Airlines are under pressure to cut short flights between locations that are well connected by rail. The logic being that trains have lower emissions that planes. Regular flights between Geneva and Zurich have long been criticised by environmentalists. However, this week, Swiss said it has no plans to cut flights between Switzerland’s two main cities, […]
Avalanche kills three in Zermatt
On Monday 1 April 2024 shortly after 2 pm, an avalanche at the ski resort of Zermatt killed three people and injured a fourth, reported Valais Police. The avalanche occurred in an off-piste area in the Riffelberg area on the Gornergrat side of the resort. The victims include a 15-year old American, a 25 year […]
The Swiss canton with the highest crime rate
Data published this week reveal Switzerland’s cantonal crime hotspot, a phenomenon connected to geography. In 2023, after a sharp rise, the canton of Basel-City recorded the largest number of violent crimes and the highest per capita rates of theft and burglary. The rate of violent crime reached 13.2 per 1,000 residents in the city in […]
One in ten Swiss worried about money at the end of the month
A study published this week by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) shows nearly 1 in 10 (9.9%) people in Switzerland has trouble making their money last until the end of the month. And, 4.9% had to go without goods, services or social activities due to a lack of money. The study is a European comparison […]
No price rises for Swiss public transport in 2025
Alliance Swisspass, an organisation that stitches together Switzerland’s various public transport providers to create tickets and passes that work across the network, announced this week that there would be no ticket price increases in 2025, reported SRF. A recent rise in the number of people using the network is bringing in more revenue. This is […]
Higher Swiss pensions to be funded with higher tax
On 3 March 2024, a majority of Swiss voters accepted a plan to increase the state pension by 1/12th (8.3%) – an extra 13th month of pension will be paid from 2026. Organisers of the vote claimed pension finances were in good shape, implying there was money to fund it. However, there wasn’t. This week […]
Swiss cabinet to give up free ski passes
Currently, the members of Switzerland’s cabinet, known as the Federal Council, are given free ski passes covering all of Switzerland. The pass is worth around CHF 4,000. This week, the Federal Council announced its members and their partners would no longer receive the passes from 2025, reported RTS. The free passes first stirred controversy initially […]
Number of Swiss abroad continues to rise
At the end of 2023, there were 813,400 Swiss citizens living outside Switzerland, more than 11% of the total – 6.5 million citizens lived in Switzerland in 2022. The number of Swiss abroad rose by 13,400 or 1.7% during 2023. Most of the 813,400 lived in Europe (64%), with 26% of total citizens abroad living […]
Swiss assisted suicide in UK news after woman takes her own life
This week a high profile case of assisted suicide in Switzerland made the news in the UK. Paola Marra, a UK woman with terminal cancer, who felt she had no choice but to end her life at Dignitas in Switzerland left behind a video message calling on people to help change the law on assisted […]
Some relief on Swiss electricity bills in pipeline
When we pay electricity bills we also have to pay for the infrastructure that brings it to our homes. Part of this infrastructure is run by Swissgrid. On 20 March 2024, Swissgrid announced a cut in what it charges from 2025. In 2025, a household with an annual consumption of 4,500 kWh will pay an […]
