The week in Switzerland

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­ 20/09/2025 - View in browser ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ The week in Switzerland ­ ­ Dear Swiss Abroad, Is Swiss bank UBS not only “too big to fail” but also “too big to stay”? Speculation is rife that it’s going to move to the United States.   This week’s news round-up also includes a parliamentary vote on importing fur, why security measures for embassies in Bern have skyrocketed, and an introduction to some of the new members on the Council of the Swiss Abroad. ­ ­ Thomas Stephens ­ Journalist ­ ­ ­ Time to say goodbye to Switzerland? UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti. Keystone / Michael Buholzer ­ ­ Is UBS waving goodbye to Switzerland and moving to the United States? The bank has “no other realistic option but to leave” to protect its competitiveness, reckons one investor. It’s “not viable” to run a large international bank from Switzerland due to new strict capital proposals, said Europe’s largest activist investor Cevian Capital, which holds about 1.4% of UBS’s shares. “The message from the Federal Council is clear: UBS is too big for Switzerland,” Cevian’s co-founder Lars Förberg told the Financial Times on Thursday. “UBS is the largest wealth manager outside the US, with low risk. Any country would want such a bank.” The comments come as UBS is attempting to convince Swiss politicians to scale back proposed stricter capital adequacy requirements, which could cost UBS up to CHF26 billion ($33 billion) and which the bank has called extreme and disproportionate. However, on Monday the Senate rejected a motion that sought to delay the introduction of these requirements. Citing anonymous sources, the New York Post reported last weekend that a UBS delegation led by Chair Colm Kelleher and CEO Sergio Ermotti had recently met Trump administration officials. The discussions were allegedly about a possible transfer of the bank’s headquarters from Zurich to the US, in return for a takeover of or merger with a local institution. When questioned by the AWP news agency, UBS would neither confirm nor deny the meeting nor its intention to move across the Atlantic. For her part, Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter has said it’s not up to the government to determine the location of UBS’s head office, adding that the threat of a departure was “not new”. ­ More information on this topic: Swiss banking giant UBS eyes move to the US to avoid pesky new regulations – New York Post   UBS allegedly considering moving headquarters to the US – news report via Swissinfo   Activist Cevian says capital plans make Swiss HQ ‘not viable’ for UBS – Financial Times (paywall) ­ Enlightenment in the federal parliament on Monday. Keystone / Peter Schneider ­ ­ The import of and trade in furs produced in a cruel manner should be banned in Switzerland, says the House of Representatives. On Wednesday it clearly backed the corresponding amendments to the Animal Welfare Act. Parliament is reacting to a popular initiative which is calling for a ban on the import of fur products whose production violates Swiss law. Animal welfare organisations estimate that 350 tonnes of fur – from 1.5 million animals – are imported into Switzerland every year. Many of these furs come from breeding farms in China, where the animals are kept and killed using cruel methods. While the House of Representatives agreed that such products should no longer be imported into Switzerland, most parliamentarians, together with the government, felt that a popular initiative – amending the constitution – was the wrong approach. Instead, new laws are to be created with an indirect counterproposal: fur imports should be possible only in exceptional cases. The initiative and counterproposal now go to the Senate. The initiative committee has already announced that it will withdraw the petition if parliament adopts an effective counterproposal. ­ More information on this topic: Coverage of the animal welfare debate – SRF (German), NZZ (German, paywall) and La Liberté (French)   Live ticker of Swiss parliament – SRF (German) ­ The well-guarded US embassy in Bern. Keystone / Peter Schneidr ­ ­ Security measures for embassies in Bern have shot up over the past ten years. The Swiss capital is feeling the consequences of global political crises, and the police admit the situation is challenging. In 2015 the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) recorded 120 “security measures for foreign diplomatic representations”; by 2024 this figure had risen to 580, Blick reported on Monday. Last year alone, the number rose by around a third. Bern, with its dense embassy presence, and Geneva, where numerous international organisations are based, are particularly affected. “Planning and staff deployment are challenging at times,” the Bern cantonal police told Blick, explaining that the workload for embassy security had steadily increased in recent years and they were “working at full capacity”. Fedpol doesn’t give details about specific countries or operational measures for security reasons, but “police circles” told Blick that the embassies of Russia and Ukraine as well as those of Israel and Arab states were in the spotlight. Also the US embassy is always heavily protected. “It’s no exaggeration to say that it’s better guarded than the federal parliament,” a police officer told Blick. The increasing threat situation shows that Switzerland is not immune to the effects of global conflicts despite its neutrality, the Berner Zeitung wrote. “Embassy protection in Bern is becoming a visible mirror of global political tensions.” ­ More information on this topic: ‘US embassy is better guarded than parliament’ – Blick (German)   Protective measures for embassies drastically tightened – Berner Zeitung (German)   Why is Bern the capital city of Switzerland? – Swissinfo archives ­ Who are the new members on the Council of the Swiss Abroad? Swissinfo ­ ­ Who are the new members on the Council of the Swiss Abroad and what do they want to achieve in their roles as delegates? The Council, which comprises 120 delegates from Swiss communities abroad and 20 from within Switzerland, began its new term of office at the end of August. Get to know the newly elected members – there are 71 new faces – with our new video series. “We’re certainly not a real parliament,” said Filippo Lombardi, president of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), as he welcomed the delegates last month. “But the Council of the Swiss Abroad is our organisation’s most representative and most important body.” The Council is charged with voicing the concerns of the Swiss expatriate community and defending its interests before the authorities and the public. “Our power is limited, as are our resources,” Lombardi admitted. “But our members are essential ambassadors in their countries of residence.” ­ More information on this topic: New delegates want to foster stronger diaspora participation – Swissinfo   New start for the Council of the Swiss Abroad – Swissinfo ­ Throwing confetti during last year’s Neuchâtel Grape Harvest Festival. Keystone / Jean-Christophe Bott ­ ­ The week ahead On Tuesday UBS publishes its Global Real Estate Bubble Index 2025, an analysis of residential property prices in various major cities around the world, including in Switzerland. The curtain goes up on Thursday for the 21st Zurich Film Festival. Russell Crowe will receive a lifetime achievement award. Friday will see people raising a glass to the 98th Neuchâtel Grape Harvest Festival (Fête des vendanges). The three-day open-air party is one of the largest wine festivals in Europe. On Sunday the Swiss go to the polls to vote on two federal issues (and various local ones): the introduction of electronic ID and the abolition of the imputed rental value tax. Edited by Samuel Jaberg/ac ­ ­ Picture of the week ­ Keystone / Anthony Anex ­ Road builders in action at the SwissSkills 2025 championships in Bern on Wednesday. At the world’s largest vocational training show, visitors can be inspired by 150 different apprenticeships. ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Read the briefing in the SWIplus app - and much more! ­ The most important information and news from Switzerland - all in one place. ­ ­ Read more ­ ­

