Young Swiss adults are less inclined to rebel than to seek stability, according to the latest Youth Barometer by the research institute GFS Bern, conducted for the pharmaceutical firm Merck. Based on a survey of 1,009 people aged 16 to 30, the study challenges familiar clichés about a restless, risk-taking youth. Rebellion and other supposed […]
Swiss emissions down by 27%
Switzerland has reduced its domestic greenhouse-gas emissions by 27.3% since 1990, according to the latest figures from the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). Total emissions fell to 40.1m tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in 2024, about 0.5m tonnes less than a year earlier, and will be reported to the UN climate secretariat. The steepest decline […]
Swiss government wants to make it harder for foreigners to buy homes
Switzerland’s government wants to tighten the Lex Koller rules, the federal law that limits foreign ownership of property, in a bid to curb speculation and ease a worsening housing shortage. Named after Arnold Koller, a former Swiss minister, the law has long drawn a line between Swiss and foreigners, allowing the former broad access to housing […]
Switzerland prepares for the arrival of ultra-potent opioids
Swiss authorities are preparing for the likely arrival of a new class of highly potent synthetic opioids, reports RTS. In cantons such as Geneva and Fribourg, officials have recently announced measures to anticipate the spread of nitazenes—laboratory-made drugs that can be up to 50 times stronger than fentanyl. For now, Switzerland has largely been spared. […]
Swiss village halts mosque project
Plans to create a mosque in the village of Siebnen, in the canton of Schwyz, have been shelved after a surge of local opposition. The Albanian-Islamic community behind the project says it is withdrawing for now to avoid further tensions, reported SRF. We do not want to divide the population, Sinan Sadriu, head of the […]
How Switzerland’s population has changed in 50 years
As Switzerland debates the “No to a 10-million Switzerland” initiative backed by the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP), it is worth setting the country’s demographic trajectory in a broader European context. Switzerland’s population has expanded rapidly. Over the past half-century, it has recorded the third-fastest growth rate in western Europe, behind only Luxembourg and Ireland. The […]
Switzerland uneasy about pressure from Washington over its monetary policy
According to various media reports, the Federal Council has summoned Martin Schlegel, president of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), for talks. At issue are the bank’s interventions in currency markets, which the United States has long viewed with suspicion. A March 31st deadline set by Washington for concluding a trade agreement with Bern has come […]
Switzerland’s favourite seasoning faces an uncertain future
For more than 70 years, a small yellow container has occupied a space in Swiss kitchens. Now its future is uncertain. Aromat, the ubiquitous seasoning sold under the Knorr brand, is caught up in a corporate reshuffle, reported SRF. Unilever has agreed to sell its food division, including Knorr, to McCormick. What this will mean […]
Swiss mountain rescue exceptionally busy over Easter
Switzerland’s alpine rescue services were unusually busy over the Easter weekend, as fine weather drew large numbers into the mountains. Between April 3rd and 6th, Air-Glaciers and Air Zermatt carried out a combined 121 helicopter missions, more than double the 51 recorded over the same period in 2025. Rega, a separate national service, conducted a […]
Swiss consumer sentiment reaches lowest level in over a year
In March the index compiled by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) dropped by 12.5 points to –42.9, compared with February 2026. That marks a decline of 8.1 points from the same month a year earlier. The fall leaves sentiment at its weakest since early 2024. The downturn appears to reflect rising geopolitical uncertainty. […]
