News

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, the head of the FDFA, will visit Japan and the People's Republic of China from 22 to 25 April. The aim of the trip is to strengthen political ties and promote Switzerland's economic interests with two key partners. In Japan, the focus will be on innovation, technology, trade and multilateral cooperation. In China, discussions will mainly cover bilateral relations, economic issues and current geopolitical questions.

On 16 April, National Armaments Director Urs Loher met with the Deputy National Armaments Director of Poland, Colonel Krzysztof Komorowski, for bilateral discussions in Switzerland. The focus was on an exchange of ideas about current armaments policy topics.

In 2024, Swiss official development assistance (ODA) amounted to CHF 4.053 billion, or 0.51% of gross national income (GNI). ODA includes expenditure by the Confederation on international cooperation and other expenditure which qualifies as ODA – in particular asylum-related costs – as well as contributions from the Swiss cantons and communes.

In future, Swiss Post is to be given more flexibility in the home delivery of letters, parcels and daily newspapers. Universal service should also take greater account of the high level of digitalisation among the public and businesses and so be expanded to include digital offerings. The Federal Council put a corresponding revision of the Postal Services Ordinance out to consultation on 16 April 2025.

President Karin Keller-Sutter and Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin will attend the Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group in Washington from 23 to 25 April 2025. A meeting of G20 finance ministers and central bank governors will also take place during the Spring Meetings. The Swiss delegation, which also includes representatives of the Swiss National Bank, will additionally use the event for bilateral talks.

At its meeting on 16 April 2025, the Federal Council decided to allocate a total of almost CHF 250 million to support the operations of Switzerland's three main humanitarian partners for 2025 and 2026. The funding will benefit the World Food Programme (WFP), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Switzerland is thus reaffirming its support for key humanitarian organisations that provide urgently needed assistance worldwide.

Il Ministero pubblico della Confederazione ha promosso in data 15 aprile 2025 presso il Tribunale penale federale l’accusa nei confronti di un cittadino italiano residente nel Canton Argovia per titolo di partecipazione e sostegno a un’organizzazione criminale. In particolare, il 58enne è accusato di aver agito almeno tra il 2001 e il 2020 quale referente della cosca di ‘Ndrangheta Anello-Fruci in territorio elvetico e di aver favorito lo sviluppo degli interessi di quest’ultima in Svizzera. L’imputato è altresì accusato di una serie di reati, tra cui importazione, acquisto e deposito di monete false, ricettazione, infrazione alla legge federale sulle armi, gli accessori di armi e le munizioni e infrazione alla legge federale sugli stupefacenti.

Growing cells in the laboratory is an art that humans have mastered decades ago. Recreating entire three-dimensional tissues is much more challenging. Empa researchers are developing a new hydrogel-based material that makes it possible to engineer artificial skin tissues, which can serve as living three-dimensional models of human skin for better understanding and treating skin diseases.

The population in Switzerland will increase from 9.0 million residents at the end of 2024 to some 10.5 million in 2055, according to the reference scenario of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). This increase will largely be driven by immigration. Developments in Switzerland's socio-economic and political context will determine the extent of the population growth. The population will also continue to age in the coming decades. The cantons close to the cities of Zurich and Geneva will experience the highest population growth.

From 11-13 April, SwissHacks returned for its second edition, organized by the Swiss Financial Innovation Desk (FIND), powered by Tenity, and endorsed by the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) bringing together a global talent pool of builders, coders, and creatives. Following a 50% surge in applications compared to the previous year, 220 selected hackers from 70 nationalities took on high-impact challenges from leading partners

The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has filed an indictment against a 21-year-old Swiss citizen in accelerated proceedings before the Federal Criminal Court. The defendant is suspected of having supported the proscribed terrorist group ‘Islamic state’ (IS), in particular by planning a trip to Somalia in order to join IS there. He is also alleged to have sent IS propaganda material to various recipients and to have possessed depictions of violence.

The Producer and Import Price Index increased in March 2025 by 0.1% compared with the previous month, reaching 106.8 points (December 2020 = 100). Food products in particular were more expensive. Petroleum products, in contrast, became cheaper. Compared with March 2024, the price level of the whole range of domestic and imported products fell by 0.1%. These are the results of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).