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­ 27/09/2025 - View in browser ­

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ The week in Switzerland ­

­ Dear Swiss Abroad, A lot of news came out of New York this week, specifically the UN General Assembly, where Switzerland warned against the spread of “autocratic tendencies” and US President Donald Trump claimed many European countries, including “beautiful Switzerland”, were being destroyed by illegal immigration and were “going to hell”.   Heaven, however – at least for dogs – is the open-air pool at Opfikon on the last day of the summer season… ­ ­ Thomas Stephens ­ Journalist ­ ­ ­ Internally displaced Palestinians look for a safe area following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on September 19. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER ­ ­ The time has not yet come for the Swiss government to officially recognise Palestine, according to Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis. On Monday several countries, including France and the UK, recognised the state of Palestine at the opening of the 80th UN General Assembly in New York. “Every state that has decided for or against a recognition of Palestine has naturally invented its own narrative to justify its choice,” Cassis told Swiss public radio, RSI, on Wednesday. “Switzerland remains consistent with its position, which is to recognise Palestine because it wants a two-state solution – but when there is a road map, a clear map for peace, where the two states can exist and live in peace with each other,” he said in New York. Asked whether he feared a disconnect between Swiss public opinion, which is outraged by the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and the government’s perceived inaction on recognising Palestinian sovereignty, Cassis responded that the government was “far from inactive”. He maintained that Switzerland was “doing more than the vast majority of other countries in the world” in humanitarian and diplomatic terms. “So there’s a narrative in Switzerland that in my opinion doesn’t reflect reality.” Cassis told Swiss public television, RTS, that recognising Palestine was a “symbolic and political act that can give hope”. However, he believed it was “better to keep this leverage available for when the time comes, when a peace plan is on the table, so that we can provide a major incentive,” he said. “If Switzerland wants to be useful to the world, the best solution is the one that the government has chosen.” Read our explainer on why Switzerland doesn’t recognise Palestine. ­

