Swiss Info
Fri, 24 Jul 2026 14:02:38 GMTDozens of Swiss holidaymakers evacuated from French fire risk zones
Severe forest fires are currently raging in popular tourist destinations on the west coast of France. Dozens of holidaymakers from Switzerland have had to be evacuated from the area around Cap-Ferret. Around 65 members of the Touring Club Switzerland...
Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:34:00 GMTSwiss researchers find evidence of active volcanoes on Venus
Venus is geologically active even though researchers had assumed the opposite. Swiss researchers have managed to find evidence of active volcanoes on Earth’s sister planet. Venus is an inhospitable place where temperatures reach several hundred deg...
Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:17:00 GMTLindt faces US lawsuit regarding child labour
Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli will have to answer to the US courts over a child labour complaint. The activist law firm International Rights Advocates has criticised the Zurich-based chocolate manufacturer for misleadingly presenting its ef...
Fri, 24 Jul 2026 11:17:00 GMTInjured mountaineer dangling from a rope rescued from the Schreckhorn
A mountaineer fell on Thursday on the Schreckhorn in the Bernese Oberland. He was rescued by a rescue helicopter in difficult windy conditions and then taken to hospital. According to the Air-Glaciers rescue service, the mountaineer, who was accompan...
Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:03:00 GMTCalida parts ways with US lingerie brand Cosabella
Lucerne-based lingerie and night wear manufacturer Calida announced the sale of its US lingerie brand, Cosabella to the New York-based investment firm Crown Brands Group. However, Calida’s statement does not specify the value of the transaction. Co...
Fri, 24 Jul 2026 09:19:00 GMTSwitzerland remains on US currency manipulators list
Switzerland remains on the US monitoring list for currency manipulation, along with nine other countries. However, Switzerland could be removed from the list in the next edition of the report. In the report, published every six months, the US Treasur...
Fri, 24 Jul 2026 08:47:16 GMTTemu teams up with Swiss SME association to boost online sales
The Chinese online retail platform Temu and the Swiss SME (small- and medium-sized enterprise) Association aim to support Swiss companies in entering the online retail market. To this end, the two partners have signed a memorandum of understanding. T...
Fri, 24 Jul 2026 05:27:06 GMTUS imposes new tariff of 12.5% on Switzerland over forced labour
Switzerland is among 60 countries that face new US tariffs on Friday for allegedly not doing enough to combat forced labour. A 12.5% tariff has been imposed on Swiss goods. The new tariffs, ranging from 10% to 12.5%, will apply from 6:01am in Switzer...
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 14:06:07 GMTSwitzerland’s last tie manufacturer shuts shop after 70 years
Switzerland’s last remaining tie manufacturer has felt the effects ties going out of fashion. Bachmann Krawatten AG, based in Zurich, is now closing down after 70 years in business. Eleven employees will lose their jobs. In the past, wearing a tie ...
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:33:00 GMTEuropean Court criticises Switzerland for denying prison visiting rights
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has criticised Swiss authorities and courts for denying a man the right to visit his pregnant partner whilst she was in pre-trial detention. In its ruling on Thursday, the Court declared the appeal lodged by ...
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 11:26:00 GMTSwitzerland increases Ebola aid for the Congo
Switzerland has stepped up its efforts to combat the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is providing the World Health Organisation (WHO) with a further CHF1.6 million ($1.96 million). This brings the total Swiss aid since the ...
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:10:00 GMTDrought detrimental to ticks and invasive beetles in Switzerland
The persistent heat and drought could have a detrimental effect on ticks and the larvae of Japanese beetles. According to experts, as heatwaves become more frequent, their behaviour could change. Ticks do not like heat or dry conditions. They are the...
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 09:09:00 GMTGreens want Swiss minister to surrender environment portfolio
Green Party President Lisa Mazzone has called for Environment Minister Albert Rösti to be stripped of his portfolio for failing to protect the population from the heatwave. Under Rösti’s leadership, there have been setbacks in climate policy, the...
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:15:00 GMTChina is courting Swiss start-ups for their intellectual property
China is courting Swiss start-ups with offers that sound too good to be true such as interest-free funding, free office space for years on end, accelerator programmes and a business-friendly regulatory environment. But according to historian Ariane K...
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 07:05:46 GMTNestlé spins off its water business into a joint venture
The Swiss food giant is setting up a joint venture called Peranel with the US private equity firm Platinum Equity. It will be based in Paris. The deal values the business, which includes brands such as Perrier and San Pellegrino, at €4.9 billion eu...
