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TODAY IN SWITZERLAND

Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Friday

Olympic medals for Switzerland; cross-border train route disruption and other Swiss news in our roundup on Friday.

Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Parts of Léman Express' route will be closed. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

SWISS airline cancels flights to Tel-Aviv, extends cancellations of service to Beirut

After suspending its flights to the Lebanese capital for security reasons until today, the national airline is extending the cancellations up to and including August 12th.
All flights to Tel Aviv will be temporarily suspended as well, from today until August 8th, the airline said.

In the event your flight to these two destination is cancelled, SWISS will rebook you free of charge on another flight once service is resumed.

You will be informed via your mobile phone. If you do not receive a message from SWISS, please check the current status of your booking online.

More travel news:

Sections of cross-border train route are closed due to maintenance works

A portion of the route of Léman Express, which links Vaud and Geneva communities with with surrounding towns and villages in neighbouring France, will be closed between today and August 11th.

Specifically, the train will not run between Geneva main station and Lancy-Pont-Rouge from 10 pm to 4 am tonight, as well as on the night of August 4th to 5th.

Another route, between Annemasse (France) and Chêne-Bourg (Geneva) will also be closed from August 4th 11 pm to August 11th at noon.

In both cases, replacement buses will be provided.

And more train disruptions:

Various other train routes are disrupted as well

Currently and until mid-August, train travel to, from, and within Switzerland will be chaotic and not very reliable.

Maintenance and repair works on tracks and other railway infrastructure, both in Switzerland and abroad, means that a number of trains will be delayed or cancelled altogether, with alternative routes and / or replacement buses put into service.

Lines between Zurich and Stuttgart, as well as between Domodossola and Milan, will be among those affected. Basel-bound traffic from the German city of Karlsruhe will also face disruptions.

Within Switzerland, one connection out of the six that usually run each hour and each direction (IR90 ‘non-stop’ trains) have been dropped between Geneva Airport and Lausanne to allow maintenance of the track between Renens and Denges.

READ ALSO: How your train travel in Switzerland will be disrupted in August 

Switzerland wins three Olympic medals so far

Halfway through the Olympic Games in Paris, Swiss athletes have won their first one gold, in addition to one silver and two bronze medals:

  • Chiara Leone, gold in 50m Rifle Three Positions
  • Julie Derron, silver in Triathlon
  • Audrey Gogniat, bronze in Shooting
  • Roman Mityukov, bronze in  Swimming

If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at news@thelocal.ch
 
 

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TODAY IN SWITZERLAND

Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Monday

VAT to be raised to pay for pensions, Skiing to become more expensive this winter; and more Swiss news in our roundup on Monday

Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Monday

Government seeks to create a law to better protect children against parental abuse

The Federal Council wants to anchor the principle of violence-free education in law, proposing a text which expressly obliges parents to educate their children without resorting to violence.

Currently, children are protected against violence by criminal legislation, but the Federal Council wants to include it in the civil code as well.

“The new content sends a clear signal to everyone: violence in education is not tolerated, whether it takes the form of corporal punishment or other degrading treatment of the child,” the Federal Council said in a press release

At the same time, however, the government emphasised that parents must “remain autonomous in this regard and the Federal Council does not mandate any specific educational methods.”

Consumption tax will be raised to pay for the 13th month pension

In March 2024, Swiss voters approved a move to pay an extra month’s state pension to retirees.

The government decided to finance this move by increasing the Value-Added Tax (VAT) — the flat-rate tax that is added to the cost of items consumers purchase. However, the amount of the increase was yet to be determined.

Now the Federal Council has set the increase at 0.7 percent, which will be added to the current VAT rate of 8.1 percent.

With this move, the government will collect 450 million francs to bankroll the cost of the 13th pension from 2026. 

Government will not verify authenticity of signatures for referendums

Despite reports that thousands of signatures for popular initiatives had been forged, petitions for initiatives already cleared for voting will not be suspended pending a new check, the Federal Chancellery announced
 
The reason cited is that “there is no conclusive evidence to suggest that popular initiatives or referendums would have been successful only thanks to falsified signatures,” the Chancellery said on Friday to explain its decision. 

Skiing will become more expensive this winter

The beginning of the ski season in Switzerland is at least two months away, but some resorts are already planning to increase prices of ski passes.

A survey carried out among ski lift companies in 25 resorts in the Swiss Alps found that  at least 12 out of 25 will be raising the cost of day passes — with more possibly announcing hikes closer to the winter season.

Ski lift operators justify the price increase by higher maintenance and energy costs, as well as higher wages.

If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at news@thelocal.ch
 

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