by Julia Slater, in Lucerne, swissinfo.ch Concerns about both climate change and safe energy supply in the post-Fukushima world have given a new impulse to one of Switzerland’s specialities: hydroelectricity. About 900 experts in dams from all over the world converged on Lucerne this week for the annual symposium of […]
by Matthew Allen, swissinfo.ch The net is closing on football’s world governing body following corruption claims and bans meted out ahead of Wednesday’s presidential election, campaigners say. The latest fiasco has seen Mohamed bin Hammam suspended and forced to step down as the only challenger to incumbent President Joseph “Sepp” […]
by Matthew Allen, swissinfo.ch Manufacturers are shifting a greater share of investments out of Switzerland with the dollar in the doldrums and the euro plunging to record lows against the franc. Renewed fears that Greece might default on its debts has sparked a fresh wave of euro weakening while the […]
by Abdelhafidh Abdeleli, swissinfo.ch The protests and subsequent government crackdown are dividing opinion among Syrians watching events unfold from Switzerland. While some Syrians feel the protests are a consequence of the Arab Spring sweeping through North Africa, others say wider diplomatic forces are at work. Although all the Syrians who […]
Switzerland is the 16th most peaceful country in the world, according to the annual report from the Institute for Economics and Peace, a global non-profit research organisation. Iceland is apparently the most peaceful nation, followed by New Zealand, Japan, Denmark and the Czech Republic. The least peaceful nations are Somalia, […]
2010 to 2011 have seen a major series of crises which have affected ever increasing numbers of people. Demand for humanitarian assistance has reached an unprecedented level at a time when long term conflicts continue unabated. The challenge for the ICRC in the year ahead, will be to meet these […]
Swiss MPs and journalists are set to travel aboard a Swiss ship taking part in an aid convoy bound for the Gaza Strip at the end of June, it was reported on Tuesday. The ten-ship flotilla was organized by human rights activists. “The Swiss ship will set off in the […]
The Federal Health Office will launch its latest alcohol prevention campaign on Saturday, beginning a so-called dialogue week. There will be more than 260 different activities, including driving simulations, sport and working in a bar. They will take place at 620 locations across the country such as hospitals and libraries […]
The Swiss representative to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said a European may not be the best person for the vacant managing director’s position. René Weber is one of 24 IMF executive directors who will cast votes to decide the eventual replacement for former French managing director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, […]
The rightwing Swiss People’s Party says it will launch an anti-immigration campaign this election year. Party leaders on Monday said they wanted to re-introduce a quota system even though it would go against the Swiss-European Union free movement of people agreement. According to the proposal, it will be up to […]
Patients in Switzerland are among the most satisfied with hospital care, according to an international study. The survey compared 15 countries, 11 within Europe and four outside, and found that hospital staff were also generally happy with their working conditions. read more
ZURICH — Voters in Zurich overwhemingly rejected on Sunday proposed bans on assisted suicide and “suicide tourism” – foreigners travelling to Switzerland to receive help ending their lives. Only 15.5 percent of voters in the local referendum backed a ban on assisted suicide, while nearly 22 percent supported a ban […]
by Laureline Duvillard, swissinfo.ch Although women in Switzerland are making progress as judges, there are still very few female court lawyers. Long hours, the lack of part-time work and expectations that women will take up family rather than business law help explain the gap and why women in general don’t […]
Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga has rejected a request by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) to take in refugees trapped on the Libyan-Tunisian border. At a meeting in Brussels focussing on the influx of North African asylum seekers, Sommaruga said Switzerland had no more “capacity” and that the government did […]
The rapid rise in prices for food, fuel and commodities has been disastrous for the world’s poor, including Indonesian market vendor Lia Romi. But it’s a bonanza for multinational trading firms such as Glencore. While Romi has trouble feeding her family, Glencore – the world’s largest diversified commodities trader – […]
by Susan Vogel-Misicka, swissinfo.ch Egyptian billionaire Samih Sawiris wants to team up with a Swedish company to link and upgrade Switzerland’s Andermatt and Sedrun ski resorts. A letter of intent published on Wednesday shows that Andermatt Swiss Alps – a subsidiary of Sawiris’ Orascom Development – is joining forces with […]
by Ariane Gigon in Zurich, swissinfo.ch Voters in Zurich are being given mixed messages about whether to allow or prevent people from being able to decide how to end their own lives. The slogans are punchy and powerful: “Freedom at the end!” on one side against “Save life!” on the […]
by Eveline Kobler in Tunis, swissinfo.ch The Swiss ambassador to Israel says the democratisation process sweeping through the Arab world could pose a threat to Israeli security. Walter Haffner also tells swissinfo.ch that the agreement aimed at uniting the main Palestinian factions is a positive development. The interview was conducted […]
Defence Minister Ueli Maurer says there has been an increase in the recruitment of Muslims for militant training camps. In an interview with the SonntagsZeitung newspaper, Maurer said the government was aware of Swiss who went to these training camps, and others who visited Koran schools. He said the federal […]
by Sophie Douez, swissinfo.ch Under pressure from federal authorities to find housing for increasing numbers of asylum claimants, cantons are turning to emergency bunkers as a solution. The issue came to a head this week with police in Neuchâtel forced to intervene when members of a group of 31 claimants […]