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Swiss Info

Thu, 4 Nov 2021 11:04:00 GMT
Zermatt restaurateurs who defied Covid measures to be released
The three restaurateurs in Zermatt, who repeatedly ignored orders to close the establishment for refusal to check their clientele's Covid certificates, have been ordered to be released from detention. On Thursday, a court rejected the prosecution's ...

Thu, 4 Nov 2021 07:51:00 GMT
Credit Suisse to shrink investment bank
The Credit Suisse Group says it will shrink its investment bank and shift more resources to the wealth management unit. It is part of a restructuring plan intended to draw a line under a tumultuous year in which it was rocked by the Archegos Capital...

Wed, 3 Nov 2021 16:55:00 GMT
Proposals launched to tackle Switzerland’s littering problem
Plans to introduce a nationwide littering fine in Switzerland are making slow progress. A parliamentary committee presented proposals for a financial penalty of up to CHF300 ($329) to complement existing cantonal rules. Cleaning up litter costs the...

Wed, 3 Nov 2021 15:07:00 GMT
Covid certificate adapted amid special vaccination drive
The government has announced that the use of a Covid certificate in Switzerland will be extended for a longer period of time for people who have recovered from the viral infection. The document necessary to access restaurants, nightclubs, fitness ce...

Wed, 3 Nov 2021 10:55:00 GMT
Swiss minister promotes green finance hub
Finance Minister Ueli Maurer says Switzerland could be a pioneer for sustainable investment. Maurer said Switzerland was well placed because there is plenty of expertise and financial resources in the country. “There are people with plenty of mon...

Tue, 2 Nov 2021 15:50:00 GMT
Ex-FIFA and UEFA bosses charged by Swiss justice
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has indicted former FIFA President Sepp Blatter with fraud and other offences after a six-year investigation into a controversial CHF2 million ($2.2 million) payment. The prosecutor’s office accuse...

Tue, 2 Nov 2021 15:07:00 GMT
Vaccine alternative has limited impact on Covid campaign
The offer of a non-mRNA Covid vaccine in Switzerland has failed to speed up the government’s vaccination campaign, experts say. Virginie Masserey of the Federal Office for Public Health said about 22,000 doses of a viral vector vaccine from the Am...

Tue, 2 Nov 2021 13:10:00 GMT
Sharp increase in cyberthreats reported
The Swiss government’s centre for cybersecurity says the number of cyberattacks nearly doubled in the first half of this year. The National Cybersecurity Centre said a total of 10,234 incidents were reported – almost twice as many as in the firs...

Tue, 2 Nov 2021 10:56:00 GMT
Guidelines presented to boost protection of victims of violence
A national conference attended by Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter is considering better protection for victims of violence in Switzerland. The one-day meeting focuses on possibilities of electronic monitoring and on child victims of domestic vi...

Tue, 2 Nov 2021 09:59:58 GMT
Most Swiss trust government Covid apps
The SwissCovid app and the Covid certificate app enjoy a relatively high level of trust among the public, according to a survey. More than half of respondents expressed no reservations about using the computer software for the Covid certificate. The...

Mon, 1 Nov 2021 18:56:00 GMT
Switzerland urges greater climate commitment at COP26
Swiss President Guy Parmelin has called on all countries to renew efforts to meet climate goals outlined six years ago by the Paris Agreement. Speaking at the COP26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland, on Monday, Parmelin said that glo...

Mon, 1 Nov 2021 18:13:00 GMT
Extended UN Geneva headquarters open for business
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis officially opened the new extension to the Palais des Nations – home to the United Nations offices in Geneva. The new “H Building” took five years to build and is part of an CHF830 million ($905 million) r...

Mon, 1 Nov 2021 17:08:00 GMT
Swiss life expectancy rebounds rapidly
Life expectancy for people living in Switzerland has recovered dramatically from the pandemic induced dip, with mortality rates in 2021 poised to be at their lowest ever levels. Last year, with Covid-19 filling intensive care beds and resulting in 7...

Mon, 1 Nov 2021 13:35:00 GMT
Amateur archaeologist uncovers Roman battle site
Hundreds of artifacts littering a Roman battle site in Switzerland have been uncovered thanks to the persistence of an amateur archaeologist. The finds – including a dagger, well-preserved slingshot stones, coins, nails and part of a shield – ar...

Mon, 1 Nov 2021 10:24:00 GMT
Justice minister calls for EU return policy for migrants
Europe must prevent illegal immigration within the Schengen area, says Swiss Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter. If the European Union can’t protect its external border, there can’t be freedom of travel within Europe, she insists. Having recen...

