Author: switzerlandtimes.ch

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 Friday. The 4,478-metre peak above Zermatt is the third Swiss site to make the list. Established in 2022, the register recognises places of worldwide geological importance. It now includes 300 sites. The rock glaciers of the Engadine were among its first entries. The Glarus thrust followed in 2024. This great geological fault provides a striking example of older rocks pushed over much younger…

About 100 refugees have spent months living in civil-defence shelters in the Swiss canton of Vaud, reports RTS. The canton’s migrant reception agency lacks accommodation, and residents say life underground is damaging their health. One Ukrainian man in his 40s has been staying in a shelter in Clarens between Vevey and Montreux for several months. He says the dirt, poor ventilation, lack of daylight and cramped conditions have become unbearable. “My health has deteriorated significantly,” he told RTS, Switzerland’s public broadcaster. “I have nightmares. I relive certain scenes from the war.” He decided it would be better to sleep outside…

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 was Switzerland’s hottest since records began, surpassing even 2003. The estimated death toll was substantially higher than in previous years, accounting for 5.5% of all deaths during the period, or 14 deaths per 100,000 people. About 85% of those deaths were among people aged 75 or older. The figures are statistical estimates rather than a count of deaths individually confirmed as caused…

Swiss voters will decide on five federal proposals on February 28th 2027, including lifting the ban on building nuclear power plants and approving a free-trade agreement with Malaysia. The Federal Council confirmed the list on Wednesday for the first of just two federal voting days scheduled for the election year. The other measures are the foie gras initiative, the democracy initiative and a proposal to allow wage floors below cantonal minimum wages to be made universally binding. Further contentious measures could follow on June 6th. Eight popular initiatives are pending in parliament, and opponents of the free-trade agreement with Mercosur…

About a quarter of single-parent households in 20 Swiss cities received social assistance in 2023. They were almost five times as likely to receive it as households overall. Children in single-parent families accounted for 59% of minors receiving assistance, up from 52% in 2010. Women headed about 93% of single-parent households on welfare. Foreign nationals headed about 64% of single-parent households receiving assistance, up from 53% in 2011. Work does not always offer a route out. In 2023, an average of 41% of single parents receiving assistance were employed, up from 36% in 2011. They were much more likely to…

Financial pressure and the failings of decentralisation have prompted an overhaul. Members will have the final say. Migros is rethinking its structure as financial pressures mount. Its ten regional co-operatives face stiff competition, uneven fortunes and questions about their governance. Last year the Zurich co-operative lost CHF 180m. Its troubled expansion into Germany helps explain why. An expensive German venture In 2013 Migros Zurich bought Tegut, a German organic supermarket chain. The investment has cost it several hundred million francs, and the business is now being sold. It is another failed foreign venture for the Zurich co-operative—and an example of…

Low water levels on the Rhine have strained supplies, prompting the government to draw on compulsory reserves. Switzerland is considering an 80km/h speed limit on motorways to save fuel, reported SRF. The effects of war in the Middle East and persistently low water levels on the Rhine have put fuel supplies under pressure. Petrol and heating oil normally reach Switzerland by barge from Rotterdam through Basel. Low water has severely restricted these shipments. Other routes remain open. Crude oil from America arrives by sea at Marseille, then travels by pipeline to the Cressier refinery in the canton of Neuchâtel. Rail…

Swiss Federal Railways recorded 97 cases of track distortion and buckling during the summer heatwave in 2026, according to a specialist team. The company confirmed the figure reported by the SonntagsZeitung, a Sunday newspaper. According to the paper, the total was almost four times that of the previous year. SBB said the increase in track distortion and subsidence had not affected safety. Patrick Braess, an expert at ETH Zurich, nevertheless warned in the newspaper of the risk of heat-related derailments. A task force to tackle the heat SBB regularly inspects its tracks using measuring and diagnostic vehicles. Following the exceptional…

Swiss voters are divided over a proposed increase in value-added tax (VAT) to fund an extra annual state-pension payment, according to the first representative SRG poll. The survey, conducted by gfs.bern from 5 to 18 October and published this week, found that 49% of eligible voters opposed the proposal and 46% supported it, with 5% undecided. The gap falls within the poll’s margin of error. Two years ago, voters approved a 13th annual payment under Switzerland’s old-age and survivors’ insurance scheme, known as AHV. The Federal Council and parliament now propose raising VAT by 0.4 percentage points to pay for…

Zurich’s city council will introduce new residents’ parking permits in January 2027, raising the cost of parking in blue zones, reported SRF. Concessions for tradespeople remain blocked by a legal dispute. Zurich residents will face higher costs. Under the “Biel model”, they must first use parking spaces attached to their buildings, which are considerably more expensive. They will qualify for an annual blue-zone permit only when those spaces are occupied. Higher charges for heavier cars Residents’ permits previously cost CHF 300 francs a year. Under the new system, even the cheapest are expected to cost more than CHF 50. Charges…