
MPs debate revoking Swiss citizenship for criminal dual nationals; housing shortage to ease in 2027; plus other news in our roundup this Friday.
MPs debate revoking Swiss citizenship for criminal dual nationals
In the wake of the knife attack at a train station in Winterthur in May, the hard-right Swiss People’s Party (SVP) parliamentary group is calling for stripping citizenship from dual nationals who commit ‘extremely serious ‘crimes.
Additionally, the group argues, these individuals should be deported to their countries of origin.
Specifically, “Anyone who commits a crime within five years of naturalisation must be stripped of their citizenship,” the SVP said.
The measure will be a subject if a later debate.
READ MORE: Under what circumstances could you lose your Swiss citizenship?
Housing shortage to ease in 2027
The Swiss housing market has been under significant pressure in recent years.
Though the population has grown steadily, the construction of residential buildings did not follow suit.
On Wednesday, the Federal Housing Office (BWO) sounded the alarm about the shortages, noting that the situation in the housing market had further deteriorated in 2025 and the first half of 2026.
Now, however, the situation appears to be easing somewhat.
A new forecast by Wüest Partner real estate consultants indicates a significant rise in construction: around 95,000 new apartments are expected to be completed across Switzerland by the end of 2027.
And there we go again…Zurich is ranked among the best cities in the world
This is what emerges from the 2026 Oxford Economics Global Cities Index, which assessesd how well the world’s 1,000 largest municipalities combine economic opportunity with quality of life, skilled workers, environmental resilience, and stable governance.
Zurich in the 10th place, having moved up from the 16th place in last year’s ranking, thanks to its robust financial sector, its natural living environment, along with the reliability, predictability, and efficiency of its public institutions.
Woman stands trial for purchasing a 5-franc toy water gun
Switzerland has an abundance of guns of all kinds, so it is mind-boggling that a mother who purchased a water gun for her daughter to take to the pool landed in a whole lot of …hot water.
The Amazon package containing the pink plastic toy gun was seized by Swiss customs and the woman was accused of violating the …firearms law.
How? The district attorney who prosecuted her in the Sargans (canton St. Gallen) court argued that the toy gun could possibly be mistaken for a real firearm.
However, the judge sided with the woman, ruling that the plastic toy looked nothing like a real gun and her intention was not to use it as such.
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