Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

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Swiss NGO urges Bern to raise its climate ambition as US walks away from accords

As Washington withdraws from major climate treaties and organisations, Swiss climate expert Delia Berner warns the move is a “bitter blow” to climate justice. Berner also criticises Switzerland’s delay on climate finance as “irresponsible” at a moment when global action is under strain. US President Donald Trump continues to rapidly reshape America’s climate and energy …

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Swiss solar rail project sharing know-how with France

Swiss solar energy start-up Sun-Ways has teamed up with French state-owned rail operator SNCF to partner in the world's first removable solar power plant installed on an active railway line. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox In April 2025, Sun-Ways installed solar panels between the tracks of a railway line near …

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Zurich plans hub for sustainable transport routes

The Swiss city of Zurich plans to become a hub for night trains and buses to encourage more environmentally-friendly travel through to Europe. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The proposal follows a study by the city of Zurich and Zurich Tourism. The latest climate protection report published by Zurich in …

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Audience figures remain stable at Swiss public broadcaster RTS

Swiss public broadcaster RTS saw its audience grow on digital channels last year. Viewing figures on traditional radio and television channels held up well. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The broadcaster said it is particularly pleased to be listened to by two out of three young people in French-speaking Switzerland. …

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Swiss bank Julius Bär posts lower profits

Swiss bank Julius Bär reported significantly lower profits in 2025 due to the high loan loss provisions recognised in the course of the year. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Assets under management increased thanks to strong equity markets and further inflows of new money. IFRS net profit totalled CHF764 million …

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Swiss politicians decide against monitoring assisted-suicide tourism

How many people travel to Switzerland to end their lives? Swiss politicians do not want a precise count. Parliament has rejected a proposal to introduce monitoring, even though the data is available. Assisted-suicide tourism in Switzerland draws criticism both at home and abroad. Domestically, the associated costs for the cantons are among the concerns, while …

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Swiss wine growers seek to limit European imports

Swiss vineyards are pushing for tighter limits on foreign wine as they struggle with falling consumption, foreign competition and questions over quality – a move that could unsettle EU producers, for whom Switzerland is a critical export market. Several producer groups and the Swiss farmers’ union want to restore a system tying an importer’s right …

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Swiss farmers hold greater sway than ever  

Important political decisions lie ahead for Swiss agriculture, and the farmers hold many trump cards. Rarely has their position been as strong as it is today, according to an analysis by Swissinfo's politics correspondent. Economics Minister Guy Parmelin is a winegrower. This year he also holds the rotating Swiss presidency, and he hopes to use …

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Cash for mouse tails: a dying Swiss tradition?

Got a rodent problem in your field? While paying pipers fell out of fashion a while ago, paying hunters – usually children – a small amount per tail remains an official strategy in some regions of Switzerland. “Catching mice pays off!” declared a recent campaign in the local newsletter for Tübach, a municipality on Lake … Continue...

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Going global: Weleda’s new CEO wants to put the cosmetics company on the map

In an exclusive interview with Swissinfo, Weleda CEO Tina Müller talks about the quiet revolution she has initiated at the Swiss cosmetics and healthcare company. When Tina Müller took the helm of Weleda in October 2023, she set out to modernise the century-old cosmetics and healthcare company. Among other strategic moves, she launched a premium …

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Swiss parliamentary committee blasts supervision of military tech firm

The Control Committee of the Swiss Senate has identified several shortcomings in the federal government's management of arms manufacturer RUAG MRO. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox It criticised the handling of a whistleblower report and late compliance requirements. + Switzerland eases arms export rules as industry shunned by Europe …

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Nestlé knew of tainted baby formula in November

Swiss food giant Nestlé first detected the toxin cereulide in infant formula at a factory in the Netherlands at the end of November. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox But it took several weeks before the company could identify the original source. "At the end of November 2025, we detected … Continue...

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Swiss central bank refutes US currency manipulation fears

Switzerland remains on the United States watch list of possible currency manipulators, according to the Treasury Department's latest report. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has again refuted US suspicions. "The SNB is not manipulating the Swiss franc," Switzerland's central bank said in a statement …

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Swiss retail chain Migros shutters physical book shops

The Swiss retail group Migros is closing all 15 physical branches of its bookselling brand Ex Libris by the end of the year. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The group's online book business will be gradually transferred to the digital platform Galaxus. This will affect 230 employees and job …

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Swiss Swatch group suffers huge profit slump

Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch suffered a near 90% slump in net profits last year as sales in Asia plunged, particularly in China. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The group reported net profits of CHF25 million, down from CHF219 million in 2024. + Chinese slump hits luxury watch industry Sales …

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From London to Lausanne: how Isomorphic Labs is rewriting drug discovery

Google DeepMind spin-off Isomorphic Labs is building an AI drug design engine that it believes can “solve” all diseases. We spoke to its Chief Technology Officer in Lausanne about Switzerland’s key role, AI hype, and what it will take to cure cancer. In 2013, Sergei Yakneen was on the fast track to a brilliant tech …

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March 8 vote poll: media licence fee initiative could go either way

On March 8, Switzerland will vote on four proposals. The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) survey conducted in mid-January points to a yes to individual taxation and the cash initiative. There is a stalemate on the SBC media licence fee initiative and the climate fund has little chance of success. It is a special challenge this …

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Switzerland demands unfettered metal trade with EU

Switzerland has repeated demands for an exemption from planned European Union metal trade restrictions. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox The EU plans to cut tariff-free steel import quotas by almost half. The extraordinary meeting of the Joint Committee on the free trade agreement between Switzerland and the European Union …

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High on a Swiss hill: the oldest playable organ in the world

Nearly 600 years old...and still playable! 🎶 ⁠ Built in the 1430s, the organ in Sion is considered the oldest functioning organ in the world. Thanks to careful preservation and modern protection techniques, it has survived over the centuries and continues to draw visitors from around the globe to canton Valais. ⁠ ⁠ Visit Swissinfo to read more about the history of this unique instrument. --- swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss...

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Seven new Swiss grape varieties make their debuts

Switzerland has bred seven new grape varieties that are resistant to the most important fungal diseases and have a high oenological quality. + Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Agroscope, the Swiss centre of excellence for agricultural research, presented the new varieties as the fruits of 17 years of breeding work. …

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