Bitesize News

Parliament has set a maximum fine of CHF 1,000 for wearing a burka in public.

Geneva police are investigating a religious gathering on the lakeside. Since 2019, all religious events in the public space need authorization because of the secularism law.

Parliament has rejected an idea to charge tolls to use the Gotthard Road Tunnel and other busy routes.

Businesses that make efforts to cut their electricity consumption permanently should be exempt from any quotas that may have to be brought in to tackle shortages.

The City of Geneva is offering the Red Cross a grant of CHF 4m to support the organisation’s international relief efforts.

A nanny, who was sentenced after baby in her care died in 2018, is back in court in Geneva as the prosecution believes the original sentence is too lax.

Economists believe inflation will break through the target set by the Swiss National Bank and interest rates will have to rise again.

Publishers of the 20 Minutes newspaper are threatening legal action against Greenpeace after the environmental group produced a very similar looking pamphlet and delivered it to letter boxes in Lausanne and Zurich.

While thousands have cooled off at the Carouge pool this summer – the town may have to do without a pool for the next two years.

An American national is facing charges after crashing a rented Lamborghini in canton Graubünden, and fleeing the scene of the accident.

The Night is Beautiful. For the fourth time, this Friday all the lights in Geneva will be switched off to allow us to see the night sky.

Parliament has approved a budget of CHF 646 million for the development of small and medium sized businesses - or SMEs - between 2024 and 2027.

In the years since the end of the Cold War, many Swiss army bunkers have been decommissioned, sold and repurposed. Some have become museums, hotels, or even IT server space. 

A petition was submitted yesterday to the Geneva State Council calling for a "drastic" reduction in air traffic at Geneva airport.

The Swiss population feels significantly less healthy than before the Covid pandemic. That's the finding of a survey commissioned by CSS health insurance.

There will be no advertising campaign urging people to save energy this year.

The six temporary food, event and sports venues set up around the lake and in town this summer in Geneva have been hailed a great success.

The Federal Council does not want Switzerland to join the international task force set up to track down the money of Russian oligarchs.

Yuri Harauski, a former member of a hit squad under Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, goes on trial this week in a Swiss regional court.

A citizens' committee in the canton of Zurich is planning to launch a popular initiative for the partial nationalisation of UBS.

Over the weekend, some 950 kilos of garbage were collected by volunteers in and around the lake in Geneva.

According to the MeteoNews platform, those who suffer from pollen allergy in Switzerland have had a tough year.

The Swiss Red Cross is sending a team of experts to Morocco following the earthquake that struck the country last week.

Giving up chocolate altogether is not necessarily good for your health.

Wealthy Russians were able to continue transferring money to Switzerland long after the invasion of Ukraine.

The government of Geneva is forecasting a deficit of CHF 256 million for the 2024 budget.

In the coming weeks the Geneva Department of Health and Mobility will be switching off the lighting on cantonal roads at night.

Switzerland will not ban the import of foie gras. The National Council largely adopted a motion already voted on by the Council of States.

The Council of States agreed yesterday to amend the law excluding people from donating blood on the grounds of their sexuality.

Climate protesters Renovate Switzerland slowed traffic in downtown Lausanne yesterday.

Servette football club will have an additional natural grass field and two synthetic grass fields at the Centre sportif de Vessy by 2025.

The crack in the Gotthard Road Tunnel that appeared on Sunday - leading to its closure - has been confirmed as caused by "redistribution of tension" within the rock above the structure.

A new wolf pack has formed in Graubünden. It is the thirteenth pack that has been spotted in the canton, but the first that picked the Swiss National Park as its home.

Catholic clerics have committed more than 1,000 acts of sexual abuse against children since 1950 – but a new report suggests that only a small proportion of cases have been unearthed – and the real figures could be much higher.

A Canadian woman who works for an NGO and is a UN rapporteur says she was kicked out of the swimming pool at the Hilton Hotel in Geneva for wearing a burkini.

The French government has signalled it would be prepared to co-finance an extension of the Léman Express train.

The Salève Cable Car has reopened after two years of renovation costing EUR 13m.

