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Swiss Info

Tue, 4 May 2021 15:26:00 GMT
Climate activists accused of blocking Credit Suisse bank in Zurich
Eight environmental activists have been charged with blocking the entrance of a Credit Suisse bank in Zurich in 2019. The Zurich public prosecutor’s office has accused them of coercion and trespassing. On July 8, 2019, the eight defendants – six...

Tue, 4 May 2021 12:54:47 GMT
Swiss cash truck heist suspects arrested in France
Five people have been arrested in France accused of robbing a Swiss cash truck carrying cash and valuables worth around CHF20 million ($21.8 million) in 2019. After several months of investigation, French and Swiss police apprehended the five Frenc...

Tue, 4 May 2021 11:32:00 GMT
Almost half of Swiss workers choose early retirement
Around half of all people stop working before the official retirement age in Switzerland, according to new federal data. On Tuesday, the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) reported that in 2019 between 40-50% of people started receiving their pension ...

Tue, 4 May 2021 09:35:55 GMT
Brussels freezes Swiss participation in flagship EU rail project
The stalled bilateral treaty talks between the European Union and Switzerland have halted Swiss participation in a major project aimed at transforming the European rail system. On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Swiss Federal Railways confirmed a report...

Tue, 4 May 2021 09:11:00 GMT
Senior Swiss embassy official in Iran dies in high-rise fall
The woman fell from her residential apartment building in Tehran on Tuesday, according to local reports. Iranian police have announced an investigation into the woman's death. The Iranian ILNA news agency said she lived on the 18th floor of a buildi...

Mon, 3 May 2021 15:56:00 GMT
Swiss, Burundi foreign ministers discuss human rights
Switzerland’s foreign minister, Ignazio Cassis, has called on Burundi to implement concrete human rights reforms during a meeting with his counterpart from the small African nation, Albert Shingiro, in Bern. Cassis noted the good cooperation betwe...

Mon, 3 May 2021 11:59:00 GMT
Journalists need better protection, says NGO
The Swiss government is facing calls from human rights and industry groups to help protect journalists around the world. The Swiss section of Reporters without Borders and the syndicom trade union urged the government to demand the appointment of a ...

Mon, 3 May 2021 10:09:00 GMT
Swiss urge Palestinians to hold elections “as soon as possible”
The Swiss foreign affairs ministry has called on all parties to resume efforts to “ensure free, inclusive and transparent elections” throughout the Palestinian Territories and to set a new date for the polls without delay. The ministry on Monday...

Mon, 3 May 2021 09:05:00 GMT
Minister cautions against civic duty plans
Defence Minister Viola Amherd has expressed reservations about a proposed mandatory community service for women and men in Switzerland. Amherd said she liked the idea, which was relaunched by interest groups. “I’ve learned that young people are...

Sun, 2 May 2021 14:19:00 GMT
New apprenticeship data highlights evolving Swiss labour market
For the first time, the percentage of the working population with a higher education qualification has surpassed those who opted just for an apprenticeship, new Swiss figures show. Increasing numbers of young people are choosing the Swiss baccalaure...

Sun, 2 May 2021 10:57:00 GMT
Paper: Swiss consider unilateral adjustment of laws to appease EU
Switzerland is examining how it could unilaterally align its regulations with those of the European Union in order to stabilise the existing set of bilateral accords with the 27-member bloc, according to the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper. Talks on future...

Sun, 2 May 2021 09:49:00 GMT
Swiss Covid experts predict return to normal by summer thanks to vaccines
Life could return to normal in Switzerland by summer once half the population gets fully vaccinated, according to Covid experts. Switzerland has “bet on the right horses” with the messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer/Biontech, w...

Sat, 1 May 2021 14:30:00 GMT
Protesters march in Swiss cities on May Day
Several thousand people joined traditional May Day protests – authorised and unauthorised - across Switzerland on Saturday despite the Covid-19 pandemic to demand social and economic justice. After months of Covid-19 restrictions, around 2,000 peo...

Sat, 1 May 2021 09:11:00 GMT
Study reveals severe loss of cloud forest ecosystems
Tropical cloud forests can be found in 60 countries, but despite conservation efforts up to 8% of some forests have been lost in the past 20 years due to logging and small-scale farming. Tropical cloud forests are shrinking worldwide, according to a...

