On 9 June 2023, UBS closed a deal with the Swiss government to cover 9 billion francs of potential losses it could incur from its takeover of Credit Suisse Group, reported Bloomberg. The guarantee relates to a specific portfolio of Credit Suisse’s assets currently valued at CHF 44 billion, equivalent to roughly 3% of the […]
Swiss government sees need to regulate Nutri-score
This week, Switzerland’s Council of States decided the federal government should create a framework for the use of Nutri-Score to avoid some food producers being disadvantaged, reported SRF. Switzerland’s upper house is no doubt responding to complaints by Swiss cheese producers and fruit growers that the nutritional labelling system, which was developed in France, risks […]
Switzerland’s highest rail crossing train turns 50
On 3 June 2023, the Bernina Express turned 50. Launched as a tourist experience on 3 June 1973, the train runs between Chur, Switzerland and Tirano, Italy. The train link is the highest train crossing in the Alps and a portion of it forms part of Glacier Express journey, which links the Zermatt and St. […]
No money for refugee container accommodation in Switzerland
Some in Bern hatched a plan to build accommodation out of shipping containers to cope with the expected influx of refugees into Switzerland. However, this week, the Council of States, Switzerland’s upper house, rejected a funding request for the plan, reported SRF. The Council of States had already spoken out against the idea last week […]
Inflation returns to Switzerland in May
Data published by the Federal Statistical Office on 5 June 2023 shows inflation was 0.3% over the month of May 2023, an annualised rate of 3.6%. The 0.3% rise in prices in May follows zero inflation in April 2023. Across the 12 months up until the end of May, inflation was 2.3%, compared to 2.7% […]
Swiss aim to test a melanoma vaccine
An MRNA vaccine against certain kinds of melanoma will soon be tested in Switzerland, reported RTS on 7 June 2023. The vaccine, developed by Moderna, was recently shown to be effective against certain cases of melanoma. HUG hospital in Geneva is aiming to begin clinical trials on the vaccine in summer or autumn this year, […]
Overnight trains – 2023 to be a record year
Current demand for train travel now exceeds the level before the Covid pandemic, reported RTS. Demand for recently expanded overnight train travel has increased the most, reported RTS. Overnight train travel is possible between Switzerland and Hamburg, Berlin, Vienna, Budapest, Graz, Zagreb and Amsterdam, the most recent addition. Sleeper services to Barcelona and Rome are […]
Swiss politics: the growing youth gender divide
Since 2010, young men and women in Switzerland have moved apart politically at an accelerated pace, according to a Sotomo poll run on behalf of the newspaper NZZ am Sonntag, reported RTS. The study, which asked respondents to place themselves on a political scale between 0 and 10, with 0 being extreme left and 10 […]
Switzerland moves close to changing definition of rape
This week, after much political back and forth, Switzerland’s federal government moved close to updating the nation’s laws on sex crimes, including rape. While the need to update the definition of rape, which is central to the legal revision, is uncontested, the details of the changes have proved controversial. Broadly, much of the debate has […]
18 percent of Long Covid patients in Switzerland still sick after two years
A recently updated Swiss study shows up to 18% of those surveyed with Long Covid had not recovered even two years after infection. Most of those affected by Long Covid recover. However, the results of a study in the canton of Zurich published this week in the British Medical Journal concluded that up to 18% […]
