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Foreign affairs

Neutral Switzerland dips its toe in European military activities

Curious onlookers photograph an F-35 jet during a demonstration in Switzerland.

The Swiss government has decided to participate in military projects of the European Union. What does this mean for the country’s neutrality?

By Giannis Mavris

Foreign affairs

A majority of Swiss want closer ties to NATO – but with reservations

By Giannis Mavris

Foreign affairs

Explainer: Russia pushes Europe’s neutral states closer to NATO

By Giannis Mavris

Democracy

What is the future for neutrality?

By Bruno Kaufmann

Explainer: Why NATO is opening an office in Geneva

This content was published on Aug 30, 2024 NATO will open a liaison office in Geneva later this year, raising concerns about Swiss neutrality and the city’s reputation as the “capital of peace”. SWI swissinfo.ch explains what is at stake.

The Goesgen nuclear power station in northeastern Switzerland.

Could Switzerland build new nuclear power plants?

This content was published on Aug 30, 2024 The Swiss government wants to end a ban on the construction of new nuclear power plants to ensure all options are open for the country’s future energy mix.

Elected women from various parties in Basel celebrate their election results on 22 October 2023.

Switzerland’s new transparency rules fail to clarify party donations

This content was published on Aug 30, 2024 Switzerland has had new transparency rules for political financing for a year now, but newly published figures provide no clear answers on party donations – quite the opposite.

Switzerland Today

This content was published on Aug 30, 2024 Eurovision host, invasive plants, party finances, youth unemployment and dance therapy.

Online aggression seeps into Swiss local politics, study shows

This content was published on Aug 30, 2024 Threats and insults are far from exceptions in Swiss politics, even at the most fact-to-face local level – but physical attacks remain rare.

In the city of Bucharest, Romania, temperatures reached 42 °C this summer.

How to keep cities cool during heatwaves

This content was published on Aug 29, 2024 How can hot summers be made more tolerable for city-dwellers? SWI swissinfo.ch asked an expert at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich.

A CHF100 banknote lying in a cardboard coffin next to a lit candle

How a Swiss banknote’s life comes to an end

This content was published on Aug 28, 2024 A banknote’s life is not eternal. What happens when it’s time to retire?

Our highlights

The Swiss Connection, two hands are holding rubiccube

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Swiss Film Selection

SWI swissinfo.ch offers a selection of Swiss films in English chosen from the Swiss streaming platform Play Suisse.

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“Let’s Talk” is SWI swissinfo.ch’s format to discuss relevant topics with high-profile experts and political figures.

Special reports

Check out our long format stories on topics like the Swiss pharma industry, Switzerland’s struggles with dirty gold, and living in the Alps.

Switzerland: How To

How do you dispose of rubbish in Switzerland? What are the visa requirements? It’s all here.

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We’d love to hear what you think about what’s going on in the world. You can find all of our debate questions here.

SWISS extends Middle East flight suspensions

This content was published on Aug 19, 2024 Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has extended its suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Beirut, Lebanon, until August 26 due to the current tensions in the Middle East.

University of Bern replaces controversial Middle East department

This content was published on Aug 15, 2024 Former Middle East Institute was dissolved after controversial Hamas statements from lecturer.

SWISS prolongs suspension of flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv

This content was published on Aug 12, 2024 Swiss international airlines is extending the suspension of flights to and from Tel Aviv in Israel and Beirut in Lebanon until August 21.

In this image made from a video, people inspect the rubble at a school after being hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City Saturday, Aug. 10, 2024.

Swiss foreign ministry alarmed by Israeli airstrike on Gaza school

This content was published on Aug 11, 2024 The Swiss foreign ministry expressed deep concern on Saturday following an Israeli airstrike on a school in Gaza City.

Switzerland condemns Israeli minister’s starvation remarks

This content was published on Aug 8, 2024 Switzerland has criticised Bezalel Smotrich’s comment that starving the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip “might be justified and moral”.

Palestinian children who fled with their parents from their houses in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ein el-Hilweh, gather in the backyard of an UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) school, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, September 12, 2023.

UN investigates UNRWA staff involvement in October 7 Hamas attack

This content was published on Aug 6, 2024 Nine employees of the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) “may have been involved” in the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, according to the UN’s internal investigation. This involved 19 people accused by Israel.

Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern advises against travel to Israel and Iran

Swiss foreign ministry advises against travel to Israel and Iran

This content was published on Aug 3, 2024 The foreign ministry in Bern has advised against traveling to Israel and Iran.

