Swiss Info
Fri, 11 Nov 2022 08:19:15 GMTSweden can try Swiss boss Schneiter in landmark corporate crimes case
Sweden’s Supreme Court has ruled that Swiss citizen Alex Schneiter, a former boss at Swedish oil firm Lundin, can be tried in Sweden for alleged “complicity in war crimes” in Sudan. The court on Thursday threw out Schneiter’s argument that S...
Thu, 10 Nov 2022 16:58:00 GMTFINMA sees increased risks for Swiss financial sector
The Swiss financial sector is facing mounting risks due to uncertainty over lending and interest rates, according to the Swiss financial watchdog (FINMA). The “FINMA Risk Monitoring 2022" report published on Thursday identified seven principal ris...
Thu, 10 Nov 2022 15:20:00 GMTSyrian woman wins compensation for stillbirth on Swiss train
A Syrian woman who experienced a miscarriage while being deported by train to Italy in 2014 has been awarded CHF12,000 ($12,400) in damages by a Swiss court for the neglect she experienced during her transfer. The Syrian woman had been intercepted a...
Thu, 10 Nov 2022 13:25:24 GMTGovernment reports progress on antibiotics resistance
A Swiss government report has found that measures to combat antibiotic resistance in Switzerland are bearing fruit. There has been a decline in the use and prescription of antibiotics for both human and veterinary medicine. The “Swiss Antibiotic R...
Thu, 10 Nov 2022 12:37:00 GMTSwiss researchers identify neurons that restore walking after paralysis
A study by Lausanne-based scientists has identified the neurons that may help to improve walking ability post-paralysis. Research carried out for several years with a group of patients with lower body paralysis, led by Grégoire Courtine of the Fede...
Thu, 10 Nov 2022 11:41:00 GMTSwiss climate official defends ‘robust’ national objectives
Switzerland’s top negotiator at the COP27 talks, Franz Perrez, has been defending the Alpine country’s climate policy. Unlike other countries, Switzerland “implements decisions taken”, he told the Le Temps newspaper. “Our objectives are ...
Thu, 10 Nov 2022 11:17:00 GMTSwitzerland and UK sign major agreement on science and innovation
The agreement, signed by the UK and Switzerland, is intended to deepen ties between their respective research and innovation communities at a time when both countries are on the sidelines of the European Union’s major scientific research funding sc...
Thu, 10 Nov 2022 08:55:59 GMTAudit finds mistakes but no legal violation in Covid-19 vaccine procurement
An external investigation into the Swiss government’s procurement of Covid-19 vaccines has revealed that two contracts with vaccine manufacturers were signed prior to parliament’s sign-off of funds. However, this didn’t constitute a legal viola...
Wed, 9 Nov 2022 17:42:00 GMTSchumacher Ferrari sells for record CHF13 million at auction
A racing car driven by legendary Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher has fetched a record CHF13 million ($13.2 million) at an auction in Switzerland. The car in question is the Ferrari from the 2003 Formula 1 season, with which the German wo...
Wed, 9 Nov 2022 15:12:00 GMTSwiss government takes further measures to prevent energy crunch
The Swiss government has approved the use of emergency power generators for the coming winter to provide a total output of 280 megawatts (MW). The generators are generally used by municipalities or companies, for example to supply electricity to dri...
Wed, 9 Nov 2022 14:11:00 GMTUkraine refugees granted special status in Switzerland until March 2024
The Swiss government has extended the special legal status for Ukrainian refugees and the support measures for another year. Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter said an improvement of the situation in Ukraine was not foreseeable in the near future ...
Wed, 9 Nov 2022 13:24:00 GMTGovernment paints bleak picture of security situation
The Swiss government has called for efforts to boost conflict detection methods amid the war in Ukraine which poses a threat to Switzerland's security and peace in Europe. The annual report adopted on Wednesday paints a bleak picture. In particular,...
Wed, 9 Nov 2022 11:22:00 GMTWolves to be hunted more easily in Switzerland
The Swiss government wants to ease restrictions for culling the growing number of wolves living notably in alpine regions of the country. Under the plan submitted to cantons and organisations for consultation, the culling of individual wolves which ...
Wed, 9 Nov 2022 11:11:05 GMTSwiss squad announced for football World Cup in Qatar
Murat Yakin, manager of the Swiss national football team, will lean on experience at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. On Wednesday he named several veterans, including Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri, in a 26-man squad for this month’s tournament. F...
Wed, 9 Nov 2022 10:30:27 GMTSwiss to provide funds for education projects in crisis situations
The Swiss government has pledged CHF25 million ($25.3 million) to continue its support for the United Nations Education Cannot Wait fund (ECW) for the period 2022-24. Education is a key element of child protection and creates prospects, offers hope ...
