under strict banking secrecy laws.

Switzerland will be rejoining several EU programmes following an agreement with Brussels.

There are calls for tax payers to get a rebate after most cantons have reported a tax surplus this year.

This weekend marks the start of the Easter rush to the south – and major delays are expected at the Gotthard Tunnel and other routes heading south.

A feasibility study has been launched to examine the possibility of extending the Léman Express train to serve Bellegarde and Nantua in neighbouring France.

The Federal Council is creating a special team to deal with the uncertainty coming out of the United States.

Switzerland has reported its first case of a particularly serious variant of Mpox – formerly known as monkeypox.

The pedestrian who was hit by a hit and run driver in Anières in Geneva in early March has died after being treated for several weeks – Geneva police have arrested a driver after an appeal for witnesses.

A heavily armed Geneva police unit rushed to a school in Charmilles yesterday after an active shooter AMOK alert was triggered.

More restaurants are charging a fee to those who book a table and then don’t show up.

The Trump effect is beginning to have an impact on the right-wing Swiss People’s Party.

The invasion of the quagga mussel in Swiss waterways needs to be treated as an emergency – say experts.

Police in Bern stumbled across a major haul of Ketamine.

Authorities in canton Glarus are being forced to crack down on unscrupulous tourists that flock to the prime vantage point of the Muttenchopf.

Work has started on the St. Jakobshalle in Basel for the Eurovision Song Contest.

It’s tyre change time – many will be switching their winter tyres to summer ones right now, but authorities are warning that if you’re planning to visit Italy, you must have done by next month.

All sectors of the Swiss stock market have been hit by the global selloff triggered by the tariffs set by the United States.

Could some smaller train stations be closed?

It looks likely voters will be asked again their opinion on rolling out a new electronic ID system.

A former mayor of the commune of Signy-Avenex in canton Vaud has been sentenced to four and a half years in jail after being found guilty of embezzlement.

Concerns about child safety at daycare centres in French speaking regions are climbing.

Health experts in Geneva are worried about teenagers abusing cough syrups containing codeine.

Most women in Switzerland don’t want to have children.

Canton Geneva has launched a criminal investigation after hundreds of fish were poisoned in the Aire River, which runs through Plan-les-Ouates.

Thousands marched in Zurich on Saturday demanding more access to affordable housing.

One weekend of good weather – and we’re already in drought conditions.

A man who demanded cash to return a lost iPhone has been fined and now faces probation.

A world record was broken in Martigny in canton Valais over the weekend – the World’s Largest Raclette.

The Federal Council says it will not take any immediate retaliatory measures against the United States following the Trump Administration’s decision hit Switzerland with a 31% tax on exports.

Geneva is likely to be one of the worst hit cantons following the new US tariffs.

In a hard-hitting editorial in the Blick newspaper this morning – it calls Trump an ‘angry old man’ - the paper says the Federal Council has to face the issue of world trade with clarity and courage – but admits it has a tough job ahead.

The number of people living in Switzerland has risen to a record 9.05 million – a rise of 1% - despite a fall in immigration.

A Geneva court has thrown out an appeal against the new vehicle tax levied by Geneva which caused shock and surprise at the beginning of the year when many saw their tax bills soar.

US president Donald Trump unveiled a series of tariffs against countries around the world. He says the United States has been ‘looted, robbed and raped’ by friends and foes alike.

The Swiss People’s Party in Geneva failed to collect enough signatures to force the decision to give NGOs in Geneva CHF 10m to a vote.

The cycle lane on Boulevard Georges Favon in Geneva will be staying.

The Chinese electric car maker, BYD, has launched in Switzerland.

As more people are using electric powered transport options, such as e-bikes and scooters, serious injuries are increasing.

A grouping of left-wing parties has launched a popular initiative to bring in 36 weeks combined leave for parents after the birth of a child.

Hundreds of drivers are facing fines from French authorities for taking pictures of an accident on the A40 autoroute last month.

The amount of frozen Russian assets in Switzerland is climbing. It now stands at CHF 7.4bn - up more than 1 and a half billion from last year.

Young men are increasingly turning to erectile disfunction drugs – but there are warnings about using drugs bought online.

There could be a new venue to enjoy the lake over the summer if a local entrepreneur gets his idea off the ground.

Despite Switzerland being a wealthy country, figures from the Federal Statistics Office shows that as much as 25% of the people are at risk of poverty.

Ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest which will be held in Basel in May, the canton is appealing for police reinforcements from other cantons.

Domestic violence campaigners are furious at the Federal Office of Communications.

The Swiss National Bank has been on a foreign currency buying spree.

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Switzerland should follow other European countries and offer incentives to American academics who feel bullied in the United States to come and continue their research here.

An internal email to World Health Organisation staff sent on Friday is confirming the worst for many.

Another victim of European re-armament is that any plans to clear Swiss lakes of dumped munitions seems to have been ditched.

Comments by the future German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in a newspaper interview has caused confusion in Bern.

A teenage boy has died after being trapped in a sliding shop door in Vevey in canton Vaud.

Doctors are raising the alarm of increasing rates of colorectal cancer in younger people – and research is underway at the Geneva University Hospital to find out why and the canton has allocated CHF 7m to boost screening.

The man who’s been arrested for planting parcel bombs in Geneva has reportedly confessed.

The army is going on a shopping spree.

Thousands of customers of the online retailer Zalando have been blocked without warning.

Geneva police are investigating the death of a dog on the Lignon housing estate.

Several sections of roads in Geneva that have had a new 30 kph limit imposed will probably revert to 50 after a court ruling.

If you were unlucky with your choice of tickets for Paléo, the Gurten Festival in Bern may be worth a look.

If you want to stay in Basel during the Eurovision Song Contest - it will cost you.

Geneva will be the most connected Swiss city to China.

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