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 […]
Swiss unemployment rises more than expected
The number of people unemployed in Switzerland rose by more than most economists expected in January 2024. The rate at the end of January rose to 2.5%, up from 2.3% at the end of 2023, reported the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). A group of economists predicted it would be between 2.2% to 2.5%, […]
Swiss sirens pass this year’s tests
Every year, Switzerland tests its apocalyptic-sounding sirens on the first Wednesday of February. This year it was done on 7 February 2024 at 13:30. Around 5,000 sirens across the country were sounded and 14 millions alerts were sent out on the Alertswiss app. The same day Switzerland’s Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport […]
Swiss prefer to holiday close to home
Passing through a Swiss airport during peak holiday season might give an impression Swiss like holiday in far away places. However, a survey by the Swiss Bankers, a company that provides holiday related financial services, shows most like to stay close to home. In 2023, 25.9% of total holiday spending was made in Switzerland, followed […]
Basel wants more clout in Bern
It is often said that Switzerland has 26 cantons. However, technically it has 20 full and 6 half cantons. Basel-City is one of Switzerland’s half cantons. This means it only gets one seat in the Council of States, Switzerland’s federal upper house, compared to the two each full canton gets. Some cantonal politicians in Basel-City […]
Geneva to vote on seven proposals
Voting papers for the next lot of referenda are long in Geneva. A total of 10 questions on seven subjects will be put to voters. In addition to the two votes on state pensions (one to spend more, one to spend less), there will be questions on a monster building development, the minimum number of […]
Swiss home prices up in 2023
This week, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) published the Swiss residential property price index for 2023, which showed an annual price increase of 2.2%, with a rise of 1.1% in the fourth quarter. The average price of single-family homes rose by an average of 1.9% last year and the prices of apartments rose by an […]
Issues concerning the Swiss most in 2023
This week, a survey was published setting out issues of greatest concern to the Swiss public. The five biggest issues cited by the Swiss population are of a monetary nature. Economic concerns haverisen, leaving issues such as climate change in sixth place. The top concern is healthcare costs and health insurance premiums. 41.8% were worried […]
Work, housing, crime, culture – Switzerland’s best and worst cities
Recently published data from Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO) rank Switzerland’s cities on various aspects related to quality of life, reported RTS. Quality of life depends on what someone finds important. So the survey does not attempt to come up with a single rating. Instead it ranks Switzerland’s cities across a number of categories. The […]
Swiss military finds unexpected billion franc hole in budget
Recently revealed financial difficulties at Switzerland’s military came out of the blue this week, reported RTS. Army head Thomas Süssli and defence minister Viola Amherd are in regular contact about the army’s finances, so politicians across the political spectrum were surprised by the size of hole in the budget. Some said they knew there was […]
