Married couples in Switzerland are taxed together, unlike unmarried couples who are taxed individually. This often acts as a tax disincentive for one spouse to work, disproportionately affecting women. For many years, certain political parties have been pushing to remove what is essentially discrimination on the basis of marital status. The issue came back into […]
European court rules Swiss police engaged in racial profiling
In 2015, a Swiss man with Kenyan roots was stopped by the police at Zurich train station and asked for identification. He refused to provide it and was fined CHF 150 for not complying. What exactly happened or went on in the minds of those involved is unclear. The man who was stopped, a librarian […]
Serious acts of anti-semitism rise 7-fold in French-speaking Switzerland
Anti-Semitic incidents increased by 68% in French-speaking Switzerland last year, according to CICAD, an organisation dedicated to fighting anti-semitism. The number of serious attacks in 2023 was seven times the number in 2022. Almost half of these acts occurred after the 7 October 2023 attacks in Israel. During 2023, the Intercommunal Coordination Office against Anti-Semitism […]
Man shot dead during hostage incident in Switzerland
On 8 February 2023, a man armed with an axe, a hammer and a knife held 13 people hostage on a train near the Swiss town of Yverdon-les-Bains, reported RTS. The man, an asylum seeker from Iran, was initially tasered by police as he ran towards them armed. After failing to stop he was fatally […]
More non-religious than Catholics in Switzerland
The shift away from religion continues to accelerate in Switzerland. By 2022, those belonging to no faith (34%) outnumbered Catholics (32%), protestants (21%) and other faith groups (12%). The only groups growing are the non-religious, Muslims and other forms of Christianity, according to statistics published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The percentage of the […]
Swiss doctor shortage – hardest hit regions
As the baby boomer generation retires staff shortages are emerging. Family doctors is one profession particularly hard hit due to training bottle necks and the challenges of the role. A report by RTS shows that the district of Franches-Montagnes in the Jura has one sixth of the per capita number of family doctors as Lausanne. […]
Swiss cabinet supports allowing double-barrelled surnames
Switzerland’s Federal Council supports the reintroduction of double-barrelled surnames for spouses and children, reported RTS. Double-barrelled names were abolished in Switzerland in 2013. Although many still use double surnames in Switzerland, they cannot be used on official documents such as passports or other identification documents. Questions surrounding surname syntax are surprisingly political in Switzerland. Double […]
New Swiss rape laws to start on 1 July
On 10 January 2024, Switzerland’s Federal Council announced that new laws on consent will come into force on 1 July 2024, reported RTS. The date reflects delays needed to prepare for the new rules agreed with Switzerland’s cantons. From 1 July, the principle “no means no” will apply to sex. Rape or sexual assault will […]
Switzerland to send old trams to Ukraine
On 12 January 2024, Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) announced the donation of as many as 78 trams to the Ukrainian cities of Lviv and Vinnytsa. The cities of Bern and Zurich will provide 11 and up to 67 decommissioned but fully operational trams respectively. SECO will organise and finance the transport of […]
Switzerland’s second astronaut gets ready for lift off in 2026
In 1992, Claude Nicollier, who was born in Vevey on the shore of Lake Geneva, went on the first of four space shuttle flights. Nicollier, along with Franco Malerba from Italy were the only non-Americans on board the shuttle in 1992. Now, Marco Sieber, a doctor of urology at the hospital of Biel/Bienne, is set […]
