The Swiss voice in the world since 1935
Top stories
Stay in touch with Switzerland

Security tightened at Swiss chemicals lab

A scientist in Spiez
At work in the government-run Spiez Laboratory near Bern Keystone

The defence ministry has confirmed that security measures have been increased at the government-run Spiez Laboratory near Bern. 

The facilityExternal link analyses chemical and biological weapons, including the nerve agent Novichok, which Britain says Russia used to try to murder a former spy in March, and suspected poison gas deployed in Syria. 

Although the laboratory was previously secure and fulfilled the requirements for at-risk targets, protection had been increased, defence ministry spokesman Renato Kalbermatten told Swiss public radio, SRF, on Friday. 

In March 2017, the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland opened an investigation against two alleged Russian spies suspected of having carried out a cyberattack against the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), whose European headquarters is in Lausanne. 

In spring 2018, the same two Russian spies were reportedly on their way to the Spiez laboratory when they were detained in the Netherlands and sent back to Russia. Russia has dismissed the allegations. 

“After what happened [earlier in the year], additional measures have been taken to consolidate the level of security,” Kalbermatten said. Protection of the IT systems had been strengthened and structural and surveillance measures had been implemented concerning visitor access, he explained.

More

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

Zurich cantonal police introduce fixed online police stations

More

Zurich introduces online police station

This content was published on After a one-year test phase, Zurich's cantonal police force are introducing an online police station. Demand is high and the response from the public has been positive.

Read more: Zurich introduces online police station
St. Moritz registers the summer as a brand

More

St Moritz registers ‘summer’ as trademark

This content was published on The chic resort of St Moritz in southeastern Switzerland has registered "summer" as a trademark under the name "St Summer". The resort in canton Graubünden is launching a campaign to strengthen its summer business.

Read more: St Moritz registers ‘summer’ as trademark
House prices rose sharply in June

More

Swiss house prices rose sharply in June

This content was published on The prices of homes and apartments in Switzerland rose again in June. In the Lake Geneva region, prices of detached houses rose sharply. Meanwhile, in Zurich and its surrounding region the opposite trend was observed.

Read more: Swiss house prices rose sharply in June
Heavy crowds expected at Swiss airports

More

Crowded airports expected in Switzerland this summer

This content was published on Switzerland's main airports are preparing for a busy summer holiday period. A number of changes have been introduced to improve passenger flows that are expected to be well above average in July and August.

Read more: Crowded airports expected in Switzerland this summer
Beznau power plant restarted after the Aare River cools down

More

Swiss nuclear power plant restarts as Aare River cools down

This content was published on The Beznau nuclear power station in canton Aargau has been generating electricity again since Tuesday, as the Aare River has cooled down. Both reactors had been disconnected last week.

Read more: Swiss nuclear power plant restarts as Aare River cools down

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR