On 1 August 2023, a new law allowing deeper analysis of crime scene DNA has raised hopes that old cases can be solved, reported SRF. For example, the DNA of the perpetrator of a rape in Emmen in the Luzern in 2015 is currently being analysed in the hope of catching the culprit. The victim […]
Man charged with Verbier vandalism
On 19 July 2023, Valais Police reported they had charged a man with vandalism at Verbier. The man, a 38-year-old French national, is believed to be responsible for more than 100 graffiti offenses committed at the ski resort, reported the police. At the beginning of July more than 100 acts of spray painting took place […]
Swiss fact: VELCRO® fasteners, popularised by NASA, were invented in Switzerland
In 1941, George de Mestral, while hunting in the Jura, with his son and dogs, noticed how the plant burdock stuck with microscopic hooks to his trousers and to the ears of one of his dogs. Fifteen years later the strong-willed Vaud handy man had turned his observation into something that would become a household name. He carried […]
Swiss government agrees to help mothers hoping to work more
In Switzerland, mothers are far more likely to have paid work than they were 30 years ago. In 2021, 82% had paid employment compared to 60% in 1991. Over this period, Switzerland has moved from one of the lowest European rates of working mums to one of the highest. However, a sizeable employment gap remains […]
Practically no gender pay inequality, shows Swiss study
A study done by the University of St. Gallen on behalf of the Swiss Employers’ Association published this week found there was practically no pay inequality between men and women in Switzerland, reported RTS. The study looked at analysis done on 461 companies in Switzerland using a federal government framework. According to the results 99.3% […]
Switzerland moves close to changing definition of rape
This week, after much political back and forth, Switzerland’s federal government moved close to updating the nation’s laws on sex crimes, including rape. While the need to update the definition of rape, which is central to the legal revision, is uncontested, the details of the changes have proved controversial. Broadly, much of the debate has […]
Swiss fact: 44 Swiss municipalities have changed their official language since 1950
Language is a complicated matter in Switzerland. The nation has four official languages and numerous other languages and dialects. On top of this some Swiss have had to cope with shifting language borders. Between 1860 and 2000, 83 municipalities, known as communes (in French), Einwohnergemeinde1 (in German), comuni (in Italian) and vischnancas (in Romanche), changed their official […]
Parliament rejects use of Swiss-German for official debates
This week, parliament rejected a motion put forward by Lukas Reimann, a member of the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) from St. Gallen, to allow the use of Swiss-German in official federal political debates, reported RTS. Switzerland has four national languages, however, many Swiss tend to fluently speak only one of them, although among federal politicians […]
Reports of racial discrimination rise again in Switzerland
In 2022, 708 cases of racial discrimination were reported in Switzerland, 78 more than the year before and more than double the number in 2019, according to an annual report from humanrights.ch The rapid rise in the number reported events partly reflects a rising tendency among the population to respond to racism, says the report. […]
Funky Swiss Alphorn player dies at 39
Eliana Burki, considered by many to be the ambassador the Swiss Alphorn, passed away this week at the age of 39, reported RTS. Burki, who is from the canton of Solothurn, moved to Los Angeles and incorporated the iconic Swiss instrument into the funk and jazz music scene there describing her instrument as her “Funky […]
