![The four-metre-long painting "Sonntag der Bergbauern" [Sunday of the Mountain Farmers, 1923-24/26] had to be removed by a crane from the German Chancellery in Berlin for the exhibition in Bern.](https://www.swissinfo.ch/content/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2025/12/01_Pressebild_KirchnerxKirchner.jpg?crop=1165px,0px,1670px,1670px&w=480&ver=a45b19f3)
Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Can you yodel – or perhaps you even sing in a choir? This morning, Swiss yodelling was added to Unesco’s World Heritage list.
Also in focus today: a collective sigh of relief from Swiss industry as US tariffs on Swiss exports are retroactively reduced to 15%. But sceptical voices remain.
Enjoy your reading!
The Swiss yodelling community has reason to celebrate: yodelling has been added to Unesco’s list of intangible cultural heritage.
For Switzerland and for those who yodel, the recognition brings unprecedented visibility – but also comes with additional obligations. “We defined so-called preservation measures when we submitted the application,” yodeller and Lucerne School of Music professor Nadja Räss told Swiss public broadcaster, SRF. These include promoting young talent, digitalisation and strengthening public awareness. “Unesco regularly reviews this,” she said.
One project already underway is the yodelling classroom. “We called for yodellers who already teach at primary schools and are willing to integrate yodelling into their lessons,” Räss told SRF.
Historically used for communication in the mountains – when shepherds called their herds or signalled to one another – yodelling is still very much alive. Over 12,000 active yodellers in 711 clubs belong to the Swiss Yodelling Association, alongside numerous independent groups.
A month after Switzerland and the United States agreed to reduce tariffs on Swiss exports from 39% to 15%, the measure is now taking effect – retroactively from November 14.
“Importers can apply for a refund,” Economics Minister Guy Parmelin said yesterday. Switzerland did not have to offer additional concessions for the retroactive application. However, reciprocity applies: Swiss concessions to the US also date back to mid-November.
They include lowering tariffs on certain US goods such as fish and seafood, as well as duty-free quotas for American meat. For example, 500 tonnes of US beef per year will remain exempt from customs duties.
The business community is relieved. The business umbrella organisation Economiesuisse writes that reduced tariffs will help “safeguard numerous jobs in Switzerland”. The Swiss People’s Party also hails the reduction as a major success. The Social Democratic Party remains cautious: while 15% is an improvement, this step should not come at any price. Social Democratic Party parliamentarian Fabian Molina stressed the importance of data protection and digital taxes on tech giants.
The border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia has flared up again. The Swiss foreign ministry advises against travelling to the border areas.
The two Southeast Asian neighbours accuse each other of provoking the renewed clashes and both say they will not back down in defending their sovereignty.
More than 20,000 people fled during the July fighting – including Swiss Abroad – and tens of thousands have been evacuated again. Around 10,700 Swiss nationals live in Thailand and some 430 in Cambodia, although the Swiss foreign ministry has not specified how many reside in the affected regions.
For travellers in Thailand, the Swiss foreign ministry expressly advises against visiting the border region with Cambodia and recommends avoiding tourist and non-essential trips to the provinces of Buriram, Si Saket, Surin and Ubon Ratchathani.
If you live in the border area and are affected by the conflict, please contact my colleague: Melanie.Eichenberger@swissinfo.ch .
The House of Representatives wants to ban firecrackers in Switzerland and has adopted a counter-proposal to the fireworks initiative.
In recent years, more and more municipalities have tightened rules around fireworks. The initiative debated today calls for better protection for people, animals and the environment from noise and emissions. Major supra-regional events would require cantonal approval.
The House of Representatives considered the initiative too far-reaching and backed the counter-proposal instead. According to this, fireworks that produce only noise should be banned. The proposal now goes to the Senate but will not be discussed in this winter session.
The Senate today also examined a proposal that asylum applications should no longer be possible solely to obtain medical treatment in Switzerland. The small chamber referred the motion to the Swiss federal government without opposition.
The Advent calendar of Swiss Oddities
Every day until December 24, our newsletter features a surprise article from our Swiss Oddities series – interesting, unusual and sometimes bizarre stories from Switzerland.
Translated from German using DeepL/amva
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