Swiss News

Main agenda items, approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

Main agenda items, approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

Le Centre Hospitalier International de Calavi (CHIC) franchit un nouveau cap dans la qualité de prise en charge de ses patients et de son personnel. Cette semaine, les équipes de SERVAIR ont intégré les cuisines de l'établissement, marquant le démarrage officiel de la restauration collective.

Bonne nouvelle pour les patients et personnels du Centre Hospitalier International de Calavi. La restauration dans cet établissement est désormais opérationnelle. Elle sera assurée par les équipes de SERVAIR.

Ce projet s'inscrit dans une vision globale du bien-être des patients, en associant sécurité alimentaire, qualité nutritionnelle et plaisir gustatif. Les menus proposés sont élaborés par un chef, et privilégient des produits locaux valorisant ainsi la richesse de la cuisine béninoise.

« Le repas n'est pas un simple service. Il est pensé comme un véritable moment de plaisir et de réconfort pleinement intégré au parcours de soins et au séjour hospitalier », souligne la direction du CHIC. Avec ce lancement, le CHIC confirme sa volonté d'offrir à ses patients et à son personnel une bonne expérience hospitalière.

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Es ist nur ein Moment der Unachtsamkeit – und über 100 Stunden Arbeit des 49-jährigen Benjamin Klapper sind in Sekunden zerstört. Kurz vor dem Ziel scheitert der Deutsche beim Versuch einen Bierdeckel-Weltrekord aufzustellen.

Written by Clare Ferguson with Sara Raja.

One of the European Parliament’s most important priorities is to ensure all EU policy promotes respect for people’s fundamental freedoms and human rights. Parliament has therefore awarded its Sakharov Prize to individuals and organisations making a remarkable effort to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms since 1988. Previous laureates include Nelson Mandela, Alexei Navalny and Malala Yousafzai.

This year, the Parliament awards its Sakharov Prize to individuals who show great personal courage in defending these freedoms and rights: Andrzej Poczobut of Belarus and Mzia Amaglobeli of Georgia, journalists who have fought for democracy in their respective countries. Both have been imprisoned for standing up for freedom of expression and democratic values. The Sakharov Prize award ceremony takes place during Parliament’s December plenary session.

The award is named in honour of Andrei Sakharov, the eminent Soviet nuclear physicist, dissident, human rights advocate and recipient of the 1975 Nobel Peace Prize. Indeed, several of the laureates have gone on to win the Nobel Peace Prize –including María Corina Machado, Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad.

Parliament’s political groups and individual Members (at least 40) nominate the candidates at a joint meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Development Committee and the Human Rights Subcommittee each September. The Parliament publishes a shortlist of three candidates in October and the Conference of Presidents selects the winner. Parliament then awards the prize at a plenary session at the end of the year. The prize confers an endowment of €50 000 on the winner, and the Sakharov network supports laureates in their efforts to defend their cause. When awarding the Prize, Parliament, through the voice of its President, usually calls for jailed laureates’ release from prison. Parliament also uses all the means in its parliamentary diplomacy toolbox to protect laureates from state repression and to keep human rights defenders’ struggle in the spotlight.

The Sakharov Prize therefore has a long history, featuring many distinguished names in the struggle to protect human rights and freedoms for all. Since 2014, the European Parliamentary Research Service produces a paper on the laureates of each prize, the human rights situation and the Parliament’s position. These papers are available in several EU languages:

A concerning deterioration in the human rights situation In Venezuela and election irregularities under the Maduro regime led to María Corina Machado, leader of Venezuela’s democratic forces, and President-elect Edmundo González Urrutia winning the 2024 Sakharov Prize. The second time the prize has been awarded to Venezuela’s democratic opposition activists (the first time was in 2017), they represent all Venezuelans both inside and outside the country who are fighting to restore freedom and democracy.

