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Swiss Info

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 16:01:03 GMT
Switzerland confirms official end to Afghan evacuations
Bern has now ended its evacuations from Afghanistan after bringing 387 people to Switzerland over two weeks with the help of the German military, says the foreign ministry. These people include 34 Swiss nationals and 218 Afghans who worked for the S...

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 14:54:06 GMT
Taliban rise will fuel other extremist groups, warns Afghan ambassador
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan is a mistake, and the chaos in Kabul will quickly have consequences for Western democracies, especially in terms of security, according to the Afghan ambassador and permanent representative to the UN Nasir Ahmad And...

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 14:38:00 GMT
Swiss approve extradition of key figure in German “cum-ex” tax fraud case
The Swiss government has approved the extradition of Hanno Berger, a German lawyer sought in a major tax evasion case. The Federal Office of Justice confirmed on Friday that it had issued an order on August 20 for the extradition of the German lawye...

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 11:44:21 GMT
Mother’s voice lowers pain in premature babies
If a mother speaks to her premature baby during a medical intervention, signs of the baby’s expression of pain decrease, research has found. The baby’s level of oxytocin – the hormone involved in attachment and also linked to stress – also r...

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 10:24:15 GMT
Swiss orchestra and computer to extend Beethoven repertoire
An orchestra in western Switzerland is preparing to perform an unfinished piece of Beethoven generated by artificial intelligence, based on research by the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). The Nexus orchestra (formerly the Young Prof...

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 10:05:00 GMT
Cantonal health directors back extended use of Covid certificate
Extending the use of Covid-19 certificates to bars, restaurants and other public indoor spaces to prevent the spread of the virus is “the right way to go”, says Lukas Engelberger, president of the Conference of Cantonal Health Directors. The cant...

Fri, 27 Aug 2021 07:59:00 GMT
Europe’s first female night watch keeps vigil over Lausanne
Every evening, Lausanne’s night watch climbs to the top of the ancient cathedral bell tower to call out the time each hour, keeping alive a 600-year-old tradition. For the first time, the job is now held by a woman. The Lausanne authorities announ...

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 16:09:00 GMT
Zermatt mural honours first woman to climb Matterhorn
Swiss-Tunisian artist Jasm One has paid tribute to Lucy Walker, the first female climber to conquer the Matterhorn 150 years ago, and to all female climbers. His mural, inaugurated this week, can be seen in the heart of the Swiss mountain resort of Z...

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 14:17:00 GMT
Swiss GDP takes hit from Covid-19
Gross domestic product fell by 2.4% in 2020 as a direct consequence of the global pandemic affecting certain sectors of the Swiss economy. The health crisis caused a big drop in both domestic demand and international trade, the Federal Statistical O...

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 13:45:21 GMT
Graffiti artist captures lightness of clouds to lift spirits
A Franco-Swiss graffiti artist’s monumental project on top of a Swiss mountain aims to encourage a more contemplative approach to life by inspiring childlike wonder at clouds drifting by. The 1,500 square metre painting Un nouveau souffle (A New L...

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 13:14:28 GMT
Rapid antigen test misses many symptom-free Covid carriers
The rapid antigen test approved in Switzerland has performed badly in a direct comparison with PCR tests. Among 141 people infected with Covid-19, it detected only two out of three infections. The rapid test performed even worse in symptom-free infe...

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 11:45:00 GMT
Swiss dug deep for charity in first pandemic year
Swiss households, businesses, foundations and other institutions donated around CHF2.05 billion ($2.24 billion) to charitable organisations in 2020, helping relief agencies to make up for an income shortfall blamed on the Covid-19 pandemic. Every se...

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 09:48:11 GMT
Government wants to create rules for foreign takeovers
The takeover of Swiss companies by foreign state-owned or state-linked funds is to be better regulated. The government has laid down the broad outlines of a foreign investment control system. Concerned about the international trend of company takeov...

Thu, 26 Aug 2021 09:02:00 GMT
Swiss Post unveils first stamp price hikes in 18 years
The new prices for priority and standard mail were set in cooperation with the country’s price watchdog and will go into effect in January 2022. Priority mail (A-Mail) inside Switzerland will be 10 centimes more expensive to send while the price o...

