Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

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Switzerland to tax electric vehicles from 2024

Vehicles imported into Switzerland are subject to a 4% tax, with the exception of electric vehicles that attract none. This week, the government decided to end the exception from the beginning of next year.

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How the Swiss are helping to make Ukraine safer

Ukraine is littered with explosives, posing a physical and mental threat to the population. Since February 2022, the situation is said to have deteriorated drastically.The Swiss government has a new action plan for 2023-26 that will expand humanitarian mine action in Ukraine. About half of Swiss funds go to the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD), a leading centre of mine action expertise and knowledge. GICHD director...

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SNB-Vizepräsident Schlegel: «Die Lage an den Märkten ist relativ fragil»

Zeitweise über eine Billion Dollar hatten europäische Banken alleine in März an Marktwert verloren. Es war das Resultat einer gewaltigen Verunsicherung im Markt wegen des Endes der Silicon Valley Bank in den USA und dem Vertrauensverlust in die Credit Suisse. Der Quasi-Bank-Run bei der Schweizer Bank löste Panik vor einer neuen Finanzkrise aus. Seit der Notfallübernahme der Credit Suisse durch die UBS am Wochenende hat sich die Lage an den Märkten...

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Gender equality at the Chalandamarz in Zuoz, Switzerland

The Chalandamarz in Zuoz is very important. The spring custom was made world-famous thanks to Swiss children's book "Schellen-Ursli" (A Bell for Ursli), whose story is set on March 1st, the day when this traditional parade takes place. Ursli's adventures take place in the Engadine village of Guarda, in southeastern Switzerland, but the actual stronghold of the custom has been the village of Zuoz for many years. Here, the Chalandamarz has...

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Winter tourism in Kyrgyzstan | #shorts

Video journalist Julie Hunt talks about her latest documentary that she filmed in Kyrgyzstan. It's about a group of Swiss ski instructors helping to create new winter tourism jobs in a country where one in four people are out of work. Watch Julie's documentary here:  --- swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to provide a Swiss perspective on international...

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Why the Swiss are boosting winter tourism in Kyrgyzstan

Kayaking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing are just a few of the winter activities the Swiss are supporting in the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan. The goal is creating new jobs in a country where one in four are out of work. The programme, funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented by the Swiss NGO Helvetas, focuses on the northern mountainous region of Karakol. Local mountain guides, cultural guides and...

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Behind the scenes: Making an animation about the Swiss political system

At SWI swissinfo.ch we like to explore new ways of untangling Swiss politics for our audience abroad. Here video journalist Michele Andina uses stop motion animation to show how the federal parliament is set up. This October, Swiss voters will elect their political representatives for the next four-year term. --- swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to...

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Avalanche research in Switzerland

When and where the next avalanche will happen is hard to predict. In a special cold laboratory in Davos, researchers simulate the effects of wind on fresh snow to better understand the mechanisms that trigger avalanches. For centuries, avalanches have posed a threat to mountain farmers and their livestock. With the development of winter tourism, roads, railways and hydropower plants, the interest in avalanche research and protective measures has...

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How Swiss voters elect their parliament

In October, Swiss voters elect their political representatives for the next four-year term. Parliament is made up of two chambers to balance the interests of the different cantons (political regions): the House of Representatives and the Senate. For a law to pass, it must win approval in both chambers separately. They also meet for joint sessions, notably to elect the members of the Swiss government and the courts. The Swiss political system has...

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How to stop the commoditisation of container shipping

Don’t feel bad if MSC, the Mediterranean Shipping Company, is the biggest ocean-going carrier you have never heard of. It is meant to be that way. Its founder, Gianluigi Aponte, is a publicity-shy Italian billionaire, based in Switzerland, a country with no maritime borders and a culture of secrecy as deep as the ocean.

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Chinese companies choose Switzerland over US and UK to raise money overseas

Chinese companies are flocking to Switzerland to raise capital after being discouraged from listing in the US by geopolitical tensions and in Britain by tougher audit standards.

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Swiss help transform Kyrgyzstan’s ski industry

Just like in alpine Switzerland, there is also a ski industry in the high mountains of Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia, and it’s getting some help from the Swiss. Eight years ago, a dedicated ski instructor from the eastern Swiss canton of Graubünden started a winter tourism project in Kyrgyzstan to create jobs in the cold season. Edda Hergarten took fellow instructors with her to teach the Kyrgyz people how to ski. Now about 40 of them are instructors...

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Former top Credit Suisse shareholder Harris Associates sells out of bank

One of Credit Suisse’s longest-standing shareholders has sold its entire stake in the scandal-hit Swiss bank after losing patience with its strategy amid persistent losses and a client exodus.

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Creating peace in Ukraine: live podcast discussion

In a special live recording of the Inside Geneva podcast, host Imogen Foulkes was joined by experts in conflict resolution to discuss what a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine might look like, and to find out what makes a successful, sustainable peace. Why do some peace negotiations take years? Why do few succeed and why do so many fail? This episode brought together: Katia Papagianni, Director of Policy and Mediation Support at the Centre for...

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Swiss banks accused of hiding data behind secrecy laws

Swiss banking secrecy used to be the bane of foreign countries trying to catch tax cheats. Now it’s the turn of Swiss journalists and historians to cry foul of laws that can hinder their work.

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Switzerland sees surge in numbers of foreign workers

The number of new foreign workers moving to Switzerland on long-term contracts increased by a quarter last year compared to 2021, according to official statistics.

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Hefty fines against Swiss pharma giants lifted

An appeals court in France has overturned a record fine imposed by the French competition authority against the Swiss pharmaceutical companies Novartis and Roche.

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Glencore sees earnings reach new highs in 2022

Profits at Swiss mining and trading group Glencore last year were boosted by the explosion in commodity prices. Thanks to a more than threefold increase in net profit, the Zug-based giant wants to double its shareholders’ remuneration, in particular through a share buyback.

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Swiss government plans to strengthen ties with Asia-Pacific region

The Swiss government has for the first time adopted a regional strategy for the Asia-Pacific region for the period 2023-2026. The move takes into account the growing importance of the southeast Asia region and complements the government's China strategy, according to a government statement published on Wednesday.

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Six numbers that show why Credit Suisse has little leeway

Disappointing results leave no more room for accidents as the bank carries out restructuring. It has been a year since Axel Lehmann took over as chair of accident-prone Credit Suisse and about half that since Ulrich Körner became chief executive. But they have yet to stem the problems at Switzerland’s second-biggest bank, caused by a succession of historic scandals and mismanaged risk – from the blow-up of the Archegos family office to the...

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