Alpine Region in May 2026: the most important developments in society
In May 2026 public attention in the Alpine region turned to protest and to the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna. On 1 May, May Day protests in Zurich saw police use rubber bullets and tear gas. Spain, Ireland and Slovenia announced they would not broadcast Eurovision because of Israel's participation, and Israel's broadcaster warned about voting campaigns. On 17 May a march in Vienna protested against Israel's inclusion. Reports said the Austrian broadcaster ORF considered cancelling the contest if Israel were excluded. Boycotts and blackouts marked the buildup as the contest began.
Health news came from several directions. University Hospital Zurich confirmed serious errors in heart surgery, and its chief executive thanked a fired whistleblower. On 17 May the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, after a rare strain killed 87 people in Congo. It later said the virus had likely been circulating in Congo for two months and that the outbreak would grow. On 29 May it announced the first confirmed recovery in the outbreak. Roche received European approval for a blood test that aids diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, and Swiss health insurance premiums are set to rise by 5% in autumn.
Swiss social statistics also drew attention. The number of prisoners reached a record high, as did old-age pension payments and organ imports. The migration office said a population cap would be costly. Switzerland had one of its three warmest springs on record, and a campaign was launched against the spread of Japanese beetles. Crans-Montana: all Swiss patients had returned home by 12 May. French authorities raided Nestlé's Perrier bottling site on 20 May.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.