An international eye on Swiss news collated by NuseReal
Tourism events in Switzerland —
News events in Switzerland — swissinfo — (LINK)
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Proton threatens to quit Switzerland over new surveillance law: "We would be less confidential than Google" — If passed, new rules would require VPNs and messaging apps to identify and retain users' data: "The only country in Europe with a roughly equivalent law is Russia" (LINK) 13 May 2025.
Geneva hosts Switzerland's largest marathon: record 25,428 participants across various race formats, including 5,512 marathon runners (LINK) 11 May 2025.
Swiss parliament chooses compromise on individual taxation (LINK) 10 May 2025.
— Under the proposal, each taxpayer would be assessed independently, a shift that supporters say will reduce disincentives to work, especially for second earners in dual-income households. Critics, however, argue it risks penalising traditional family models.
Switzerland to give CHF39 million ($47 million) to three UN organizations: Unicef, UN Women, UN Population Fund (UNFPA) (LINK) 8 May 2025.
— The contributions are in addition to the CHF282 million recently approved by the government for other UN organizations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The contributions set an example for International Geneva, said the foreign ministry. The funds will be charged to the commitment credit for financing international cooperation from 2025 to 2028.
Switzerland unveils a national drought-detection system (LINK) 8 May 2025.
Vatican conclave: Why the guards who protect the conclave are wearing those crazy uniforms: the Vatican Swiss Guards (LINK) 8 May 2025.
CERN detects lead atoms turning into gold (LINK) 8 May 2025.
— Lead is made of 82 protons and around 126 neutrons at its core. Gold instead has 79 protons, just three fewer than lead. Removing three protons from each lead atom is what is needed to make this transmutation. The ALICE experiment of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) looks at what happens when heavy ions smash together. Mostly, it is to understand the quark-gluon plasma that existed in the first moments after the Big Bang. But smashing lead ions together can break those atoms into more commonly recognizable forms, such as the conversion of lead to gold.
Top US officials will meet with Chinese delegation in Switzerland at weekend in first major talks of trade war (LINK) 7 May 2025.
World's richest 10% caused two-thirds of global heating since 1990, study calculates (LINK) 7 May 2025.
— "We link the carbon footprints of the wealthiest individuals directly to real-world climate impacts," lead author Sarah Schoengart, a scientist at ETH Zurich, told AFP. "It's a shift from carbon accounting toward climate accountability." Emissions from the wealthiest 10 percent in China and the United States — which together account for nearly half of global carbon pollution — each led to a two-to-threefold rise in heat extremes.
Geneva's Tunnel des Nations is seeing far less use than anticipated, with just 11,000 vehicles passing through daily, well below the 17,600 projected in its 2016 building permit. The 1.2-kilometre route opened after a CHF 171m investment by the canton (LINK) 7 May 2025.
UBS will pay $511 million to end Credit Suisse US $4bn tax probe into how it helped rich Americans evade taxes even after pledging to stop the practice a decade ago. (LINK) 6 May 2025.
Pensioner in Fricktal, Aargau, must pay CHF 14K for book after doorstep visit: a lower court had initially sided with claim he never agreed, citing unclear contract terms. But Aargau's Higher Court has overturned the ruling, saying his behaviour implied tacit agreement. The man said he only paid to avoid stress (LINK) 6 May 2025.
Swiss pensioner in court for feeding neighbour's cat: accused of systematically feeding her neighbour's cat "Leo" — a criminal offence in Switzerland — so that the cat no longer wanted to go home. (LINK) 6 May 2025.
Ancient Roman infant burials uncovered under Switzerland housing project near Basel: other finds include a 2,000-year-old road, homes, and a bronze panther (LINK) 6 May 2025.
A jogger in Bern has been fined nearly CHF 7,000 after spitting on the sign outside the Russian Embassy: guilty of insulting a foreign national emblem. Security personnel monitoring the area tried to stop him. He was eventually detained nearby (LINK) 5 May 2025.
The Swiss summer bucket list: 15 magnificent places travel experts can't stop raving about (LINK) — 2 May 2025.
Swissinfo: Nearly 500 UN staff demonstrate against budget cuts in Geneva (LINK) — 2 May 2025.
Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions (28 April to 9 May 2025), Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG): theme of the meetings and the high-level segment will be "Make visible the invisible: sound management of chemicals and wastes" (LINK) 5 May 2025.
Over 70 Ministers gathered for the high-level segment held on 30 April and 1 May — (LINK)
— Katrin Schneeberger, State Secretary Federal Office of Environment, Switzerland: "We must also acknowledge that multilateralism is facing challenges. Geopolitical tensions and financial crises can at times weaken our ability to act collectively. That is why this conference — and this high-level segment in particular — are also valuable opportunities to reinforce international dialogue, a space where exchange and trust prevail."
January-April 2025
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