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Ignazio Cassis speaking to RTS and RSI (French, Italian)   News report of Cassis’s comments via Swissinfo   Swiss politicians from left to right call for the government to play a more active role in Gaza – Neue Zürcher Zeitung (German, paywall)   Switzerland prepares to take in 20 Palestinian children for medical treatment – Tribune de Genève (French, paywall) ­ Karin Keller-Sutter speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday. EPA/KENA BETANCUR ­ ­ Karin Keller-Sutter, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, has warned against autocratic tendencies and has called for multilateralism to be upheld. In her speech at the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Keller-Sutter said that 80 years after the end of the Second World War and the founding of the United Nations the world was experiencing an era of extreme political and economic upheaval. Autocratic tendencies were on the rise in many places in the world, including Europe, and free trade was being put to the test, she said. “International law, including the UN Charter, was in danger of becoming obsolete,” she warned. International organisations and the UN were indispensable for peaceful coexistence and economic prosperity, she said. In this context, Keller-Sutter advocated Geneva as the first operational centre of the United Nations. The international institutions there had great expertise in numerous areas that were crucial for the future, she said. “Illusion-free and constructive – in other words, very Swiss” was the headline of Swiss public broadcaster SRF about Keller-Sutter’s speech. Powerful states were increasingly turning their backs on the UN, its principles and rules, it said. “For Switzerland, on the other hand, the UN remains relevant. This was demonstrated by the Swiss president’s appearance in New York.” ­

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Coverage of Keller-Sutter’s speech in New York – SRF and RTS (German, French)   Further coverage of Keller-Sutter’s speech – Le Temps (French) ­ Donald Trump speaking at the UN on Tuesday. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved ­ ­ In his speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump claimed many European countries, including Switzerland, were being destroyed by illegal immigration. “In Switzerland – beautiful Switzerland – 72% of the people in prisons are from outside Switzerland,” he said. “When your prisons are filled with so-called asylum-seekers who repaid kindness […] with crime, it’s time to end the failed experiment of open borders. You have to end it now. I’m really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell.” The fact-checkers immediately got to work. “Many of his statements were exaggerated, one-sided or simply false,” concluded Blue News, although it conceded that Trump “surprisingly has a point with Switzerland”. “The figure is essentially correct,” Blue News wrote in its fact-check. “According to the Federal Statistical Office, the proportion of prisoners without a Swiss passport is around 72%. However, these statistics include all people without Swiss citizenship – from asylum-seekers and temporarily admitted persons to EU citizens residing in Switzerland. It is important to note that pre-trial detainees and persons in preventive detention are also included. In addition, the high figure is explained by factors such as the risk of absconding or a lack of social ties in Switzerland, which are assumed to be more common among non-Swiss nationals. The figure is correct, but misleading without context.” Read our explainer on why most of Switzerland’s prisoners are not Swiss. ­

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Clip of Trump’s comments on Switzerland – Blick   Coverage of Trump’s speech at the UN – SRF (German)   Federal Statistical Office figures for prisoner nationality as of March 2025 (German)   Fact-check of Trump’s claims at UN – Blue News ­ Okuma (on springboard) loves the water. Her family takes her to Opfikon every year. (SRF/Katrin Oller) ­ ­ If you go down to the outdoor pool in Opfikon on the last day of the summer season, you’re sure of a big surprise: hundreds of dogs diving into the water, going down slides and generally having the time of their lives. On “dog day”, canines and their owners are allowed into the pool for free. The water has been freed from chlorine especially for the dogs, says operations manager Peter Pfluger, whose idea it was to let the dogs into the pool just outside Zurich. Sunday was the fourth time the event has taken place. “Last year around 600 dogs came, this time there should be up to 800,” he told Swiss public broadcaster, SRF. The dogs are allowed to do anything, Pfluger says. “The owners are very considerate and clean up anything that might be left lying around.” There has never been any aggressive behaviour, he says. At the end of the day Pfluger and his team have their work cut out: as soon as the water has been drained from the pools, the dogs’ hair is collected. “There’s quite a lot of it,” Pfluger admits. “Enough for a cushion.” But he says the effort is worth it – seeing the dogs’ joy gives him a lot of pleasure. That’s why the “dog swim” in Opfikon is set to take place again next year – and in more than 20 other swimming centres throughout Switzerland. ­

