Switzerland News in English - Expat Guide to Switzerland

September 19, 2021

Many Swiss could prefer wider vaccine choice, survey finds

Some 72% of non-vaccinated people in Switzerland are holding out due to fears about mRNA technology, while 31% are “fundamentally” against the Covid-19 vaccination, according to a survey. The representative survey by research group Sotomo, reported in the SonntagsZeitung, was…

September 19, 2021

France denies cancelling meeting with Swiss president over jet snub

Paris denied Swiss media reports Sunday that a long-planned meeting between the countries’ presidents in Paris had been called off due to French anger about Bern’s decision to purchase US, not French, fighter jets. Two Swiss dailies, Le Matin Dimanche…

September 19, 2021

Critics of Swiss Covid policy continue to protest

Several thousand people gathered in Winterthur (northern Switzerland) on Saturday in opposition to the current measures to tackle the spread of the coronavirus. Several groups backed the demonstration, including the so-called “Freiheitstrychler”, who had also organised a protest in Bern on…

September 19, 2021

France calls off meeting with Swiss president over jet snub: media

A long-planned meeting between the Swiss president and his counterpart in Paris has been called off due to French anger about Bern’s decision to purchase US, not French, fighter jets, media reported Sunday. Two Swiss dailies, Le Matin Dimanche and…

September 19, 2021

Do athletes have to choose between university and stadium?

A third of the Swiss athletes who participated in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games were students or university graduates. Outside the stadium, they are “normal” students who have to juggle lectures and high-performance sports training. According to a new study,…

September 18, 2021

Giant Swiss artwork ‘unveiled’ at the United Nations

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis on Saturday inaugurated an 11,000 square metre fresco by Franco-Swiss artist Saype at the United Nations in New York. The artwork, “World in Progress II”, symbolises the desire to strengthen international solidarity, the foreign ministry said…

September 18, 2021

Unions contest pension reform plans with Bern demonstration

Thousands marched in Bern on Saturday against a proposed reforms of the Swiss old-age pension scheme, notably the plan to raise the retirement age for women from 64 to 65. The demonstration, which was authorised by Bern authorities, was attended…

September 18, 2021

Inquiry to look at possible leak of documents in Berset blackmail case

After more details of a blackmail case involving Interior Minister Alain Berset were revealed in the press this week, a special prosecutor is to investigate whether official documents were leaked. On Thursday, Weltwoche magazine published new details about the case…

September 18, 2021

Germany’s main political parties stay clear of nationwide referendums

As Germany heads for a general election, the country’s biggest political parties are turning their backs on direct democracy. Fringe parties are now the only ones still advocating for it. For this year’s general election, the call to introduce nationwide…