News

In 2024 Switzerland's final energy consumption increased by 1% year-on-year to 776,220 tera-joules (TJ). The main reasons for this were the colder weather compared to the previous year and the increase in aviation fuel sales.

In 2024, the number of live births fell for the third year running. The number of marriages also fell, for the second year in a row. The number of deaths remained stable overall, although trends varied depending on sex and age group. There was an increase in the number of divorces. These are some of the final annual results of the 2024 Vital Statistics from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Supplementary accommodation recorded 17.3 million overnight stays in 2024. In comparison with the preceding year, this represents a decrease of 1.5%. Demand from foreign visitors increased by 3.7% to 5.8 million. In contrast, the number of overnight stays by domestic guests fell to 11.5 million (–3.9%). These are some of the definitive findings from the Supplementary Accommodation Statistics of the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

The Construction Price Index recorded a rise of 0.6% between October 2024 and April 2025, reaching 115.8 points (October 2020 = 100). This result reflects an increase in building and civil engineering prices. Year on year, construction prices rose by 0.7%. These are some of the findings from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).

Taking better photos with less light: That is the promise of perovskite-based image sensors. The innovative semiconductor material enables better color reproduction and fewer image artefacts. Moreover, perovskite sensors are particularly suitable for machine vision. Researchers at Empa and ETH Zurich have developed the technology from scratch. Their latest sensor prototypes show great potential.

A new preliminary report (aviation) is available on the website of the Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board STSB.

At the invitation of President Karin Keller-Sutter, the diplomatic corps visited the canton of Lucerne on Wednesday 18 June for its annual excursion. The programme included Lucerne's KKL culture and convention centre and the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Entlebuch.

The UN sanctions committee has amended the list of sanctioned individuals, companies and organizations. The SESAM database has been updated accordingly.On 4 March 2016 the Federal Council has adopted the Ordinance on the automatic application of the UN Security Council’s sanctions lists. Hence, the amendments of the UN Security Council’s sanctions lists enter into force in Switzerland without delay.

The “Scout 25” technical symposium was held at the Military Training Area in Thun on 18 June 2025. Here, the Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse came together with the Swiss Armed Forces to present modern technologies for battlefield reconnaissance and countermeasures. The event also gave those in attendance the chance to experience the technological possibilities being developed by industry and academia within the framework of the Vision 2030+ programme of the Swiss Armed Forces in a wide range of presentations.

Ambassadors newly accredited to Switzerland present their credentials

During his working visit to Norway on 16 and 17 June, Federal Councillor Albert Rösti signed an agreement on carbon storage with Norwegian Minister of Energy Terje Aasland. The agreement will allow Swiss CO2 to be stored in Norway and also enable both countries to trade negative emissions in a state-recognised framework. This represents a pioneering global agreement under the Paris Agreement.

PSI researcher Kirsten Moselund has been selected by the European Research Council ERC to receive funding for her project NEON. Moselund and her group will use the research grant of around 3.3 million Swiss francs to investigate neuromorphic networks for machine learning applications using laser light instead of conventional electronics.