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Best photos from dog day at the Opfikon outdoor pool – SRF (German)   More photos from the Tages-Anzeiger (German)   Video of dog day at Opfikon from 2023 – TeleZüri (German) ­ A Jawa at last year’s HeroFest. Keystone / Peter Klaunzer ­ ­ The week ahead Data on glacier melt in 2025 will be announced on Wednesday. Swissair was grounded 24 years ago on Thursday. Do you remember where you were when you heard? The gaming and pop culture trade fair HeroFest opens at the BERNEXPO venue on Friday and runs until Sunday. Saturday night is Award Night at the Zurich Film Festival. Tickets will be available from 11am on Thursday. Edited by Samuel Jaberg ­ ­ Picture of the week ­ Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle ­ Swiss parliamentarian Christoph Riner rests his leg after a knee operation, during the autumn session of parliament on Tuesday. (Keystone/Alessandro della Valle) ­

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­ 04/10/2025 - View in browser ­

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ The week in Switzerland ­

­ Dear Swiss Abroad, This week thousands of students took to the streets to protest against higher tuition fees. The vote on the e-ID was extremely close, and the airline SWISS is under pressure to deliver more profit.   Best wishes from Bern, ­ ­ Christian Raaflaub ­ Journalist, editor ­ ­ ­ Thousands of students protested in front of the Federal Palace in Bern on Wednesday. Keystone / Peter Klaunzer ­ ­ Switzerland saw protests this week by students opposing the planned doubling of tuition fees and major cost-cutting measures in the education sector. They warned of a threat to equal opportunities and to Switzerland’s role as a research hub. On Wednesday more than 2,000 students demonstrated in Bern and other cities against the government’s 27th financial aid package, which includes sharp tuition fee hikes and cuts to research funding. The Association of Swiss Student Organisations submitted a petition with 37,361 signatures to the Federal Chancellery. The consequences of the measures are considered serious: longer study periods, more part-time jobs, delayed entry into the labour market, weaker international cooperation and reduced innovative capacity. Up to 700 research projects and 2,000 jobs are also at risk, according to the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Students and researchers are calling for a fairly funded university system that remains open and affordable. Protests in Zurich, Lausanne and Basel highlighted widespread rejection of the measures, which are seen as an attack on the future of education and research in Switzerland. ­

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The article from SRF News   The Tages-Anzeiger was on site in Bern on Wednesday with a live ticker   The article from RTS Info   The article from RSI Info ­ A pilot test with electronic learner's licences is currently underway in canton Neuchâtel. Keystone / Cyril Zingaro ­ ­ Sunday’s vote on the electronic identity (e-ID) was extremely close, with 50.4% in favour. The result reflects deep-seated fears about state control and data security. As my colleague Balz Rigendinger notes in his analysis, conservative and rural voters were especially sceptical, their mobilisation driven partly by the vote, also on Sunday, on abolishing the imputed rental value. They mistrust digital government tools and fear interference in daily life. The new e-ID law differs from the 2021 proposal in that data must remain with the state. Yet scepticism persists, with concerns that e-ID will gradually be required in more areas. Many also mistrust artificial intelligence, perceived as opaque and dominated by large corporations, fuelling fears of data misuse. A third of Swiss people struggle with digital technologies. Although the e-ID is voluntary, social pressure to adopt it could rise. Authorities now face the task of building trust and promoting digital inclusion to avoid deepening the divide between “digital illiterates” and users. ­

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Balz Rigendinger's voting analysis Our colleague Sara Ibrahim analysed how AI influenced the vote on e-ID in Switzerland How did the Swiss Abroad vote? Here are the facts about the vote ­ The two towers of the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche dominate the Basel skyline. KEYSTONE/Georgios Kefalas ­ ­ The unpredictability of US policy was on display this week with the sudden threat – and then suspension – of tariffs on pharmaceuticals. Last week US President Donald Trump announced that from October 1, imports of patented medicines into the United States would face a 100% surcharge. The industry reacted with alarm. Now, however, the German Press Agency reports the tariffs will not be applied. No specific reasons were given for the withdrawal. Swiss firms Roche and Novartis had already announced multibillion-franc investment programmes in the United States to avoid such punitive measures. Meanwhile, Pfizer reached an agreement with Washington on cheaper medicines, sparking a surge in pharmaceutical share prices on Thursday. ­

