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Swiss Info

Sun, 21 Aug 2022 16:45:00 GMT
Petition for vaccine against monkeypox gains force
A petition calling for Switzerland to take more action against monkeypox, including vaccinating against the disease, has gathered more than 5,500 signatures, Swiss public television SRF reported on Sunday. Switzerland has recorded almost 400 cases o...

Sun, 21 Aug 2022 13:52:00 GMT
Demand grows for morning-after pill
The demand for the morning-after pill has doubled in Switzerland within four years, figures seen by the SonntagsZeitung show. In 2021, pharmacies sold more than 105,000 of the emergency birth control contraception, compared with 52,000 pills in 2017...

Sun, 21 Aug 2022 11:42:00 GMT
Blood shortage forces Swiss to consider their options
Several European countries have relaxed their blood donation restrictions, but Switzerland still lags behind, reports Swiss public broadcaster, RTS. Change may be ahead, however. The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in a blood shortage in many countri...

Sun, 21 Aug 2022 09:34:00 GMT
Concerns raised over looming energy shortage
Leading voices from business and politics have called on the Swiss government – and in particular economy minister Guy Parmelin – to do more about possible energy and gas shortages over the winter. The energy shortage is “imminent”, Roger No...

Sat, 20 Aug 2022 15:06:00 GMT
Another diphtheria case reported
A teenager has been diagnosed with a form of diphtheria at a centre for asylum seekers in canton Neuchâtel – the latest in a series of diphtheria cases in Switzerland this August. Medical tests were undertaken on the adolescent in the Boudry asyl...

Sat, 20 Aug 2022 10:34:00 GMT
Swiss prepare for energy shortage ‘extreme scenarios’
The Swiss government and cantons are aiming to be prepared for “extreme scenarios” in the face of possible energy shortages this winter, a top cantonal security official says. For example, a power grid shutdown or blackout would have far-reachin...

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 16:25:49 GMT
Swiss and German virologists raise hopes of nasal coronavirus vaccine
Swiss and German virologists working on a nasal vaccine for Covid-19 say such a technique could be much more effective against the virus, Swiss public broadcaster SRF reports on Friday. The ideal 100% immunity is almost impossible to achieve with vi...

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 15:51:21 GMT
Swiss Abroad community grows and evolves
Some 788,000 Swiss nationals were registered with Swiss representations abroad in 2021, a number that has grown in recent years, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). If the Swiss abroad community were a canton, it would be Switzerland...

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 14:56:11 GMT
Developer invests CH170 million in new Swiss tourist resort
The Andermatt Swiss Alps (ASA) company, majority owned by Egyptian financier Samih Sawiris, is to build a new 1,800-bed Alpine resort in the Sedrun region in southeast Switzerland. The complex in an undeveloped area of Dieni village will include 13 ...

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 10:56:48 GMT
Swiss mountain canton offers payout to be featured in films
The southwestern Swiss canton of Valais has become the first to pay producers to film its landscapes and villages. Valais is ready to pay up to CHF100,000 ($104,000) per project, Swiss public broadcaster RTS reports on Friday. The Valais Film Commis...

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 09:09:53 GMT
Swiss hearing aid giant Sonova acquires Chinese HYSOUND group
The Stäfa-based multinational has acquired one of the largest chains of audiological care clinics in China. Announcing the acquisition on Friday, Sonova said it would allow the Swiss firm to expand its footprint in China, as HYSOUND has around 200...

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 07:17:45 GMT
Geneva International Motor Show cancels 2023 event
For the fourth consecutive year, organisers of the Geneva International Motor Show have decided to shelve the event owing to external factors. The announcement to cancel the event, scheduled for February 14-19 at the Geneva Palexpo Centre, was made...

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 16:37:00 GMT
Complaint filed over attack on Swiss journalist in Ukraine
A civil rights group has filed a criminal complaint in Switzerland over the alleged attack of a Swiss journalist by Russian troops in Ukraine. The Ukrainian NGO Truth Hounds said on Thursday that it has submitted evidence of a war crime with the Swi...

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 13:54:00 GMT
Red tape frustrates efforts to hire Ukrainian refugees
Swiss companies have urged the authorities to help them hire more Ukrainian refugees by granting more flexible work permits and offering language courses. Some 60,000 Ukrainians have been awarded special S status permits giving them refuge from the ...

