Swiss Info
Thu, 23 Dec 2021 09:18:15 GMTSwiss court confiscates funds linked to Uzbek ex-president’s daughter
The Federal Criminal Court has ordered the confiscation of over $293 million (around CHF270 million) belonging to a shell company linked to Gulnara Karimova. The company, called Takilant, of which Karimova (daughter of the former president of Uzbek...
Wed, 22 Dec 2021 16:45:00 GMTCredit Suisse sacks managers over Greensill scandal
The Credit Suisse bank has fired the managers overseeing a multi-billion-dollar fund strategy linked to the now-defunct Greensill Capital. Switzerland’s second largest bank was forced to freeze and wind down a $10 billion (CHF9.2 billion) fund ran...
Wed, 22 Dec 2021 11:24:00 GMTSwiss court confirms extradition of German ‘cum-ex’ fraud suspect
A Swiss court has allowed the extradition to Germany of Hanno Berger, a German banker accused of playing a key role in a years-long tax fraud. The scandal, known as "cum-ex," is Germany's biggest post-war fraud involving a share-trading scheme that ...
Wed, 22 Dec 2021 10:46:18 GMTMiriam Cahn plans to pull works from Zurich Art Museum over Bührle Collection
Internationally renowned Swiss artist Miriam Cahn says she wants to remove all her works on display at the Zurich Art Museum in response to the outcry over the Bührle collection. Paintings in the collection are suspected of being linked to art loote...
Tue, 21 Dec 2021 17:22:00 GMTSWISS reviews job cuts among flight staff
Swiss International Air Lines has offered to re-employ more than half of the 550 flying personnel it had sacked earlier this year. The company confirmed that it sent offers to more than 330 cabin crew members to work for the Swiss flag carrier, whic...
Tue, 21 Dec 2021 14:53:00 GMTSwiss health officials sound alarm over Omicron transmissions
Health officials have warned of an imminent wave of Covid infections with the contagious Omicron variant in Switzerland over the next few weeks. Patrick Mathys of the Federal Office of Public Health told a news conference on Tuesday that the Omicron...
Tue, 21 Dec 2021 10:44:00 GMTUS charge extradited Russian businessman with hacking, insider trading
The Russian businessman extradited from Switzerland to the United States and four other Russians have been charged with carrying out a $82-million (CHF75 million) insider trading scheme using data stolen during hacks of US computer networks. US fede...
Tue, 21 Dec 2021 09:53:00 GMTSWI swissinfo.ch joins DG7 international public media network
From 2022, SWI swissinfo.ch, the international unit of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), will become a member of the DG7 group of international public service media. The network aims to improve cooperation between publicly funded news organis...
Mon, 20 Dec 2021 18:13:00 GMTZurich court backs pupil exclusions for refusing Covid-19 tests
Pupils can be excluded from school if they refuse to test for Covid-19, a Zurich court has ruled. The legal challenge to exclusions, brought by the father of a school pupil, failed on appeal as the court ruled that the requirement to test was reason...
Mon, 20 Dec 2021 17:04:00 GMTUBS bank appeals French tax evasion fine a second time
Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS, says it will once again appeal a fine handed out by a French court for tax evasion offences. On December 13, a Paris appeal court confirmed a previous ruling that UBS was criminally guilty of assisting French tax e...
Mon, 20 Dec 2021 12:42:00 GMTOmicron forces WEF to postpone flagship event again
The Covid-19 pandemic has severely disrupted plans to hold the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) main annual meeting in Davos for a second year in a row. On Monday, WEF said it would defer the gathering of influential global business and political head...
Mon, 20 Dec 2021 09:15:00 GMTIsrael bans travel to Switzerland over Omicron concerns
Israel added Switzerland and the United States to its "no-fly" list on Monday over concerns about the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant. From Tuesday December 21 at 10pm, Israelis will need special permission to fly to Switzerland, the United S...
Sun, 19 Dec 2021 10:47:15 GMTOne in two Swiss in favour of lockdown for unvaccinated
In a survey of 1,000 Swiss residents, half of the respondents approved of movement restrictions for people not vaccinated against Covid-19. Older residents are even more wary of the unvaccinated. According to the survey, published on Sunday by the ...
Sun, 19 Dec 2021 09:44:49 GMTSwiss extradite Russian businessman Vladislav Klyushin to the US
Klyushin, who is accused by the United States of commercial espionage, was handed over to the American police on Saturday and put on a flight to the US from Zurich. The news of his extradition was confirmed by the Swiss Federal Office of Justice on ...
Sat, 18 Dec 2021 16:06:38 GMTProtesters rally in Bern against new round of pandemic measures
An estimated 300 opponents of the recently announced Covid-19 restrictions took part in a rally in the Swiss capital Bern on Saturday. The demonstration was announced on social media as a response to tighter restrictions on gatherings announced by ...
