Cars with more than one person in them crossing into Geneva via the customs post at Thônex-Vallard now have a lane reserved for them, according to the newspaper Tribune de Genève. A special lane, reserved for cars carrying multiple passengers, is in place from 6:00 to 9:00am and 3:30 to 6:30pm. In the morning the […]
Begging ban upheld by Switzerland’s highest court
In September 2016, the government of the Swiss canton of Vaud introduced a law banning begging across the canton. Unhappy with the ban a group made up of religious groups and political parties on the left have been challenging the law ever since. In 2017, they approached Vaud’s constitutional court where 4 out of 5 […]
Swiss divorce rates continue to climb
In 2017, 15,906 couples in Switzerland got divorced after an average of 15.1 years together. The majority (56%) split before their 15th anniversary. In 2017, 40.5% of those married for more than 30 years were divorced, compared to 40.3% in 2016. Breaking up after 30 years of marriage has been rising since records began in […]
Swiss driving licences might soon store driver data
Discussions around high tech driving licences containing chips have started in Bern, according to the newspaper Tribune de Genève. Recently, national councillor Franz Grüter (UDC/SVP) put forward a motion to have current Swiss driving licences replaced by high tech ones, a motion supported by around 40 other councillors, mainly from his own party. The new […]
Geneva plans to ban polluting vehicles
The canton’s government is working on a plan to ban the most polluting vehicles from the city centre, according to the newspaper Tribune de Genève. The project, accepted by the parliamentary transport commission, could result in a ban on certain vehicles entering the city centre on days of high air pollution. The restrictions would apply […]
Swiss parliament votes to extend definition of rape to male victims
Switzerland’s legal definition of rape could be extended to cover both men and women. The National Council, Switzerland’s parliament, voted 151 to 39, with one abstention, to make this change to the law. The Federal Council is also in favour of the change. Currently, Switzerland’s criminal code defines rape victims as female. Section 190 of […]
Majority of Swiss in favour of an agreement with EU, according to poll
A majority of Swiss are in favour of reaching a framework agreement with the EU, according to a poll run by Sotomo on behalf of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation. Negotiations on a framework agreement have become fractious over the summer especially discussions between the Swiss government and trade unions over job and salary protection measures that the […]
Swiss parliament accepts plan to strip asylum rights from those travelling home
A proposition put forward by the Swiss people’s party (UDC/SVP) to strip asylum from those travelling to their home country was accepted by 129 members of the National Council and rejected by 57. The UDC argued that returning home for a holiday or to visit parents proves the refugee is not threatened or persecuted there […]
What the successful bicycle vote could mean for Swiss cyclists
In 2017, accidents involving cyclists resulted in 4,200 injuries and 40 deaths. A map put together by RTS shows where each of these accidents occurred – red dots are deaths. Per kilometre cyclists are 10 times more likely to die than those in cars. In addition, while the number of vehicle and pedestrian casualties has […]
Russian billionaire Abramovich hoped to live in Verbier
According to reports by Tamedia, the billionaire football-club owner was applying for residency in the ski resort of Verbier when Switzerland’s Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) intervened and put an end to the process in June last year. The reasons for Fedpol’s intervention were unknown until this week when the Federal Tribunal in Lausanne lifted […]
