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swissmissl.bsky.social
Swiss facts, Swiss things, with a fun twist Subscribe to my Substack for more: https://swissmissl.substack.com/
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At the Social Democratic Party conference in Brig, co-presidents Mattea Meyer & Cรฉdric Wermuth didn't hold back: the right-wing populist wave threatens democracy, and Switzerland isn't immune. Meyer: "Trump & his tech bros are flooding social media with fake news & hate." #SocialDemocracy #Europe

Markus Ritter from St. Gallen and Martin Pfister from Zug have officially been nominated by the Center Party to succeed Defense Minister Viola Amherd! ๐Ÿ›๏ธ After weeks of speculation, the two-man ticket is now a reality, with the official proposal set for March 12. Of course, not everyone's on board.

Switzerland's seven-member Federal Council might soon be locked into their full four-year terms! ๐Ÿ”’ The House of Representatives' political institutions committee backs a plan to stop mid-term resignations โ€“ except in extraordinary cases. Why the change? ๐Ÿค” Early exits often serve partisan tactics.

Following a radiology technicians' strike in Fribourg, doctors, vets, dentists & chiropractors, rallied outside Swiss Parliament in Bern today, demanding better working conditions! ๐Ÿฅ๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€โš•๏ธ๐Ÿถ They warned: "Good medical care for people & animal in Switzerland is under threat." ๐Ÿ˜จ #SwissHealthCare

The Swiss Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) has been cleared of any wrongdoing in their pension calculations! ๐Ÿง An investigation found that the figures showing inflated pension prospects weren't due to errors by employees. #SwissPensions #FSIO #PensionReform #InvestigationUpdate

Mountains, chocolate, andโ€ฆ corruption? ๐Ÿฅ€ 141 reports of abuse in the Swiss Catholic Church โš–๏ธ Parents of a jihadist convicted of financial terrorism โ„๏ธ Swiss ski bosses cleared of illegally excavating a glacier ๐Ÿ’ฐ Big Oil bribery case Read the full stories here swissmissl.substack.com/p/swiss-scan...

Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court just handed a 24-month suspended sentence to the former CFo of Gunvor, the global oil trading giant. His crime? Bribing foreign officials in Congo-Brazzaville to the tune of $35M โ€“ all to secure lucrative crude oil deals. ๐Ÿ’ฐโ›ฝ #Guvor #OilTrading #Bribery

If the past few weeks have taught us anything, it's that global health is at a crossroads. ๐ŸŒ๐Ÿ’Š โšก WHO in crisis ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ท Argentina says adiรณs ๐Ÿ’Š Swiss pharma under pressure ๐Ÿ“‰ Novartis vs generics Stay ahead of the chaos ๐Ÿ‘‰ swissmissl.substack.com/p/health-pol...

Switzerland is facing critical medicine shortages, with hundreds of essential drugs currently unavailable. To tackle this, the Swiss government wants to take charge โ€“ rather than leaving it to cantons and the private sector. A final proposal is expected by summer. ๐ŸŒฟ๐Ÿ’‰ #Healthcare #MedicineShortage

๐Ÿš€ Switzerland never stands still โ€“ and neither should you! Swiss business and diplomacy are in overdrive. ๐Ÿ’ผ๐ŸŒ ๐Ÿ”น Geneva's cross-border boom ๐Ÿ”น Mercosur-EFTA: a deal on the clock ๐Ÿ”น Trump & Swiss pharma ๐Ÿ”น Glencore's wild ride Stay ahead of the curve swissmissl.substack.com/p/swiss-moves #Switzerland

The Swiss commodities giant Glencore slid into the red with a $1.6B loss in 2024 despite rising sales ($231B vs $218B in 2023). The downturn mainly came from lower coal prices, and their adjusted operating profit dropped from $10.4B to $6.9B. ๐Ÿ’ธ #Glencore #BusinessNews #Mining #Commodities #Economy

Switzerland's Senate is gearing up for a big decision: should the country immediately halt payments to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)? A Senate committee just gave the green light to a motion pushing for the suspension. ๐Ÿ—ณ๏ธ #UNRWA #MiddleEast #HumanitarianAid

Switzerland has 2M sqm of empty office space โ€“ enough to house 43k people, the size of Fribourg! Yet, with apartment vacancy rates below 1% in cities like Zurich, Lausanne, and Geneva, these spaces remain largely unused. ๐Ÿ โŒ Why? Converting offices into housing is legally complex and expensive.

๐Ÿ“‰ Switzerland saw an 8.2% drop in asylum applications in 2024, down to 27,740 cases. ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ซ Afghanistan remains the top country of origin for asylum-seekers, with 8,627 applications โ€“ 3,300 of which came from people already holding residence permits due to a change in policy for Afghan women. #SEM

Four defendants, including Swiss ski boss Franz Julen, have been acquitted of illegally excavating an Italian glacier for the Zermatt-Cervinia Ski World Cup. The judge ruled that "the fact does not exist" โ€“ which is a legal way of saying "nothing to see here, folks." ๐Ÿ”๏ธโ„๏ธ #SkiWorldCup #ClimateIrony

Swiss artist Jean Tinguely would have turned 100 this May, and Fribourg is throwing a celebration as lively and unconventional as his kinetic sculptures! Expect movement, noise, music, chaos, and conviviality โ€“ just the way he liked it. ๐Ÿ“… June 15 โžก๏ธ a folk festival full of joyful mayhem #Fribourg

Swiss soprano Edith Mathis, a luminous interpreter of Mozart, has passed away at 87. ๐ŸŒฟ Her artistry graced the world's greatest stages, from the Met to Covent Garden, and her voice lives on in dozens of recordings. Beyond the stage, she shaped the next generation of singers, including Diana Damrau.