Sat, 18 Dec 2021 14:37:21 GMTRecord participation at Geneva Christmas lake swim
Over 3,000 swimmers are expected to take a cold plunge for the 82nd edition of the Christmas Cup in Lake Geneva. Some 1,500 intrepid swimmers took to the waters on Saturday, with similar numbers anticipated on Sunday. The water temperature was aroun...
Sat, 18 Dec 2021 09:52:11 GMTAvalanche kills septuagenarian skier in Zermatt
A 70-year-old Swiss man was killed in an avalanche on Friday while returning to Zermatt after a day of skiing. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon in the Furgg Garten region near the Swiss ski resort of Zermatt. The cause of the avalanche – ...
Fri, 17 Dec 2021 12:28:00 GMTSwiss tax spy receives suspended fine for economic espionage
A Swiss man who had previously been found guilty of spying on a German tax authority in 2017 has received a suspended fine in Switzerland for attempted economic espionage, Swiss media have reported. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland...
Fri, 17 Dec 2021 10:20:00 GMTSwitzerland agrees to join giant radio telescope project
The Federal Council has given the green light for Switzerland to join the “Square Kilometer Array Observatory” (SKAO) – an international project to build the world’s largest-ever radio telescope. The government agreed on Friday that Switzerl...
Thu, 16 Dec 2021 16:46:00 GMTSwiss voters likely to decide on proposed vaccination ban
A proposal calling for a de-facto ban on mandatory vaccinations has been handed in to the Swiss authorities. Campaigners on Thursday said they collected more than 125,000 signatures within just over 12 months for a people’s initiative aimed at ens...
Thu, 16 Dec 2021 11:31:00 GMTSwitzerland’s budget in the red again
Parliament has approved next year’s regular national budget which foresees a deficit of CHF2.3 billion ($2.5 billion). The House of Representatives and the Senate on Thursday agreed on extra expenditure of CHF236 million, notably for rail projects...
Thu, 16 Dec 2021 10:34:35 GMTSwiss National Bank maintains loose monetary policy
The Swiss National Bank has decided to stick to its expansionary monetary policy, a day after the US Federal Reserve announced it was tightening monetary policies amid rising inflation. On Thursday, the SNB announced it was keeping the monetary poli...
Wed, 15 Dec 2021 16:22:00 GMTAnti-Covid measures to be extended for 12 months
The Swiss parliament has decided to extend a series of financial compensations for individuals and companies hard hit by the government’s anti-Covid restrictions. As part of the legal amendment, the government will again take over the costs for Co...
Wed, 15 Dec 2021 14:53:00 GMTFalcon bank fined for money laundering, ex-CEO acquitted
A Swiss court has found the Zurich-based Falcon Private Bank guilty of money-laundering offences. The Federal Criminal Court on Wednesday ordered the Abu Dhabi-owned bank to pay a fine of CHF3.5 million ($3.8 million) for failing to set up the neces...
Wed, 15 Dec 2021 13:06:00 GMTPension reform passes in parliament but set to be challenged to vote
Parliament has approved a major reform of the Swiss pension system, including a controversial rise in the retirement age for women. The overhaul also foresees financial compensation – staggered over nine years for women directly affected by the ch...
Wed, 15 Dec 2021 10:03:42 GMTStudy: Federalism a challenge not an obstacle in Covid-19 response
Swiss cantons have dealt with the pandemic with varying degrees of success, according to a study by thinktank Avenir Suisse. But clarity on the roles and responsibilities of different authorities is needed for better management of the pandemic going ...
Tue, 14 Dec 2021 17:39:00 GMTCitizenship reform blocked at early stage
Plans to introduce the birthright citizenship in Switzerland have suffered a setback in parliament. The Senate clearly rejected a left-wing proposal to change from the current regulation on citizenship that is determined by the nationality of one of...
Tue, 14 Dec 2021 15:56:00 GMTCovid jabs possible for children from January
The Swiss health authorities have recommended extending anti-Covid vaccinations to children aged between five and 11. The statement by the Federal Office of Public Health and the government advisory commission for vaccination on Tuesday came four da...
Tue, 14 Dec 2021 15:39:00 GMTTeachers: urgent corona coordination needed for schools
Switzerland’s two main teaching associations have called for urgent, coordinated measures in schools as the country grapples with a major outbreak of the virus among pupils. “Shortly before the Christmas holidays and due to the extremely high da...
Tue, 14 Dec 2021 10:19:00 GMTSwitzerland outlines 15 Alpine hydro projects for the future
Authorities, environmental groups, and energy providers have named 15 major hydropower projects that could help Switzerland achieve energy security and a green transition over the coming decades. The projects were chosen for their energy efficiency ...