Peter Siegenthaler

Coronavirus fuels Swiss bicycling surge

This content was published on May 26, 2020 While demand for public transport collapsed during the partial lockdown, bicycle usage soared across the country.

Italienische Zöllner und Polizisten kontrollieren einen Camion in Domodossola

Italy ‘steals’ hand gel destined for Switzerland

This content was published on Apr 7, 2020 Italy has blocked a lorry at its border and confiscated disinfectant en route to Switzerland.

Blick in einen Schutzraum mit dicker Betontüre und Notausgang

Two days in a shelter with 27 neighbours and a barking dog

This content was published on Feb 13, 2020 The work to dismantle the Mühleberg nuclear power plant has begun but a nuclear accident can’t be ruled out for some time.

Citizenship hurdle ‘risks stigmatising welfare aid’

This content was published on Feb 11, 2020 Denying Swiss passports if applicants have received welfare assistance could result in fewer people in need asking for help, an expert warns.

Freiwillige verpacken die Ernte für die Auslieferung.

Where consumers and farmers pull together

This content was published on Jan 29, 2020 Volunteers invest effort and money in a Swiss farming initiative to show solidarity with like-minded people and harvest top-quality vegetables.

New disputes about foreigners

This content was published on Jan 2, 2020 The debate about the boundaries between what’s Swiss and what’s foreign looks set to change in 2020.

What does the Swiss chancellor actually do?

This content was published on Dec 31, 2019 “Are there now eight members in the Swiss government?” is what readers ask us every year when the new photo of the Federal Council appears.

How Switzerland is dismantling its first nuclear power station

This content was published on Dec 19, 2019 Switzerland is set to switch off its first nuclear power station. But pressing the “off” button is just the start of an estimated 15-year process.

Why the Swiss government system is (not) ready for reform

This content was published on Dec 10, 2019 How justified are the Green Party's ambitions to win a seat in the Swiss government on December 11?

How Bern and Brussels could approach an interim deal

This content was published on Dec 8, 2019 With relations between Switzerland and the EU likely to remain stalled, would an interim deal prevent damaging what has already been achieved?

Tech giants and digital shifts continue to erode Swiss media

This content was published on Oct 14, 2019 Growing media concentration, privatisation of societal debates, lost advertising revenues: this is the 2019 Quality of the Media Yearbook.

Aufnahme vom Grundstück, das Roger Federer am Zürichsee gekauft hat.

Federer gets caught up in lake access debate

This content was published on Aug 15, 2019 Although Swiss law says waterways belong to the public, Roger Federer won't be losing sleep about a footpath being built through his land.

Non-EU graduates struggle with Swiss job access

This content was published on May 15, 2019 Complicated rules and immigration laws present obstacles for graduates of Swiss schools from outside the EU or EFTA. Will a legal change help?

Demonstrators protest against the water shortages, in Caracas, Venezuela.

Messenger, not mediator: Switzerland in Venezuela

This content was published on Apr 11, 2019 Switzerland has agreed to represent the interests of the US in Venezuela. Former top Swiss diplomat Tim Guldimann gives some analysis.

Swiss toothbrush company gives workers a say

This content was published on Apr 10, 2019 Toothbrushes made by Swiss family enterprise Trisa clean the teeth of people on every continent. The company has a unique employee philosophy.

Why debt collection is booming in Switzerland

This content was published on Jan 14, 2019 The number of debt collections has doubled over the past 20 years. Fewer Swiss are paying their taxes or health bills on time.

How your life changes when you become a Swiss cabinet minister

This content was published on Dec 31, 2018 From January 1, Karin Keller-Sutter and Viola Amherd will join the seven-member Federal Council (government executive body).

Men in dark business suits, woman in colourful business attire

Men appointed to boards because it’s ‘easier’

This content was published on Dec 13, 2018 Few women sit on company boards in Switzerland. Parliament has put off deciding about quotas, but business has ideas about what should be done.

‘Livable’ Swiss cemetery caters to all faiths

This content was published on Oct 31, 2018 The Bremgarten cemetery in Bern is one of few in Switzerland offering people of diverse world religions and belief systems a final resting place.

Das Rettungsschiff Aquarius fährt in den Hafen von Senglea in Malta

Parliamentarians call for Aquarius to fly the Swiss flag

This content was published on Oct 1, 2018 Three Swiss parliamentarians are calling for the Swiss flag to be hoisted on the Aquarius so it can continue to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean.