Swiss teen is charged with planning an IS-linked terrorist attack; MPs say Switzerland must move closer to the EU and distance itself from the US; plus other news in our roundup this Friday.
Teen is charged with planning IS-linked terrorist attack in Switzerland
Swiss prosecutors said Thursday they had charged an 18-year-old man suspected of planning a knife attack in the name of the Islamic State jihadist group.
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) said it had charged a Swiss national with “planning a terrorist attack using a knife”.
The of Aargau faces charges of “supporting a terrorist organisation, preparing for murder and producing, storing and possessing depictions of violence”, the OAG said in a statement. (AFP)
Switzerland must move closer to the EU and distance itself from the US, MPs say
The National Council adopted a motion on Thursday calling on Switzerland to reduce its dependence on the United States for security matters, while strengthening cooperation with the EU and other European countries.
The motion’s instigator, deputy Priska Seiler Graf from the Social Democratic Party, pointed to the “unpredictability of the American president,” as the reason behind the move. “Who are our real friends? With whom should we cooperate? Only one answer is clear: the EU.”
While the government is also in favour of closer ties with the European Union, Defence Minister Martin Pfister stressed that the United States remains “an important partner, even though transatlantic relations are currently more uncertain and more difficult.”
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Only residents will be allowed to drive through the Graubünden town
When bottlenecks bring traffic on the A13 motorway to a standstill during peak travel times like Easter, motorists tend to divert through the Graubünden municipality of Domat/Ems.
As a result, its residents are inconvenienced by congestion on their town’s roads, along with noise and pollution.
To counteract the spilling over of the motorway traffic into their small community, authorities will launch the so-called “Blue Line” at Easter – a road that only local residents are allowed to use.
Public transport and emergency services will also exempted from the town’s new ‘no-drive-through’ rule.
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Health insurance premiums and rising prices are the top concerns for Swiss families
According to the Swiss Family Barometer 2026 published on Thursday, more than half of families in Switzerland are barely able to cover their expenses.
Concretely, the survey – carried out by Pro Familia association and the life insurance company Pax, reveals that health insurance costs are a major concern for 49 percent of the families surveyed.
Rising prices are cited by 37 percent, followed by housing costs (25 percent).
Overall, making ends meet is a concern for nearly half of families: 46 percent report that their income is “just enough”.
Households with young children (0-3 years old) are more likely than average (53 percent) to report that their income is “barely” sufficient.
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