Tag Archives: Switzerland

According to study commissioned by Swiss Bishops’ Conference and conducted by University of Zurich researchers, 74% of abuse cases involve minors. The latest study revealed over 1,000 cases of sexual abuse by Swiss Catholic Church clergy and other employees, with 74% of such abuses involving minors, the University of Zurich …

On Friday, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs “strongly” condemned the attack on its embassy in Bern, the capital of Switzerland. The ministry denounced the “unprecedented attack carried out by unknown individuals who forcibly entered the embassy building, causing fear and panic among embassy staff and Iraqi citizens present for …

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned the Swiss Ambassador to Tehran Nadine Olivieri Lozano over her country’s interference in the internal affairs of the Islamic Republic. The Ministry said in a statement issued on Sunday that Ambassador Lozano had been summoned on the grounds that Switzerland had made “unconventional and …

A tourist plane crashed in a mountainous area of western Switzerland on Saturday, reportedly leaving several people dead. Regional police confirmed that a plane had crashed near Ponts-De-Martel in the Swiss canton of Neuchatel but did not immediately provide more details. According to media reports, several people died in the …

In one of Switzerland’s largest military exercises in more than three decades, soldiers rehearsed repelling a fictional enemy, tossed grenades and fired live munitions as they showcased the self-defense capabilities that define their “armed neutrality.” The drills, involving 4,000 troops and spread across four cantons over nine days, took place …

The Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein, discussed on Tuesday reopening the Swiss embassy in Baghdad with the Swiss Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ignazio Cassis, during a meeting held on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss city of Davos, according to a press statement issued …

While Finland and Sweden appear keen on membership, there is little public or political support for joining the alliance in historically neutral Switzerland. The security architecture on the European continent is changing dramatically as Russia extends its war on Ukraine. While Finland and Sweden are increasingly likely to join NATO, …

Neutral Switzerland has held up German arms deliveries to Ukraine by blocking the re-export of Swiss-made ammunition used in Marder infantry fighting vehicles that Kyiv would like to get, Swiss paper SonntagsZeitung reported. The news comes as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces growing criticism for his government’s failure to deliver …

The World Economic Forum (WEF) will defer its 2022 annual meeting from January to early summer, it said on Monday. The meeting, scheduled for Jan. 17-21 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, was postponed due to the “continued uncertainty over the Omicron outbreak.” “Current pandemic conditions make it extremely difficult to deliver a …

Thousands of protesters held a rally in Bern, rejecting the introduction of Covid certificates aimed to curb the spread of the virus. The rally remained peaceful, unlike earlier October protests. Massive crowds of people flooded Bern, the capital of Switzerland, this Saturday, expressing anger over the Covid-19 measures adopted by …

Government plans to make access to public spaces conditional on health checks have provoked more protest demonstrations in France, Switzerland, and Italy. Under the schemes, vaccination cards, or a recent negative Covid-19 test, are to be made obligatory for those wanting to visit cultural, sporting, and social events. Throughout France, …

Climate change has dramatically altered the Swiss Alp landscape — at a quicker pace than expected — as melting glaciers have created more than 1,000 new lakes across the mountains, a study published Monday showed. The inventory of Swiss Glacial lakes showed that almost 1,200 new lakes have formed in …

A Swiss court ordered the son of former leader Muammar Gaddafi’s oil minister to pay $1.5 million in a corruption case on Friday, a decision that his lawyer said he may appeal. The case involving Mohamed Ghanem, the CEO of a Bahrain-based Islamic investment bank and the son of Shokri …

Swiss voters rejected a trio of environmental proposals on Sunday, including a new law intended to help the country meet its goal for cutting carbon emissions under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. A new CO2 law was narrowly rejected, with 51.6% of voters opposing it in a nationwide referendum …

Swiss voters are casting ballots in a referendum on a proposed “carbon dioxide law” that would hike fees and taxes on fuels that produce greenhouse gases, as their Alpine country experiences an outsized impact from the fallout of climate change. The proposal would revise and strengthen an existing law that …

Switzerland could become the first European country to ban artificial pesticides in a June 13 referendum which backers of the initiative hope will trigger similar prohibitions elsewhere. Globally, only Bhutan has a complete ban on synthetic pesticides, according to supporters aiming to outlaw the use of products made by agrochemical …

The European Commission warned the decision will erode EU-Swiss relations. Switzerland on Wednesday canceled talks to salvage a long-delayed cooperation agreement with the EU, saying that it could not accept Brussels’ demands on issues like citizen’s rights and wages. “Taking into account [domestic] consultations and based on the results of …

The CIA’s role in the Crypto AG case makes clear that spies don’t need a way into messaging apps, but a secret bird’s-eye view from the word go. This is far more effective than any ‘backdoor’ foreign powers may have access to. On May 12, the head of Switzerland’s federal …

Three Spanish tourists have died and a fourth is missing after canyoning in a river gorge in northern Switzerland. The four men, who have not been identified, went missing in the Parlitobel Gorge in the canton of St. Gallen just before 1700 GMT on Wednesday. The accident was reminiscent of …

Switzerland’s borders with France, Germany, and Austria will reopen on 15 June, Swiss Federal Councillor Karin Keller Sutter announced on Wednesday. The councilor made her comments following a Federal Council meeting. The positive development of the coronavirus pandemic makes this possible. This decision was taken jointly with the interior ministers …