Under public pressure Swiss food giant Nestlé announced it would pull certain brands in Russia. After fierce criticism from Ukrainian politicians and members of the public the firm said it would continue to sell essential foods while pulling popular brands such as KitKat and Nesquik. A growing number of western brands have suspended their operations […]
Switzerland falls in world happiness ranking
Since the World Happiness Report was first published in 2012, Switzerland has always been ranked near the top. In the 2015 report it was ranked first. The report takes a serious look at some hard-to-quantify but important measures of human wellbeing. It aims to shift the measurement of wellbeing beyond metrics such as wealth, the […]
Swiss neutrality: 5 things you ought to know
What exactly is Swiss neutrality? This article offers a brief history and summary of the laws, norms and characteristics of Swiss neutrality. How is Swiss neutrality defined? Broadly, it is defined in international laws (part V of The Hague Convention), which Switzerland has ratified, and by Switzerland itself based on its own internal policies. What […]
Russia’s war in Ukraine: lessons from Afghanistan
By Edward Girardet The Soviet Union’s war in Afghanistan led to the collapse of the USSR. There are lessons to be learned from the Kremlin’s nearly decade-long failure trying to combat the mujahideen in Afghanistan. Given Russia’s incompetent but brutal war in Ukraine, now being directed primarily at hapless civilians, plus an already collapsing economy […]
Switzerland’s army could be beaten in a few days, says expert
According to a military strategy expert at Zurich University Switzerland’s army is “archaic”, reported 20 Minutes. Speaking to the SonntagsZeitung, Albert Stahel, a professor of military strategy, said that faced with an attack like the one in Ukraine Switzerland would only be able to resist for a few days. The Swiss military would have no […]
Swiss exports reach all-time high
Data published on 17 March 2022 showed a 15.4% jump in Swiss exports in February 2022. The sharp rise in exports when combined with a 2.9% fall in imports led to a monthly trade balance of CHF 5.7 billion. This is the first time in history that Switzerland’s monthly trade balance has exceeded CHF 5 […]
Covid cases, hospitalisations and deaths up again in Switzerland
This week, 184,055 new Covid-19 cases were reported in Switzerland, up 8% from the 171,085 cases reported a week earlier. In addition, the reported number of Covid-19 patients hospitalised jumped. This week 563 were admitted, up 17% from 482 the week before. Reported deaths rose too from 42 last week to 55 this week. Some experts are concerned the […]
Extreme weather brings worst grape harvest in Switzerland since 1957
A report this week shows how extreme weather led to Switzerland’s worst grape harvest since 1957. Switzerland’s grape harvest last year produced only 61 million litres of wine, 36% below the 10-year average of 95 million litres. In the canton of Valais, Switzerland’s biggest producer, the harvest was half of what it normally is. Some […]
Chart of the week – Swiss wine by canton
Switzerland produces around 90 million litres of wine a year, placing it among the top 25 largest wine makers in the world. Other nations producing similar amounts of wine include Georgia, Ukraine and Japan. Switzerland has a long history of wine making and many of its own grape varieties. Müller-Thurgau, a well-known white wine grape […]
Swiss Covid debts could take 13 years to repay
Responding to the coronavirus is likely to have added between CHF 25 and 30 billion to Swiss federal borrowing, a sum that will only be known when the final calculation is made at the end of 2022. Paying this back is expected to take 11 to 13 years. The federal government said that repaying this […]