Swiss suspends flights between Zurich and Tel Aviv

SWISS suspends Zurich-Tel Aviv flights amid Middle East tensions

This content was published on Aug 2, 2024 This is in response to recent developments in the Middle East.

Swiss foreign ministry wary of possible Middle East escalation

This content was published on Jul 31, 2024 A regional conflict must be prevented, said Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis on Wednesday. Swiss citizens have been advised to leave Lebanon.

SWISS suspends flights to Beirut

This content was published on Jul 29, 2024 Like the rest of the Lufthansa Group, SWISS is suspending flights to Beirut.

Mourners carry the coffins of some of the 12 children and teens killed in a rocket strike at a football pitch in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Sunday, July 28, 2024.

Switzerland condemns rocket attack on Golan Heights sports pitch

This content was published on Jul 28, 2024 The Swiss foreign ministry has condemned a rocket attack on a football pitch in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which resulted in the deaths of twelve children and young people.

Inside Geneva – medical help in war zones

This content was published on Jul 9, 2024 From war-torn Sudan to Somalia and, finally, Gaza, these are some of the places Chris Lockyear, Secretary General of MSF, has visited during his career.

Parliament committees approve Swiss UNRWA payment

This content was published on Jun 22, 2024 The foreign affairs committees of the Swiss parliament have backed – with conditions – a donation of CHF10 million ($11.2 million) to the embattled UN agency.

A light blue sign surrounded be trees. In big letters at the centre it says, ‘west bank field office’. IAt the top in smaller lettering it says United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), with ‘west bank’ in the bottom left and ‘Jerusalem’ bottom right.

Green light for Switzerland’s CHF10 million UNRWA contribution

This content was published on Jun 13, 2024 Switzerland is set to pay CHF10 million to UNRWA to cover the organisation’s most urgent needs in Gaza.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

‘Less impressive and less important’: Switzerland’s role as an intermediary in Iran

This content was published on Jun 10, 2024 Cyrus Schayegh, a professor of international history at the Geneva Graduate Institute, discusses Iran’s future foreign policy and why Switzerland’s role in the region could fade.

Bodycams: essential for good law enforcement, or a privacy risk?

Did you ever come across bodycams in your place of residence and if so, how do you think the use of bodycams alter the relationship between the public and (transport) police?

Join the discussion

Aug 20, 2024

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How a Swiss banknote’s life comes to an end

This content was published on Aug 28, 2024 A banknote’s life is not eternal. What happens when it’s time to retire?

Public asked how to recover dumped munitions in Swiss lakes

This content was published on Aug 15, 2024 Authorities have launched a public competition for the best ideas for safely removing old ammunition from Swiss lakes

Genetically engineered barley, using the CRISPR/Cas method.

Genetically engineered barley grown in a secured field in Zurich

This content was published on Aug 9, 2024 Swiss scientists use the new CRISPR method of genetic engineering to try to boost crop yield.

To induce death, individuals climb into the pod-looking chamber and press a button inside that releases nitrogen into the chamber. The individual dies as a result of nitrogen hypoxia, a method which the makers claim is not painful.

Assisted suicide for CHF18 ($20)?

This content was published on Jul 27, 2024 This would be an “egalitarian” death, says Fiona Stewart, a founding member of the organisation The Last Resort.

Swiss On shoes share the spotlight at Paris Olympics

This content was published on Jul 26, 2024 At the Paris Olympics, some of the best athletes will be wearing products made by the Swiss sportswear brand, On.

‘Security here, freedom there’ – insights from a US trucker festival in Switzerland

This content was published on Jul 25, 2024 Many attendees at the International Trucker & Country Festival in Interlaken yearn for the freedom associated with the US. An academic in a cowboy hat explains why.

What’s inside a comet?

This content was published on Jul 24, 2024 Watch how two Bern astrophysicists are hoping to dig beneath the surface of a comet to find out more about the origins of the solar system.

Swiss farms make space for beans and lentils

This content was published on Jul 22, 2024 Plant breeders, scientists and farmers in Zurich’s countryside try to make the case for legume cultivation.

Trump, Biden and hatred: how US polarisation affects Americans in Switzerland

This content was published on Jul 20, 2024 A Republican, Democrat and Independent living in Switzerland describe the emotional divide in US politics.

Decommissioned Bernese trams sent to Ukraine.

Swiss trams embark on a rare journey to Ukraine

This content was published on Jul 15, 2024 SWI swissinfo.ch speaks to the specialists preparing Swiss trams for transfer to Ukraine and to the Lviv public transport staff who will operate them.

