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Swiss Info

Mon, 4 Jan 2021 08:18:00 GMT
Swiss authorities accused of dragging feet over Covid vaccinations
Switzerland has been criticised for its “hesitant” vaccine purchase strategy and slow vaccine rollout. “Switzerland has been playing too tactically and has only ordered from potential manufacturers a fraction of the vaccine it really needs,”...

Sun, 3 Jan 2021 17:24:00 GMT
South African Covid variant reported in southern Switzerland
Health officials in Italian-speaking Switzerland have reported their first case of the South African mutation of the coronavirus. Switzerland has documented at least three cases of the South African variant and ten cases of the variant from Britain, ...

Sun, 3 Jan 2021 14:38:00 GMT
OECD should focus on climate crisis and inequality, says Hildebrand
Former Swiss National Bank Chairman Philipp Hildebrand, who has been nominated to lead the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), says the Paris-based organisation can play a key role in the area of green investment. In his fi...

Sun, 3 Jan 2021 10:40:00 GMT
Swiss minister outlines initiative to stop violence against women
Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter has announced a new national initiative to better protect women against sexual and domestic violence. “I want a roadmap to prevent violence against women that shows where the federal government and the cantons ...

Sat, 2 Jan 2021 13:15:00 GMT
European chub named Fish of the Year
The European chub, or squalius cephalus, has been crowned Switzerland’s Fish of the Year for 2021. The Swiss Fishing Federation said on Saturday that it had chosen the freshwater fish species as “encouraging proof of the resilience of nature”....

Fri, 1 Jan 2021 12:39:00 GMT
Swiss president: ‘We must not give up’
After a difficult year dominated by the coronavirus pandemic, Switzerland’s new president, Guy Parmelin, has called for national unity to help overcome the many uncertainties ahead. “Our country, like so many others, has had a dark year. The hea...

Fri, 1 Jan 2021 10:24:00 GMT
Switzerland’s New Year's revelries muted by Covid-19
The Swiss said goodbye to 2020 in a quieter, more intimate fashion. Measures taken to contain the pandemic curtailed celebrations, with official events and fireworks cancelled and large gatherings banned. This New Year’s Eve was celebrated like no...

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 15:45:00 GMT
Government calls for swift decision on Crypto export licences
The Swiss government has instructed the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) to examine and approve the suspended export applications for encryption devices and modules in connection with the Crypto spying affair, provided the relevant requi...

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 11:00:00 GMT
Swiss government photo for 2021 emphasises cohesion
The Federal Council photo for 2021 shows the seven cabinet members and the Federal Chancellor as a unit. The parliament building in Bern can be seen in the background. “It is important to me that in these difficult times we take a new look at seem...

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 16:02:00 GMT
Ticino architect Luigi Snozzi dies
Luigi Snozzi, considered the leader of the so-called new Ticino school of architecture, has died aged 88 in Minusio, southern Switzerland. Snozzi died on Tuesday at the Casa Rea old people’s home in Minusio, according to Swiss public radio, RSI. T...

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 13:03:22 GMT
Swiss continue search for absconded British tourists
Swiss cantons are still trying to identify tourists from the UK and South Africa who are staying in their resorts or who fled to escape Covid quarantine. Canton Valais, home to many popular ski resorts such as Verbier and Zermatt, is struggling. At ...

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 11:58:51 GMT
Swiss government decides against further Covid restrictions
The government says the epidemiological situation in Switzerland remains worrying, but it believes the measures taken on December 18 are appropriate and do not need to be tightened. In a statement on Wednesday it said would continue to monitor devel...

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 10:26:42 GMT
Swiss Air Force finally on call around the clock
The Swiss Air Force will be on standby 24/7 from Thursday, when two F/A-18 fighter jets will be ready to take off, fully armed, within 15 minutes. The pilots spent nearly a month practising night-time aerial manoeuvres in Britain. Calls for greater ...

Tue, 29 Dec 2020 14:45:05 GMT
Covid taskforce: ‘Switzerland must get out of the risk zone’
The Swiss government’s Covid-19 scientific taskforce has called for an immediate reduction in the “sad” number of cases and for widespread testing of the population. “With 80 deaths a day, we rank seventh in the world. It is essential to get...

Tue, 29 Dec 2020 07:39:50 GMT
Swiss want more digital services from the state
Digitalisation is increasing pressure on state authorities, with almost three-quarters of Swiss expecting more digital services from the authorities, according to a survey by consultants Deloitte. Whether it’s paying parking fines or obtaining mot...

