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Swiss Info

Mon, 28 Feb 2022 07:34:35 GMT
Switzerland poised to freeze Russian assets, says president
It is “very probable” that neutral Switzerland will follow the European Union on Monday in sanctioning Russia and freezing Russian assets, according to Ignazio Cassis, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year. Cassis, interviewed on Sun...

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 10:38:33 GMT
Defence minister unsure other countries would help Switzerland if attacked
Swiss Defence Minister Viola Amherd says neutral Switzerland must ensure its own security, since there’s no guarantee defence alliance NATO would help non-member Switzerland in the event of a Russian attack. “We could ask other countries for sup...

Sat, 26 Feb 2022 15:22:50 GMT
Ukraine: Up to 20,000 people march in Bern for peace
Between 10,000 and 20,000 people have demonstrated in Bern against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The motto of the rally was “Peace for Ukraine and all of Europe”. Saturday’s authorised demonstration was called by a broad alliance of movement...

Sat, 26 Feb 2022 11:13:50 GMT
Up to 2,000 Ukrainians could seek refuge in Switzerland
While the crisis in Ukraine has not yet led to any migration to Switzerland, depending on the duration and intensity of the war, a few hundred or up to 2,000 people could seek refuge in Switzerland, according to current government estimates. In the ...

Sat, 26 Feb 2022 10:37:06 GMT
Swiss skier awarded Olympic bronze after appeal
Swiss skier Fanny Smith will be awarded the women’s ski cross bronze medal after her disqualification in the controversial final at the recent Winter Olympics was overturned by an appeals commission. Smith, a bronze medallist at Pyeongchang in 201...

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 13:07:00 GMT
More staff leave Swiss embassy in Kyiv
Switzerland has partially evacuated its embassy in Kyiv as Russian forces close in on the Ukrainian capital. This means that only six or seven staff remain at the embassy, the minimum for it to function, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said on...

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 12:32:00 GMT
Switzerland insists on separate bilateral deals with EU
Switzerland has firmly shut the door on a single charter governing relations with the European Union but is instead prepared to renegotiate a host of existing treaties covering a wide variety of mutual interests. For years, the EU has been pushing S...

Fri, 25 Feb 2022 09:53:00 GMT
New contract to manage controversial Bührle collection
The owners of the Bührle art collection and the Zurich museum where it is exhibited have signed a new contract to address some of the issues around the controversial origin of the works. The 203 paintings on display since October 2021 at the Kunsth...

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 12:14:00 GMT
Domestic sightseers prop up Swiss tourism industry
The number of Swiss residents taking a holiday in their own country surged last year to help the tourism industry partially recover from the catastrophic effects of the pandemic. The number of overnight stays at hotels by locals hit a record 21 mill...

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 11:15:21 GMT
Swiss Film Awards: Fredi M Murer honoured for life’s work
Fredi M Murer, who directed what is often considered the best Swiss film of all time, will be awarded the Honorary Prize of the 2022 Swiss Film Awards. Murer, 81, is a “key figure in Swiss cinema, a filmmaker and craftsman from analogue times”, ...

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 10:49:16 GMT
Prosecutor calls for maximum fine for Credit Suisse
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland has demanded Credit Suisse be fined CHF5 million ($5.4 million) – the maximum provided for by law – for aggravated money laundering and subsidiary support of a criminal organisation. Switzerland...

Thu, 24 Feb 2022 08:30:56 GMT
Switzerland condemns Russian ‘invasion’ in strongest terms
The Swiss foreign ministry has issued a statement strongly condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine as an “invasion”. It called on Russia to immediately cease its “military aggression” and withdraw its troops from Ukraine. “This is a gross...

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 17:11:00 GMT
Switzerland to donate up to 15 million vaccines to COVAX
Switzerland is to donate a maximum of 15 million shots of coronavirus vaccine in the first half of this year to the COVAX initiative for equitable vaccine distribution. With a total of 34 million vaccines available for 2022, the Swiss population of ...

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 14:49:39 GMT
Report: Swiss Pilatus planes used for attacks in Afghanistan
Swiss-built Pilatus aircraft have been involved in attacks in Afghanistan, according to a joint investigation by a transnational network of journalists. At least one PC-12 plane was used in air raids on Taliban positions in a town in eastern Afghani...

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 11:04:00 GMT
Swiss minister stresses European cooperation on railway network
Transport Minister Simonetta Sommaruga says Switzerland plays a key role within the railway network in the European Union (EU). Switzerland’s rail policy was a model for many other states, notably for passenger traffic and its strategy to move fre...