How Swiss tourism bosses town deal with the effects of influencers

How Swiss tourism bosses deal with the effects of influencers

This content was published on Jul 12, 2024 Influencers tempt tourists to “must see” Swiss sites, sometimes sparking over-tourism. A Swiss tourism boss reveals how the industry deals with it.

The Swiss ‘have always crossed borders’

This content was published on Jul 12, 2024 Over the centuries, the Swiss have been tireless migrants, with successive waves spreading to every continent – for various reasons.

100 years of Swiss Abroad congresses

This content was published on Jul 10, 2024 A look back at 100 years of the Swiss Abroad Congress

Breaking protocol: Jojo Mayer and the machine

This content was published on Jun 27, 2024 He is one of the most influential drummers of recent decades, known both as a skilled technician and a visionary. Jojo Mayer talks to SWI swissinfo.ch about technology, tradition – and the future of music.

I spy: political snooping around International Geneva

This content was published on Jun 25, 2024 Geneva is fertile ground for spies in search of state secrets. We visited four places that have left their mark on the history of espionage.

External Content

Reuters International

This content was published on Sep 1, 2024 – 00:57

Norway’s Princess Martha Louise weds US spiritual guru

This content was published on Sep 1, 2024 – 00:51

Ukraine launches drones on Moscow, other regions, Russian officials say

This content was published on Sep 1, 2024 – 00:34

Dutch canal vaulting competition keeps centuries old tradition alive

This content was published on Sep 1, 2024 – 00:27

Israeli troops, Palestinian militants clash in West Bank after incidents near settlements

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 23:35

UK government promises new law in autumn to boost workers’ rights

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 23:35

Ukraine’s Zelenskiy presses US to greenlight deeper strikes into Russia

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 21:24

Motor Racing-Antonelli to replace Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 20:42

Cricket-More to come, says Root after setting England century record

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 19:41

Israeli bombardment kills dozens in Gaza as health officials prepare polio campaign

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 19:21

Crew member on Mike Lynch yacht tells of being thrown into water

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 17:52

Far-right AfD on track for its first win in eastern German state vote

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 17:31

Algeria authorised to join BRICS bloc

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 17:10

Russian bomb kills two, injures 10 in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, governor says

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 16:16

Soccer-Brighton end 10-man Arsenal’s winning start with 1-1 draw

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 15:44

China, Philippines accuse each other of ramming ships in South China Sea

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 15:26

Frustration deepens two years after UN report on China abuses

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 15:26

At least 6 dead in Japan as Typhoon Shanshan grinds on

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 15:24

‘I saw horrible things’: Burkina Faso massacre survivor describes bloodshed in trenches