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 15:36:00 GMT
Plans presented to boost use of Covid certificate in Switzerland
The government has proposed measures to extend the use of Covid-19 certificates to avoid a potential overburdening of Swiss hospitals. Interior Minister Alain Berset said a series of measures, including limiting access to indoors areas of restaurant...

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 14:58:00 GMT
Contested Turkey trade deal to finally come into force
A controversial free trade agreement (FTA) upgrade between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and Turkey will come into force from October 1 after surviving stinging criticism and delays. Despite being signed off in 2018, the new terms of th...

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 11:20:00 GMT
SWISS airline tells all flight crew to take Covid-19 jab
All Swiss International Air Lines flying personnel have been instructed by the company to take Covid-19 vaccinations from November 15. The airline says it will become impossible to continue its flight operations around the world without this mandato...

Wed, 25 Aug 2021 07:42:00 GMT
FIFA recovers $200 million of seized kickback loot
Football’s world governing body, FIFA, has set up a fund to reclaim $201 million (CHF183 million) that was stolen from the sport by corrupt officials and marketing executives. The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has agreed to pay the sum...

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 16:13:00 GMT
Swiss evacuations from Afghanistan completed
All Swiss citizens and people working for the Swiss development agency in Afghanistan are in safety. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said a total of 292 people had been flown out and some 60 others were currently in a safe place at Kabul airport wai...

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 13:53:00 GMT
Swiss health experts expect rise in Covid infections
Senior health officials have warned of an increase in Covid-19 infections in Switzerland amid rising hospital admissions notably of patients without vaccinations. Patrick Mathys, the head of the government’s crisis team at the Federal Office for P...

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 12:37:00 GMT
Swiss industry bouncing back from pandemic
The Swiss mechanical and electrical engineering sectors were boosted by a significant rebound in export sales and new orders in the first half of 2021 as the industry recovered from the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic. Sales picked up 9.3% from the...

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 10:23:00 GMT
Swiss host platform for talks on Middle East and North Africa
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis and his counterpart from Oman have participated in a Middle East Mediterranean forum for young adults in the Swiss city of Lugano. Cassis highlighted the close relations with the Middle East and North Africa for...

Tue, 24 Aug 2021 07:51:00 GMT
More than 200 Afghanistan evacuees touch down in Zurich
An airplane carrying 219 people evacuated from Afghanistan has landed in Switzerland. The passengers included 141 Afghanistan nationals who had worked at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) office in Kabul, plus their family mem...

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 15:33:00 GMT
Girls perceive online hate speech more strongly than boys
While a third of boys consider hateful comments on the internet interesting or entertaining, only 10% of girls find such comments interesting and 14% entertaining. These are the findings of the latest JAMESfocus report by the Zurich University of Ap...

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 15:01:00 GMT
Elephant trunks inspire robotics team in Switzerland
Swiss robotics experts are drawing inspiration from the complex movements of an elephant’s trunk. Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) analysed this highly versatile nasal organ – which can manipulate a blade of grass as well as carry...

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 13:11:01 GMT
Ibex population hits record high in Switzerland
After a slump in snowy 2018, the number of ibex has increased again and 2020 saw “a record since their extinction in Switzerland”, according to the Federal Office for the Environment. The Alpine ibex, a wild mountain goat, was re-introduced to n...

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 09:26:58 GMT
Swiss group campaigns against purchase of US fighter jets 
The Swiss government’s decision to buy F-35A jets from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin could be challenged in a popular vote if critics get enough signatures. The Group for a Switzerland without an Army (GSoA) began collecting signatures on Mond...

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 07:22:56 GMT
SNB chairman in ‘good condition’ after operation
Swiss National Bank Chairman Thomas Jordan had to undergo a medical procedure over the weekend and will return to work after a convalescence period, the central bank announced on Monday. “The operation was successful and Thomas Jordan is in a good...

Sun, 22 Aug 2021 13:54:00 GMT
Ministers reprimanded SWISS directors over bonuses
Government ministers admonished Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) directors for paying out bonuses last year despite receiving state aid to help the company through the liquidity crisis caused by Covid-19. In October 2020, it was reported that S...

Sun, 22 Aug 2021 10:10:00 GMT
Swiss scientist warns of possible Covid ‘super strain’
A researcher at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich has warned of the possible emergence of a new "super variant" of the coronavirus that could combine existing strains. “It is very likely that a new variant will emerge and that we will no...



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