Bitesize News

A major fire in Vernier yesterday produced so much smoke some planes approaching Geneva Airport were delayed.

Cars will be banned from the roads around Cornavin Station from the spring.

A major search is underway in canton Valais for a missing goat owner.

Although designed for homosexual couples, Civil Partnerships – or PACS – are proving to be very popular with straight people.

Should cash be protected as a means of payment?

A battery for an e-scooter is being blamed for a large apartment fire in Geneva yesterday morning.

The Geneva Grand Council has sunk a plan to create a public footpath that would have run all along the lakeside.

Media outlets in Switzerland could be exempted from some parts of the banking secrecy law if the publication of stories is said to be in the public interest.

We all took advantage of the hot summer and headed out to the mountains and lakes – and then we got into trouble.

The centre of Geneva suffered a power cut yesterday morning.

Fribourg police have revealed they caught two men in the act of trying to blow up a cash machine – and are now investigating if they’ve been responsible for other similar attacks.

Cantonal experts are stressing there is no danger from the cracked glass at the Chêne-Bourg Léman Express train station.

The government is worried about a drug shortage which is affecting hospitals and pharmacies around the country.

Uber is yet again in the sights of canton Geneva.

The Geneva issue that just won’t seem to go away – if poster advertising on the street should be banned.

Yesterday’s siren test is being hailed a success with 99% working well. essages.

The extension of the cycle path along the river Arve in Geneva is drawing more anger.

The Earth shook around 900 times in or close to Switzerland last year.

The right-wing Swiss people’s party says the current asylum situation is ‘catastrophic’ and says the government should set up asylum centres near the border or even copy a British idea and process applicants in Africa.

Two people have been found dead in canton Valais after being caught up in an avalanche a week ago.

A man has died in an apartment fire in canton Solothurn.

New car registrations were down 8% last year – but electric cars are selling well.

The centre of Geneva was closed off yesterday afternoon as the police bomb squad removed a suspicious package.

A man who thought he could save a little bit of money is now facing fines and court costs of several thousand francs.

A chase lasting several hours brought together different police forces throughout French speaking regions yesterday morning.

There’ll be disruption on cross border transport today due to French industrial action.

While school children everywhere had their education disrupted because of covid – Swiss children missed fewer lessons than many others.

The national poisoning hotline had a busy 2022.

Today is the last day you can use the 2022 autoroute vignette. From tomorrow, you’ll have to have 2023 sticker.

The Geneva International Motor Show should return next year. But it may be down to manufacturers before a final decision will be made.

The parliamentary health committee is discussing a plan which may mean that people attending hospital emergency rooms would have to pay a CHF 50 fee – which won’t be covered by insurance.

A French delegation visited the Geneva University Hospital last week to examine how doctors handle the delicate case of assisted suicide.

Canton Geneva is pushing for a ban on wearing or displaying Nazi symbols in public.

A Geneva bus driver is being hailed a hero after he stopped his bus to enter a burning building to rescue the elderly resident and his dog.

Servette Football Club hosted one of the biggest games in the city yesterday – but threw away a 2-nil half time lead.

A gun shop owner in canton Aargau has been acquitted of attempted murder charges after he opened fire on a gang trying to rob him.

Geneva residents have more passports than those elsewhere in the country.

There are worries for a Swiss round the world sailor after authorities have lost contact with him shortly after leaving Tasmania early December.

Three men in Geneva have been fined and given suspended prison sentences for their part in a major parcel scam - but one thought to be the major player has escaped as he’s in Morocco.

Motorists should be aware of a new rule which came into force at the beginning of the year – the zipper rule.

A parliamentary committee is recommending allowing Swiss arms to be re-exported to another country, such as Ukraine.

Figures from the army show nearly 100 weapons go missing every year.

There’s still a major shortage of human organs for transplant and the Confederation is due to start a major advertising campaign to persuade people to allow organs to be used after their death.

Some schools are struggling in the cold weather.

It may seem obvious, but the Accident Prevention Office is urging everyone to take care in the wet and slippery conditions.

A gun shop owner in canton Aargau is on trial for attempted murder after he opened fire on a heavily armed group trying to rob his shop.

Cases of mold in buildings are increasing and one of the reasons is due to the fact we’re turning the heating down – as we’ve been told to.

Civil servants working in neighbouring France are calling for a cost of living allowance similar to that offered to government workers around Paris and the Côte d’Azur.

The dog-sled race in canton Jura will now go ahead.

A serval has been rescued from a private home in canton Aargau and is now in the Bioparc in Geneva.

More young people sought advice for suicidal thoughts last year – an increase of 300% from 2019.

A Swiss hacker who unearthed a US government no-fly list is being warned she can never leave Switzerland again - or she could be jailed for many years.

A Geneva cantonal initiative to give stay at home parents of young children a monthly payment has failed as campaigners were not able to collect enough signatures.

It’s been two years since the anti-pollution ‘Stick’AIR system was introduced in Geneva – and it’s only been used once.

Pressure is growing on the Federal Councillor Alain Berset over alleged leaks to the press about government covid policies during the height of the crises.

Strong winds battered Geneva on Saturday, uprooting trees and sending tarpaulins flying.

The Christmas market has left its traces at the Jardin Anglais in Geneva.

Cantonal prosecutors in Appenzell have dropped racism charges against a member of a yodelling group who used blackface and a large afro style wig as part of the performance.

No one will doubt how cold it is at the moment – but has the record of the coldest place in Switzerland been broken?

The ski slopes are set to be very busy this weekend as thousands will want to take advantage of the fresh snow – but there are many avalanche warnings in place and once again, skiers and snow boarders are being urged to stay on the piste.

Switzerland says it can’t hand over billions of dollars from frozen bank accounts to Ukraine unless there is a clear legal basis for the move.

Switzerland has been invited to join EU foreign and defence ministers at an informal summit in May.

Zurich police have arrested three people in a major drug bust.

A case of a Geneva school principal who runs three schools in Chêne-Bougeries, but lives in Colmar in France has triggered a debate where cantonal workers should live.

There’s some disruption with transport links to France today as workers take strike action to fight against plans by the French government to reform the pension system.

Animal rights activists are calling for an end of keeping elephants in captivity after yet another death at Zurich Zoo.

Wine growers in canton Valais are celebrating a bumper harvest this season.

The former Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer has taken up a new role with the Lausanne based International Olympic Committee.

The federal government is getting involved with the argument if vegetarian alternatives to meat should be called chicken or pork.

Snow falls and cold weather will continue to hit the region today and it's going to stay cold for the next few days.

A hybrid powered car caught fire in an underground carpark in Veyrier in Geneva yesterday afternoon.

A study by the ETH University in Zurich seems to fly in the face of accepted wisdom and is throwing a relatively new industry into turmoil.

A butcher in canton Thurgau has committed a cardinal sin – he sold imported meat as Swiss produced.

Two cantons and the federal government have swung into action to protect an important archeological site from damage by over eager beavers.

A new report suggests suicide rates in Switzerland could be cut if there were stricter rules on the access to army weapons.

The trial of a 50-year-old man who is accused of murdering his wife starts today in Bern.

People are taking to the skies again – after the covid lockdowns. But numbers are not yet back to the pre-pandemic levels.

Tourist figures from the Federal Statistics Office show the number of visitors from Germany slumped by a third in 2018 and never recovered.

A Swiss YouTuber could be prosecuted after he admitted to faking a vaccination certificate so he could enter the United States.

Canton Geneva will be getting a new tower.

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