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Swiss Info

Sun, 31 Jul 2022 12:17:57 GMT
Swiss fundraising effort creates tensions with Ukraine
The humanitarian charity Swiss Solidarity raised CHF126 million ($132.4 million) to help Ukrainian refugees and support local journalists. But Ukrainian authorities say they have yet to receive anything and appear to be getting impatient. The found...

Sun, 31 Jul 2022 11:30:00 GMT
Swiss organic sector caught in hundreds of minor infractions
Swiss authorities discover more than 2,600 rules violations in the organic sector every year, according to local media reports. This is equivalent to an average of just over two violations for every ten inspections. Farmers, food suppliers and retai...

Sun, 31 Jul 2022 11:00:00 GMT
Swiss government seen as lacking team spirit
Nearly two out of three Swiss (64%) believe that Swiss government members do not work smoothly together, according to a survey carried out by the Sotomo research institute. The Swiss government consists of the Federal Council which comprises seven m...

Sun, 31 Jul 2022 09:22:26 GMT
Europe energy woes raise concerns in Switzerland
The energy crisis in Europe continues to make headlines in Switzerland. This was reflected in the Sunday press which focused on German pressure on Switzerland to implement a gas saving plan, a petition to speed up hydroelectric projects and a spike i...

Sun, 31 Jul 2022 09:00:00 GMT
National Day: President says Swiss Abroad needed now ‘more than ever’
“Switzerland needs you [...] now more than ever,” says Ignazio Cassis, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, in his August 1 message to Swiss citizens living abroad. Swiss emigrants and their families “build bridges and forge new ...

Sat, 30 Jul 2022 15:26:00 GMT
Agricultural tourism is no cash cow for Swiss farmers: study
As Switzerland gears up to celebrate National Day on August 1, offers for breakfasts on traditional farms, donkey rides or even nights in converted barns are in vogue. But these activities are not all that profitable for the agricultural sector, acco...

Sat, 30 Jul 2022 12:30:17 GMT
Many Swiss cantons restrict fireworks ahead of National Day
After weeks of heat and drought across Europe, this year's National Day celebrations in Switzerland are marked by the fear of fire. Many cantons and municipalities have issued bans or restrictions on fireworks and open-air displays, notes Keystoene-...

Sat, 30 Jul 2022 09:42:42 GMT
EU court ruling means Switzerland must overhaul flight passenger data law
Switzerland needs to revise its Flight Passenger Data Act due to a decision by the Court of Justice (ECJ) of the European Union. The ruling reduces the storage period and puts limits on the use of data, news agency Keystone-SDA reported on Saturday. ...

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 16:46:28 GMT
This July was one of the hottest on record
July 2022 in Switzerland was one of the hottest since measurements began in 1864, according to the weather service of the national broadcaster. However, it did not break any records in most regions, with the exception of Italian-speaking canton Tici...

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 15:30:49 GMT
Christian fundamentalist sentenced for preaching homophobia
A 63-year-old Christian fundamentalist was on Friday given a suspended sentence for having delivered a homophobic "sermon" on the Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich. He said he had only quoted the Bible. The Zurich District Court found the defendant guilty of...

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 13:10:09 GMT
Gay community urges rapid approval of monkeypox vaccines
The gay community in Switzerland is urging the federal government to act quickly and approve vaccines for monkeypox. In Zurich, for example, a medical centre for the LGBT+ community has been diagnosing between three and five monkeypox infections a d...

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 10:05:58 GMT
Switzerland must align with EU energy plan, says minister
Switzerland should align with a European Union plan for cutting energy consumption to cope with fallout from the war in Ukraine, says Swiss Energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga. EU countries on Tuesday approved a plan to jointly reduce their gas cons...

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 09:58:54 GMT
Switzerland faces shortage of air traffic controllers
Swiss air navigation service provider Skyguide says it is struggling to recruit air traffic controllers, especially in French-speaking Switzerland. Only five people are starting training in September, although there are 16 posts to be filled. “Thi...

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 07:35:51 GMT
Swiss National Bank reports heavy losses
The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has taken a hit of CHF95.2 billion ($100 billion) for the first half of this year, mainly owing to losses on foreign currency positions. After a loss of CHF32.8 billion in the first quarter, another CHF62.4 billion was ...

Fri, 29 Jul 2022 07:27:18 GMT
UN adopts Swiss resolution demanding human right to clean environment
Switzerland's co-sponsored resolution calling for the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment will be recognised as a full human right. The resolution originally presented by Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland ...

