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Illegal money
Cabinet drafts unique law on dictators’ assets
Cabinet has presented a draft bill setting the rules for the freezing and restoring of assets obtained illegally by foreign dictators and deposited in Switzerland. If approved by parliament, it will be the first law of its kind in the world. [...]
Construction halted
Court ruling on holiday homes sparks controversy
Crash report
Driver error likely cause of fatal bus crash
New deal
Switzerland is first European stop for Chinese PM
The new Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has chosen to make Switzerland his first European destination, emphasising the historically good relationship between the two countries, which earlier this month agreed on a free trade pact. [...]
Human rights report
Amnesty flags Swiss asylum law
Syrian refugee crisis
Refugees struggle to survive in new Lebanese homes
Swiss banking woes
Minister says end to US tax dispute in sight
Swiss Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf says a resolution may be not far off to end a long-running dispute with the United States over Swiss banks accused of helping wealthy Americans evade billions of dollars of taxes. [...]
Changes at the top
Surprise shake-up marks Glencore Xstrata meeting
Formula for success
Chinese parents drive baby milk powder boom
Basel’s Schola Cantorum
Old music becomes new art
On a sunny day in Basel, delicate tunes waft through the windows of the Schola Cantorum, the world’s oldest institution for the study of “old music”. Eighty years on, that term - and the school’s role - is constantly being re-defined. [...]
Medical advances
Gender testing to help avoid genetic diseases
A new test called Microsort will allow couples with certain serious hereditary disorders to choose the sex of their baby in order to reduce the chance of passing on an active form of their disease. [...]
Aerial mapping
Successful takeoff for Swiss commercial drones
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In depth
Expats
One in ten Swiss lives abroad
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Lonely hearts club: the Swiss community on the island nation of Kiribati can be counted on one finger (Keystone)
Almost 716,000 Swiss citizens live outside Switzerland. The trend observed for several years continued in 2012, according to figures released by the foreign ministry on Friday.
“The number of Swiss abroad has increased by 1.72 per cent, going from 703,640 in 2011 to 715,710 in 2012,” it said in a statement.
More than half of these live in Europe (442,620), with the most popular countries being neighbouring France (186,615), Germany (80,715) and Italy (50,091).
Outside Europe, the United States is the top destination, with 76,330 domiciled there. Israel is home to 15,970 Swiss – a jump of 21.44 per cent since 2007.
At the other end of the list, only one Swiss citizen lives in each of São Tomé and Principe, an island nation off the western coast of Central Africa, Kiribati, an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, and Micronesia.
“The proportion of Swiss abroad on a Swiss electoral register has stabilised at roughly a quarter of those eligible to vote,” said the foreign ministry statement.
The population of Switzerland reached eight million in 2012, but around 20 per cent of people living in the country are foreigners.
Far horizons
Swiss citizens live in all corners of the world
One in ten Swiss lives abroad. More than half of them live in Europe, with France, Germany and Italy the most popular countries. Elsewhere, the United States is the top destination. [...]
Swiss Abroad Congress
Expats praised as driving force of innovation
One of Switzerland's biggest assets is its capacity to innovate which goes hand in hand with increasing international mobility according to Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter. [...]
Political profile
Expats veer left and vote for change
Here’s scientific evidence: Many Swiss expatriates tend to vote left-green and tend to favour liberal ideas. Two separate reports confirm a political profile marked by openness towards the outside world and towards change. [...]
Coming together
Fossuk focuses on communication to unite clubs
“Communication” was the key message at this year’s annual general meeting of Britain’s Federation of Swiss Societies (Fossuk), which had a strong focus on encouraging more dialogue between the 28 Swiss clubs scattered around the country. [...]