Starting today, Val de Bagnes (Canton Valais) is getting a temporary cable car to replace the bridge that was washed away in last summer's storms. ๐ŸŒง๏ธ The new 500m-long cable car links Champsec and Sarreyer in just 5min โ€“ a massive time-saver compared to the 26min detour via an upgraded forest road. โณ

Nearly 130k children and young people took part in winter sports camps across Switzerland in 2024 โ€“ the highest number in 20 years! โœจ Participation has been steadily climbing, with a big jump from 112k in 2023. This long-standing tradition is thriving once again.

Did you know the world's first fully qualified female professor was basically a rule-breaker from the start? ๐Ÿ’ก๐Ÿ“š Anna Tumarkin (1875-1951) had to fudge her age just to get into the University of Bern at 17. She became the first woman ever to hold a professorship with full rights at a co-ed university

Surrealism lovers, rejoice! For the first time EVER, a stunning selection of works from the legendary Hersaint Collection is on display at @fondationbeyeler.bsky.social! ๐ŸŽญโœจ The Key of Dreams unlocks a dreamworld of 50+ masterpieces by Max Ernst, Salvador Dalรญ, Renรฉ Magritte & more. #Surrealism

Numbers don't lie โ€“ but they might get a little quieter in Switzerland. The Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) has announced a savings program to balance its budget after CHF7.4M ($8.2M) in cuts for 2024-5. With an annual budget of CHF180M, that's a notable trim. #Switzerland #Statistics

At the Munich Security Conference, President Karin Keller-Sutter saw echoes of the WEF in Davos โ€“ uncertainty over US foreign policy was in the air. ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ VP JD Vance's speech focused more on criticizing Europe (particularly Germany) than addressing Ukraine. ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฆ Keller-Sutter wasn't surprised. #MSC2025

A parliamentary committee has voted in favor of easing restrictions on cannabis for adults. ๐Ÿš€ Currently, non-medical cannabis is totally banned, forcing consumers to rely on the black market. But lawmakers say that's not a sustainable solution. Their plan? A strictly regulated, non-profit market.

Two colossal tunnel boring machines have kicked off the excavation for the second corridor of Switzerland's Gotthard road tunnel. ๐Ÿšœโœจ Transport Minister Albert Rรถsti called it a "milestone" for the country's most crucial north-south link. #GotthardTunnel #SwissInnovation #Infrastructure

So sad to hear of the passing of Zurich-born director Richard Dindo at 80. Known for his provocative documentaries, his 1976 film "The Execution of the Traitor to the Fatherland Ernst S." remains one of his most impactful works. With this film, Dindo challenged Switzerland's self-image. #SwissCinema

A gang of thieves stormed the Werthanor factory in Le Locle yesterday, making off with precious metals of unknown value. The robbers forced employees to hand over goods, even injuring one worker. ๐Ÿ˜จ Swiss and French police are on the hunt after tracking a suspect vehicle across the border.

Zurich-born (but also Italian ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น) author Fleur Jaeggy, 85, just won the Grand Prix for Swiss Literature 2025! ๐ŸŽ‰ Known for her profound, unsentimental prose, Jaeggy adds this to her long list of accolades โ€“ including last year's Gottfried Keller Prize. #SwissLiterature #FleurJaeggy

Swiss retailer Migros is shaking up the travel industry by selling most of Hotelplan Group to German tour operator Dertour! Meanwhile, holiday rental specialist Interhome has been snapped up by Berlin-based Hometogo for CHF150M (+potential future payments up to CHF85M). ๐Ÿ’ฐ

Tibetans & Uyghurs in Switzerland are facing pressure from Beijing, with some even pushed to spy on their own communities. ๐Ÿ“ธ Surveillance, intimidation & transnational repression โ€“ right in the heart of Europe. Officials are considering new measures to counter foreign interference. #HumanRights

It's been a rollercoaster in Swiss politics! ๐Ÿ”ด Viola Amherd says goodbye ๐Ÿ’ฐ Zurich lawmakers? Reality check ๐ŸŒ Climate action vote ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ EU treaties Grab your coffee โ˜• and dive into the latest swissmissl.substack.com/p/swiss-poli... #SwissPolitics #DefenseDrama #ZurichVotes #ClimateDebate #EUDebate

The majority of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives has ruled that Switzerland's treaties with the European Union won't be subject to a mandatory referendum. ๐Ÿ—ณ๏ธ Why? Well, they argue the constitutional requirements aren't met for these agreements. #SwissPolitics #EU