Bitesize News
The news stories here are written for radio and designed to be read in under a minute.
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Annecy attack - children remain critical
Four children aged between 22 months and three years old are being treated for their injuries after being attacked by a knifeman in Annecy yesterday afternoon. They’re in a critical condition.
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Girl refused permission to go on marine course
The parents of a 12-year-old girl in canton Zug are furious at her school as they won’t allow a one week dispensation for her to travel to Australia to take part in a world renowned study of marine life around the Great Barrier Reef.
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Pride this weekend
The Pride March in Geneva tomorrow is expected to attract 30,000. Police are warning of major disruptions in the centre of the city, road closures and there’ll be several public transport lines cut or closed.
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Geneva Street Food Festival now on
The Geneva Street Food Festival is underway. It opened yesterday afternoon and is on for the next 9 days.
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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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Geneva power cut traps lift users
Geneva firefighters had to rescue several people stuck in elevators on Tuesday night as a major power cut plunged several districts into darkness.
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Microsoft worker in court for illegaly selling licences
A former manager for the software company, Microsoft, is in court for allegedly selling licenses privately and netting several million francs.
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Free diabetes testing in Geneva
You can be tested for diabetes in Geneva for free over the next few days.
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Police search for missing lion head
Winterthur City Police are looking for a lion’s head.
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Revenge attacks fears hit Thônex
Fear of reprisals is keeping many residents in Thônex indoors during the evening.
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Health premiums likely rise next year
Health insurance premiums are likely to rise again next year. That’s in addition to the average 6% hike we had at the beginning of this year.
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Work to start on Eaux-Vives sports centre
A major development in Eaux-Vives starts later this month.
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Plans to charge tunnel toll angers Ticino
An idea to charge a toll to go through the Gotthard Tunnel is triggering anger in canton Ticino.
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City gears up for Fête de la Musique
This year’s Fête de la Musique in Geneva will be jam packed with events ranging from classical concerts, new bands, dance and film.
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New law against Revenge Porn
Switzerland may finally be catching up with other countries by making revenge porn illegal.
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Geneva police raid campsite
Geneva police are still not releasing any further information following a heavily armed raid on a caravan at a campsite in Satigny on Sunday evening.
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Toddler dies with mysterious injuries
A couple are in custody after a three year old died in mysterious circumstances in Glarus.
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Allergy hospitalizations surge
There’s been a surge in hospital admissions due to allergies. The Geneva University Hospital say there’s been a 25% rise compared to last year.
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Foreign graduates could stay in Switzerland
It will soon be easier for foreign students who have studied in Switzerland to stay and work in the country after graduation.
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Geneva voters to decide on super-rich tax
Geneva voters will decide later this month if there should be a temporary tax levied on the very wealthy.
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Firms in French speaking areas fail to win federal contracts
Questions are being raised if the French speaking regions of the country are being discriminated against when the vast majority of contracts for road building programmes are being given to companies based in German speaking areas.
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Geneva favoured home for Asian Hornet
Geneva is being affected more than any other parts of the country by the threat from the invasive Asian Hornet.
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ICRC in funding crisis talks with govt
The International Committee of the Red Cross is suffering a major cash shortfall and is in crisis talks with the government.
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Carbon neutral by 2050?
Switzerland could be energy independent and carbon neutral by the year 2050, according to a study by the EPFL in Lausanne.
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'Outdated' rape laws set to change
Parliament has agreed to a new legal definition of rape.
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Man shot in Geneva robbery
Geneva police are investigating a robbery in Les Eaux-Vives where a shop keeper was shot in the leg in the early hours of yesterday morning.
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Rents likely to rise
It was expected and many tenants are likely to see their rents increase later in the year.
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Cash - not so much king
Despite efforts by some campaigners to make sure we will have the right to use cash for purchases – the reality is that we are doing so less and less.
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Track work to hit Léman Express services
Léman Express commuters are being warned there’ll be some disruption from mid-June to mid-July as track work will mean some cancellations for services running between Meyrin and La Plaine.
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Cellar fires break out in Geneva
Geneva firefighters have been tacking a series of blazes overnight on the Rue de Carouge.
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Tourist attraction wrecked by hail
Hailstones as big as ping-pong balls have wrecked the Swiss Miniature Park in canton Ticino.
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Flu breakthrough in Geneva
A breakthrough by researchers at the University of Geneva is offering hope of new treatment for the flu.
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Federal Court ruling allows phone use in car
A ruling by the Supreme Court could have ramifications on the laws on how we use mobile phones while driving.
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Man fined for toy guns at Fasnacht
A man has been fined for carrying fake weapons as part of his costume at the Lucerne Fasnacht.
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Snipers ready in Geneva stand-off
Geneva police used stun grenades and had snipers ready during a tense standoff with a man who allegedly had earlier stabbed his wife.
