Bitesize News

The new covid vaccine designed to combat the Omicron variant will be available to everyone over the age of 16 from Monday.

Switzerland is expecting more Russians to apply for asylum as hundreds of thousands flee the country to avoid being sent to fight in Ukraine.

Drones are being used by police in canton Thurgau to catch speeders – but it may be illegal.

Geneva airport says it is listening to passenger complaints about the new wing of the building which opened last December.

The ski lifts at the small Vaud resort of Saint-Cergue may not open at all this year unless a deal with the commune can be struck.

There’ll be road closures and parking restrictions this Sunday in Geneva as the women’s cycle race, the Tour de Romandie will take place around Paquis.

The Swiss Foreign Affairs Department is condemning the use of force against protestors in Iran.

A national manhunt is underway after a 34-year-old convicted of several violent crimes managed to escape from a prison van taking him to court in canton Aargau.

There will be Christmas lights in Geneva this year and the Lux festival will go ahead.

After many years of prevaricating – Geneva will be getting a new social and cultural centre on the banks of the Rhone in Vernier.

It’s not really a surprising decision, but Switzerland says it will follow the rules set by the EU on harmonizing charging cables.

Geneva public workers have voted to strike on October 12th – demanding an above inflationary pay rise to also take into account higher health insurance policies.

Economic sentiment is turning sour in Switzerland.

There are a quarter of a million job vacancies in Switzerland.

Geneva communes should work together to maximise planned energy saving measures over the winter.

Geneva is looking to relax its rules in where solar panels can be installed.

Swiss Federal Railways is battling a basic problem with a new set of trains – toilet smells.

There are fears over the future of Switzerland’s second biggest bank Credit Suisse.

Zurich police have made 14 arrests after a man was attacked and covered with lighter fluid and set alight following an altercation on a bus in Winterthur early last month.

Geneva police had to break up fights outside a polling station set up for Brazilians on Sunday.

A petition has been launched to stop the World Cup fan zone in Geneva. It’s been led by the socialist city councillor, Pascal Holenweg.

Geneva is looking at ways to save money on powering the Jet d’Eau. The cantonal executive is looking to cut the number of hours the jet runs during the day.

Many elderly people in the country are living in absolute poverty with no savings – and some regions are more affected than others.

The old red and orange payments slips are now a thing of history.

Political jostling has begun to replace the Federal Councillor Ueli Maurer who announced his resignation on Friday.

Several hundred marched in Geneva on Saturday to demand an improvement in women’s rights in Iran.

Figures show the French départment of Haute Savoie is highly dependent on the Swiss economy.

Thousands of people flocked to the Palais de Justice in Geneva on Saturday for an open day. The last time that happened was back in 2016.

The University of Geneva will change the name of their building named after Carl Vogt.

The hot summer we had this year could be normal – and we should get to get used to it.

The recent rain is not enough to make up for the dry summer – but the situation is improving.

A group of children were attacked by a swarm of hornets in Basel while on a fun run.

A major piece in a complex transport puzzle was opened yesterday.

Normally when campaigners launch a referendum after a law has been passed, it’s to stop it.

The Easter Bunny War has been won – and it will mean the destruction of thousands.

Some smaller glaciers in Switzerland have almost entirely disappeared.

The first raft of recommendations from Geneva’s energy task force have been accepted by the Grand Council.

It’s been revealed a man who was brutally attacked in Basel over the summer is the Governor of the Bank of France.

Geneva cross border buses will be running to a Sunday timetable today because of strike action in France.

The issue of foreigners voting and standing in cantonal elections will go a vote itself in Geneva.

We’re in for a health insurance price shock next year.

Covid has not gone away. The latest figures from the Federal Health Office shows infections and hospitalizations are on the rise.

Billions of francs in old bills are unaccounted for and there are queues of up to an hour at Swiss National Bank offices as people wait to exchange the old bills for the new ones.

The cable car at the Glacier 3000 resort in Les Diablerets will be up and running in time for the start of the season.

A transport pressure group is calling for a speed limit cut on autoroutes to save fuel heading into the winter.

Canton Solothurn has had to correct its vote from the weekend. Initially it had registered that the people had approved the increase in the retirement age for women – but after a recount, it had actually rejected the policy.

Several hundred people – mainly women - demonstrated outside the Federal Palace in Bern yesterday following the vote which equalized the retirement age between men and woman at 65.

Panic broke out on a train which had been stuck in Austria for several hours with no power.

An online fuel price comparison site has taken a step towards becoming a reality after the Senate passed a motion calling for one to be set up.

A hole three kilometres deep which cost CHF 40m is being described as a technical feat – but it was ultimately pointless.

The government will be relieved voters have backed a plan to reform the pension system.

There was only one vote in canton Geneva yesterday – and that was a communal decision in Troinex to spend just over a million francs on a new bus route to link the commune with the Léman Express train network at Bachet.

Air Force jets screamed across the country yesterday morning to shadow a small aircraft not responding to radio messages from air traffic control.

A weather prediction for Switzerland from the United States is giving hope there will be enough energy this winter to keep the lights on and our homes warm.

The café at the Bains des Paquis in Geneva has bowed to pressure from the city and will now accept credit cards.

As expected, the Swiss National Bank has raised interest rates back into positive territory for the first time in seven years.

Geneva is losing its attractiveness for businesses and the canton needs to act.

It was a single motorist who caused a major jam on the A1 autoroute yesterday morning.

The weather this month has been damp and warm – perfect for mushroom pickers.

It could have been from a comedy film. Basel police have released details of an incident with their Tesla and a drugged-up cyclist.

A picture of the Swiss president Ignazio Cassis shaking hands with the Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has raised eyebrows.

A strike by public workers in Geneva could happen at the same time as an already announced TPG stoppage.

The Geneva University Hospital has revealed a series of measure to save power over the winter.

If you’ve never seen inside a Geneva court room or even one of the cells – you will get a chance on Saturday October 1st.

The backers of the initiative to call off the purchase of new US fighter jets have withdrawn their text.

More animals were used in medical experiments last year than ever before.

A wealth manager working for a private bank in Geneva is currently being detained after allegations he swindled tens of millions of francs from investors.

The Conference of Alpine Cantons is calling on the government to make it easier to kill wolves that threaten livestock and humans and limit the number of packs to 17.

The control tower at Geneva airport will be closed next near in favour of what’s being described as a remote tower.

The woman who attacked two other women in Lugano in November 2020 in a jihadist assault has been jailed for 9 years.

The Swiss president, Iganzio Cassis, was seated next to the US leader Joe Biden at yesterday’s state funeral of Queen Elizabeth.

A major fire has swept through the mountain top restaurant above Les Diablerets.

A wolf is being blamed by a horse owner for panicking her animals causing them to fall 200 meters to their deaths in canton Bern.

Residents in Chêne-Bougeries in Geneva have finally been heard after years of complaining about the noise from the nearby Léman Express.

Market watchers are expecting the Swiss National Bank to raise interest rates later this week back into the positive after more than 8 years of negative rates.

There’s been a massive rise in cases of tick-borne encephalitis this year – and it’s due to the heat wave. By the beginning of this month, there have been more than 300 cases – ten years ago, the expected number would have been around 100.

We’re staying away from the gym – and many say the trend threatens their existence.

Two vehicles owned by the Circus Knie caught fire in Nyon in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Over the weekend an army of volunteers dragged out almost 1.5 tonnes of rubbish out of Lake Geneva.

A report by the Federal Energy Office suggests a third of electricity consumption in the country could be saved if we updated many household appliances.