https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Switzerland in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed A six-year-old girl, who was found unconscious in a forest after she disappeared during a family party, has died, police in Switzerland said on Monday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20240520/girl-6-dies-after-being-found-unconscious-in-swiss-forest Mon, 20 May 2024 22:26:29 +0200 girl-6-dies-after-being-found-unconscious-in-swiss-forest Due to the heavy snowfall in recent days and more expected until the weekend, an avalanche warning is issued for Switzerland’s southern canton of Valais. https://www.thelocal.ch/20210129/weather-warning-part-of-swiss-alps-placed-on-high-avalanche-alert Fri, 29 Jan 2021 11:06:02 +0100 weather-warning-part-of-swiss-alps-placed-on-high-avalanche-alert Due to the heavy snowfall in recent days and more expected until the weekend, an avalanche warning is issued for Switzerland’s southern canton of Valais. https://www.thelocal.ch/20210129/swiss-canton-of-valais-placed-on-high-avalanche-alert Fri, 29 Jan 2021 11:06:02 +0100 swiss-canton-of-valais-placed-on-high-avalanche-alert The Swiss are usually organised and orderly. But when it comes to waiting in line to get on ski lifts, crowds are often unruly. https://www.thelocal.ch/20201116/american-queue-system-to-end-chaos-at-swiss-ski-lifts Mon, 16 Nov 2020 17:02:38 +0100 american-queue-system-to-end-chaos-at-swiss-ski-lifts While the number of contaminations is soaring in some Swiss regions, two cantons managed to bring their infection rate under control after experiencing a peak just three weeks ago. This is how they did it. https://www.thelocal.ch/20201113/where-in-switzerland-is-the-rate-of-covid-19-infections-dropping-and-why Fri, 13 Nov 2020 13:02:59 +0100 where-in-switzerland-is-the-rate-of-covid-19-infections-dropping-and-why The southern canton joins Switzerland’s other French-speaking regions in implementing strict measures to curb the further spread of Covid-19. https://www.thelocal.ch/20201105/update-valais-is-the-latest-swiss-canton-to-mandate-coronavirus-restrictions Thu, 05 Nov 2020 11:37:42 +0100 update-valais-is-the-latest-swiss-canton-to-mandate-coronavirus-restrictions A Swiss region that has faced heavy criticism for allowing wealthy foreigners to pay large sums to shoot protected Alpine ibexes, a species of wild goat, for trophies decided Friday to end the practice. https://www.thelocal.ch/20200831/swiss-to-ban-foreign-trophy-hunters-from-killing-alpine-ibex Mon, 31 Aug 2020 12:26:23 +0200 swiss-to-ban-foreign-trophy-hunters-from-killing-alpine-ibex Authorities in the Swiss Alps are carrying out controlled anti-avalanche explosions earlier in the year than ever. https://www.thelocal.ch/20190226/abnormally-warm-weather-forces-swiss-ski-resorts-to-take-early-action-against-avalanches Tue, 26 Feb 2019 12:24:37 +0100 abnormally-warm-weather-forces-swiss-ski-resorts-to-take-early-action-against-avalanches Our round up of stories that you might have missed this week includes fake marriages, E-bike dangers, a bone solving a 50-year old mystery and Swiss author Martin Suter being censored by Twitter. https://www.thelocal.ch/20181109/glance-around-switzerland-fake-marriages-ebike-dangers-rabbit-killers-martin-suter-censored-twitter-sbb-train-wash Fri, 09 Nov 2018 14:17:35 +0100 glance-around-switzerland-fake-marriages-ebike-dangers-rabbit-killers-martin-suter-censored-twitter-sbb-train-wash Voters in the southern Swiss canton of Valais rejected on Sunday a bid for the town of Sion to host the 2026 winter Olympics, according to a near-final count of ballots. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180610/swiss-canton-votes-down-bid-to-host-2026-olympics Sun, 10 Jun 2018 17:49:34 +0200 swiss-canton-votes-down-bid-to-host-2026-olympics A sixth person has died after a group of 14 skiers were caught up in a storm, police said Tuesday, after the bodies of two climbers were also found elsewhere in the Swiss Alps. https://www.thelocal.ch/20180501/death-toll-up-to-7-after-swiss-alps-storm-police Tue, 01 May 2018 12:17:18 +0200 death-toll-up-to-7-after-swiss-alps-storm-police A young man who went missing from Vétroz in the canton of Valais following a work party on Saturday has been found dead. https://www.thelocal.ch/20171228/missing-valais-man-froze-to-death Thu, 28 Dec 2017 11:44:50 +0100 missing-valais-man-froze-to-death The president of Sion and the Valais cantonal government on Monday launched their campaign in favour of staging the Winter Olympics in Sion in 2026, hoping the public will agree with them when they go to vote on the issue on June 10th next year. https://www.thelocal.ch/20171107/valais-launches-referendum-campaign-for-sion-olympics Tue, 07 Nov 2017 10:33:05 +0100 valais-launches-referendum-campaign-for-sion-olympics The Swiss government on Wednesday pledged a billion dollars in support of a national effort to host the 2026 Olympics, raising the chances that Sion will compete for the Winter Games -- if local people agree to it in a referendum. https://www.thelocal.ch/20171019/swiss-government-backs-sion-2026-as-date-set-for-valais-vote Thu, 19 Oct 2017 10:34:00 +0200 swiss-government-backs-sion-2026-as-date-set-for-valais-vote Going shopping in the Valais? From now on you can pay for purchases not only in Swiss francs but in farinets, the new ‘local currency’ of the canton. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170515/swiss-canton-launches-new-local-currency Mon, 15 May 2017 12:09:21 +0200 swiss-canton-launches-new-local-currency The public prosecutor in the canton of Valais is investigating claims of electoral fraud in the recent cantonal government elections. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170327/valais-investigates-claims-of-fraud-in-recent-cantonal-election Mon, 27 Mar 2017 14:01:35 +0200 valais-investigates-claims-of-fraud-in-recent-cantonal-election Oskar Freysinger, the vice-president of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP), who was elected to the Valais government four years ago on a wave of support, lost his seat on Sunday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170320/valais-voters-oust-right-wing-politician-in-defeat-for-populism Mon, 20 Mar 2017 12:02:45 +0100 valais-voters-oust-right-wing-politician-in-defeat-for-populism The canton of Valais is 160,100 francs richer after an anonymous bidder bought the car licence plate VS 1 in an auction that finished on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20170315/swiss-bidder-pays-record-160100-francs-for-licence-plate Wed, 15 Mar 2017 11:55:49 +0100 swiss-bidder-pays-record-160100-francs-for-licence-plate Authorities in the canton of Valais have issued a warning about having fireworks and bonfires on Swiss National Day, August 1st, after the hot weather sparked a number of brush fires. https://www.thelocal.ch/20160729/hot-weather-causes-forest-fire-fears-in-valais Fri, 29 Jul 2016 14:24:42 +0200 hot-weather-causes-forest-fire-fears-in-valais In a first for Switzerland, driverless post buses are now carrying passengers in Sion after PostBus launched a public testing of the new autonomous shuttles on Thursday. https://www.thelocal.ch/20160623/self-driving-shuttles-premiere-in-sion Thu, 23 Jun 2016 23:27:56 +0200 self-driving-shuttles-premiere-in-sion