Switzerland News

January 16, 2019

Swiss firms in record number of mergers and acquisitions

The number of merger and acquisition deals involving Swiss companies hit a record high in 2018, according to a report by consultancy firm KPMG. Activity peaked in a number of sectors including financial services, consumer markets, technology, media and telecommunications,…

January 16, 2019

Permafrost is warming worldwide, says new study

The temperature of permafrost has risen in the last ten years across the world, says a new international study with Swiss participation. Between 2007 and 2016, the average rise in permafrost temperature was 0.3 degrees Celsius, according to a comparative…

January 16, 2019

Flu cases hit official epidemic level

Flu season has hit Switzerland, with babies and children under five the most affected, according to latest figures from the Swiss Federal Office for Public Health (FOPH). In the second week of January, 144 doctors in the Sentinella tracking project…

January 16, 2019

Keeping slopes safe is risky work

What does it take to keep ski areas safe? Following the death on Monday of a snow patroller caught in an avalanche, Swiss Public Television, RTS, takes a closer look at the dangerous work. The 24-year-old Swiss victim and a colleague…

January 16, 2019

December clashes in west DR Congo killed some 900: UN

At least 890 people were killed during inter-communal clashes in four villages in western Democratic Republic of Congo over just three days last month, the United Nations said Wednesday. “It is crucial that this shocking violence be promptly, thoroughly investigated…

January 16, 2019

Government appoints new top finance diplomat

Daniela Stoffel has been appointed as new state secretary for international finance in the Swiss government. The 50-year-old Stoffel will lead the finance ministry unit and help defend Switzerland’s interests in international financial tax and monetary matters. She replaces Jörg Gasser…

January 16, 2019

Lapwing named Swiss Bird of the Year

The lapwing, which almost became extinct in Switzerland, has been voted Bird of the Year 2019 by nature conservation group BirdLife Switzerland. This colourful bird was almost extinct some 15 years ago. From some 1,000 breeding pairs in the 1970s,…

January 16, 2019

Weakened cooperation hampers efforts to tackle global risks

The inability to foster collective action to deal with urgent major crises has reached a critical level, according to the latest World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Risk Report. Worsening international relations are the main hindrances to tackling growing problems, including…

January 16, 2019

Iran must provide care to detainees on hunger strike: UN experts

UN human rights experts urged Iran on Wednesday to grant urgently needed medical attention to two detainees, including British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who launched a hunger strike over a lack of care. The six UN experts also appealed on behalf…