Switzerland News in English - Expat Guide to Switzerland

January 25, 2022

Sole candidate Tedros set to remain World Health chief

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is all but guaranteed a second term after a procedural vote on Tuesday made him the sole nominee for a leadership election in May. The first African leader of the UN health agency…

January 25, 2022

US urges more transparency before WHO budget boost

The United States called Tuesday for more transparency around the WHO’s finances before any sweeping funding reforms requested to strengthen the agency leading the global battle against Covid. The World Health Organization and a large number of member states have…

January 25, 2022

Swiss ‘Crypto Valley’ boasts 14 ‘unicorns’

Switzerland’s blockchain industry says it includes 14 companies with a valuation over $1 billion (CHF912 million). Worldwide there are about 900 ‘unicorns’ – privately held start-up companies valued over $1 billion – most of them in China, the United States,…

January 25, 2022

What can a 19th century battle teach us about war and humanitarianism?

Some humanitarians believe that the Geneva Conventions are not keeping up with developments in warfare. Way back in 2009 I visited Solferino in Italy. The site of a huge battle, in June 1859, between Napoleon III and King Victor Emmanuel II…

January 25, 2022

Good times back for Swatch as it returns to profit

Swatch bounced back into profit last year, with China and the US leading the recovery even if sales still remain below pre-pandemic levels, the Swiss watch giant said Tuesday. The company, which includes luxury brands Omega, Tissot and Longines along…

January 25, 2022

Businesses push for immediate lifting of Covid restrictions

The Swiss government is facing renewed calls for the immediate suspension of its anti-Covid measures, notably the work-from-home and quarantine rules. However, health experts and scientists have dismissed the proposals as counter-productive and premature. An alliance of business groups and right-of-centre…

January 25, 2022

Tedros nominated as sole candidate to remain at WHO helm

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is all but guaranteed a second term after a procedural vote Tuesday made him the sole nominee ahead of a leadership election in May. The first African leader of the UN health agency…

January 25, 2022

Scandal-plagued Credit Suisse warns profits to take hit

Credit Suisse warned Tuesday that litigation would hit fourth-quarter profits while its investment bank faces a loss, in the latest blow to the scandal-plagued financial giant. The announcement comes just a week after Credit Suisse chairman Antonio Horta-Osorio resigned for…

January 25, 2022

Krishnamurti: the philosopher and his Swiss gatherings

For 25 summers, a sleepy Swiss mountain village attracted thousands of visitors eager to listen to the charismatic thinker Jiddu Krishnamurti. It’s 1975. Oil prices are going through the roof, the Vietnam War finally is ending, and Jaws is creating…