Author: switzerlandtimes.ch

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…

Snow returned to the Swiss Alps on Wednesday after an unusually warm and dry start to autumn, closing several mountain passes. More is forecast this weekend, with up to 25cm expected between the Dents du Midi and the Mont Blanc massif. Webcam images showed peaks including the Matterhorn and the Dents du Midi covered in snow. The change follows a summer heatwave that melted many of the remaining snowfields. Alpine passes close The Furka (2,429 metres), Gotthard (2,108 metres), Nufenen (2,478 metres), Grimsel (2,164 metres), San Bernardino (2,065 metres), Sanetsch (2,252 metres) and Susten (2,234 metres) passes are closed until…

Switzerland is becoming more politically polarised. The latest SRG election barometer shows support rising for parties on the left and right as the centre shrinks. It also reveals marked differences between men and women. The Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) would win 29.9% of the vote if an election were held now, up two percentage points from its 2023 election result. At the opposite pole, the Socialist Party (SP) and the Greens form a closely aligned left-wing bloc. The SP is polling at 19.3%, up one point, and the Greens at 10.3%, up half a point. Support for parties in the…

Switzerland’s busy voting calendar continues. On 27 September, voters rejected initiatives on food production and neutrality. The next round is already on the horizon: on 29 November 2026, they will decide four federal proposals covering pension funding, fireworks restrictions, taxation of married couples and arms exports. Pension funding: raise VAT The proposal would raise value-added tax by 0.4 percentage points, no earlier than 2028, to help pay for the 13th annual state pension. The reduced rate on essentials such as food and medicines would stay unchanged. The increase would bring in about CHF 1.4bn a year, meeting part of the…

The best AI video generator in 2026 depends on what you need to create. Magic Hour is our leading all-round choice for creators who want video generation, image editing, lip sync and other creative tools in one platform. Runway is a strong option for cinematic experimentation, while HeyGen and Synthesia are better suited to presenter-led videos, training materials and multilingual business content. AI video tools have moved beyond turning a sentence into a short clip. Today’s platforms can animate still images, generate scenes from text, synchronise speech with faces, edit existing footage and produce presenter-led videos without a traditional…

Last weekend, around 300 demonstrators gathered outside Syngenta’s chemical plant in Monthey, Switzerland, on Saturday as part of an international day of action against the agrochemical giant under the banner “Stop Pesticides”. Protests also took place in Basel and several other countries, reported RTS. The protesters warned of the health risks associated with pesticides, including acute poisoning, chronic illness and cancer. They argued that agricultural workers and rural communities bore the brunt of exposure to hazardous chemicals. A handful of multinationals continue to profit while increasingly poisoning our water, land and communities, the organisers said. For years, we have gathered…

Switzerland crowns three cheese champions, celebrating a craft that combines tradition with commercial ambition. The Swiss take cheese seriously. So seriously, in fact, that choosing the country’s finest requires more than 200 judges, over 1,000 contenders and an expert panel to settle the final scores. At the 14th Swiss Cheese Awards in Fribourg, three cheesemakers emerged with the highest honours. The competition attracted a record 1,177 entries. Nicolas Brodard, of the La Guignarde alpine dairy in Corbières, canton Fribourg, won the hard-cheese championship with his Gruyère d’alpage AOP. The semi-hard title went to Marc-André Girardin, of the Fromagerie de la…

An alliance of left-wing and centrist parties has submitted more than 131,800 signatures in an effort to prevent Switzerland from lifting its ban on building new nuclear power plants, reported Greenpeace. Representatives of the Socialist Party (SP), Greens, Green Liberals (GLP) and parts of the Centre Party submitted the signatures in Bern on Tuesday. The alliance wants to preserve Switzerland’s existing ban on new nuclear power plants. Lisa Mazzone, president of the Greens, described nuclear power as an outdated, overpriced technology that leaves future generations with highly radioactive waste. Nuclear power currently accounts for just under 30% of Switzerland’s domestic…