In 2023, following the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini’s by Iran’s security forces for her refusal to wear a hijab, and repression of women’s rights protesters in Iran, Parliament awarded the 2023 Sakharov Prize to Jina Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement in Iran in support of the protesters’ aspirations for a free, stable, inclusive and democratic country.

The brave people of Ukraine have fought hard and sacrificed a great deal to protect their country from Russia’s aggression. A number of individuals and organisations were awarded the 2022 Sakharov Prize in recognition of their resistance to Russian attack.

Political repression was already intensifying in Russia in 2021. To honour his courageous defence of human rights and democratic freedoms despite severe personal risk and his imprisonment for his anti‑corruption activism and criticism of the Kremlin, Parliament awarded the 2021 Sakharov Prize to opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Parliament strongly condemned Navalny’s murder in 2024 and underlined that the Russian Government and Vladimir Putin should personally bear criminal and political responsibility for the death of their most prominent opponent.

Following contested presidential election in Belarus and a severe crackdown on peaceful protests, Parliament awarded the 2020 Sakharov Prize to the democratic opposition in Belarus, represented by the Coordination Council, in tribute to their courage and determination to resist repression and advance democratic freedoms.

In 2019, in response to escalating repression against Uyghur minorities and civil society activists in China, the Parliament awarded the 2019 Sakharov Prize to Uyghur economics professor Ilham Tohti, in recognition of his advocacy for ethnic minority rights and peaceful dialogue. Tohti remains in prison in China, serving a life sentence.

Parliament awarded the 2018 Sakharov Prize to Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, imprisoned on politically motivated charges against the backdrop of Russia’s annexation of Crimea. Parliament aimed to spotlight Sentsov’s plight and underscore broader concerns about political prisoners and human‑rights abuses in Russian‑controlled territories.

Amid a severe erosion of democratic institutions and repression of political freedoms in Venezuela, the European Parliament awarded the 2017 Sakharov Prize to the Democratic Opposition in Venezuela, notably the National Assembly and political prisoners, in support of their struggle for democratic transition, human rights and respect for fundamental freedoms.

The 2016 Sakharov Prize was awarded to Nadia Murad Basee Taha and Lamiya Aji Bashar to highlight the fate of their people, the Yazidis, one of the communities most affected, in proportion to their total population, by the violence committed by ISIL/Da’esh (or ‘Islamic State’), particularly during the conflict in Syria.

Saudi Arabian blogger, Raif Badawi was awarded the 2015 Sakharov Prize following his arrest and sentence to 10 years in prison, 1 000 lashes and a hefty fine for insulting Islam (his site hosted material criticising senior religious figures and a Saudi university). In his writings, Badawi advocates liberal Islam, freedom of thought and expression, and separation of state and religion.

Europe’s top human rights prize was awarded in 2014 to Dr Denis Mukwege, a gynaecologist from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in recognition for his perseverance and courage in his efforts to help rape survivors. A fervent advocate of women’s rights, Dr Mukwege has received many international awards, but has also been the target of death threats, and even a 2012 assassination attempt.

More information on the Sakharov Prize and the laureates:

• 30 Years of the Sakharov Prize: The European Parliament upholding freedom of thought
• Sakharov’s legacy on the centenary of his birth
• Laureates of the 2025 Sakharov Prize: Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli, journalists fighting for democracy in Belarus and Georgia
• Sakharov Prize laureates in difficulty: Facing repression for defending human rights
• Laureates of the 2024 Sakharov Prize: María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, fighting for democracy in Venezuela
• 2023 Sakharov Prize laureate: Jina Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement in Iran
• 2022 Sakharov Prize laureate: The brave people of Ukraine
• 2021 Sakharov Prize laureate: Alexey Navalny
• 2020 Sakharov Prize laureate: The democratic opposition in Belarus
• 2019 Sakharov Prize laureate: Ilham Tohti
• Oleg Sentsov: The 2018 Sakharov Prize laureate
• The 2017 Sakharov Prize
• The Yazidis: An ongoing genocide
• The 2015 Sakharov Prize
• Sakharov Prize 2014: Tending the scars of sexual violence in DRCEuropean Parliament Sakharov Prize

Die EU hat einen ehemaligen Oberst der Schweizer Armee auf ihre Sanktionsliste genommen. Der 70-jährige Schweizer soll Verschwörungstheorien verbreitet und als Sprachrohr für prorussische Propaganda gedient haben.

