Swiss Info
Fri, 6 May 2022 07:47:46 GMTHalf a tonne of cocaine seized at Swiss Nespresso factory
Swiss police have seized more than 500kg of cocaine concealed in container shipped from Brazil to the Nespresso factory in the town of Romont. The drugs were discovered by workers unloading bags of coffee beans and the police were informed on Monday...
Thu, 5 May 2022 13:31:00 GMTNew Swiss stamp smells like campfire
Swiss Post has issued a special postage stamp to commemorate the national Guide and Scout Movement. With a face value of CHF1.10 ($1.10), the stamp smells of smoke and marks the National Jamboree that only takes place every 14 years, Swiss Post said...
Thu, 5 May 2022 11:12:00 GMTEasy procedures lead to rise in reported cyberattacks
Switzerland’s competence centre for cybersecurity says attacks on computer systems more than doubled last year compared with 2020. The sharp increase to 21,712 cases from 10,833 might be due to simplified reporting procedures, the National Cyber S...
Thu, 5 May 2022 08:54:43 GMTNearly half of Swiss cantons dropped tax rates for top earners in 2021
Both the corporate tax rate and the tax rate for high income earners has declined in Switzerland over the last year according to an analysis by the tax advisory firm KPMG. Switzerland is under increasing pressure to come up with a plan to implement t...
Thu, 5 May 2022 07:21:00 GMTSwiss central bank names vice-chair successor
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has named Martin Schlegel to take over as vice-chair of its Governing Board, which sets interest rates in Switzerland. Schlegel will replace Fritz Zurbrügg who steps down at the end of July following health issues. Th...
Wed, 4 May 2022 13:56:00 GMTSwiss government again plugs gaps for European research funding
The government has extended measures to support Swiss scientists unable to receive funding for the European Union’s flagship research and innovation programmes. A total of just over CHF1.2 billion ($1.2 billion) for 2021 and 2022 were earmarked to...
Wed, 4 May 2022 11:28:00 GMTSwitzerland mulls impact of possible EU ban on Russian oil
Brussels has proposed a phased-in ban on all imports of Russian oil as part of new sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. In Switzerland, views diverge on the potential impact of European bans on the Alpine country’s energy supplies....
Wed, 4 May 2022 10:23:00 GMTDeal signed to renovate Swiss Guard barracks at Vatican
A Swiss foundation and the Vatican have agreed the terms of the first phase for the renovation of the Papal Swiss Guard barracks in Rome. The agreement covers the planning stage for the modernisation of three 19th-century buildings that house Swiss ...
Tue, 3 May 2022 14:49:00 GMTSwiss canton has 'legal' claim to controversial artefacts
A Swiss canton has legal ownership of rare ancient artefacts, but only because it took possession of the collection before regulations were introduced to prevent unlawful imports of cultural objects. Therefore, the so-called Guigoz collection in wes...
Tue, 3 May 2022 12:50:00 GMTSwiss biotech sidesteps Covid with record investment
Swiss biotechnology companies invested a record CHF2.6 billion ($2.7 billion) into research last year despite most concentrating their efforts away from the coronavirus pandemic. Research was instead focused on areas such as immuno-oncology, neurolo...
Tue, 3 May 2022 08:45:34 GMTUN rapporteur calls out Switzerland for ‘criminalisation of journalism’
The UN Rapporteur for the protection of freedom of expression has criticised Switzerland's banking secrecy laws that result in self-censorship by journalists. This comes as Switzerland drops four places in the annual country ranking of freedom of the...
Mon, 2 May 2022 13:04:00 GMTCovid loan claims fuel rise in suspected fraud cases
The number of reported suspicious financial transactions continued to rise in Switzerland in 2021, but at a lower rate than in the first year of the pandemic. Switzerland’s Money Laundering Reporting Office (MROS) saw a 12% increase of suspicious ...
Mon, 2 May 2022 09:15:00 GMTRising prices put pressure on Swiss consumers and industry
Consumers in Switzerland are much more pessimistic about the general economic situation, with households feeling the strain as prices continue to rise, a new survey shows. April data published by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) on ...
Sun, 1 May 2022 17:06:41 GMTThousands gather in Swiss cities for May 1 demonstrations
Traditional May 1 celebrations have drawn thousands of demonstrators to Swiss cities. The situation in Ukraine was a key focus of demands this year. Demonstrations were planned in 50 locations across Switzerland on Sunday. The largest of which was i...
Sun, 1 May 2022 15:45:58 GMTHistorians trace Elon Musk’s Swiss roots to Emmental
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has roots in a small, picturesque farming region in central Switzerland. Using genealogy websites and local archives, historians have been able to connect Musk with the Haldimann name, which is still present in the Emmental region...
