Two abused siblings rescued by police in Zurich; due to drought, the Rhine river in Switzerland could split in two this week; and more news in our roundup on Tuesday.
Two abused siblings rescued by police in Zurich
Swiss media widely reported a story on Monday about two Swedish brothers, ages 8 and 11, who were held captive in their father’s apartment for hours until police rescued them.
The boys had been kept in a room with boarded up windows, the door secured with a padlock, and no food or water.
This incident marks the latest development in a years-long ordeal; 26 reports regarding the children’s welfare had previously been filed in Sweden.
Due to drought, the Rhine river could split in two this week
Drought conditions are on the verge of halting shipping on the Rhine, with water levels at Kaub, Germany, dropping extremely low.
Boats will therefore soon be unable to navigate this critical stretch – a situation that will have serious consequences for the Swiss economy.
That’s because the Rhine constitutes Switzerland’s only indirect access to the sea via the link between Rheinfelden (Aargau) and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Goods from the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp would no longer be transported directly by ship to Basel. Instead, they would have to be transshipped en route onto trains or trucks—an alternative that is logistically complex and, above all, very costly.
READ MORE: Swiss rivers and lakes at lowest levels in 20 years
A giant vault for the super-wealthy is being carved into the Swiss Alps
In the village of Lungern, canton Obwalden, an entrepreneur is excavating a high-security cavern to house the assets of the ultra-wealthy.
Twenty caverns, which are being dug deep into the rocky Brünig massif, to be open next year, will have a level of security comparable to that of the Swiss National Bank.
Driverless taxis are in Zurich’s future
US robotaxi company Waymo is moving into Zurich’s trendy Europaallee, preparing for a future launch.
However, it will likely be some time before driverless robotaxis will start transporting passengers: the Swiss Association for Autonomous Mobility (SAAM) anticipates the widespread use of robotaxis in Switzerland between 2030 and 2035.
They will not be the only driverless vehicles on Swiss roads, though.
Apollo Go, a subsidiary of Chinese tech giant Baidu, launched its autonomous electric taxi trials in four cantons of Eastern Switzerland in late 2025, in partnership with the public transport service PostBus.
Regular service is planned for the first quarter of 2027.
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