Bitesize News
The news stories here are written for radio and designed to be read in under a minute.
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The Swiss passport is the joint 4th most powerful passport in the world
The Henley passport index has been released for this year, ranking passports in order of their so-called “passport power”.
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A third of Swiss people don’t want fireworks on 1 August
For half of Swiss people surveyed, the 1 August fireworks are an integral part of the Swiss National Day festivities. However a third of the population do not want fireworks at all on that day, citing pollution, stress to animals or risk of injury as their reasoning.
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Swiss President at Olympic Games in Paris
Swiss President Viola Amherd will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Paris today and stay there until Sunday.
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Heightened security at border crossings between France and Switzerland
Border police, customs officers and gendarmerie from Switzerland and France have been conducting coordinated controls of an unprecedented scale this week across 570km of border between the countries.
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Chaux de Fonds storm - one year on
One year on, La Chaux-de-Fonds commemorated the storm that took place a year ago yesterday by ringing the bells of the city in unison for 6 minutes 30 seconds shortly after 11:25am.
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Geneva and Zurich airports blocked by protesters
Geneva and Zurich airports were blocked yesterday by activists from the organizations “Act Now!” and Extinction rebellion.
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Russian strike on Swiss NGO building
The premises of the Swiss Foundation for Mine Action were hit by a Russian missile strike on Wednesday morning in Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine.
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Food is 29% more expensive
Everyday goods, such as food, medicines and clothing, in Switzerland have increased in price by an average of 1.3% between June 2023 - June 2024
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Peace negotiations for Sudan in Switzerland
The United States announced yesterday that it had invited the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to peace talks in August in Switzerland - aimed at ending the conflict in Sudan.
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Arson in Vevey: woman found dead
A woman died in an apartment fire on Friday morning in Vevey. Police suspect arson.
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New record: Sunday 21 July is hottest day EVER
According to the Copernicus network, the global average temperature on Sunday 21 July was 17.09 degrees, beating the previous record in July 2023 of 17.08 degrees.
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Covid cases increase but few hospitalized
The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases has increased in recent weeks in Switzerland. Despite the increase, it’s still considered to be a low level and those hospitalised remains very few.
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Sion says ‘no’ to electric scooter network
The city of Sion has decided they don’t want to continue with their electric scooter network.
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Gotthard Tunnel: 15km traffic jam
Drivers heading South through the Gothard tunnel needed some patience yesterday as 15-kilometer traffic jams meant a 2h 30 wait around 1pm.
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Slope manager sentenced for negligent homicide
The head of the slopes of the Téléverbier ski area has been sentenced to a two-year suspended financial penalty for negligent homicide, following a fatal accident that occurred at the end of 2014.
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Zurich airport considers legal measures after tech issues
Zurich Airport is considering legal measures after a global computer outage disrupted air traffic on Friday.
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Paléo Festival looks set to see a dry and sunny week.
Paléo kicks off today for its 47th edition.
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10% of Swiss people have given up on sunscreen
In Switzerland, 1 in 10 people have given up on sunscreen, according to a recent survey. Many say they don’t like the products on their skin.
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Three drown in Swiss waters this weekend
Two died in the canton of Zug within two hours on Saturday; a man’s body was found in a bathing establishment in Oberägeri and a woman was found in Lake Zug.
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Woman hit by a train
A 69-year-old woman was hit by a train in Canton Vaud on Friday evening while she was crossing the tracks at a level crossing.
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Lake Parade (Geneva) and Pride (Martigny) both a success
Two big parades took place over the weekend in French-speaking Switzerland. Both have been hailed a success.
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The wealthiest are rich because of mommy and daddy
80% of the 300 richest people inherited their wealth from their parents.
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Geneva and Basel in the running for 69th Eurovision
The SSR officially announced that the two Swiss cities in the running for the 2025 Eurovision are Geneva and Basel.
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Weather takes its toll on Swiss Strawberries
This year's wet weather has taken its toll on Swiss strawberries.
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Central Geneva closed for Lake Parade
Large parts of the centre of Geneva will be closed tomorrow for the Lake Parade.
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Police rescue two sweltering dogs
Lausanne police rescued two dogs trapped in a car on Wednesday afternoon.
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Man suffers unprovoked attack on blind date
Police in Winterthur are hunting for a group of young men who attacked a 23-year-old man in a park who thought he was meeting a woman on a blind date.
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The last phone booths have a secret
The few remaining public phone booths are hiding a bit of a secret, all calls within Switzerland are free.
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Federal judges reject Hindjura appeal
The Federal Court has rejected a request by two members of the wealthy Hinduja family who have been sentenced to jail for abuse of their domestic staff.
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Drug gang arrested in international operation
Police say they’ve seized a large amount of cocaine and cash from gangs originating in West Africa.
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Late departing aircraft to face fines
Geneva airport says it will fine airlines from next year if they depart after 10pm.
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Zurich chef fined for Brazilian chicken
A chef in Zurich is having pay a huge fine for misleading his customers that he was cooking Swiss chicken and New Zealand lamb – when in fact the chickens were Brazilian and the lamb from Uruguay.
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A1 to close at Vengeron overnight tonight
The A1 autoroute will be closed for three hours overnight tonight in the Lausanne direction.
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Rivers and lakes still dangerous
As the weather gets warmer and the memory of the recent storms fade, the Swiss Lifesaving Society, warn it’s still too dangerous to go for a swim in the rivers and lakes.