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 12:46:59 GMT
Credit Suisse seeks ‘calmer waters’ under new chairman  
The shareholders of crisis-stricken Credit Suisse approved Antonio Horta-Osorio as the bank’s new chairman on Friday. He takes the helm as Switzerland’s second largest bank investigates its risk management culture following the collapse of US inv...

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 09:13:00 GMT
UN-led Cyprus talks founder in Geneva
Informal talks between Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot representatives in Geneva failed to make headway on the future of the island of Cyprus, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday. Guterres travelled from New York to ...

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 09:03:02 GMT
Switzerland diplomatically rejects Biden’s ‘fiscal paradise’ label 
United States President Joe Biden surprised Bern with his decision to single out Switzerland as a fiscal paradise in his State of the Union annual address to Congress on Wednesday. The Swiss government has sent a letter in response to the president...

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 16:28:00 GMT
Animal welfare improves at Swiss zoos
Swiss zoos continue to make progress when it comes to taking care of animals, according to Swiss Animal Protection (SAP). But while some are considered exemplary, others need to up their game. For example, the way the Californian sea lions are kept ...

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 11:56:56 GMT
Former minister will not be investigated for ransom remarks
The Swiss federal prosecutor will not be authorised to conduct a criminal investigation into former minister Moritz Leuenberger, who said in a newspaper interview that Switzerland had paid ransoms when hostages were taken. A criminal investigation w...

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 09:15:25 GMT
Swiss cancel public pavilion at Tokyo Games
The Swiss government has cancelled plans for a House of Switzerland public site at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, citing current health measures in Japan and travel restrictions during the sporting events. “By taking this decision th...

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 09:13:00 GMT
Lonza to double production of Covid-19 vaccine at Swiss plant
Swiss biotech firm Lonza will add three more production lines to its site in Visp, southwestern Switzerland, to manufacture an active ingredient for the Moderna vaccine, as part of a larger effort to boost the global supply of doses. The new product...

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 16:53:14 GMT
Global glacier melt is speeding up
Scientists have discovered that nearly all of the world’s glaciers are losing mass and thickness at an accelerated pace. Published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, the findings are based on the most comprehensive and accurate data to date, say ...

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 15:50:00 GMT
Covid-19: Government prepares to greenlight mass events
The Swiss government wants to allow sports and culture events with up to 3,000 spectators from July if the epidemiological situation remains stable. Interior Minister Alain Berset said the aim was to give organisers and the cantonal authorities the ...

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 15:21:45 GMT
Federer to auction clothes, rackets and other gear for charity
Millions of Roger Federer fans around the world might be salivating at the prospect of owning some mementos of the Swiss great's incredible career after he announced he is auctioning off a collection of personal items this summer. The 20-time Grand ...

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 14:01:03 GMT
Swiss adopt first national strategy on gender equality
The Swiss government has new strategy to promote equal pay as well as the compatibility of careers and family life. There will also be a push to protect women from violence. Adopted by Switzerland’s executive branch on Wednesday, the National Stra...

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 12:16:00 GMT
Swiss contribute to global Covid health protection
The Swiss government has pledged CHF300 million ($328 million) towards an international initiative aimed at ensuring equitable access to vaccines, tests and medicines to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. “A quick, efficient end to the pandemic is very ...

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 07:56:56 GMT
Swiss offer Covid help to India
Switzerland has joined other countries in offering humanitarian aid to India to support its health system. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said Switzerland would provide notably oxygen, ventilators and protective material if India accepted the offer...

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 14:45:27 GMT
Improper declaration of imported timber prosecuted for the first time
Last year, Switzerland opened two legal proceedings against importers of exotic wood for repeatedly failing to correctly declare their origin. The Federal Consumer Affairs Bureau (FCAB) carried out 121 checks in 2020 to ensure that wood and wood p...

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 13:13:00 GMT
Half of Swiss see themselves working beyond retirement age
Around half of all respondents to a survey by the Swiss Life insurance group said they could imagine continuing to work after retiring. Around a third said this was already the case. The report, which surveyed 1,472 respondents aged between 55 and 7...

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 12:45:36 GMT
Swiss suspects in Vienna terror attack released from custody
Both Swiss nationals who were arrested after the November 2020 attack in Vienna have been released from pre-trial detention. The older of the two - who was 24 when arrested - was released recently. The Attorney General’s Office told the Keystone-...



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