‘No to 10 million’ will likely be defeated; Grand Prize for yodeling singer Nadja Räss; Swiss public transport among the safest in Europe

Though earlier surveys indicated that the ‘No to 10 million’ proposal would be approved in the June 14th national referendum, two polls show a different result, as it looks like Swiss voters will narrowly reject it.

Both polls found the ‘no’ camp gaining strength in recent weeks, with 52 percent of voters planning to turn down the hard-right’s bid to impose limits on immigration.

 

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Yodeling singer Nadja Räss has won the 2026 Swiss Grand Prix for Music, a prize worth CHF 100,000. Ten other winners were honoured, including Flèche Love from Geneva and Louis Schild of Neuchâtel.

Nadja Räss, a 47-year-old from canton Schwyz in central Switzerland, is considered to be “one of the most important voices in Swiss yodeling culture”, said the Federal Office of Culture. She is the first representative of Swiss folk music to receive the award.

Räss, who is also a cultural mediator, contributed to the inclusion of yodeling on UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage last December. In addition to the Grand Prix, the culture office is honouring ten other Swiss musicians, collectives and institutions. The Swiss Music Awards will be presented in Lausanne on September 19.

 

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The Federal Office of Transport announced that Switzerland ranks third, behind the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, in terms of passenger safety.

However, not all modes of transport are equally safe: while no fatalities or serious injuries were reported on trains, cable cars, and boats, the situation was more precarious in urban settings. The number of passengers who were seriously injured and killed in tram and bus accidents has increased in recent years.