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 06:40:32 GMTOpen drug use in Zurich city centre on the rise
After a summer increase in drug use in public spaces, Zurich has responded with more intensive police checks and social work initiatives. The Swiss city said there has been an increase in the number of people seen using drugs, particularly around the...
Thu, 23 Jul 2026 06:25:51 GMTSwiss man arrested in Thailand on suspicion of sexually abusing a minor
The authorities on the Thai island of Phuket have arrested a Swiss national. He is accused of luring a 14-year-old boy and sexually abusing him. The Swiss foreign ministry confirmed the arrest of a Swiss national in Thailand. The embassy in Bangkok i...
Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:12:00 GMTSwiss hotels report fourth consecutive monthly decline in overnight stays
In June 2026, the Swiss hotel industry recorded a decline in overnight stays for the fourth month running. This was once again due to a fall in the number of foreign guests. The number of overnight stays fell by 2.2% in June compared with the same mo...
Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:54:14 GMTZurich city council defends ‘toy-free’ kindergarten initiative
Zurich city council has defended the decision to eschew toys in kindergartens for several weeks. In the "Toy-Free Kindergarten" project, the children have access only to boxes, cloths, chairs, tables, ropes, planks and natural objects. All convention...
Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:10:00 GMTGeneva’s burkini ban in pools provisionally suspended
For the time being, bathers are still permitted to wear full-body swimwear and burkinis at public swimming pools in the canton of Geneva. The Geneva courts have provisionally suspended the ban. The Constitutional Chamber of the Geneva Court of Justic...
Wed, 22 Jul 2026 10:16:00 GMTRoman wall unearthed under Swiss city linked to Emperor Tiberius
The construction of the first Roman camp wall in Vindonissa (present day Windisch) is thought to have taken place during the early years of Emperor Tiberius’s reign. Tiberius was Roman Emperor from 14 to 37 AD. According to the Aargau Cantonal Arch...
Wed, 22 Jul 2026 09:14:00 GMTArtist Saype creates two new ephemeral frescoes on Swiss hilltops
For the fifth year running, the Franco-Swiss artist Saype has taken to the hills above Villars-sur-Ollon. He has created two new giant, temporary frescoes, painted on the grass using biodegradable paint. On arriving on July 8, Saype chose two sites w...
Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:15:00 GMTSwiss pharma firm Sandoz takes note of proposed US tariffs on generic drugs
Generic drugs giant Sandoz said on Wednesday that it had “taken note” of Washington’s announcements regarding new tariffs on this type of medication, adding that it was “still too early” to assess the implications. “At this stage, it is t...
Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:20:51 GMTDrownings in Swiss water bodies on the rise again
At least 15 people have died in swimming accidents over the past 30 days. This figure is higher than last year’s. Up to July 21, the number of deaths was higher than in 2024 and 2025, but still lower than in 2022 and 2023, according to a spokespers...
Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:24:09 GMTNestlé to close Hungarian factory at end of year
Swiss food manufacturer Nestlé plans to close a Hungarian factory specialising in the production of hollow chocolate figures, such as those sold at Christmas or Easter. This type of confectionery, which is also sold in Switzerland, will in future be...
Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:00:44 GMTSwiss conservationists want Basel zoo gorilla breeding to stop
The Fondation Franz Weber (FFW) nature conservation foundation is calling for an end to the gorilla breeding programme at Basel Zoo after two animal deaths. The foundation is also demanding that the zoo provide clarification on the circumstances that...
Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:41:34 GMTSwitzerland abstains from German-style alcohol ban at train stations
Swiss Federal Railways will continue selling alcohol at train stations despite a complete ban in Germany. Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s leading railway company, has imposed the ban to improve safety for passengers and staff. In Switzerland, the sale of ...
Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:06:12 GMTUNHCR set for Geneva Palais Wilson move following cuts
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is set to replace the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the Palais Wilson, an iconic landmark of ‘International Geneva’. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is movin...
Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:16:12 GMTHeadless woman found in Swiss field has been identified
The body of the person found without a head or limbs just over two weeks ago in a field in Switzerland has been identified. She was a 71-year-old woman who had been suffering from health problems and had been reported missing several weeks earlier. T...
Tue, 21 Jul 2026 10:12:28 GMTCyberattackers demand CHF10m from Swiss train maker Stadler
Cybercriminals have demanded a ransom of CHF10 million from Swiss rail equipment manufacturer Stadler Rail to return data stolen from one of its suppliers during a cyberattack. Stadler says its own IT systems were not compromised and production is co...