Wed, 9 Nov 2022 08:25:13 GMTSarah Jollien-Fardel wins Swiss Goncourt literary prize
Swiss journalist Sarah Jollien-Fardel has won this year’s Choix Goncourt de la Suisse literary prize for her debut novel Sa préférée (The Favourite) about domestic violence. Jollien-Fardel from canton Valais in western Switzerland recently won ...
Wed, 9 Nov 2022 07:24:24 GMTVivid pink diamond auctioned for CHF28.4 million
A pear-shaped 18-carat pink diamond billed as a rarity has sold at a Geneva auction for CHF28.4 million ($28.8 million), including fees and taxes. The “Fortune Pink” fancy vivid pink stone, said to be the largest of its kind and shape to go on t...
Tue, 8 Nov 2022 14:08:11 GMTLGBT activists protest at FIFA museum ahead of Qatar World Cup
A few dozen people have protested in front of the FIFA Museum in Zurich to press for the rights of the LGBT+ community ahead of the World Cup hosted by Gulf state Qatar. Some football players have raised concerns over the rights of fans travelling t...
Tue, 8 Nov 2022 13:12:21 GMTUBS raided in money-laundering probe of Russian
Police have searched two branches of Swiss bank UBS in Germany in connection with alleged money laundering by a Russian businessman, according to German officials and media. On Tuesday Frankfurt prosecutor Georg Ungefuk did not identify the suspect ...
Tue, 8 Nov 2022 12:42:06 GMTCredit Suisse to close 14 branches in Switzerland
Embattled Swiss bank Credit Suisse is to close 14 of its 109 branches in Switzerland by February 2023 as part of a comprehensive restructuring programme. A further two branches will be converted into advisory centres. “This decision is mainly due ...
Tue, 8 Nov 2022 11:27:56 GMTSwiss face biggest loss of purchasing power since 1942
Wages in Switzerland are not keeping pace with inflation, and in 2022 the purchasing power of employees has dropped significantly. This has led to the highest loss in real wages for Swiss workers in 80 years. On average, Swiss companies plan to incr...
Tue, 8 Nov 2022 10:34:08 GMTCovid: More than 30% of Swiss remain unvaccinated
Almost a month after the start of the campaign for the second booster vaccination against Covid-19 only 6% of the population have made use of the offer. Since October 10 the authorities have recorded around 344,000 second booster vaccinations. In t...
Tue, 8 Nov 2022 10:06:31 GMTSwiss museums recover after pandemic challenges
Swiss museums came back to life in 2021 after the major waves of Covid-19, but without reaching pre-pandemic levels. Almost all indicators of museum activity in Switzerland increased last year compared with 2020: the number of admissions (10.3 milli...
Tue, 8 Nov 2022 09:14:00 GMTRight-wing starts collecting signatures for 'neutrality initiative'
The right-wing Swiss People's Party has officially launched its initiative, which aims to largely prohibit Switzerland from entering into defence alliances and participating in sanctions. The campaigners have 18 months to collect at least 100,000 si...
Tue, 8 Nov 2022 07:53:00 GMTEx-FIFA boss regrets choice of Qatar for World Cup
The former FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, says the choice of Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup was a mistake as the Gulf country is too small. "Football and the World Cup are too big for that," the former president of the world football's governing bo...
Mon, 7 Nov 2022 17:29:00 GMTCOP27: Switzerland stresses need to maintain climate targets
At the opening of the COP27 climate forum in Egypt, Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis has stressed the need to maintain the 1.5°C target and the “special responsibility” of the large emitters. He also announced additional contributions from ...
Mon, 7 Nov 2022 15:50:00 GMTHIV cases continue to fall in Switzerland
Infections with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continued to decline in Switzerland in 2021. The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) recorded 318 cases last year, down from an average of 1,300 cases a year in the 1990s. The 318 cases are w...
Mon, 7 Nov 2022 14:40:00 GMTSwitzerland and North Macedonia conclude migration partnership
Switzerland and North Macedonia are expanding their cooperation on migration issues. Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter and North Macedonian Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski signed a declaration of intent in Bern on Monday. Northern Macedonia li...
Mon, 7 Nov 2022 13:09:55 GMTBenoît Carcenat named ‘Chef of the Year 2023’
Benoît Carcenat, chef at La Table du Valrose hotel restaurant in Rougemont, has been named “Chef of the Year 2023” by GaultMillau Switzerland. The gastronomic guide awarded him 18 points out of 20. French-born Carcenat, 42, has been running the...
Mon, 7 Nov 2022 11:18:33 GMTVenomous snakes bit more than 40 people last year
Forty-eight people were bitten by snakes in Switzerland last year, one of whom showed severe symptoms. One dog died but there were no human fatalities, said Tox Info Suisse, the national poisons information centre. Venomous snakes native to Switzerl...