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The Tages-Anzeiger is following the back-and-forth over the US punitive tariffs with a live ticker   The agency report at Cash ­ The extent to which SWISS crews will be affected by the measures is still unclear. KEYSTONE/Laurent Gillieron ­ ­ Despite strong results, Lufthansa is demanding heavy cost-cutting from its subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) to boost group profits. The airline is expected to deliver hundreds of millions of francs in additional earnings, with consequences for staff and operations. SWISS is expected to contribute at least CHF160 million ($200 million) more per year. A less conservative estimate suggests the figure could double, the Tages-Anzeiger reported on Thursday. Lufthansa’s management sees potential savings at SWISS in high costs and expensive labour contracts. Despite this, SWISS posted the group’s best margin in 2024, with a profit of just under CHF700 million. Yet rising fees, costly maintenance and new contracts are increasing pressure. The group is rolling out efficiency programmes and job cuts in Germany, while Swiss-specific measures are pending. One step already underway is transferring about 70 flight attendants from SWISS to sister airline Edelweiss, which needs staff. The group is moving towards a division of labour, with smaller subsidiaries handling short-haul routes while the main brands focus on long-haul flights. ­

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The article in the Tages-Anzeiger (paywall)   Blick has summarised the news ­ The 'Säulirennen' (piglet racing) is a central tradition at the St Gallen OLMA, as is the OLMA bratwurst. Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller ­ ­ The week ahead It’s that time of year: Nobel Prize week. From Monday to Friday, one prize will be announced daily around lunchtime: physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace. The economics prize will follow next Monday. On Monday the Gault-Millau gastronomy guide will be published, including the “chefs of the year”. Thursday marks the opening of the 82nd OLMA, Switzerland’s largest public fair devoted to food and agriculture. Don’t miss the Säulirennen (piglet racing)! Finally, on Friday Swiss Eurovision winner Nemo will release a much-anticipated debut album, Arthouse. Translated from German using DeepL/amva/ts ­ ­ Picture of the week ­ Keystone / Michael Buholzer ­ British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, known for playing Sherlock Holmes, signed autographs for fans on the green carpet at the 21st Zurich Film Festival on Monday. The event continues until Sunday. ­

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­ 11/10/2025 - View in browser ­

­ ­ ­ ­ ­ The week in Switzerland ­

­ Dear Swiss Abroad, The conflict in the Middle East dominated headlines around the world this week, including in Switzerland, where 19 activists returned home after spending several days in an Israeli prison.   We also look at the considerable challenges faced by some Swiss Abroad when it comes to renewing their passport, plus the Swiss government’s decision to boost its military capabilities in space – and a load of jellyfish found in a Swiss bathing lake! ­ ­ Thomas Stephens ­ Journalist ­ ­ ­ Rémy Pagani and other activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla arrive at Geneva Airport on Wednesday. Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi ­ ­ The last ten of 19 Swiss activists from the Gaza flotilla returned to Switzerland on Wednesday, having been detained in Israel’s Ktzi’ot prison. One of them, the former mayor of Geneva Rémy Pagani, said the Swiss government’s reaction had been “disgraceful”. At Geneva Airport, around 300 supporters welcomed the activists home. “Without you, we would still be treated like animals and humiliated,” declared a grateful Rémy Pagani. The Global Sumud Flotilla to Gaza comprised around 450 people, including 19 Swiss nationals, who have now all been deported from Israel. The first Swiss arrived back in Zurich on Saturday, before eight others were repatriated to Geneva on Wednesday. Pagani told Swiss public television, RTS, that he had not been detained but “kidnapped” by Israel. “We’ve been mistreated, punished collectively, subjected to stressful conditions, including by the prime minister, who was cruel enough to come into our cells to provoke us, with dogs and shotguns,” he said. Pagani pointed out that the Swiss government is a depositary and signatory to the Geneva Conventions, “which obliges it to provide assistance to populations that are being mistreated, that are victims of war crimes or that are being starved, and to protect and promote humanitarian organisations and individuals who come to their aid – and it’s going to send us bills to guarantee our repatriation? I think that’s disgraceful!” Marianne Jenni, director of the consular directorate at the foreign ministry, disagreed. “The foreign ministry has done a lot for those involved. Our embassy in Tel Aviv was working around the clock and the detainees were visited twice in prison.” Intensive contact was maintained with the Israeli authorities in order to secure the release of those involved, she told Swiss public television, SRF. In a heated debate with Pagani on RTS, Bryan Lo Giudice from the Geneva section of the centre-right Radical-Liberal Party criticised the activists’ approach. “I don’t think you solve this kind of serious conflict with a delegation of pleasure boats,” he said, noting Pagani’s “tanned complexion”. “The first consequence of this flotilla is that we’re talking about Mr Pagani or Greta Thunberg, and that’s less coverage of the conflict.” ­

