Zurich City’s citizens will decide on 28 September 2025 whether to ban petrol-powered leaf blowers. A Left-Green coalition wants only quieter electric ones, and only in autumn – from October to December. The city council and a majority of the municipal council are on board. But opposition was sufficient to call a vote against the […]
Swiss largesse endures in 2024
The Swiss gave generously again in 2024. Citizens donated CHF 2.25 billion, according to Zewo, a foundation that monitors charities. Contributions have now topped the CHF 2 billion mark for five years running—twice the level of two decades ago. Giving habits are shifting. Donations made by post or bank transfer averaged CHF 198 each, compared […]
Swiss court drops appeal against Platini and Blatter acquittal
Switzerland’s federal prosecutor will not challenge the acquittal of Michel Platini and Joseph Blatter, the former heads of UEFA and FIFA, reported RTS. The ruling, which cleared them of fraud, breach of trust, mismanagement and forgery, is now final. By accepting the verdicts at both trial and appeal, the prosecutor has closed another chapter of […]
Deadly week in the Swiss Alps
Over the last week, 9 people have died in sporting accidents in Switzerland’s Alps, reported RTS. In addition, the body of a climber that went missing on 11 July 2025 was recovered. On Monday, Valais’s cantonal police said that two climbers had found a body on the Lagginhorn on 5 August 2025. The body, which […]
Staff abuse continues to rise on Swiss trains
Ticket inspectors in Switzerland are increasingly contending with more than fare dodgers, reported SRF. According to the Sonntagszeitung, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office convicted 20 passengers in the month to 10 July 2025 for threats, violence, insults and even exhibitionism. On the Swiss Federal Rail network, which carries around 1.39 million passengers daily, there are roughly […]
Swiss grand parents lead Europe on childcare
According to Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO), nearly two-thirds of children under 13 received some form of supplementary family care in 2023. On average, Swiss children spent 14 hours a week in non-parental care. Unsurprisingly, the youngest children received the most attention: those under four clocked in around 20 hours weekly. Grandparents bear a significant […]
Geneva opens new crack consumption room
In the summer of 2023, Geneva’s supervised drug-consumption centre located behind Cornavin train station, banned crack use after a surge in violence overwhelmed the facility. Now crack smokers are being admitted again—this time to a purpose-built extension opened officially on Tuesday, reported RTS. The new space, which quietly began operations two weeks ago, is the […]
Decline in faith and religious practice continues in Switzerland
Data published this week by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), show fewer people in Switzerland believe in God, and even fewer participate in organised religion. Secularisation continues to reshape Swiss society, with declining affiliation, attendance, and belief across all age groups—though religion still holds meaning in life’s more difficult moments. The share of the population […]
Decline in marriage and children continues in Switzerland
Swiss society is undergoing a quiet demographic transformation. Marriages are declining, families are shrinking and children are increasingly seen as optional. New data from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) confirm the trend: both birth and marriage rates are falling, with little sign of reversal. In 2024, women in Switzerland had an average of 1.29 children—down […]
Pro-Palestinian protests create havoc in Switzerland
Demonstrations in support of Palestinians created havoc in Switzerland this week. On Thursday evening in Zurich, protesters gathered near the Wiedikon train station in the Lochergut area. A rubbish bin was set alight and Zurich city police responded with a large force equipped with riot gear, according to SRF. Officers deployed water cannons, rubber bullets […]