Sun, 1 May 2022 13:59:23 GMTCalls grow louder for Switzerland to redefine neutrality
A Swiss parliamentary visit to Kyiv and an ammunition export ban last week have reignited debate in political circles about how Switzerland defines neutrality. The Sunday papers capture the key dividing lines. The fact that “neutrality needs to be...
Sun, 1 May 2022 10:29:19 GMTWEF further distances itself from Russia ahead of annual meeting in Davos
The World Economic Forum, which will hold its annual meeting in Davos starting on May 22, has been distancing itself from Russian delegates, many of whom have been regular participants in WEF events. Swiss media reported on Sunday that the rupture be...
Sat, 30 Apr 2022 11:27:42 GMTResearchers develop AI solution to monitor animal behaviour
A Switzerland-based research team has developed a new method to track and analyse animal behaviour using Artificial Intelligence. The technology is currently being tested at the Zurich Zoo. Can a machine sense when an animal is happy, curious, or af...
Fri, 29 Apr 2022 14:54:00 GMTCredit Suisse shareholders refuse to let board off the hook
Shareholders have refused to absolve Credit Suisse board members of legal liability after a series of bungles and court cases in recent years. At an annual general meeting on Friday, a proposal to formally discharge directors of their responsibiliti...
Fri, 29 Apr 2022 12:40:00 GMTAnti-vax Swiss special forces soldiers ‘lawfully dismissed’
Four Swiss special forces soldiers have lost a court case for unfair dismissal after they were ejected from the elite military unit for refusing Covid-19 vaccinations. In a verdict made public on Friday, the Federal Administrative Court ruled that t...
Fri, 29 Apr 2022 11:48:00 GMTSwiss central bank rejects ‘creative’ demands to change course
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) continues to beat off demands to fight inflation by raising interest rates and to distribute more reserves to cantons and other causes. SNB president Barbara Janom Steiner showed signs of frustration in a speech on Frid...
Fri, 29 Apr 2022 10:58:56 GMTSwitzerland takes delivery of controversial Israeli surveillance drones
The first two Hermes 900 HFE reconnaissance drones have arrived in Switzerland and are expected to be operational by mid-2022. The delivery was announced by the Federal Office of Armaments (armasuisse) on Friday. The unmanned aircraft, as well as ...
Fri, 29 Apr 2022 08:18:47 GMTSwitzerland and UK sign joint declaration to deepen bilateral ties
President Ignazio Cassis and Prime Minister Boris Johnson inked an agreement to strengthen mutual cooperation in trade, finance, research and immigration. Cassis’s visit to the UK on Thursday underlined the willingness of both Switzerland and UK s...
Thu, 28 Apr 2022 16:06:00 GMTSwiss politicians defend Ukraine visit
A cross-party group of parliamentarians insist that their recent visit to Ukraine has not compromised Switzerland’s neutrality. The delegation has been criticised, primarily by the right-wing People’s Party, for showing support for Ukraine durin...
Thu, 28 Apr 2022 09:26:23 GMTLargest-ever marine reptile tooth discovered in the Swiss Alps
A team of researchers have identified a 10cm long tooth discovered in the Swiss Alps as belonging to a giant marine reptile called the Ichthyosaur. This is only the second time that such a large tooth has been attributed to an Ichthyosaur. Most of t...
Thu, 28 Apr 2022 08:18:29 GMTSwiss bid to reset EU relations falls flat
A new Swiss proposal on the future of bilateral relations with the European Union faces an uphill battle in Brussels. On Wednesday, Switzerland’s chief negotiator Livia Leu met with the European Commission’s Juraj Nociar to move the discussion f...
Wed, 27 Apr 2022 14:36:00 GMTGovernment welcomes improved reporting on sexual harassment
Sexual harassment is widespread in Switzerland but reliable data about unwanted behaviour is not available, according to an expert report. Women are the victims in nine out of ten cases most cases of harassment and incidents occur mainly in the publ...
Wed, 27 Apr 2022 12:38:00 GMTSwiss and NATO to boost exchange of information
The Swiss government has approved a deal on the exchange of sensitive information with NATO. The agreement is aimed at protecting each other’s classified digital information and cyber security, according to the defence ministry. The deal allows S...
Wed, 27 Apr 2022 11:43:50 GMTSwitzerland welcomes UN vote to scrutinise Security Council veto
Switzerland has welcomed Tuesday's UN General Assembly resolution on the use of Security Council veto powers, saying it was a step forward in strengthening multilateralism. The resolution, introduced by Liechtenstein, was co-sponsored by 83 states, ...
Wed, 27 Apr 2022 10:25:00 GMTSocial security deal with Britain to be put to Swiss parliament
The Swiss government has approved a social security accord with Britain including old age pensions, disability benefits as well as accident and health insurance. It ensures that people only have to pay social security contributions in one country a...