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Swiss government sends activists bill for repatriation – Blick (French)   Rémy Pagani criticises attitude of Swiss government – RTS (French)   Debate between Rémy Pagani and Bryan Lo Giudice – RTS (French)   Interview with Rémy Pagani – Tribune de Genève (French)   Foreign ministry defends itself – SRF (German) ­ Swiss biometric passports are equipped with an electronic chip on which fingerprints and a photo of the face are recorded, to make forgery more difficult. Keystone / Christian Beutler ­ ­ Health problems, distance, travel costs: renewing your Swiss passport abroad can be challenging – and there aren’t many solutions. Unlike ID cards, Swiss passports must be renewed in person because they contain biometric data. This forces some Swiss Abroad to travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometres. Last year, 78,124 Swiss Abroad renewed their identity documents. In countries as large as the United States, getting to a mission with consular services often requires a significant investment of time and money. Some Swiss Abroad even have to travel to another country to replace a passport. The embassy and regional consular centre in Bangkok, for example, serves the consular needs of Swiss Abroad not just in Thailand but also in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Myanmar. Swiss Abroad have been complaining for years about the difficulties of passport renewal. In response, the foreign ministry has developed 21 mobile passport stations. These are used by missions that serve a large geographic area, sometimes spanning several countries. However, no specific rules govern where a mission sends a mobile station: itineraries are “organised directly by the mission and according to its available resources”, the foreign ministry says. Read our article below to hear the experiences of a 91-year-old legally blind Swiss Abroad in Boston who wanted to renew her passport to be able to travel to Zurich. ­

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Why some Swiss Abroad struggle to renew their passports – Swissinfo ­ It’s not yet known whether this government project will also include the launch of its own surveillance satellites, such as the European Space Agency’s ‘Cheops’. ATG medialab/EUROPEAN SPACE AGENCY ­ ­ The Swiss government has decided to create a “Space Competence Centre” from January 1, 2026. The aim is to build up its military capabilities in space by the mid-2030s. In doing so, the government wants to strengthen Switzerland’s defence capabilities and reduce its dependence on foreign partners for security-related services, reported Swiss public broadcaster, SRF. At the same time, international cooperation is to be facilitated. “Space is playing an increasingly important role in military operations and civilian applications,” the government said in a statement on Wednesday. “The war in Ukraine makes it clear that space-based communication, reconnaissance and navigation have become decisive factors. The loss or failure of such systems can have serious consequences.” The government estimates that this will cost CHF850 million ($1 billion) over 12 years. Parliament still has to approve the funding. ­

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News report in SRF and the Tages-Anzeiger (German)   Government statement (German, French, Italian)   Switzerland eyes mediation role amid rising risk of conflict in outer space – Swissinfo ­ The non-venomous jellyfish poses no danger to swimmers. Keystone-SDA ­ ­ Canton Graubünden in eastern Switzerland is one species richer: freshwater jellyfish have been found in the Rheinauen lake in Trimmis. But don’t worry: the non-venomous cnidarian, which measures a maximum of 2.5cm, poses no danger to swimmers. Craspedacusta sowerbii, known as the peach blossom jellyfish or freshwater jellyfish, is found in slow-flowing and stagnant waters where the shore zone can warm considerably. Its diet consists of small crustaceans, rotifers and protozoa. ­

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News reports in Blick (German) and the Corriere del Ticino (Italian) ­ A scene from last year’s Rendez-vous Bundesplatz. Keystone / Anthony Anex ­ ­ The week ahead The Nobel Prize in economics will be awarded on Monday. No Swiss has won it – yet… Also on Monday the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne is opening a new exhibition, “Really?! Fake, fact or opinion?”, which shows “in a playful, interactive way how fake news can be recognised and why media literacy is so important for everyone”. It’s that time of year: wrap up and head to Parliament Square in Bern for Rendez-vous Bundesplatz, a spectacular 30-minute sound-and-light show blasted onto the façade of parliament. The theme this year is “Voyage”, visiting some of the world’s most famous landmarks. The final rehearsal is on Friday at 7:30pm – after that, it’s shown every day at 7pm, 8pm and 9pm until November 22. Edited by Olivier Pauchard/dos ­ ­ Picture of the week ­ Keystone / Pierre Albouy ­ Nine Swiss nationals who took part in the Global Sumud Flotilla humanitarian aid mission to Gaza arrived at Geneva Airport on Sunday. ­

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