Aktuell kommt es nach einem Unterbruch der Strecke im Bahnverkehr auf zwischen Dübendorf und Schwerzenbach ZH zu Störungen. Grund dafür ist ein Personenunfall. Es ist weiterhin mit Verspätungen und Ausfällen zu rechnen.

Die Würfel sind gefallen: Julien Sprunger setzt Ende Saison einen Schlussstrich unter seine imposante Karriere. In seiner Karriere gab es für ihn nur einen Verein.

Nach dem Spitzenkampf das Duell mit dem Schlusslicht: Leader Thun tritt am Dienstagabend auf der Schützenwiese gegen Winterthur an (20.30 Uhr). Zu reden gibt ein Banner der Fankurve, der aufhorchen lässt. Das Thun-Inside.

Am Montagmorgen kam es zu einem tödlichen Verkehrsunfall in Genf. Eine Velofahrerin kollidierte mit einem Lastwagen und wurde unter das Fahrzeug gezogen. Rettungskräfte konnten nur noch ihren Tod feststellen.

Grosse Ehre für Tennis-Aushängeschild Belinda Bencic: Die Ostschweizerin gehört zu den WTA-Award-Gewinnerinnen des Jahres 2025.

Az ellenzéki Progresszív Szlovákia (PS) mozgalom felszólította PetEr Pellegrini államfőt, hogy küldje vissza a parlamentnek a büntető törvénykönyv immár kilencedik módosítását, amelyet a múlt héten szavaztak meg a képviselők. A PS elnöke, Michal Šimečka szerint a mozgalom kész az alkotmánybírósághoz fordulni a módosítással.

Euronews: A moszkvai Tverszkoj kerületi bíróság „szélsőséges” szervezetnek nyilvánította a száműzetésben élő feminista Pussy Riot rock- és tüntetőcsoportot, ezzel gyakorlatilag betiltva tevékenységét Oroszországban, és büntetőeljárás alá vonva a csoporttal kapcsolatban állókat. A döntés nagyon súlyos és fenyegető, mivel egy védekezésre képtelen, gyönge csoportról van szó, amely – szerencséjére – már nincs orosz földön.

A farmers’ union warns the outbreak has exposed deeper anger in the sector as Brussels protest looms

Dr. Helmut Marko und Christian Horner haben gemeinsam bei Red Bull gearbeitet – bis Horner gehen musste. Nun findet Marko klare Worte über den Ex-Teamchef.

Eine neue Schweizer Studie rüttelt auf. Das Fazit: Bis 2100 könnte die Hälfte aller Gletscher weltweit verschwinden. Schuld ist der Klimawandel.

Schweizer Sportverbände warnen vor der SRG-Halbierungsinitiative. Sie befürchten, dass eine Kürzung der SRG-Gelder den Sport, insbesondere Randsportarten, stark beeinträchtigen würde. Am 8. März stimmt die Schweiz über die Initiative ab.

Woran erkennt man einen gesunden Christbaum, welcher Platz eignet sich am besten zur Lagerung und worauf sollte man beim Aufstellen zu Hause achten? Gärtnermeister Willy Ottiger kennt die wichtigsten Pflegetipps, damit die Nadeln nicht schon vor Heiligabend abfallen.

Die SVP will eine 10-Millionen-Schweiz verhindern – notfalls mit dem Ende der Personenfreizügigkeit. Nun ist klar: Die Initiative kommt ohne direkten Gegenvorschlag an die Urne. Nach dem Nationalrat geht auch der Ständerat auf Tutti.