Author: switzerlandtimes.ch

The Grand-Saint-Bernard route (A21) will remain closed until further notice, Swiss authorities have confirmed, citing an elevated risk of rockfall following an avalanche on 17 April 2025. The avalanche damaged the Toules gallery, a key protective structure on the A21. Although repairs to the gallery are due to be completed today, the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) has begun clearing unstable rock faces above the avalanche zone—a process expected to take several days. As a result, the road remains closed to through traffic on safety grounds. The forest and existing rockfall defences were severely affected by the avalanche, heightening the risk…

Across Switzerland, authorities are grappling with a sharp rise in forged identity documents and residence permit fraud. Investigators in Neuchâtel have uncovered a criminal network with roots in Turkey, allegedly responsible for distributing counterfeit European passports and IDs to individuals who use them to apply for residence permits to work illegally in local restaurants. So far, 50 people have been detained, reported SRF. The problem is not confined to Neuchâtel. Alexander Ott of the Bernese immigration police told SRF of a case of two Vietnamese women working in a nail salon using fake Belgian passports. He estimates, that up to…

Klaus Schwab, 87, the founder and long-time figurehead of the World Economic Forum (WEF), has resigned as chairman, marking the end of an era for the organization he created in 1971. His departure was announced on 20 April 2025, following an extraordinary board meeting, according to a WEF official statement. Interim CEO Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, a former Nestlé CEO was unanimously appointed to lead the WEF while a search for a permanent successor begins. Schwab had previously stepped down as CEO in 2024, intending to remain as chairman. However, his final exit comes amid serious allegations. Anonymous whistle blowers have accused…

The European Commission is reportedly tightening internal security guidance for staff travelling to the United States, placing the country on a par with China, Iran, and other sensitive destinations in terms of data protection, reported SRF. The aim of the EU move is to guard against potential espionage, a reflection of growing mistrust between Washington and Europe. Switzerland, by contrast, is maintaining its current protocols. According to the Financial Times, EU officials are increasingly using disposable burner phones—fresh devices without sensitive information—when visiting the US. Although the Commission denies issuing any such instructions in writing, multiple diplomats say new practices…

From 20 April 2025, Switzerland will be living on energy credit. Domestic resources will have been exhausted for the year, according to the Swiss Energy Foundation (SEF), which marked April 19th as the country’s “energy overshoot day”. After that point, the country relies entirely on imported energy—primarily fossil fuels and nuclear materials—to meet its needs. Switzerland imports 70% of its energy, spending nearly CHF 8 billion a year on net energy imports. In 2023, over 87% of these imports came from EU member states, though the SEF cautions that most of these countries act merely as transit hubs, not producers.…

Switzerland recorded 10 avalanche-related deaths during the 2024–25 winter season, according to the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research (SLF) in Davos—well below the 20-year average of 19 fatalities. The season was also marked by unusually mild temperatures and a lack of snow, especially in eastern parts of the Alps. Between 1 October 2024 and 14 April 2025, a total of 216 people were affected by avalanches, slightly above the long-term average of 205. The SLF registered 172 avalanches involving damage to people or property, of which 156 were triggered by individuals. Only 21 avalanches caused material damage, compared with…

The Citizens’ Assembly, a group of citizens chosen at random to discuss and find common ground on contentious issues, has backed a proposal to introduce a tax on sugary foods and drinks as part of a broader push to improve public health in Switzerland. The measure is one of six reforms endorsed by the 100-member body. The Assembly presented six proposals for reform in the areas of health promotion and prevention, which were negotiated in a five-month long process involving 100 randomly selected people from across Switzerland’s linguistic regions. They reflect the reforms that the population considers particularly urgent in…

Thousands took to the streets of Zurich recently to demand more affordable housing—and to air their frustration with an unlikely target: pension funds, reported SRF. Their complaint is not new but increasingly urgent. Switzerland’s pension funds are major players in the residential property market, owning around 44% of rental apartments nationwide—a sharp increase from just a few years ago. Their investments, demonstrators argue, are helping drive up rents, even as those same returns are used to finance the pensions of the tenants themselves. That, critics say, is the dilemma: your pension is being paid by your rent. The protest brought…

Switzerland is a wealthy nation, but as elsewhere, wealth is not evenly distributed. According to SRF, nearly 400,000 Swiss residents have assets exceeding CHF 1 million. The richest 1% of taxpayers hold 45% of the country’s total wealth, while the bottom 62% own just 3%. The remaining 37% of taxpayers own the remaining 53%. To join the wealthiest 1%, one needs a net worth of more than CHF 5 million. Wealth among the middle 37% ranges from CHF 100,000 to CHF 5 million, while the lowest 62% have assets between zero and CHF 100,000. This concentration of wealth has fiscal…

The holes in Emmental cheese—its most iconic feature—have become less frequent in recent years. High performance modern milking machines have reduced the number of hay particles that traditionally made their way into the milk used for making the cheese. Now, a Swiss court has allowed cheese makers to add hay particles and still comply with strict brand rules, reported RTS. On 2 April 2025, Switzerland’s Federal Administrative Court ruled in favour of Emmentaler Switzerland, allowing the addition of hay powder in the production of Emmental AOP, the version of the cheese with protected designation of origin status. Hay particles, a…