Hundreds of people defied a federal government ban on gatherings in Basel, according to RTS. The Basel Fasnacht, a highlight of the city’s calendar, was cancelled after Switzerland’s federal government banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people in an attempt to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. However, the cancellation did not stop everyone. […]
Coronavirus: map of Swiss cases by canton – updated
Swiss news website Heidi.news has created a map of Switzerland showing the number and location of novel coronavirus cases. In addition to the numbers presented in the chart above, here are a few other data sources. The first two have charts showing numbers by canton. Tribune de Genève – this gives a breakdown of Swiss […]
Switzerland set for warmest recorded winter
Switzerland is heading for its warmest winter since records began in 1864, according to Swiss Meteo. The average temperature across the period from December to February was 0.7 degrees, according to the weather forecaster. This winter brought a more consistent than normal warm air current from the Atlantic ocean. This has prevented cold air descending […]
Bird flu risk rises in Switzerland
Bird flu risk is currently high warns Switzerland’s Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO). At the end of 2019, the bird flu virus H5N8 was discovered on a number of poultry farms in Poland. In addition, several cases have been reported on farms in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, Czech Republic and Ukraine. Among wild birds, […]
Swiss private bank Pictet to drop fossil fuel investments
Recently, the private bank Pictet, based in Geneva, announced plans to eliminate all of its investments in companies actively associated with the production and extraction of fossil fuels, according to a press release. The bank defines companies actively associated with the production and extraction of fossil fuels as those generating more than 25% of their […]
Swiss environmental agency sets no date for 5G launch
Earlier this week, Switzerland’s Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) announced it had contacted the cantons at the end of January 2020, informing them it had not set a date for switching on 5G networks. However, mobile networks plan to continue installing 5G equipment after rolling out more than 2,000 antenna last year – a […]
Switzerland tests its sirens
Every year, Switzerland tests its apocalyptic-sounding sirens on the first Wednesday of February. This year it will be done on 5 February 2020, starting at 13:30. Sirens will be sounded for three minutes. The tests finish at 14:00 for general sirens, and 15:00 for flood sirens. If an alarm sounds outside of these times it […]
Ticino requires smokers to clock out for smoke breaks
From the beginning of February 2020, employees working for the canton of Ticino will need to clock out if they want to go for a cigarette break, according to RTS. The new rule, which is the first of its kind in Switzerland, follows comments made last year by a parliamentarian who pointed out the favourable […]
Credit Suisse accused of spying on Greenpeace
According to SonntagsZeitung, the bank Credit Suisse has been spying on Greenpeace. Nearly three years ago, the environmental organisation thwarted security and disrupted the bank’s general assembly with a stunt aimed at shaming Credit Suisse for financing Energy Transfer, a company involved in the construction of the controversial Dakota Access oil pipeline running through reserves […]
Top 10 environmental concerns in Switzerland
Recently published data show the top ten environmental concerns among Switzerland’s residents. In 2019, top of the list was pesticide use. 89.4% considered this very (52.9%) or fairly (36.5%) dangerous. Next was loss of animal and plant diversity. 88.2% considered this very (53.8%) or fairly (34.4%) dangerous. Third was climate change. 87.8% considered this very […]
