The Federal Council wants to roll out roadside displays that warn drivers when their vehicles exceed recommended noise levels, reported RTS. After adopting a report on the issue on Friday, the government said such devices could help curb excessive engine noise, which it described as an avoidable nuisance that harms quality of life and can […]
Switzerland braces for an early flu wave
Switzerland’s flu season is gathering pace. Last week the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) reported 459 laboratory-confirmed influenza cases—almost twice as many as the week before and more than double the figure recorded at the same point last year. This corresponds to 5.05 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared with 2.05 a year earlier. The […]
Nearly half of Swiss workers say they end their day exhausted
Nearly half (41%) of Swiss workers say they end their day exhausted, according to the latest “Working Conditions Barometer”, published by the union federation Travail.Suisse. The study suggests that although overall job satisfaction remains high, the strain of long hours, blurred boundaries and rising workloads is taking a toll. The 2025 edition of the survey […]
Swiss farmers resist new US tariff deal
Markus Ritter, president of the Swiss Farmers’ Association, is calling for measures to shield agriculture after Switzerland’s new tariff agreement with the United States, reported SRF. The deal will grant duty-free quotas for American beef, poultry and buffalo meat—concessions that Ritter views with concern. In an interview with Sonntagsblick, he acknowledged the political logic of […]
Switzerland’s fertility rate has fallen to a record low
Swiss women had, on average, 1.29 children in 2024—the lowest level since records began, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) reported on Monday. The share of people who do not want children is rising too. Among 20- to 29-year-olds the proportion declaring no desire for children rose from 6% in 2013 to 17% in 2023. For […]
The decline of truth as professional journalism faces an existential crisis
Disinformation and conspiracy theories, amplified by social media, are distorting minds at scale. At the same time, the rise of news deprivation—a world in which citizens are either cut off from reliable reporting or simply tune it out—has deepened public confusion and mistrust. This week, we looked at a study that shows nearly half of Switzerland’s population […]
Swiss insurers overwhelmed by weight-loss drug demand
Switzerland’s health insurers are hiring extra staff—not to process claims for surgery or cancer care, but to handle a surge in requests for weight-loss injections, reported SRF. A survey by SRF’s consumer programme Espresso found that such requests now account for up to a third of all reimbursement applications at several major insurers. At CSS, […]
Shark meat with dangerous mercury levels sold under misleading names
Nearly two-thirds of shark-meat samples tested in Switzerland and across Europe contain alarming levels of methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin, according to a new study. Much of the meat is sold under misleading names, such as roussette, saumonette, chien de mer or veau de mer. A German laboratory analysed 44 samples of blue shark and seven […]
Hiking accidents double in Switzerland over 15 years
The number of mountain-hiking accidents in Switzerland has doubled in the past 15 years, according to new data from Suva, the national accident insurer. Between 2009 and 2013, just over 4,000 incidents were recorded annually. From 2019 to 2023, that figure rose to around 9,000 a year. More than eight in ten accidents involved hikers […]
Switzerland’s most dangerous jobs
Ensuring workplace safety is a legal obligation in Switzerland, yet accidents remain frequent and costly. A recent report by Suva highlights the country’s most hazardous professions — with forestry topping the list. Loggers face the highest risk of injury. Chainsaws, falling branches, steep terrain and heavy machinery make their work perilous: in 2023, more than […]