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 14:20:47 GMT
Swiss return $200m as part of Stanford fraud case
In one of the biggest fraud cases in recent US economic history, Switzerland is handing over around $200 million (CHF178 million) to the United States. The money is to be returned to the injured parties, the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) said in a...

Mon, 28 Dec 2020 10:11:46 GMT
Hundreds of British tourists flee Swiss quarantine ‘under cover of night’
Hundreds of “furious” tourists from the UK have absconded from obligatory quarantine in the Swiss resort of Verbier. They face fines of up to CHF10,000 ($11,280). “Hoteliers noticed that breakfast trays placed outside room doors had not been t...

Sun, 27 Dec 2020 15:50:00 GMT
Swiss president: Brexit agreement is “good news”
Incoming Swiss president Guy Parmelin has in principle welcomed the deal reached between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom. In Switzerland, attention will now turn to the country’s own negotiations on a framework agreement with Brussel...

Sun, 27 Dec 2020 11:44:00 GMT
European scientists call for continent-wide Covid approach
Several Swiss scientists have also signed the appeal calling for better European coordination to avoid pandemic efforts by some countries being undermined by others. To prevent “a ping-pong effect of importing and reimporting” Covid cases, an ef...

Sat, 26 Dec 2020 14:46:00 GMT
Novel Covid strain also identified in Switzerland
The first cases of patients with the new strain of coronavirus have been confirmed in Switzerland. According to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), the novel Covid-19 variant VOC-202012/01 has been identified in three samples. Two patients ...

Sat, 26 Dec 2020 12:55:58 GMT
‘We were too lax’ admits Swiss health minister on Covid-19
In an interview with Swiss public television, SRF, Health Minister Alain Berset has acknowledged that Switzerland made mistakes in managing the coronavirus outbreak. “We were too lax,” Berset said, pointing out that in the summer – after the f...

Fri, 25 Dec 2020 11:40:48 GMT
Swiss media see no real winner in Brexit deal
A day after Britain and the European Union announced a narrow trade deal, Swiss media remain sceptical about its impact. The accord will preserve Britain's zero-tariff and zero-quota access to the bloc's single market of 450 million consumers but wi...

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 17:10:40 GMT
Cantonal overview tries to clear up Covid confusion for tourists
Switzerland Tourism wants to help winter sports enthusiasts and other visitors with a nationwide overview of cantonal regulations. “Guests are confused. The lack of clarity is a major hurdle for planning holidays and excursions,” the organisatio...

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 14:27:13 GMT
Old people in Switzerland urged to get Covid jab
The Swiss Senior Citizens’ Council has appealed to all elderly citizens to get vaccinated, saying this would be an effective contribution to combating the pandemic and the associated health and economic crisis. The Seniors’ Council was very reli...

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 11:11:50 GMT
Covid: Sense of loss of control exacerbated mental illnesses
Two-thirds of mentally ill women and half of mentally ill men reported worsening symptoms during the first wave of Covid-19, according to a global study with the participation of the University of Zurich. The feeling of loss of control during the pa...

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 10:03:18 GMT
Switzerland and Italy sign new deal on taxing cross-border workers
Switzerland and Italy have signed a new agreement on the taxation of cross-border commuters and a protocol amending the double taxation agreement. The agreement settles a legal issue that had been unresolved for several years, said Foreign Minister I...

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 09:19:00 GMT
Stranded Brits and South Africans begin to return home for Christmas
Residents of Britain or South Africa currently in Switzerland will be able to return home from Thursday, subject to conditions. Flights between the countries were stopped on Sunday after reports of a fast-spreading new coronavirus strain. The same g...

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 13:44:00 GMT
First Covid-19 vaccinations take place in Switzerland
The first person in Switzerland, a 90-year-old woman, has been vaccinated against Covid-19. The landmark jab marks the start of a vaccination programme that will be rolled out across the country in the coming weeks. The Pfizer/BioNTech mRNA vaccine ...

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 11:33:00 GMT
Credit Suisse told to tighten money-laundering compliance by US
Switzerland’s Credit Suisse bank has been ordered to strengthen measures it uses to combat money-laundering offences in the United States. The bank has been given 90 days to present a credible plan to the US Federal Reserve and New York State Depa...

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 15:25:00 GMT
'Highly likely' that variant Covid virus has reached Switzerland, say officials
Some of the 10,000 British holidaymakers who travelled to Switzerland in the last week are almost certainly carrying the new Covid-19 variant, a government official said on Tuesday. Tanja Stadler, a member of the National Covid-19 Science Task Force...



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