Switzerland is gradually showing greater acceptance of donating organs to other people after their deaths. Do you want to read our weekly top stories? Subscribe here. In 2022, the Swiss population voted in favour of a new system that presumes people consent to their organs being donated, unless they say otherwise. Despite delays in the expected implementation of the new law, the number of organ donors rose from 164 in 2022 to 200 last year. Dr Franz Immer, head of the organisation Swisstransplant... Читать дальше...
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of suspicious activity reports in 2023. The total of 11,876 – 47 per day – represents an increase of 56% compared to the previous year. This is according to the MROS Annual Report 2023, published this week. According to the report, suspicious activity reports rose by an average of 20%-30% annually over the past decade. This trend continued in 2023 – but the increase was “steeper than expected,” the organisation said. Читать дальше...
Authorities in canton Schaffhausen have released two teenagers who were arrested over Easter in connection to planned bomb attacks in Switzerland. The 15-year-old Swiss and 16-year-old Italian were sent to a closed institution where they will be assessed. The two young people are suspected of having supported the banned terrorist organisation Islamic State (IS), the Schaffhausen public prosecutor's office said on Thursday. The two are alleged to have helped plan explosives attacks in Switzerland. Читать дальше...
Sluggish economic activity is weighing on growth, with Swiss gross domestic product (GDP) set to increase by 1.1% in 2024, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) said on Thursday. Weak external demand, an erosion of households’ purchasing power due to inflation, and tighter financial conditions have dragged down growth, the OECD said in a report. The organisation expects inflation to rise temporarily towards the end of 2024, due to increases in rents and electricity prices... Читать дальше...
Mistakes were made by both the government and the internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business, the Federal Data Protection Commissioner (FDPIC) said on Wednesday. Three reports by the FDPIC said that neither the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) nor the Federal Office of Customs and Border Security (FOCBS) had clearly agreed with Xplain the conditions under which personal data could be stored on the latter’s servers as part of support services. In addition... Читать дальше...
The government on Wednesday announced new gender balance targets for the 2024-2027 period, particularly for women in high-ranking positions. For the 2020-2023 period, the government aimed for between 36% and 43% of women among civil servants in higher salary brackets, and between 27% and 32% of those on top salaries (of which there are around 800 senior executives). In the 2024-2027 targets, the government has raised these goals to 39%-44%, and 30%-35% respectively, it said on Wednesday. The Border... Читать дальше...
Last year, more racist incidents were reported in Switzerland than ever before. According to the Federal Commission against Racism, 327 of the 876 reported cases in 2023 were based on anti-Black racism. Are we doing enough to fight racism? Read on to find out more about this issue and join the debate on "dialogue". According to the most recent racism report compiled by the Federal Commission against Racism in collaboration with the organisation Human Rights and the Racism Advisory Network, 876 cases... Читать дальше...
In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million ($1.1 billion) in funding for research projects. A further CHF235 million of bridging funding was also provided due to the exclusion of Swiss researchers from the European Union’s (EU) Horizon funding programme. A total of 5,500 SNSF-funded research projects were underway at the end of 2023, the organisation said on Thursday. Around 21,000 researchers were involved in them, 39.7% of whom were women. + More: planned... Читать дальше...
While investments by foreign companies in Europe declined last year, significantly more was invested in Switzerland than in 2022. The number of foreign investment projects across Europe fell by 4%, while in Switzerland it increased by over 50% to 89 projects, consulting firm EY said on Thursday. The number of new jobs created by such foreign investments in the Alpine nation increased more than fivefold year-on-year to 1,781. In terms of the number of new investment projects in Europe, the country ranking is led by France and the UK... Читать дальше...
Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers. In Switzerland, 46% of adults plan to fly on holiday in 2024, while at least a third will travel by car and just under 15% by train. These were the findings of a representative survey published on Thursday by the online comparison service Comparis. The results of the survey of over 1,000 people, conducted in April, also showed a generational difference... Читать дальше...
Cheap, self-guiding mini-drones have become an integral part of modern warfare – thanks in part to Swiss software, public television, RTS, has revealed. Autonomous drones are becoming more and more commonplace. In future, they could be delivering the post or transporting life-saving medication and organs between hospitals. But they can also be used to wage war, and this is precisely what is happening with the technology developed by a company with roots in Zurich. High-tech, low price The origins of the Auterion firm go back to 2008... Читать дальше...
From April 2025, the Swiss government should be able to analyse data from mobile phones, computers and other data carriers to identify asylum seekers. Work is still required to develop an IT solution for such a step, to adapt processes at the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and to recruit and train staff, the government said on Wednesday. The changes to the Asylum Act as well as associated regulations are expected to come into force on April 1, 2025. According to information previously provided by the government... Читать дальше...
Getting farmers to switch to organic farming is hard. Could giving up pesticides while still being able to use synthetic fertilisers help them to make the transition? Three years ago, pesticides took centre stage in Swiss political discourse. Under the country’s direct democracy system, citizens had the opportunity to vote for a complete ban on the use of pesticides and make the Alpine nation a 100% organic-farming oasis. However, when the votes were counted in June 2021, the pesticide initiative failed to win a majority... Читать дальше...
