Dog owners in Chiasso, a town in Italian-speaking Ticino, will soon have to clean up not only their pets’ poop but also their urine. The rule, believed to be the first of its kind in Switzerland, will take effect in mid-August, reported RSI. Walkers will be expected to carry a bottle of water as well […]
Geneva court suspends ban on full-cover swimwear
Long-sleeved swimwear may once again be worn in Geneva’s public swimming pools, at least temporarily, after a cantonal court suspended a ban introduced in May, reported various media. Geneva’s parliament, the Grand Council, approved the measure in March. It came into force on May 30 and prohibited swimwear covering both the arms and legs beyond […]
America imposes new 12.5% tariff on Swiss goods
America has imposed new tariffs of 10% or 12.5% on selected imports from about 60 trading partners, including Switzerland. The White House says the countries concerned have failed to do enough to combat forced labour. The measures, announced on Thursday, took effect overnight. The European Union, Japan and Taiwan are also named in the American […]
Desire for large families fading in Switzerland
Fewer Swiss people want children, and those who do are having them later. Switzerland’s fertility rate has fallen to its lowest level on record. In 2024 women had, on average, 1.29 children, well below the 2.07 needed to replace one generation with the next, wrote the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). There were 78,000 live births […]
Swiss reservoirs at lowest level in two decades
Swiss water reservoirs are unusually depleted for this time of year, reaching their lowest seasonal level in at least 20 years. According to the latest weekly data from the Federal Office of Energy (FOE), they are 46% full—16.4 percentage points below the average for the same point in the year over the past two decades. […]
Swiss plans to tighten foreign property ownership divide opinion
The Swiss government’s proposal to tighten the Lex Koller, which restricts property purchases by foreigners, has exposed a sharp divide between political parties and business groups. Parties on the left and the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) argue that the reforms would close longstanding loopholes in the law, reported RTS. Business organisations and most centrist parties […]
Food behind bars – veganism qualifies as a protected philosophical belief
This week, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled against Switzerland, finding that public institutions, such as prisons, must provide a fully vegan diet to detainees whose commitment to veganism amounts to a protected philosophical conviction. In a judgment issued in Strasbourg, the court reaffirmed that freedom of thought, conscience and religion is a […]
A third of Swiss Asian supermarket vegetables fail pesticide tests
Laboratory tests in the Swiss canton of Solothurn found excessive pesticide residues in one-third of vegetable samples taken from Asian grocery stores last year, prompting a criminal complaint against an importer. Asian supermarket vegetables tested by Solothurn’s food safety inspectors repeatedly failed compliance checks, according to the canton’s 2025 annual report. Officials analysed 38 vegetable […]
The Matterhorn is becoming more dangerous
The Matterhorn has always been dangerous. Intense prolonged heat and the sort of people climbing it have made it more so, according to SRF. Guides on the Swiss side of the peak are avoiding some routes they now consider too dangerous. The risks are growing across the Alps. Guides in Chamonix have stopped taking people […]
High Swiss optimism not always matched with confidence
Swiss remain optimistic about the future. That may seem surprising. Geopolitical conflict, rising healthcare costs, migration, climate change and the cost of living consistently rank among the country’s biggest concerns. Yet according to a new nationwide survey, 80% of Swiss adults are optimistic about their personal prospects over the coming year, including 22% who say […]