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 17:39:00 GMT
Poverty affects nearly one in five Swiss households
Single parents with small children, as well as elderly migrants in Switzerland are at risk of relative poverty according to a new study. Nearly one in five households has to make do with very little money, the Federal Social Insurance Office announc...

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 16:45:00 GMT
Swiss mull sanctions over Russia’s aggression against Ukraine
The Swiss foreign ministry has accused Russia of breaking international law and violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty after Moscow ordered troops into breakaway regions. “Switzerland is very concerned about the situation in e...

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 11:29:00 GMT
Jewish groups report increase in anti-Semitism during pandemic
Jewish organisations in Switzerland have expressed renewed concern about tensions in society fuelling anti-Semitism. In a report published on Tuesday by the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities and the Foundation against Racism and Anti-Semitism, ...

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 07:42:50 GMT
EU Parliament group suggests blacklisting Switzerland after Credit Suisse leaks
The largest political grouping in the European Parliament has called for a review of Switzerland’s banking practices and for the country’s possible inclusion in the European Union's dirty-money blacklist after leaks of Credit Suisse documents. O...

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 10:10:37 GMT
Swiss seize 40% more illegally imported medicinal products
Last year 9,421 packages containing illegally imported medicinal products were confiscated in Switzerland, up from 6,733 in 2020. Three-quarters contained erectile stimulants, and half did not contain what it said on the label. In addition to illega...

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 15:15:04 GMT
Calls mount for crisis team to deal with future pandemics
A few days after most pandemic restrictions were lifted, the Swiss press look back at the lessons from two years in crisis mode and what the country can do better going forward. “The pandemic took politicians by surprise and presented them with hu...

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 12:53:48 GMT
Switzerland misses medal target but has golden Olympics
Switzerland heads home from the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing with a record gold medal haul in alpine skiing. It ranked eighth on the medal table, just behind skiing rival Austria. Switzerland didn’t reach its target of 15 medals at the Games bu...

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 10:12:00 GMT
Switzerland advises citizens to leave eastern Ukraine
The foreign ministry has advised Swiss nationals to leave the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine amid concerns over the increase in armed clashes in eastern Ukraine. The travel advice, which was updated Saturday evening, recommends against touri...

Sat, 19 Feb 2022 16:22:16 GMT
SWISS suspends flights to Ukraine
Amid further escalations of the crisis in Ukraine, Swiss International Air Lines has decided to temporarily suspend flights to Ukraine from next week. This affects flight connections in Kyiv. All flights will be cancelled from Monday February 21 unt...

Sat, 19 Feb 2022 14:20:00 GMT
Swiss back creation of global body on plastic pollution
Some 15 countries, including Switzerland, have proposed the creation of a “Science-Policy Panel” to deal with the threat of chemical waste and plastic pollution. This comes ahead of discussions on a global plastics treaty at the UN Environmental ...

Sat, 19 Feb 2022 10:53:00 GMT
University of Neuchâtel back online after cyberattack
The University of Neuchâtel website was functioning again on Friday evening following a cyberattack but an investigation continues into the scope of the problem. The university is the latest Swiss institution to fall victim to a cyber attack. "The ...

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 18:21:11 GMT
Geneva worried by Kazakh plans to renovate Swiss castle
A Kazakh heiress wants to renovate a Swiss castle by Lake Geneva before she moves into it. But Geneva heritage preservation authorities are worried. Dinara Kulibayeva, daughter of former Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev, plans major work on Cha...

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 17:16:00 GMT
Freed Swiss-Belarusian activist arrives back in Switzerland
Swiss-Belarusian dual national Natallia Hersche landed in Zurich on Friday, after being freed from jail in Belarus. She was met at the airport by Johannes Matyassy, deputy State Secretary at the Swiss foreign ministry. Hersche was released from jail...

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 14:56:02 GMT
Man fined for threatening Swiss health minister
A man who sent threatening emails to Health Minister Alain Berset has been fined CHF1,200 ($1,300), Swiss public broadcaster, RTS, reported on Friday. The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland found him guilty of attempted violence and threa...

Fri, 18 Feb 2022 12:28:50 GMT
Naturalisation still not easy for third-generation foreigners
Easier naturalisation for third-generation foreigners introduced in 2018 has not had high take-up, and procedures should be further eased, says a study. Since February 15, 2018, people whose grandparents came to Switzerland and who were born here ha...



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