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Third lane between Geneva and Nyon green-lit
The much debated third lane on the A1 autoroute between Geneva and Nyon has taken a major step forward after the National Council voted in favour.
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Aargau police operation leads to global arrests
A long running undercover operation being run from canton Aargau has led to the arrests of suspected child sex offenders across the country and the world.
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Most dense area of Switzerland is in Geneva
The most densely populated part of the whole country is a square kilometre pocket in Geneva.
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15 year old caught driving parent's Mercedes
A young teenager was stopped by police in Aargau. The 15-year-old has stolen his parent’s Mercedes and was on the A1 autoroute heading for Bern.
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Zurich hero sought
Zurich police are trying to track down a hero who saved a 10-year-old boy after a man pushed him towards a moving train while at the Hardbrücke station.
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Teen stabbed to death in Thônex
A murder investigation is underway in Geneva after an 18 year old was stabbed to death in Thônex late on Sunday night.
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Pay boost for older workers discussed
Parliament is discussing ways to encourage older workers to stay in employment – but the ideas on how to do that is creating a rift between legislators and the Federal Council.
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Calls for Switzerland to toughen border controls
A major German political party is demanding Switzerland brings back border controls with Italy in an effort to control the flow of asylum seekers.
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Homes demolished to fight fire
Firefighters in canton Sankt Gallen had to demolish three nearby houses to get to a blaze which threatened an entire neighbourhood.
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Wet, but warm spring
It may have been wet this spring - it was warm.
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Some Ukrainian refugees face losing their car
Some Ukrainian refugees face losing their car if they still want to receive benefits.
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Hospital workers demand more motorbike parking
Workers at the University Hospital in Geneva are calling for more parking spaces for those who commute in on motorcycles.
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Bird flu returns
Bird flu has been detected in the country, and the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office is urging poultry farmers to be cautious.
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Zurich suffers web outage
The City of Zurich is reassuring residents that it has not been hit with a cyber-attack and the reason official websites were down for several hours yesterday was simply an error.
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Geneva police bring back horses, after 150 years
After a break of 150 years – Geneva police are bringing back horses.
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E-scooter capable of 148kph found
An e-scooter owner has been fined after a Fribourg police test showed it was capable of 148 kph. The legal limit is 20.
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Tina Turner dies
Residents and the mayor of the Zurich commune of Küsnacht say they’ve lost a friend and a good neighbour after the death of singing star Tina Turner. She was 83.
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Switzerland sells tanks to Germany
Switzerland has found a loophole on how to help Ukraine with tanks.
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Airport protestors fined
Following the invasion of the airport by climate activists on Tuesday – 100 people have been fined by penal order.
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More confusion for homeworking frontaliers
Cross border workers who’ve got used to working from home in the belief a deal has been sealed between Switzerland and France, could be in for a shock.
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Cheese makers suffer another legal defeat
Swiss cheese makers have been dealt another blow after an EU ruling that Emmentaler Cheese is not a designated trademark in the bloc.
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Climate protestors shut down airport
Climate protestors brought Geneva Airport to a standstill yesterday.
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Supermarkets say some prices are coming down
Swiss supermarkets say they’re seeing prices starting to come down.
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New covid vaccine passes tests in Basel
A new type of covid vaccine which can be snorted or taken as a pill has passed animal trials in Basel.
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Zurich rejects non-Swiss votes
The Zurich cantonal parliament only narrowly rejected voting rights for foreigners.
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Calls to bring back compulsory dog training
The question if dog owners should have to attend compulsory courses on how to look after their animal is being revived after a nine-year-old was attacked in Zug by a bull terrier over the weekend.
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Bodies found in Valais
The bodies of three climbers who’ve been missing since the start of the weekend have been found in canton Valais.
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NATO excerise could delay flights
A major NATO military exercise next month could cause air traffic problems – especially around Zurich airport.
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CHF 2bn bill for clearing lake of bombs
It could cost as much as two billion francs to clear Lake Geneva of dumped munitions.
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Geneva festival big success
The Geneva long weekend festival, the Feu Ô Lac, is being hailed a spectacular success.
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3 dead in plane crash
Three people have died after a light aircraft crashed in canton Neuchâtel.
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Swiss ambassador to Iran summoned after tweet
The Swiss ambassador to Iran was summoned after sending a tweet which called on authorities to stop the executions of three men.
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Ticino residents help out neighbours
Hundreds of residents in canton Ticino have headed for the flood hit region of Emilia-Romagna in Italy.
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Jammed motorists entertained by protest
Returning traffic at the Gotthard Tunnel caused tailbacks running for 8 km at the southern end yesterday afternoon.
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Car lifted out of stairs in Lausanne
Passers-by leapt into action to help a car which had taken a wrong turn in Lausanne and started to head down a stairwell to the metro.
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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