This week, Switzerland’s Federal Prosecutor requested that Credit Suisse be fined the maximum of CHF 5 million allowed under Swiss law for money laundering related to its dealings with a network of Bulgarian drug traffickers, reported RTS. The trial began two and a half weeks ago at the Switzerland’s Federal Penal Tribunal in Bellinzona. Two […]
Switzerland may be forced to leave Schengen warns Swiss minister
This week, Karin Keller-Sutter, Switzerland’s minister of police and justice, warned a gathering of EU ministers that Switzerland could be forced to leave the Schengen zone if a referendum scheduled for 15 May 2022 is successful, reported RTS. The Schengen zone, which now includes 28 states and allows passport-free movement across much of western Europe, […]
Switzerland remains in top 10 for lowest corruption
Switzerland was ranked tenth in the latest 2021 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) published by Transparency International this week. The index ranks 180 countries and territories around the world by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, with results ranging from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). This year’s index reveals that corruption levels are at […]
US diplomats in Geneva report suffering from Havana syndrome
Several US diplomats in Geneva appear to be victims of the Havana syndrome, according to RTS. The mysterious syndrome was first reported in Havana in Cuba in 2016 by US and Canadian embassy staff, but may have been occurring earlier. The symptoms include ear pain and ringing, nausea, disorientation, dizziness and cognitive difficulties. Brain scans […]
US court rejects Swiss Gruyere cheese challenge
In Switzerland, Gruyère is a cheese with a strict recipe originally produced in a region (with a town) of the same name in the Swiss canton of Fribourg. On 7 January 2022, a judge at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia affirmed a ruling by the U.S. Patent and Trademark […]
Switzerland wants to make it easier for some foreign students to stay
On 27 October 2021, the Federal Council put forward a plan to change the rules around foreign students working in Switzerland upon completing study at a Swiss university. The proposed rules would allow those graduating from Swiss universities with masters or doctorates in fields with a shortage of workers to work in Switzerland more easily. […]
US moves Switzerland to its highest Covid-19 risk level
On 30 August 2021, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised the travel advisory risk levels of seven nations, including Switzerland, from level 3 (Covid-19 high) to level 4 (Covid-19 very high), the highest level. The CDC and US state department advise people in the US to avoid travelling to Switzerland and […]
Almost all Swiss now out of Afghanistan
By 24 August 2021, all those working for the Swiss government and their close family members had either successfully left Afghanistan or made it to a secure part of the airport in Kabul, according to RTS. 15 Swiss citizens now remain in the country in addition to those at the airport. A total of 292 […]
Afghanistan — “We Tried to Tell You”
Afghanistan’s war has lasted over four decades and not 20 as is often claimed, notably since the US-led invasion of October 2001. Mort Rosenblum, who has covered Afghanistan since the early days of the Soviet occupation of the 1980s, explores the current US disaster and the crucial role of good reporting in getting people to […]
Preacher accused of racial discrimination by Swiss prosecutor
In a long running case dating back to 2017, a Swiss prosecutor has accused a Libyan preacher of racial discrimination and started legal proceedings against the man, reported SRF. It is alleged that the 68 year old Libyan gave a hate speech targeting Jews, Christians, Hindus, Russians and Shiites in a mosque in the town […]