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 11:31:00 GMT
Swiss climate ambitions need huge coordinated effort, say scientists
Switzerland’s target of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is a massive undertaking that will require coordinated action by politicians, industry and the public, according to the Swiss Academy of Sciences. The body representing all scienc...

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 09:19:02 GMT
Cannabis trial: Basel pharmacies to charge black-market prices
The first Swiss project on the legal sale of cannabis in pharmacies will start on September 15 in canton Basel City. Hemp users over 18 can now register to take part, with the number of participants limited to 370. Six cannabinoid products – four ...

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 07:17:13 GMT
Giant megalodon shark could eat prey the size of killer whales
The megalodon, a giant shark that roamed the oceans millions of years ago, is famous for its teeth the size of a human fist. Otherwise, however, little fossil evidence exists. Scientists in Zurich have now helped create a 3D computer model of its ent...

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 15:23:00 GMT
Swiss join EU to put Ukraine’s ex-president on sanctions list
Switzerland has adopted European Union sanctions against the former Ukrainian president, Viktor Yanukovych, and his son Olkesandr. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) said the pair was put on a list of travel and financial sanctions to...

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 13:08:00 GMT
Government set sights on gas and oil-fired power plants
The Swiss government wants to use gas and fossil fuel power plants to counter potential energy shortages during the coming winter months. The aim is to produce more than 300 megawatts and complement the supply of electricity through hydropower, the ...

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 10:26:00 GMT
Swiss football clubs play key role for social integration
Football clubs are an important pillar for integration into Swiss society, also for immigrants, according to a new study. However, immigrant women are less likely to join teams and it is more difficult for them to take over official positions in a c...

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 09:42:35 GMT
Laws tightened for flying historic aircraft
Four years after the crash of a vintage Ju-52 plane in which 20 people died, the Swiss government has tightened the regulations for flights with historic aircraft. Commercial flights will no longer be permitted, and a maximum of nine people may fly ...

Wed, 17 Aug 2022 07:25:18 GMT
Moscow hoped Switzerland would remain ‘haven for Russian business’
Russia “really hadn’t anticipated” Switzerland aligning itself with EU sanctions in March, according to a former Russian diplomat to the UN in Geneva. The Russians had hoped Switzerland would remain a “haven for Russian business – legal or...

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 15:24:00 GMT
Reptile owners criticised for neglecting animals’ welfare
Many reptiles are kept in improper conditions in Switzerland, with owners unaware that legal regulations exist for the animals’ welfare, according to an animal protection organisation. An online tool now aims to raise awareness of how to look after...

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 12:06:38 GMT
Accord signed with Uzbekistan on restitution of illicit assets
Switzerland and Uzbekistan have signed an agreement on the restitution of $131 million (CHF125 million) confiscated during criminal proceedings involving Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of the former Uzbek president. The assets will be used for the b...

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 10:46:28 GMT
Chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli pulls out of Russia
Swiss chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli is withdrawing from the Russian market, after announcing in March that it would cease operations there following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian armed forces. “We will support our employees in Russ...

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 10:33:00 GMT
Swiss voters could have final say on buying new US fighter jets
A left-wing coalition has gathered enough signatures to challenge the Swiss government’s plan to purchase F-35A fighter jets from the United States. Political groups behind the “Stop F-35” initiative, which opposes the government’s plan to b...

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 07:49:00 GMT
ETH Zurich remains top Swiss university in Shanghai ranking
The federal technology institute ETH Zurich has been ranked the best Swiss university in the 2022 Academic Ranking of World Universities, also known as the Shanghai ranking, taking 20th spot. ETH Zurich moved up one place since last year and scored ...

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 15:47:00 GMT
Swiss government to launch trial with Instagram account
The Swiss government is extending its presence on social media and will open an account on the international photo and video-sharing platform. The Federal Chancellery said a pilot project with the Instagram service was planned for October. The aim ...

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 14:47:00 GMT
Swiss lakes and rivers drop to record lows due to continuing drought
The continuing hot and dry summer weather has caused low water levels in several lakes and rivers in Switzerland. Lakes in eastern, central and southern parts of the country have recorded lows, something which occurs rarely, the Federal Office for t...

Mon, 15 Aug 2022 12:19:55 GMT
Critics target government’s planned OECD tax reform
The Swiss government is facing criticism about its planned implementation of an international corporate tax reform. The left-wing Social Democratic Party said the proposed distribution of the expected additional revenue from the reform would benefit...



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