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 13:05:02 GMT
Swiss police arrest restaurant owners who refused to check Covid certificates
Three restaurateurs in the Swiss mountain resort of Zermatt have been arrested for ignoring orders to shut up shop after refusing to check their clientele’s Covid certificates. On Sunday morning the police arrested the three owners. The establishm...

Sun, 31 Oct 2021 10:22:49 GMT
Most Swiss are unwilling to pay more to mitigate climate change
A survey of more than 23,000 Swiss residents has revealed that most prefer to pay little or nothing more for fuel, heating and flights with a view to reducing carbon emissions. The climate survey published on Sunday in Swiss papers revealed the gap...

Sat, 30 Oct 2021 15:54:55 GMT
Hundreds gather in Zurich to protest against Covid-19 measures
Opponents of Covid-19 measures and vaccination certificates marched into the city on Saturday, as did counter-demonstrators. Those against Swiss pandemic measures chanted "Freedom" and called on citizens to vote against a controversial law setting t...

Sat, 30 Oct 2021 12:44:39 GMT
Swiss nurses demonstrate for better working conditions
Four weeks before a nationwide vote on ‘strong nursing care’, nursing staff took to the streets demanding better working conditions. On Saturday afternoon, more than a thousand people marched to the parliament square in Bern in support of the so...

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 15:00:00 GMT
Poll: Swiss worry how Covid-19 is polarising society
As the Covid vaccination campaign continues to stagnate in Switzerland, increasingly polarised attitudes about the pandemic are a major cause for concern, a new survey has revealed. The poll carried out by the Sotomo research centre on behalf of SRG...

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 12:48:00 GMT
Top level EU-Switzerland meeting announced
Switzerland and the European Union have taken a first step towards the resumption of a political dialogue, with the announcement of a high-level meeting in Brussels on November 15. Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said on Twitter on Friday that...

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 09:59:00 GMT
Australia to reopen embassy in Switzerland
Australia will reopen its embassy in the Swiss capital Bern in 2022 after a 30-year break, the two countries announced on Friday. Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis shared the news on Twitter, saying that it was a “significant step on the occas...

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 07:55:00 GMT
Special parliament session marks 50 years of women’s suffrage
A two-day session of parliament has opened in Bern on Friday attended by 246 women to mark 50 years of suffrage in Switzerland. The female-only session will discuss various issues from equality and violence against women to science and digitalisation...

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 15:44:43 GMT
Summer storms drive Swiss insurers’ largest payout since 2005
The violent storms that hit Switzerland this summer will cost the country’s insurance sector CHF2.2 billion ($2.4 billion), according to the Swiss Insurance Association (SIA). This represents the second largest payout since 2005. Natural disaster...

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 14:42:03 GMT
Covid-19 triggers drop in migration across OECD countries
Immigration to the wealthy nations that make up the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) fell by nearly a third in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The decline was less pronounced in Switzerland, where foreign profession...

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 11:00:00 GMT
A third of Swiss workers are over the age of 50
One in three Swiss workers were over the age of 50 in 2020, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). The unemployment rate for people in the 50-64 age bracket is lower than those between 25 and 49. In 2020, 1.65 million employees aged 50 o...

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 09:26:00 GMT
Central bank official rejects green criteria for investments
The Swiss National Bank (SNB)’s mission is not to make the world greener but to meet monetary policy goals, a top central bank official has declared. The Swiss central bank is regularly accused of lagging behind in green investments. But board mem...

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 08:17:00 GMT
Swiss minister bemoans lack of investment in renewables
Switzerland has not developed enough renewable energy over the past ten years, according to Environment Minister Simonetta Sommaruga. The country should be obliged to store more energy in winter to prevent future power outages, she said in an intervi...

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 14:15:00 GMT
Swiss government wants to extend Covid measures
The government plans to continue a number of measures to combat the Covid-19 pandemic next year. It called on parliament to extend the legal basis for the current policy beyond the end of this year, notably for the health sector, labour protection, ...

Wed, 27 Oct 2021 10:41:00 GMT
2020 a bumper year for unexploded bombs found in Switzerland
More than 1,000 unexploded ordnance objects were found in Switzerland in 2020, a rise of 60% on previous years. The pandemic – in a roundabout way – was behind the figures, the army says. Due to the boom in outdoor activities inspired by Covid-1...



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