#switzerland

#switzerland

Northern Ireland beat Slovakia 2-0 in Belfast with both sides now having six points in Group A, along with Germany. Patrik Hrošovský's own goal gave the hosts an 18th minute lead and Sunderland defender Trai Hume netted a stunning second with nine minute to go to make the points safe. Germany beat Luxembourg 4-0 in Sinsheim, Joshua Kimmich scoring twice to add to goals from David Raum and Serge Gnabry. Germany visit Northern Ireland on Monday in another crunch encounter.

Starting with the hosts, while Sweden might have opened their World Cup qualifying adventure last month in the midst of what was an extended flurry, Jon Dahl Tomasson's camp have endured a stuttering start to proceedings. Last seen putting in a downbeat performance as they slumped to a 2-0 loss away at Kosovo, the Yellows have put just a single point on the board from their opening two Group B showdowns.

During a 2016 appearance on Conan O'Brien's talk show, "Conan," the late-night host asked, "You've been just about everywhere ... you won't go to Switzerland. Why?" Bourdain responded that he has a "morbid fear" of just about anything Swiss, "even the cheese." When asked to expand on this fear, Bourdain jokingly suggested that it might stem from a "terrible childhood experience while watching 'The Sound of Music' that [he] blocked out."

The Swiss city was found to be the most expensive city to live in on Earth, according to a 2025 mid-year cost of living index from Numbeo, a crowd-sourced database. The index "measures the relative prices of consumer goods and services-including groceries, dining, transportation, and utilities-but excludes housing costs like rent or mortgage payments." The site uses New York City as its baseline city (with an index value of 100) to generate cost of living index numbers for other cities around the world. Relative to that, Zurich scored 112.5, which the company said "suggests that everyday expenses" are higher than in New York.

The EES system will be officially implemented on October 12th. The equipment is already in place and has been tested several times.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Tuesday that while Germany did not plan to intervene directly, he had spoken with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter about the new US tariffs. "I very much hope that it's successful that the exorbitantly high customs duties currently demanded by the US for Switzerland can be reduced," Merz said. He noted that the EU had managed to somewhat reduce US tariffs, but said certain products like steel and aluminium were as high as 50%.

Omid Nouripour suggested that Switzerland should be offered an opportunity for closer ties with the EU, advocating for a potential 'turbo membership' initiative.

Cheese consumption in Switzerland averages 51.8 pounds per person annually, significantly higher than the U.S. at 39.5 pounds, showcasing a deep cultural affinity for cheese.

In 2024, about 64 percent of Deutsche Bahn's long-distance passenger trains reached their destination on time, compared to 93.2 percent in Switzerland.

The Swiss had the ball in the net on the half-hour mark after Svenja Foelmli's header was helped into her own goal by Glodis Viggosdottir, but the strike was ruled out after a VAR review found that Foelmli had committed a foul in the build-up.

"Euro 2025 promises to be an exciting tournament hosted by Switzerland, featuring 16 teams competing across eight stadiums, culminating in a final in Basel on July 27."

A security and defence partnership is a non-legally-binding declaration of intent and is compatible with neutrality. Switzerland would not be subject to any legal or financial obligations.

"Wengen is like stepping into a postcard-car-free streets, flower-draped chalets, and the towering presence of the Jungfrau above it all," Maurer tells Travel.

"The first half, all the critics should be, or could be for me because I think that was my decision. But at the same time, it was the good intention to provide all the players the possibility to play and try to compete for a place the World Cup."

Faced with unrelenting Russian aggression and the simultaneous withdrawal of American military and diplomatic support, European countries across the continent are reinvesting in defence.