A recent survey suggests that most Swiss support giving more rights to foreigners. A majority of Swiss (52%) surveyed either strongly (21%) or largely (31%) agree that foreigners should be granted political rights, for example the right to vote at communal or cantonal level, believing it would help with integration. The overall percentage was 5 […]
Bernese town to become part the canton of Jura
Today, a majority of voters in Moutier, a municipality in the canton of Bern voted to break away from Bern and become part of the canton of Jura, Switzerland’s newest canton, which was carved out of the canton of Bern in 1979. Voter turnout was high (89%) in Moutier today. 2,114 (55%) voters versus 1,740 […]
Moutier – Swiss town to vote on breaking away again
Over the years some in the mainly French-speaking town of Moutier have tried to have the town removed from the canton of Bern and added to the canton of Jura, a movement dubbed “Mouxit”. In Switzerland, changing cantons is a big deal. Many things, such as tax rates, health systems, education systems and official languages […]
Covid: 50% of Switzerland might need to wait until late July for a vaccination
Under the federal government’s worst case scenario, 4.3 million adults representing 50% of Switzerland’s population might need to wait until the second half of July 2021 to receive an initial shot of vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This group of 4.3 million includes all adults under 65 who don’t have certified health issues that put […]
Covid: deaths steady as cases rise 17% in Switzerland this week
This week saw new Covid-19 cases rise 17%, following an increase of 19% the week before. Over the seven days to 26 March 2021, Switzerland reported 11,608 new Covid-19 cases. The 7-day average is currently 1,658 new daily cases, up from 1,423 last week. It reached the same level in mid-October 2021 entering the second wave. […]
CERN discovers highly suspicious particle behaviour
On 23 March 2021, Geneva-based CERN, the world’s largest particle physics laboratory, announced evidence of strange particle behaviour. The idea that matter is made up of tiny indivisible particles is ancient. The word atom is derived from the ancient Greek word atomos, which means uncuttable. However, as particle physics has progressed, the uncuttable atom has […]
Serious cycling injuries up sharply in Switzerland in 2020
Last year the number of serious road injuries on Swiss roads rose 4% to 3,793, according to FEDRO, Switzerland’s road authority. Venturing on to roads on two wheels was the most likely way to end up seriously injured. Cyclists and e-bikers together accounted for the largest share (38%) of total serious accidents, followed by motorcyclists […]
Around 8,000 protest against Covid-19 measures in Switzerland
On 20 March 2021, around 8,000 people assembled in Liestal in Switzerland to protest against government measures to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The protest, which was authorised by the authorities, drew people from across Switzerland. According to a report by RTS, around 8,000 people were present, a number lower than the 8,500 […]
Swiss cinema numbers plummet during pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic has been tough on many businesses. However, few sectors have suffered as severely as film and cinema. In 2020, Swiss cinemas saw screenings drop by a whopping 49% compared to 2019, according to the Federal Statistical Office. The number of admissions (-65%) and ticket revenue (-65%) were down by nearly two thirds. […]
Swiss crime down sharply during first wave of pandemic
Statistics from Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office show a dramatic fall in the number of crimes during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020. Across all of 2020, 421,678 crimes were recorded, 2.4% fewer than the year before. Drug crimes (-9%), immigration crimes (-12%) and burglaries (-10%) were all down. At the same time violent […]
