Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

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Parliament rejects blanket ban on tobacco ads

2021-09-23

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2021-09-23

The Swiss parliament has agreed new advertising and sponsorship regulations for tobacco products. However, the supporters of a total ban on tobacco advertising are unimpressed.

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Health expert recommends Covid certificates for Swiss ski lifts

2021-09-18

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2021-09-18

Lukas Engelberger, head of the association of cantonal health directors, has recommended making Covid certificates compulsory for riding on Swiss ski lifts, reported Le Nouvelliste.

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Number of vacant homes in Switzerland drops for first time in 12 years

2021-09-18

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2021-09-18

Finding a place to live in Switzerland is difficult. Home availability is low and prices are high. On 13 September 2021, the Federal Statistical Office published data showing a sharp drop in the number of vacant homes since 2020, a development that will make home hunting harder.

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Swiss won’t vote on arms export ban proposal

2021-09-17

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2021-09-17

Campaigners seeking a ban on Swiss arms exports have withdrawn their initiative that aimed to stop weapons exports to countries in conflict.

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Commodity giants race to clean up mineral supply chains amid green energy boom

2021-09-16

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2021-09-16

Electric car manufacturers and other green energy companies are trying to get a grip on their mineral supply chains. In doing so, they are bringing commodity traders out from the shadows.

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Corruption trackers flag increased global money laundering risks

2021-09-14

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2021-09-14

The global community is slipping in its efforts to tackle money laundering and terrorist finance, a Swiss corruption watchdog warned on Monday.

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Property sole inflationary concern for Swiss central bank

2021-09-13

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2021-09-13

The risk of a housing bubble has increased in the last three months, but the Swiss National Bank (SNB) is unconcerned about a general inflationary threat.

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‘Serious failings’ at online vaccination registry, says federal commissioner

2021-09-12

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2021-09-12

A federal investigator has found “serious” technical failures at voluntary vaccination registry mesvaccins.ch, which was closed in May following data security concerns.

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Swiss DLT stock exchange wins long-awaited license to operate

2021-09-11

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2021-09-11

A new Swiss stock exchange has been awarded a license to trade digital assets using distributed ledger technology (DLT).

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Using Swiss technology to store CO2 in Iceland

2021-09-10

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2021-09-10

The Swiss company Climeworks has just opened in Iceland the world’s largest plant for the capture and permanent storage of carbon dioxide from the air. This technology is deemed essential for combating global warming, yet it raises some questions.

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Swiss government extends use of Covid certificates from Monday

2021-09-09

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2021-09-09

On 8 September 2012, the Swiss government decided to extends the use of Covid certificates. From Monday 13 September 2021, a certificate will be required to enter bars, restaurants, museums, cinemas, theatres and pools, a system already operating in numerous countries, such as Italy.

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Unions demand financial reward for efforts during Covid crisis

2021-09-08

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2021-09-08

The Trade Union Federation has called for a blanket salary rise for all employees as the Swiss economy recovers from the Covid-19 crisis.

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A giant water battery in the Swiss Alps

2021-09-07

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The amount of electricity that can be stored thanks to the new pumped-storage and turbine power station in Nant de Drance, canton Valais, could charge more than 400,000 electric car batteries. Its director explains the role of this "water battery" for electricity supply and grid stabilisation in Switzerland and Europe. “The electric storage capacity of the reservoir surpasses that of 400,000 electric car batteries,” explains Alain...

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An alternative life of Swiss luxury

2021-08-31

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Thomas Brunschwig leads an unconventional life. He is a self-confessed outsider who has found his sustainable, spiritual paradise in a Bernese farmhouse filled with various Indian and Chinese instruments and sculptures – and four zebu cattle. The zebu produce neither milk nor meat. In fact he says the only useful thing they produce is dung, the fuel of fire in the Vedic religion. “Technically, if I calculate the income from selling dried cow pats,...

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Afghan women face an uncertain future

2021-08-27

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One of the big questions since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan is what will become of Afghan women. When the militant group last ruled the country, women and girls were barred from schools, universities and jobs, and had to veil from head to toe in public. The Swiss-based non-profit group Geneva Call has been active in Afghanistan for several years, trying to improve the protection of women in particular. Marie Lequin, Head of the Eurasia...

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Covid vaccinations in schools

2021-08-24

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Aargau is the first Swiss canton to offer mobile vaccination centres for older pupils on school grounds. The aim is to boost the vaccination rate among 16- to 19-year-olds in the canton, which currently stands at 43%, as well as to stem the number of coronavirus outbreaks in schools. More than 200 pupils tested positive for the virus in the first week of term. Schools in the northern canton were the first to go back after the summer holidays on...

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Sharp jump in Swiss Covid-19 intensive care patients

2021-08-20

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2021-08-20

The latest figures on Covid-19 patients in intensive care in Swiss hospitals show a steep rise in numbers.

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Big Swiss companies obliged to report on climate risks from 2024

2021-08-19

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2021-08-19

From 2024, large Swiss firms will be legally bound to report on their climate-related risks. The government has now published guidelines on which companies and which risks will be involved.

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Deepfake hunters

2021-08-17

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Deepfakes are often used in ads and films, for instance when actors play younger versions of their characters. However, the technology also offers high potential for misuse. A spin-off of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne is using AI and deep learning to create software to help specialists detect fraud. Artificial intelligence helps detect anomalies inside images. The software then marks any manipulated areas. Detectors are also...

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Can China help African cocoa producers outmanoeuvre Big Chocolate?

2021-08-17

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2021-08-17

In a bid to grab a bigger slice of the chocolate pie, cocoa-producing countries Ivory Coast and Ghana are turning to China for funding and a new marketplace. The move could pose a threat to the Swiss chocolate industry’s profit margins and its supply of raw materials. 

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