Europe Switzerland By planting exotic species from regions with drier climates in the small Canton Vaud, the country is trying to find out which trees will be able to guarantee forest functions in 50 or 100 years with warmer climates and drought
Europe Switzerland The Swiss government has released the value of 6,3 billion Swiss francs (€6,05 billion) worth of Russian assets frozen under sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine; the figure is down from around 7.5 billion francs worth of funds frozen on 7 April
Europe Switzerland The tourism sector in the first quarter of the year has recorded 8 million overnight stays in Swiss hotels, an increase of 55%, with foreign tourists up 187%
Europe Switzerland The 56th edition of the Montreux Jazz Festival, to be held from 1 to 16 July, will offer an exceptional programme, with many important musicians from totally different musical backgrounds and from all over the world
Europe Switzerland The Swiss army has decided to strengthen its cyber defence, with the government aiming to create the technical prerequisites for the digitisation of the troops by equipping them with modern ICT systems
Europe Switzerland Federal Statistical Office on 1 April published March inflation data, at +2.4% on March 2021, and consumer price index (CPI) at +0.6% year on year; it also made public the average salary figures for 2020: CHF 6.665 a month working full time
Europe Switzerland The Swiss are divided on the question of increasing the financial resources for the army; according to a recent poll, 45% believe there should be an increase, 41% are against and 8% would like to see a reduction
Europe Switzerland A Groupe Mutuel study reveals the shortcomings of hospital planning, concluding that more than 270 patients die each year in hospitals because they are treated by doctors who do not perform operations routinely enough to achieve an optimal result
Europe Switzerland After years of negotiations, discussions and postponements, Parliament gave the final approval to the Italo-Swiss agreement on the taxation of frontier workers; it is now up to Italy to sign the agreement
Europe Switzerland Swiss watch exports kept growing registering a +6,8 year on year in January, notwithstanding a drop in China market - the first since the beginning of the pandemic
Europe Switzerland The popular initiative for a ban on tobacco advertising appears to be heading towards approval by the Swiss people, according to the second poll ahead of today's vote
Europe Switzerland Start-up company Transmutex is developing a new type of nuclear reactor that uses thorium instead of uranium, which would allow plants to generate electricity more safely and without generating highly radioactive waste
Europe Switzerland In 2021, 92% of trains ran less than three minutes late, according to the Federal Railways, confirming the record punctuality of Swiss railways