Stories from Switzerland

The distribution of departments in the canton of Vaud has been finalized following the March supplementary election and the election of former National Councilor Roger Nordman. Socialist politician Sandra Viscardine will reclaim the department of health and social action from Rebecca Ruiz. The move is described as a choice of continuity for the region. The Canton of Vaud announced following its weekly session that the Health and Social Action Department will not be split into multiple ministries. This department manages the CHUV, which employs more than 13,000 people. The decision maintains the current structure of the department despite previous questions regarding its potential division. This decision follows calls from a majority of deputies for Valérie Dietli to resign due to involvement in several dossiers.

Switzerland has implemented an export ban on certain toxic substances, but dozens of other dangerous products continue to be exported globally. These products are being sent to locations including India.

A company linked to a jewelry house has acquired the Villa Fleur d'Or in Versoix, Switzerland. The purchase price was approximately 11 million Swiss francs. The villa was notably used in 1985. A Luxembourg-based company linked to the son of the Graff jewelry brand founder has purchased Villa Fleur d'Or near Versoix, Switzerland. The transaction was valued at nearly 11 million Swiss francs. The villa was the site of a 1985 meeting between Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan. The buyer is a Geneva-based structure controlled by the Luxembourg entity.

Urs Talmann, Managing Director of Transparency International Switzerland, stated that lobbying in Switzerland lacks transparency. He noted that the organization does not know which companies are communicating with which members of parliament or the federal administration. Talmann described the current lack of transparency as a long-standing tradition. Transparency International is calling for increased transparency regarding lobbying activities in Switzerland. The organization noted that there is currently no Swiss law regulating the amount of lobbying permitted or the level of transparency required. This lack of regulation is a primary point of criticism for the group. The organization argues that voters have a right to know which interests are being represented when they cast their votes.

The Grand Council in Jura has approved a proposal to implement a property tax on secondary residences. This move follows the abandonment of the rental value tax. The Jura state treasury is estimated to lose 5 million francs per year from this change, while municipalities face a 4 million franc loss. The government will now study specific options for the new tax implementation. The government is now considering how to prevent tax evasion. Municipalities face an estimated loss of 4 million francs annually. Former liberal deputy Alain Beret, the author of the text, stated the vote signifies increased awareness of the issue. The impact of the tax on the canton and municipalities remains to be analyzed to ensure implementation is not more costly than profitable. The measure follows similar discussions in Ticino and near Swiss lakes.

The social assistance rate in the Swiss canton of Graubünden has decreased to 1 percent. This figure is significantly lower than the national average of 2.9 percent.

Insured individuals should be able to access AVS and AI data via an online platform. She said that a solid democracy requires the participation of those affected by local decisions, noting that over one-quarter of the population is currently excluded from the process. The proposal seeks to reduce the mandatory residency requirement from 10 years to 5 years and lighten overall procedures. A majority of bourgeois parties, including the UDC, PLR, and Centre, are opposing the initiative, arguing it is not the correct solution. The threshold is to be determined in consultation with the cantons. The matter now moves to the Council of States, which had passed an identical motion in March. The Swiss National Council adopted a motion on Thursday, April 30, 2026, to allow the culling of wolves once their population reaches a predefined number.

The FIFA Council voted to amend regulations allowing an Afghan women's refugee team to compete as an official national side. This decision follows recent developments regarding international recognition for displaced athletes. This decision follows a vote to change the status of refugee-based athletic teams. FIFA has cleared the way for Afghanistan's women's football team to return to international competition.

A biobank facility is storing 120,000 tubes of DNA samples in specialized freezers located in the basement of a CHUV facility. Elodie Rister-Cherry, the Biobank manager, and researcher Charlotte Chabin are overseeing the storage of these samples. The process involves extracting DNA and preserving it in frozen state. The facility aims to maintain these large-scale biological archives for research purposes. The University of Lausanne biobank has collected data from over 40,000 people to advance medical research. Participants must provide explicit consent for the reuse of data collected during care for research purposes. The process includes additional blood samples taken under strictly controlled conditions. The source said that no data is taken without such consent. The University of Lausanne and the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) are maintaining a genomic biobank.

UBS shares rose 3.6 percent in morning trading following strong results across the board. UBS reported earnings for the period from January to March 2026 that were approximately 80 percent higher than the previous year. This growth significantly exceeded analyst expectations. The bank attributed the performance to increased revenue and cost reductions following the integration of Credit Suisse. UBS CEO Sergio Ermotti addressed questions regarding stock market transactions and the use of AI in financial advisory during a quarterly results presentation. The bank's wealthy clientele appears willing to pay for AI-supported services. The presentation also addressed calls from the Federal Council and Parliament for increased banking regulation. The goal of the initiative is to ensure UBS does not face a competitive disadvantage in the international market.