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 15:24

Armenia’s nuclear power plant to resume work after lightning strike

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 15:18

Russia says five killed, 46 injured in Ukraine strike on Belgorod

Bloomberg Business

This content was published on Aug 31, 2024 – 22:00

US Jobs Data Will Help the Fed Gauge the Extent of Its Moderation

This content was published on Aug 30, 2024 – 23:06

S&P 500 Spikes in Last 10 Minutes of US Trading: Markets Wrap

This content was published on Aug 30, 2024 – 17:38

European Stocks Close at Record High on Cooling Inflation Data

This content was published on Aug 29, 2024 – 22:07

S&P 500 Rally Loses Steam, But Most US Stocks Gain: Markets Wrap

This content was published on Aug 29, 2024 – 18:29

Hedge Fund Fermat Says Returns Hit After Cat-Bond Selloff

This content was published on Aug 29, 2024 – 14:32

Swiss Asset Manager GAM to Expand US Team With Miami Office

This content was published on Aug 29, 2024 – 08:35

1MDB Fraudsters Convicted by Swiss Over $1.8 Billion Scam

This content was published on Aug 29, 2024 – 06:30

China’s 5% Growth Target Faces Rising Doubt as UBS Cuts Outlook

This content was published on Aug 29, 2024 – 00:11

Tech Hit in Late Hours as Nvidia Fails to Inspire: Markets Wrap

This content was published on Aug 28, 2024 – 15:38

Birkenstock Share Run-Up Leaves Little Room for Earnings Error

This content was published on Aug 28, 2024 – 14:36

Bezos-Led Funding Round Values Swiss Robot Maker at $100 Million

This content was published on Aug 27, 2024 – 23:13

Stocks Churn as Nvidia’s 1,000% Rally to Face Test: Markets Wrap

This content was published on Aug 27, 2024 – 17:33

Investors Brace for US Junk Debt’s Last Gasp Before Election

This content was published on Aug 27, 2024 – 12:01

Swiss Manufacturers See Sales Drop Amid Weak European Demand

This content was published on Aug 26, 2024 – 23:55

Nasdaq 100 Falls 1% as Nvidia Hit Before Earnings: Markets Wrap

This content was published on Aug 26, 2024 – 17:45

European Equity Rally Pauses With Light Volumes on UK Holiday

This content was published on Aug 26, 2024 – 16:19

WHO Seeks $135 Million as It Launches Global Mpox Response Plan

This content was published on Aug 24, 2024 – 10:04

Nestle Chairman Says CEO Change Was Prompted By Growth Concerns

This content was published on Aug 23, 2024 – 23:15

Stocks Rally as Powell ‘Locks In’ a September Cut: Markets Wrap

This content was published on Aug 23, 2024 – 14:53

Sudan Truce Talks Collapse, Aid Deliveries Stymied

Swiss government rebuffs ECHR climate ruling: next stop Strasbourg

This content was published on Aug 28, 2024 Five months after human rights judges took Switzerland to task, the government has hit back – Swiss policies are not inadequate, it says.

An Afghan girl, pupil of Wild Flower, doing homework

How distance learning keeps Afghan girls’ education hopes alive

This content was published on Aug 27, 2024 From Bangladesh to Switzerland, advocates backing online classes for women and girls in Afghanistan say states must step up pressure on the Taliban to restore the right to education.

The colors inside and outside the Villa reflect Le Corbusier's purist palette: blue, light gray, burnt amber, pink, green, and medium gray.

Villa Baizeau: The domino piece left by Le Corbusier in Tunisia

This content was published on Aug 27, 2024 In the 1930s, Le Corbusier’s Villa Baizeau in Tunisia marked a bold departure from traditional architecture, embodying a quest for freedom and unique beauty. Today, it houses Tunisia’s secret police.

Erich Biehle looks at sketches in his studio.

The final interview with Swiss textile designer Erich Biehle: ‘Paris was the world!’

This content was published on Aug 26, 2024 Swiss textile designer Erich Biehle died in June aged 83. Just before his death he spoke to SWI swissinfo.ch and reflected on his career and life.

What’s behind a CEO’s paycheck in Switzerland

This content was published on Aug 26, 2024 Top CEOs are not just paid a simple salary like ordinary employees. The number on their paycheck includes variables that can top their annual salary.

black-and-white photo of men's yodelling group

How centuries of Swiss emigrants left their mark on the US

This content was published on Aug 24, 2024 Over time, some 460,000 Swiss have started a new life in the United States – bringing traditions and culture across the Atlantic with them.

Debutantes are big winners at Locarno Film Festival

The big winner: Lithuanian director Saulė Bliuvaitė celebrates her Golden Leopard at Locarno's red carpet.

This content was published on Aug 18, 2024 Most awards went to young women, Lithuania stole the show and Swiss cinema awed critics.

Swiss seduction of US tourists pays off

This content was published on Aug 14, 2024 More and more Americans are taking holidays in Switzerland, much to the delight of the tourism industry, which has been targeting the US market for years.

Swiss bid Paris Olympics goodbye with ‘impressive’ display of artistic talent

This content was published on Aug 12, 2024 Swiss artists played key roles in the Olympic closing ceremony on Sunday night, as the country’s athletes headed home focused on a better medal haul in 2028.

Buried bombs: Swiss army vigilant about lake-dumped munitions

This content was published on Aug 10, 2024 Thousands of tonnes of old munitions lie deep in Switzerland’s Alpine lakes. Can they be fished back out again?

Lady with torch leads American invasion of Locarno Film Festival

This content was published on Aug 8, 2024 An interview with Ehsan Khoshbakht, who is curating a retrospective of Columbia Pictures classics from the 1930s to the late 1950s.

‘Puppets will continue to open doors to the imagination’

This content was published on Aug 4, 2024 The art of puppetry has recently adapted to new forms and technologies. A look at the evolution of this traditional art form.

Shining a light on Switzerland’s history of child labour

This content was published on Jul 30, 2024 Children were a main source of labour for Swiss families in the 19th and early 20th centuries. An exhibition examines an underexplored aspect of Swiss history.

In Focus

Swiss federal votes on September 22

Biodiversity and pensions are on the agenda for the federal votes on September 22.

Taiwan: a model democracy

Taiwan has developed into an exemplary democracy. This can be seen in schools as well as in election campaigns – despite or because of its precarious status.