Record temperatures were registered north of the Alps over the final weekend of September, with many locations reporting unprecedented highs. In Basel-Binningen, in northwestern Switzerland, temperatures reached 30.1°C. "Never before has a hot day b...

In Geneva, a CHF39.5 million ($47.7 million) funding package to co-finance cross-border transport infrastructure was approved on Sunday by a large majority of 56.8% of voters. For the cantonal minister in charge of mobility, Pierre Maudet, the result...

A vote was held today in Lucerne on two proposals aimed at reducing incidents of violence linked to FC Lucerne matches. The first proposal was the Centre Party's initiative ‘Against Fan Violence’, which called for tougher measures, and second was...

The canton of Zurich is set to become the first German-speaking Swiss canton to extend access to assisted suicide to all care homes – both public and private – as well as to hospitals and rehabilitation clinics. On Sunday, voters overwhelmingly a...

Exactly 25 years ago, on September 27, 2001, a man armed with an assault rifle killed 14 politicians and injured a further 15 in a two-and-a-half-minutes shooting spree in Zug's cantonal parliament. “Not even blind and senseless violence can defeat...

On Sunday, voters in the Swiss canton of Vaud approved a 12% reduction in cantonal income and wealth tax. A slight majority of 53.1% voters were in favour. The initiative, launched by business associations, has thus prevailed against opposition from ...

The Social Democrat Party initiative on free contraception was approved on Sunday in Geneva. The proposal was approved by 58.46% of voters. The initiative - backed by leftwing parties, the Centre Party and the Liberty and Social Justice Party - calls...

This year’s Democracy Week in Geneva, running from October 3 to 11, will showcase contrasting approaches. Whilst artificial intelligence (AI) will be the focus of a simulation, an ‘Urbansgemeinde’ will invite citizens to make fictional collecti...

A move abroad by UBS due to stricter capital requirements is unlikely, according to Karin Keller-Sutter. “We have granted UBS significant concessions under the Capital Adequacy Ordinance,” the Swiss finance minister said in an interview in the Aa...

A people’s initiative for parental leave has reached the required number of signatures, according to one of its backers, the Liberal Green Party. A total of 136,000 signatures have been collected for handing in to the Federal Chancellery next week,...

Carmaker Volkswagen and its subsidiaries Audi, Seat and Skoda are recalling millions of vehicles worldwide due to a fault in the steering system. Germany is the country most affected by the recall. According to Germany's Federal Motor Transport Autho...

Oscar-winning US actress Julianne Moore was guest of honour at the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) on Friday evening, where the 65-year-old was presented with the “Golden Icon Award” for her lifetime achievement. According to the ZFF, Moore was honour...

After a record-hot summer, people took to the streets in several cities in Switzerland on Friday to call for more climate action. In Bern, demonstrators gathered in front of parliament and called for an immediate implementation of measures to tackle ...

The Swiss government intends to increase spending on integration support by the Confederation and the cantons. Between 2028 and 2032, it plans to allocate CHF5.4 million ($6.5 million) more per year than in the current period. At its meeting on Frida...

To combat the tiger mosquito, Switzerland intends to supplement its existing strategy with measures that directly target adult insects. The government set out these measures in detail on Friday, in response to a postulate. The motion tabled by parlia...

The hot summer has fuelled Migros’ ice-cream production. In the face of the heatwaves, the retailer has produced more ice cream than it has done for several years. “We're in the high double-digit percentage range compared with the last hot summer...

The Swiss government says it rejects the rent control initiative. However, by means of an indirect counter-proposal, it intends to lay down clear and transparent laws to protect against unfair rent increases. It took this decision on Friday. In its d...

Forecasts for economic growth in Switzerland this year have improved significantly. This is now also reflected in the latest survey of Swiss economists conducted by the KOF Institute. In the survey conducted in September as part of the KOF Consensus ...

Switzerland is one of the best-positioned countries in the world when it comes to the framework conditions for tourism. Like Japan, which tops the rankings, Switzerland also has favourable conditions for a competitive and resilient tourism sector. In...

The 99th edition of the Neuchâtel Fête des Vendanges got underway on Friday in sunny weather, which could boost visitor numbers, which stood at around 300,000 last year. Sunday’s flower parade, which will feature 15 floats – one of which will c...

Taking LSD does not merely alter one’s perception of reality and the senses; it also improves motor learning the following day. This has been demonstrated by a study carried out by a team from the University of Fribourg and published on Thursday. T...

The spirit of solidarity is deeply rooted in Switzerland, according to a survey by Swiss Solidarity. However, the many current crises are prompting many donors to think more carefully about their support. It all began on September 26, 1946, with a br...

The St Gallen Abbey Archives has launched a major project to digitise its collections. By the end of 2028, around 2.2 million pages from historical books and records are to be preserved for research and future generations. Specifically, around 1.5 mi...

Thousands of flats that had previously been blocked by urban planning restrictions can now be built in the Swiss city of Zurich. The recently amended federal ordinance has lifted a construction freeze on around 4,000 flats in Zurich. This was reporte...

The hot summer of 2026 caused economic damage amounting to CHF400 million in Switzerland. And weather events could also result in high costs next year, according to a study by the credit insurer Allianz Trade. Labour productivity also suffered as a r...

The Swiss Senate has approved a motion to ban the use of the Swiss cross on products manufactured abroad. The request follows a change in practice by the Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) in March 2026. This allows the Swiss cross to b...

Kühne+Nagel, a Swiss logistics firm with German roots, intends to shed full light on its activities during the Second World War, particularly its links with the Nazis. The Schwyz-based company has confirmed statements to this effect made by its chai...

Water levels in lakes across eastern Switzerland have fallen to a record low. Lakes Untersee and Zurich have never recorded lower water levels. The drought, which has persisted for months, is particularly evident on the Untersee, the western part of ...

Swiss Post has dedicated a new series of stamps to five Swiss livestock breeds at risk of extinction. These are the Appenzell bearded hen, the Roux du Valais sheep, the Rhaetian Grey cattle, the red-necked goat and the small tricolour mottled rabbit....

Half a gram of dust from space has allowed researchers at the Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich to unravel how the asteroid Bennu was formed. In 2023, a NASA probe brought 120 grams of rock samples from the asteroid Bennu back to Earth. H...