Bitesize News

The rail link between Geneva and Lausanne is reaching breaking point.

The prison population has reached its highest level since records began, according to new figures released by the Federal Statistics Office.

Electric vehicle tax breaks are coming under pressure across Switzerland as more drivers switch away from petrol and diesel cars.

A slight slowdown is in sight for health insurance premiums.

A major asparagus theft has shocked farmers in canton Fribourg.

Cantons, cities and municipalities are uniting against the Swiss People’s Party’s “No 10 Million Switzerland” initiative ahead of next month’s vote.

Police in Geneva are investigating a wave of vehicle break-ins after at least twenty cars were damaged in Chambésy.

Plans for direct train services between Switzerland and London have moved a step closer, after Swiss Federal Railways, the SNCF and Eurostar signed a new cooperation agreement.

Parliament is debating whether access to the morning-after pill should be made easier by scrapping the mandatory consultation before it can be dispensed in pharmacies.

The Federal Agriculture Office is launching a new campaign to slow the spread of the invasive Japanese beetle, a pest considered a major threat to agriculture and the environment.

A reform of unemployment insurance rules for cross-border workers has cleared a key step in the European Parliament.

A person living in Geneva is under medical observation after travelling on the same flight as a passenger infected with hantavirus, Swiss health authorities have confirmed.

Geneva shopkeepers are preparing for possible unrest linked to next month’s G7 summit in nearby Evian.

Two opposing demonstrations met in Lucerne on Saturday.

Bern cantonal police are warning parents and young people about dangerous social media trends known as the “Blackout Challenge” or “pilot test.”

A new petition demanding action on chronic traffic congestion around Lausanne has gathered more than a thousand signatures in just a few weeks.

Thousands of runners and supporters packed the streets of Geneva this weekend for the 20th edition of the Geneva Marathon, which attracted a record 27,500 participants across its various races.

Supporters of the Swiss People’s Party’s “10 million Switzerland” initiative are facing criticism after admitting that restricting immigration could eventually lead to a higher retirement age.

Lucerne is set to overtake Zug as Switzerland’s most attractive canton for corporate taxation in 2026, according to a new analysis by consulting firm PwC.

Canton Geneva has been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights over the handling of a protest organiser fined after a Women’s Day demonstration in 2019.

The lower house of parliament has backed a proposal to require major foreign online retailers to appoint a legal representative in the country.

City centres are undergoing a major transformation, with traditional retail increasingly giving way to restaurants and service businesses.

Customs officers have seized 14 kilos of cocaine during a vehicle inspection in canton Basel-Country.

Swiss health authorities are closely monitoring a hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship voyage after a Swiss passenger tested positive and was hospitalized in Zurich.

Disruptions are expected for cross-border workers ahead of the G7 summit in Evian next month, with travel between France and Switzerland set to become more complicated.

Concerns are growing over aviation fuel supplies this summer, as rising tensions in the Middle East push kerosene prices sharply higher.

Police in canton Fribourg have opened an investigation after two newborn lambs were found decapitated in what authorities suspect was a deliberate act.

The war in the Middle East has boosted profits for Swiss International Air Lines - but it may not last.

We’ll soon be able to text the emergency services.

The Geneva City Council has rejected a proposal aimed at strengthening diversity and inclusion policies.

Geneva authorities say the tiger mosquito begins reappearing with warmer spring temperatures.

Car theft is up, according to new data from insurer AXA, which says reported cases are now higher than before the pandemic.

Fitness membership has reached a new record, according to the latest industry figures, with 1.45 million people now registered at gyms, that’s around one in five adults.

The Gotthard Pass will reopen on Friday, which is earlier than planned.

A man in the Zurich Oberland has been convicted of animal cruelty after a bizarre incident in which he dressed as a horse and danced in a pasture, frightening a herd of horses.

A government minister is warning that voting to heavily restrict immigration could have the reverse effect than expected.

Switzerland’s Federal Intelligence Service is reversing course and will allow limited access to its file on Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, currently held at the Federal Archives.

In five years time, Geneva could be hosting one of Europe’s largest sporting events, which will mean building a temporary stadium - bigger than the Stade de Genève.

Two passengers have been arrested on a cross-border train between Germany and Switzerland.

A train passenger in Geneva is challenging an unexpected surcharge after being fined for traveling without a valid ticket.

The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation is preparing a return to FM radio, despite its recent push into digital.

A narrow majority could emerge in the National Council to lift the ban on building new nuclear power plants.

Geneva’s police chief says partial border closures with France are a real possibility during next month’s G7 summit in Évian.

The retail sector is warning it cannot function without immigration.

Our reliance on fossil fuels is back in the spotlight due to rising oil prices.

The International Labour Organization in Geneva is facing a major financial shortfall of nearly half a billion francs, putting hundreds of jobs at risk.

The cars on our roads are getting bigger and heavier, marking a clear shift in the country’s vehicle landscape.

Geneva is launching a new campaign to reduce secondhand smoke on café terraces, but without imposing a ban.

A new hotline for victims of domestic violence opens today; accessible 24/7 and across the country.

The Swedish furniture chain Ikea has been slammed by consumer rights groups and forced to change how it displays prices.

Record numbers, and a younger crowd, are set for the Geneva Marathon this year.

Geneva police stopped a car with blue flashing lights and french license plates on the autoroute near Bardonnex.

Motorists in Milvignes in canton Neuchatel are voicing frustration over long waits at a key set of traffic lights.

Voters are heading for a tight decision on immigration.

EU member states are backing a reform that could reshape unemployment benefits for frontaliers with significant financial implications for Switzerland.

Switzerland is facing a rapidly worsening drought, with eastern regions and northern Ticino now at high risk of forest fires.

Canton Geneva is having to find new accommodation for hundreds of migrants because of the upcoming G7 meeting.

Washington is turning up the heat on Switzerland in a growing trade dispute - blaming the retail duopoly of Migros and Coop.

Switzerland is moving to modernise its social insurance system.

SWISS International Airlines is ending a long-standing inflight tradition.

Tensions are rising in Geneva ahead of the G7 summit in nearby Évian.

Parliamentarians have sparked anger among healthcare workers after tightening, rather than easing, nurses’ working conditions.

A new initiative is targeting air travel to fund public transport.

A man in his sixties has died in Onex after falling from an electric scooter, the first fatal accident of its kind in canton Geneva.

Allegations of inappropriate behaviour are causing controversy at a major water park in Basel.

Researchers in Lausanne are turning to drones and AI to tackle urban traffic.

With the G7 summit approaching in nearby Évian, attention is turning to Geneva and the border.

Rising fuel prices are reshaping car buying habits, and electric vehicles are seeing a surge.

Geneva is boosting public transport for the summer season.

An electric scooter clocked at 127 km/h has been seized in the canton of Fribourg.

Smoking rules at Swiss train stations are under scrutiny - especially when it comes to vaping.

Switzerland’s unemployment system is under pressure - not just from claims, but from its own software.

A 94-year-old woman has died following a house fire in Grand-Saconnex on Thursday evening.

The country’s largest teachers’ body is weighing in on a sensitive issue - religious symbols in schools.

A young driver will have to go to jail after extreme speeding offences caught on her own phone.

Major queues formed at Zurich airport on Friday evening when the passport system collapsed.

Border towns in France are once again asking residents working in Geneva to register - and it's important.

Cities are divided over how to deal with pigeon populations - and the methods are raising concern.

Around 2,000 public sector workers took to the streets in Geneva yesterday afternoon, marking their fourth strike in six months.

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