The fourth European ATV (Automated Transfer Vehicle) space transporter is currently in the final integration stage in the hall of Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The satellite is to be launched on 18 April 2013 on board an Ariane 5 launcher and dock at the International Space Station a few days later. The European Space Agency ESA has named ATV4 Albert Einstein at the proposal of the Swiss Delegation.

As the crisis in Syria continues to worsen, the humanitarian situation has reached disastrous proportions with some four million people in need of aid according to estimates of the United Nations. They also face a harsh winter, as do about 700,000 refugees in the neighbouring states. Switzerland, attending the international donor conference in Kuwait, has pledged CHF 10 million of aid in 2013 to assist those affected by the Syrian crisis. Since March 2011 when the fighting began, Switzerland has disbursed a total of CHF 20 million to aid the victims of this ongoing civil war.

Last week, the Federal Tax Administration (FTA) transferred CHF 500 million to the United Kingdom. Switzerland thereby fulfilled an obligation which is set out in the bilateral withholding tax agreement. The upfront payment guarantees the United Kingdom a minimum amount from as yet untaxed assets of UK taxpayers in Switzerland.

Responding to an invitation from Switzerland, some 80 international legal experts met in Lausanne on 28 and 29 January 2013 to discuss practical questions concerning the repatriation of illegal assets held by politically exposed persons in connection with the events of the so-called Arab Spring.

During its plenary meeting yesterday, the Financial Stability Board (FSB), a central body for issues associated with international financial market regulation and supervision, established itself as an association headquartered in Basel, thereby reaffirming its ties with Switzerland.

The Commission for Technology and Innovation CTI has opened up its "CTI Entrepreneurship" start-up training programme to further course providers: from March 2013 the training modules "Business Creation" (module 3) and "Business Development" (module 4) will be run by three regional consortia. The “Institut für Jungunternehmen (IfJ)” will continue to be responsible for introductory modules 1 and 2.

In the drive to secure EU research funding, Switzerland has achieved a leading position in the area of Future and Emerging Technologies. For Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, this confirms the strength of the Swiss education, research and innovation model. Research groups from both of Switzerland’s federal institutes of technology were involved in five (as project leaders in three) of the six FET Flagship project proposals that reached the final phase of the selection process. The EPFL’s “Human Brain Project” was one of the two projects chosen. Starting in 2013, this project will receive substantial FP7 and FP8 funding over a ten-year period.

At the invitation of Federal Councillor Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, Ministers present in Davos in charge of WTO affairs as well as WTO Director General Pascal Lamy met in Davos, Switzerland, today. The purpose of the meeting was to explore ways to deliver substantial results at the 9th WTO Ministerial Conference which will take place in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2013.

A meeting with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, today concluded the talks held by Federal Councillor Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF). Previously, the Head of the Federal Department of Finance (FDF) had held discussions with other high-ranking politicians and finance ministers.

Ministers of the G10 have met in Davos today prior to an informal WTO Ministerial gathering organised by Switzerland on the occasion of the World Economic Forum 2013 in order to assess the state of play of the work at the WTO and their priorities in the negotiations on agriculture.