Two young Swiss men face prison after disturbances in Zurich’s District 4 on the night of October 31st and the morning of November 1st. Prosecutors issued summary penalty orders imposing unsuspended sentences of six and four months on November 3rd. … [Read more...]
News and Features
Striking number of Swiss find discredited conspiracy theories plausible
Nearly half the respondents in a Swiss survey considered it plausible that the coronavirus had been manufactured as a biological weapon in a Chinese laboratory. More than a third gave some credence to an antisemitic claim that Jewish networks … [Read more...]
Summer heat linked to nearly 1,260 deaths in Switzerland
An estimated 1,257 deaths in Switzerland between May and August 2026 were attributable to heat, according to a preliminary report by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, commissioned by the Federal Office of Public Health. The summer … [Read more...]
Matterhorn joins world geological heritage list
The Matterhorn is famous for its silhouette. Its geology now has global recognition, too. The mountain has joined the International Union of Geological Sciences’ (IUGS) list of geological heritage sites, the Swiss Academy of Sciences announced on … [Read more...]
Demonstrators in Lausanne protest against cuts to public sector spending
Several thousand people marched through Lausanne on Thursday evening to protest against cuts to public services, reported RTS. The demonstration came a month before Vaud’s cantonal parliament begins debating the 2027 budget. The protesters … [Read more...]
Guides
Language requirements for Swiss citizenship and visas – what you need to know
Brought to you by Swiss French School. On 1 January 2019, Switzerland’s federal government tightened and harmonised the rules on language requirements to qualify for some residence permits, B and C permits in particular, and … [Read More...]
Setting up a business in Switzerland – a guide
Brought to you by Winbiz online accounting for Swiss businesses. So you have decided to start a business. You have a business plan and are ready to get started. Before you launch you need a name and possibly a company. Broadly there are two options … [Read More...]
Activities
The Rhaetian Railway – probably Switzerland’s best train journey
Rounding another curve on the Bernina Express, sometimes we glimpse something – an ancient stone hut, a cliff naturally carved with a quizzical face, a shimmering snow-covered village – then wonder later if it was really there. Sitting … [Read more...]
“Snow of May” – Swiss narcissus season in full bloom
The spring narcissus bloom in Switzerland's riviera region, a star tourist attraction of the Belle Epoque - the 30 to 40 years before the war in 1914 - was described as the "snow of May" by Ernest Hemingway in his novel A Farewell to Arms. The book … [Read more...]
Chaplin’s World – enter the home and life of a comic genius
Film legend Charlie Chaplin spent 24 years living in the Manoir de Ban, a grand old mansion above Vevey in Switzerland. In 2016, his charming former home and grounds were cleverly and artfully transformed into Chaplin’s World and opened to the … [Read more...]