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 09:29:31 GMT
5G is not harmful to health, says government report
In a significant step for the deployment of 5G in Switzerland a federal study has found for the first time that the technology does not have negative health consequences. The radiation from the phones will remain moderate, it says. The values measur...

Thu, 28 Jul 2022 08:27:54 GMT
Forest fire risk results in bans on barbecues and fireworks
A heatwave and lack of rain have created a high risk of forest fires across Switzerland. Many cantons have therefore imposed bans on fires, barbecues and fireworks ahead of Swiss National Day on August 1. The “danger map” of the Federal Office f...

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 17:10:45 GMT
Swiss universities to participate in European collaboration schemes
Four Swiss universities have been given a green light to participate in a European Union initiative aimed at boosting the competitiveness of European higher education. The universities concerned are Basel, Geneva, Lausanne and Zurich, the EU Commiss...

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 16:10:07 GMT
Swiss sales of medicines to Russia jump during war
Swiss exports of medicines to Russia have risen sharply since the start of the Ukraine war, according to an analysis by business news agency AWP. This analysis, based on government foreign trade data, shows Swiss pharma generated record revenue of o...

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 14:47:10 GMT
Animal groups call for caution during national day festivities
Traditional fireworks and open-air fires on August 1, Swiss National Day, can be a death trap for animals and cause them to panic, say animal protection groups. The Four Paws and Swiss Animal Protection organisations are now calling for measures to ...

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 12:00:04 GMT
Hot weather brings more work for Swiss lifeguards
The recent hot weather has increased the number of swimmers and paddle-boarders in Swiss rivers and lakes, and this in turn has brought more work for lifeguards. A higher number of people in the water tends to bring more accidents, said Marc Audeoud...

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 09:50:01 GMT
Swiss students win gold in ‘physics World Cup’
Five Swiss high school students have come first in the International Young Physicists’ Tournament (IYPT) in Timisoara, Romania, beating rivals from Poland and Singapore in the final. The five pupils presented their solution to the “Droplet Explo...

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 09:46:56 GMT
Struggling Alpine farmers seek volunteers
Swiss charity Caritas is seeking 700 volunteers to help struggling Alpine farmers during the current high season. About 90 mountain families need help, Caritas said on Wednesday. They are struggling because of factors including illness, accidents, p...

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 07:08:31 GMT
Credit Suisse appoints Ulrich Körner as new CEO
Credit Suisse has named Ulrich Körner as its new chief executive officer, replacing Thomas Gottstein in a bid to shore up confidence. At the same time Switzerland’s second-largest bank says it is conducting a “comprehensive strategic review”. ...

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 16:24:37 GMT
Glacier melt causes dispute over Italian-Swiss border
An alpine lodge originally in Italy is now two-thirds in Switzerland thanks to global warming, reports Swiss public broadcaster RTS. This is because the border marked by the Theodul glacier is shifting northwards as it melts. The Matterhorn Guides o...

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 11:49:51 GMT
Lufthansa strike to hit SWISS flights
The Swiss national carrier is cancelling around a dozen flights to Germany on Wednesday, owing to a one-day strike by ground staff at its German parent company Lufthansa. Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has cancelled flights from Geneva to Fra...

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 10:32:43 GMT
Vets use fewer antibiotics to treat animals
The amount of antibiotics sold for treatment of animals continued to fall last year, amid rising awareness of antibiotic resistance, according to the Swiss government. Over a ten-year period it has more than halved from 60,000kg of antibiotics to 28...

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 09:40:31 GMT
Swiss rivers hit record temperatures
Eleven river monitoring stations in Switzerland have recorded the highest temperatures since measurements began. Twenty-two further stations recorded record temperatures for July. The Aare at Thun (23.4°C) and at Bern (23.9°C) has never been hotte...

Tue, 26 Jul 2022 07:57:52 GMT
Theft survey reveals habits of sticky-fingered Swiss
Four out of ten Swiss have taken public transport without buying a ticket. But many people can’t resist pinching stuff from restaurants, hotels and especially their office, according to a survey. From shoplifting to fare-dodging, the representativ...

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 11:38:33 GMT
Swiss victims of Next-Gen scam to be reimbursed
More than 1,000 people in Switzerland who lost money to a prize scam operated by US company Next-Gen will be refunded some of their money. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has notified the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) of a refu...



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