All new buildings with large roofs must have solar panels installed. The law will apply to all new builds with a roof space of more than 300 m2.

The lower house of parliament, the National Council, has narrowly passed a motion to widen the A1 autoroute to six lanes between Geneva and Lausanne and Bern and Zurich.

The Gotthard road tunnel will be closed for most of the week.

A high school student in canton Vaud has been fined for slander after he spread a malicious rumour that a teacher and a fellow student were having a sexual affair.

A man on an e-bike plunged 150 meters to his death in canton Glarus over the weekend.

A new 200 meter covered cycle path has been opened in Satigny in canton Geneva.

The weekend the daredevil musician, Alain Roche, will be playing his grand piano while hanging from a crane above Eaux-Vives beach.

Covid cases are climbing in Geneva again and the canton will launch a new vaccination drive next month for those considered vulnerable.

Only adding to the problems of crossing the Alps – the Gotthard Road Tunnel is closed at the moment and likely to stay closed for most of the day.

A SWISS International airlines flight took off from Zurich to Bilbao on Saturday with all the passengers – but none of their luggage.

Around 100 cyclists took to the road in Geneva yesterday, protesting the death of cyclists and calling for more cycle paths.

A Geneva woman has been fined for using a dead woman’s bank card – running up a bill of more than CHF 60,000.

Plans for a major shopping centre in Ferney Voltaire, right next to the Swiss border have been abandoned.

A member of the Geneva Grand Council is calling for a relaxation of the laws which bans parking scooters and motorcycles on the sidewalk.

Many parts of the left bank in Geneva lost power overnight.

The French electronic music pioneer, Jean-Michel Jarre will be guest of honour at this year’s Geneva International Film Festival.

We’re being warned of a new scam.

A growing problem at public swimming pools in Zurich is couples becoming far too intimate.

A campaign is underway in Geneva to persuade people to register as an organ donor.

A new survey suggests most people are now in favour of a single fund for health insurance and a significant proportion also say premiums should reflect income.

The roads around Geneva train station will not be closed this autumn.

Swiss Federal Railways have released more details about the clear up operation going on in the Gotthard Base Tunnel after a derailment a month ago.

A petition has been launched to renovate the area around the Route des Jeunes in Geneva – turning the fly-over into a green walkway, modelled on the High-Line in New York which renovated a disused railway.

The controversial decision by canton Vaud to ban political debate in schools ahead of the federal elections next month is facing a possible legal challenge.

We should be prepared for higher electricity costs next year.

A proposed renovation of the Geneva Art and History Museum has taken another step forward after the City Council released CHF 20m for a feasibility study and an architectural competition.

A police officer in canton Bern shot and killed a dog after his colleague was attacked.

Singer Robbie Williams is selling his home in Vandoeuvres in Geneva, and is moving to Gstaad.

There are worries over a new Covid variant which seems to have the ability to circumvent protection given by previous infections and vaccines.

Scientists are going to introduce an invasive species in cantons Jura and Ticino in the hope it will help control another invasive species.

A man in canton Fribourg has been arrested for scamming CHF 27,000 from a local businessman.

Swiss Federal Railways is back in the black after haemorrhaging cash during the covid years.

A new heat record was nearly set yesterday.

The 75th anniversary celebrations at Zurich airport my have been a victim of its own success.

A driver was killed in canton Lucerne over the weekend after he collided with a car and then smashed into a moving train.

A Geneva plan to bring in a blanket 30 kph speed limit on hundreds of roads in an effort to cut street noise could be overturned by the right-wing majority on the newly elected government.

Geneva has fixed a tax anomaly affecting divorced parents with children.

The Geneva Grand Council is debating whether to offer financial help to homeowners who wish to install more sustainable forms of heating.

Zurich city voters have given the go ahead to spend millions to cool down the city in the hot summers.

The closure of the Mont-Blanc Tunnel has been postponed – likely for a year.

Geneva is launching another analysis of the ground today to explore the viability of geothermal energy.

The City of Geneva has decided that this year’s Christmas Market will be held on the Quai du Mont-Blanc.

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