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CHF 10m raised for Swiss storms victims
The charity, Swiss Solidarity, which normally raises money to help those hit by natural disasters across the world, has raised over CHF 10m for victims of the storms in this country.
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Nyon-St Cergue train will be fine for Paleo
The company that operates the train running from Nyon to St Cergue is promising services will be fine for the Paleo Festival.
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Geneva police issue personal alarms
Geneva police have distributed hundreds of pocket alarms to those who like to be on the streets at night.
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Climate change slowing Earth
Research by the ETH in Zurich says climate change is making the day longer.
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Rifle and powerline causes major fire
Investigators say they have determined what caused a major forest fire in canton Valais last year.
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Possible new tax could force millionaires out
Some super rich people are already leaving Switzerland.
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House prices rise modestly
Swiss house prices saw a modest increase over the past year. According to the Zurich consultancy, FPRE, the average rise was 4.7%.
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Two new Geneva pools open
Two new swimming pools open in Geneva today.
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Soil studies for new CERN collider start
Vibrating trucks designed to examine the subsoil are now moving through several communes in Haute Savoie in neighbouring France.
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Euro fan zone - mixed success
The Geneva Euro 2024 fan zone is being described as a broad success, but those stands offering food say they only covered their costs – and no more.
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Flowers laid at tragic accident site
Flowers have been laid at the site of a construction accident in Prilly.
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Man in serious condition after lake dive
A man is in a serious condition after diving into Lake Geneva from the beach in the French town of Excenevex on Saturday afternoon.
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Potential sex offender arrested
Police in canton Graubünden have released details of an operation that led to the arrest of a potential child molester.
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Year long works start today
Work starts today around the Quai du Mont-Blanc, the Brunswick Monument and the Beau Rivage Hotel which will lead to road closures and likely congestion. The works will last a year.
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Summer tram disruption
Some tram lines will be disrupted for the next few weeks as the TPG start maintenance work during the lighter summer months.
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Swiss components in Russian missile
Swiss made electronic components have been found in the Russian launched missile that hit a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
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Cross border shopping is back
Cross border shopping is booming again after the franc strengthened against the Euro.
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Hiker dies in Valais
A hiker has died after falling 30 metres off a ridge on the Pointe du Midi in Valais on Tuesday afternoon.
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Postman stole CHF 100k
A postal worker in Basel has been convicted of stealing more than CHF 100,000 from the mail, to finance his gambling addiction.
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Returning holiday makers asked to check for stowaways
The Federal Agricultural Office is calling on holiday makers to check their baggage when they return home for any signs of the Japanese beetle.
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Canton Zug is too rich
Canton Zug has a problem many of us would love to have – it has too much money.
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Support for better NATO links
A new study shows the majority of people in Switzerland are fearful of the current geopolitical situation and many would welcome closer cooperation with NATO.
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Locals unhappy with airport agreement
Locals around Geneva airport are upset at a new long term agreement it's signed with the canton.
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Job vacancies fall
The number of job vacancies in Switzerland continues to fall.
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Switzerland extends Russia sanctions
Switzerland has extended sanctions against Russia due to its ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
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First Swift concert - but where is she staying?
Taylor Swift’s first Zurich concert last night was a spectacular success. Around 50'000 – including Roger Federer – packed into the Letzigrund stadium last night.
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Vote threats boost Geneva's Eurovision chances
Geneva’s chances of hosting next year’s Eurovision Song Contest have been given a boost after the Swiss People’s Party branches in Bern and Zurich say they may launch a referendum against the expenditure.
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Section of A9 to close this weekend
This weekend the section of the A9 autoroute between Lausanne-Vennes and Chexbres will be closed to all traffic.
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Follow the rules on the lake
With the warmer weather, the lake police are reminding people of some basic rules of enjoying the water.
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Businesses reject foreign worker tax
The government is reportedly considering a tax on hiring foreign workers.
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Use of suicide pod stopped
The first use of the so-called suicide machine has been stopped.
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We're eating more chicken
Animal rights activists are continuing to target Migros for its plan to open a new poultry processing centre in canton Fribourg.
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Swifties gather in Zurich
Zurich police have been forced to put up barriers around the Mandarin Oriental Savoy after it was besieged by Taylor Swift fans.
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Further damage avoided despite heavy rain
The weekend weather hasn’t caused any further damage – despite many areas being drenched by heavy rain.
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Human waste found in lake
Authorities are warning against swimming in the lake around canton Valais as fecal matter has been detected.
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Covid cost the economy billions
A major report has outlined the cost of covid to the economy.
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Lausanne youngest city in the country
The youngest city in the country is Lausanne.
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Major weekend Gotthard queues
Holiday makers suffered more than 2 hours in a queue for the Gotthard Tunnel over the weekend – and the situation is not going to improve for the next few weeks.
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Security zone in place ahead of Swift concert
Police in Zurich have sealed off a large area around the Letzigrund Stadium ahead of two concerts by Taylor Swift.
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Campaign to keep train ticket stamping machines
Transport campaigners are calling on Swiss Federal Railways not to get rid of the ticket validation machines.
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Rockfall alert could last for weeks
Residents in the threatened village of Brienz in Graubünden were allowed to visit their homes briefly yesterday.
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Win a weekend away in Interlaken
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.
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Merry Christmas - we're taking a break
WRS normal programming back in January