On January 8th 2026 the canton of Vaud announced a ban on pyrotechnic devices inside public venues. The decision follows the fatal New Year’s Eve fire in Crans-Montana and is part of a broader effort to tighten fire safety standards. Deeply affected by the tragedy, the cantonal government has ordered urgent measures to review and […]
Crans-Montana fire: criminal case opened against bar managers
Prosecutors in the Swiss canton of Valais have opened a criminal investigation into the managers of a bar in Crans-Montana where a fire killed 40 people and injured 119 others. The two suspects, a French couple, are being investigated on suspicion of manslaughter by negligence, bodily harm by negligence and arson by negligence, the prosecutor’s […]
Switzerland: changes taking effect in 2026
Several new laws and regulations come into force in Switzerland on January 1st 2026, along with a number of other policy changes. Fewer scam callsCalls from fraudsters posing as police officers, bank employees or officials—often made from abroad using spoofed Swiss numbers—should become less frequent. From January 1st, calls from abroad displaying a Swiss landline […]
Crans-Montana fire: latest from press conference
On 2 January 2026, following the New Year’s Eve fire at the Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, the Valais cantonal police and public prosecutor provided an update on the identification of victims, the progress of the investigation and the work being done. The inquiry continues with the aim of establishing the causes of what authorities describe […]
Geneva becomes Switzerland’s biggest fiscal equalisation donor in 2026
For the first time, Geneva has become the largest contributor to Switzerland’s national fiscal-equalisation scheme, which moves funds from wealthy to poorer cantons. Next year Geneva will pay CHF 543m, more than Zurich and Zug, the former leaders. Nathalie Fontanet, the canton’s finance director, told SRF she is both proud and uneasy: proud that Geneva […]
Swiss town marks its move from Bern to Jura
Moutier celebrated its transfer from the canton of Bern to Jura at the end of 2025, in a ceremony that underlined the historic nature of the change. Marcel Winistoerfer, the town’s mayor, told around 300 people gathered outside the town hall that, half a century after the founding of the canton, Moutier will now join […]
Crans-Montana fire tragedy: what is a flashover?
Flashover fires—such as the one that struck the Constellation bar in Crans-Montana on New Year’s Eve—are well known to firefighters but little understood by the public. A flashover is the moment at which a developing fire spreads suddenly and engulf an entire room. The process typically unfolds in stages: 1. In the initial phase, one […]
Switzerland’s 2026 official government portrait
Every year, the Swiss government publishes an official portrait of the Federal Council, the nation’s 7-member executive. One member acts as president for the year, although the position confers no extra power. This year the president is Guy Parmelin. He was president in 2021. For the official 2026 portrait of the Federal Council, Guy Parmelin, […]
Deadly fire in Crans-Montana leaves more than 40 dead and more than 100 injured
A fire in a bar in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana in the early hours of New Year’s Day has left about 40 people dead and 115 injured, many of them seriously, according to a Police statement. Swiss federal and cantonal authorities described the blaze as one of the worst tragedies the country has known. […]
Switzerland to allow catch-up payments into third-pillar pensions
Private retirement saving is popular in Switzerland; nearly 60% of workers hold a pillar 3a account, which lets savers prepare for retirement while benefiting from annual tax relief. From January 1st 2026 they will gain more flexibility: missed contributions will be allowed to be made up retroactively. Today contributions to the third pillar are capped […]
