Switzerland News in English - Expat Guide to Switzerland

February 18, 2019

Sports tribunal hears landmark gender case

An appeal hearing is underway at the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a landmark case with wide-reaching consequences for gender politics and science. The international three-judge panel in the city of Lausanne is considering an appeal by…

February 18, 2019

Greek anarchists attack Swiss embassy

A group of leftwing militants has staged a protest inside the Swiss embassy to Athens, calling for the release of a detained fellow protester in Switzerland. The Swiss foreign ministry confirmed Greek media reports about the incident on Monday. An embassy…

February 18, 2019

Swiss-Italian border patrols target illegal immigration

Switzerland and Italy have begun joint border patrols following a deal signed more than two years ago aimed at combatting illegal immigration between the two neighbouring countries. The Federal Tax Administration said on Monday that mixed patrols involving Swiss and…

February 18, 2019

Federal Court rejects opposition to Armenia genocide memorial

Switzerland’s highest court has rejected the opposition raised by several Genevans to a recently-unveiled monument commemorating the Armenian genocide in the city. The decision published by the Federal Court on Monday rejected claims by residents that the monument would lead…

February 18, 2019

The day Palestinian militants attacked Zurich Airport

Fifty years ago, an airplane about to take off from Zurich for Tel Aviv was attacked by four armed Palestinian militants. The dramatic events shocked the public and had a major impact on Swiss foreign policy. February 18, 1969: Zurich…

February 18, 2019

Swiss bank UBS faces French court ruling on fraud charges

A Paris court will rule Wednesday on whether Swiss banking giant UBS illegally tried to convince French clients to hide billions of euros in Switzerland, charges which prompted prosecutors to seek a record 3.7 billion-euro fine. The trial opened last…

February 18, 2019

Ministers make the case for tax and pension reform package

The Swiss government has launched its campaign in favour of the upcoming national vote on a reform of the corporate tax and pension systems. Ministers for the interior and finance, Alain Berset and Ueli Maurer, presented their case at a news…

February 18, 2019

Older jobless struggle to find work

The long-term unemployed have a tough time finding a new job, especially if they’re over 50. An estimated 100,000 people in Switzerland are jobless and no longer qualify for unemployment benefit, so they’re on welfare. According to newly-published figures from the…

February 18, 2019

Meet the woman who investigates domestic violence and political assassinations

What’s it like to be an expert investigator on international crimes? We talk to Laurence Boillat, a Swiss prosecutor who likes to get things done. Boillat, 48, invited me to meet her in her “pied à terre” in Lausanne, where…