Author: switzerlandtimes.ch

Switzerland’s Beznau nuclear power plant, the oldest in the country, has shut down both its reactors due to rising river temperatures, reported SRF. The plant, located in the canton of Aargau, relies on the nearby Aare river for cooling. With the river’s water already warm, further discharge from the facility risked breaching environmental limits. Axpo, the utility that operates Beznau, began by shutting down one reactor on Tuesday, followed by the second on Wednesday evening. The move, coordinated with the Federal Electricity Commission (Elcom), the nuclear watchdog Ensi, and the national grid operator Swissgrid, aims to protect the river’s ecosystem.…

Switzerland is sweltering under a heatwave, with MétéoSuisse forecasting the second-hottest June since records began. Temperatures reached between 32°C and 35°C across the lowlands on Wednesday, prompting a level-two heat alert across much of the country. In Ticino, Geneva and parts of Vaud and Valais, where conditions are more extreme, the alert level has been raised to three – see warnings here. A brief respite came on Thursday with the passage of a cooler front, but Friday temperatures rose higher. Weekend highs are forecast to exceed 30°C nationwide, with even hotter conditions to follow. In the southern Alps, a heat…

On 24 June 2025, human remains were recovered in Blatten, the Valais mountain village largely destroyed by a catastrophic landslide on 28 May 2025. The discovery was made during a targeted search operation, according to a statement from the Valais Cantonal Police. Then on 26 June 2025, the local police confirmed that the identity of the remains were of a 64-year-old man who went missing on 28 May 2025. An excavator operator discovered the lifeless body on Tuesday during search and cleanup operations. According to police, he was at his stable in the Tennmatten area. On 28 May 2025, around…

This week, Switzerland’s federal government announced it was cutting its savings targets slightly amid pressure from cantons and political opposition, reported RTS. The Federal Council announced revised savings targets, lowering the total volume of planned cuts to CHF 3.1 billion by 2029—down from the CHF 3.6 billion outlined in January. The adjustments follow criticism from cantonal governments and political parties during the consultation process. The core of the federal cost-cutting plan remains intact. But several provisions have been eased, particularly those affecting intergovernmental transfers. Changes include maintaining financial equalisation mechanisms and payments to cantons, which had sparked concern among cantonal…

Hiking in the Jura, cycling in Valais, dining lakeside in Ticino: Switzerland remains a top destination—especially for the Swiss themselves. Once seen primarily as a tourist destination for foreigners, the country has increasingly become a year-round choice for domestic travellers, according to data published the week by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Laura Meyer, chief executive of Hotelplan, a Swiss travel group, told SRF that the shift owes much to the pandemic. Border closures and travel restrictions forced many residents to holiday locally—only to rediscover the appeal of their own backyard. Many continue to want more. The data certainly support…

Switzerland faces rising wildfire risk and authorities are restricting water use as drought grips parts of the country, reported the Natural Hazards Portal. Several regions in Switzerland have raised their forest fire alert to “considerable” danger and “high” danger, the third and fourth levels on a five-point scale, amid increasingly dry conditions and falling water levels. The cantons of Thurgau, Schaffhausen, Basel, Bern, Geneva, Ticino and parts of Valais and Jura are now affected, according to the federal natural hazards portal. Certain regions of Valais are classified as “high” danger – see map below. Authorities are urging extreme caution with…

Torrential summer rainstorms are set to become more common—and more severe—in the Alps. A new study by scientists at the University of Lausanne warns that a 2°C rise in regional temperatures could double the frequency of short, extreme rainfall events in alpine areas. The research, published on nature.com, draws on data from nearly 300 meteorological stations across Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France and Italy. It focuses on intense, short-duration precipitation episodes—lasting from 10 minutes to one hour—recorded between 1991 and 2020. By combining this data with physical principles and climate projections, the researchers developed a statistical model linking temperature increases to…

Swiss public opinion on energy is shifting. A small majority now supports reconsidering nuclear power, though concerns about cost, speed, and supply security remain. According to a recent poll by gfs.bern for the Association of Swiss Electricity Companies (AES), 56% of respondents say they are favourable or somewhat favourable to building new nuclear plants. It is the first time a majority has backed the idea since the phase-out of nuclear was announced following the Fukushima disaster. Energy security remains the Swiss public’s top concern, cited by 45% of respondents. But affordability (29%) and climate neutrality (26%) are close behind. Most…

On 19 June 2025, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) cut its policy rate by 25 basis points to 0%, effective June 20th. The Bank said the move follows a sustained decline in inflation, which turned negative in May for the first time since 2021. It also reaffirmed its readiness to intervene in currency markets if needed. The rate cut was intended to counter a weakening inflation outlook. Having dropped from 0.3% in February to -0.1% in May—driven largely by lower oil prices and a softening in tourism—price growth is now firmly below target, said the SNB in a press release.…

The days of picking up copy of 20 Minutes (20 Minuten), a free Swiss print newspaper, from one of the many blue bins are numbered. Switzerland’s largest print newspaper will cease its physical edition and go online-only from the end of 2025 The move is less about failure than adaptation: far from being unprofitable, the paper boasts the highest margins of any daily in the TX Group’s portfolio. The problem is the rising cost of printing and distributing it. Unlike traditional dailies, 20 Minutes was always an outlier. Being free, it never relied on subscriptions. Instead, it aimed for reach—distributing…