In 2023, 1.7% less electricity was consumed than in the previous year, apparently due to more efficient appliances. According to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), electricity production also rose by 13.5% to hit a new record. In 2023, 72.1 b...

Switzerland and the US discussed bilateral processes, particularly taxation, and international issues in a third strategic partnership dialogue in Bern on Wednesday. Delegations were led by Secretary of State Alexandre Fasel on the Swiss side and Ass...

The Swiss National Bank won’t have to take climate and environmental risks into account in its monetary policy, according to the country’s parliament. While a number of institutions including the European Central Bank and Sweden’s Riksbank have...

The High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, has appointed Miroslav Lajcák as the EU's future ambassador to Switzerland. As the host country, the Swiss authorities still need to formalise...

So far, Switzerland has recorded more than twice as many cases of tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) compared to the same period last year. Experts suggest that ticks are becoming more active due to climate change and mild winters. As of the end of March ...

Chatbots are gaining popularity in Switzerland. A growing number of people now favour being helped online by such digital assistants over human beings. Specifically, 80% of the Swiss population now knows what a chatbot is, compared to just 57% three ...

The Switzerland-based milk processor Emmi is acquiring a majority stake in the Brazilian dairy company Verde Campo. The stake is being purchased from Coca-Cola at an undisclosed price, as outlined in a press release issued on Tuesday. With the purcha...

The Swiss parliament wants to ban extremist symbols. Following the approval by the Senate, the House of Representatives also approved a motion for a ban on Wednesday. The ban primarily targets Nazi symbols, but it extends beyond that. However, a swas...

Swiss Nestlé, the world’s largest infant food company, takes pride in not adding sugar to its baby formulas distributed in Europe. However, in many low-income countries, its products do contain added sugar on a very large scale. In South Africa, C...

According to the House of Representatives, Switzerland should not join the international task force to track down Russian oligarchs’ money. Switzerland won't join the G7’s REPO (Russian Elites, Proxies, and Oligarchs) task force, which is tasked ...

Organised crime has infiltrated Switzerland’s justice system, and police resources are insufficient to effectively combat it, warns Nicoletta della Valle, director of the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol). Approximately 60 investigations are curren...

Switzerland is projected to deplete its domestic energy resources on Wednesday, as calculated by the Swiss Energy Foundation (SES). Starting from Thursday, the country will rely on imports of oil, gas, and uranium. This means that more than 70% of th...

Following his meeting with German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz in Beijing this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for international cooperation to prevent further escalation in the Ukraine war and achieve a peaceful solution quickly. After m...

The ‘Pfuusbus’, an emergency shelter for homeless people, was busier last year than ever before. The Pfarrer Sieber charity has said this is likely due to a change in drug use, an overburdened psychiatric system, and the housing shortage. The Pfu...

With the hunger crisis in Africa not only affecting Sudan, but also neighbouring Ethiopia, the United Nations (UN) wants to support 15.5 million people there this year. However, there is a lack of funds. At a donor conference in Geneva on Tuesday, th...

The first races of the ‘Patrouille des Glaciers’ in Valais have been cancelled due to weather conditions which organisers said would endanger the safety of runners and staff. The first races were planned for Tuesday and Wednesday from Zermatt and...

Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter has said estimates banking giant UBS will need a further $15 billion to $25 billion (CHF13.7 billion to CHF23 billion) in capital as part of government proposals are accurate. “It's true, the figures are p...

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is resuming flights to and from Tel Aviv as of Tuesday. Following a thorough analysis of the situation, it has been concluded that safe operations can be ensured, the airline said on Tuesday. It also said the sit...

Swiss Economics Minister Guy Parmelin signed the Artemis Accords at NASA's headquarters in the US capital of Washington D.C. on Monday. As a result, Switzerland has agreed to promote the peaceful exploration of outer space with the US and 35 other si...

Last year, the Swiss Climate Foundation granted CHF2.4 million ($2.63 million) to 17 innovation projects, a funding increase of around half a million francs to the same number of projects, compared to 2022. Support for seven projects from previous ye...

From November, the Universities of Zurich and Geneva will experiment with new forms of democracy through a ‘Citizen Council 2025’ project. The aim is to investigate what such a council can contribute to the debate and solving of social challenges...

Defence Minister Viola Amherd, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, will pay a presidential visit to Hungary on Thursday and Friday. The bilateral relations between Switzerland and Hungary, European policy and the European security situ...

Switzerland emitted 41.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents in 2022, 3.5 million tonnes less than in 2021. Greenhouse gas emissions from buildings in particular fell because less heating was required due to the warm winter and people increasingly swit...

The Swiss sports market shrank in 2023 after two strong years. Fewer hard goods such as skis and rucksacks were bought, as were textiles. However, more shoes were purchased than in the previous year. The Swiss sports market (excluding bicycles) recor...

No harmful organisms such as the quagga mussel should be introduced into Lucerne’s lakes. The cantonal government is tightening the provisions in the navigation ordinance with effect from May 1. Until now, a vignette was required for ships from ano...

Switzerland’s participation in the taskforce in connection with sanctions against Russia, a ban on extremist symbols and dozens of motions are the topics of the three-day special session of the House of Representatives, which begins on Monday. Spec...

The United States had contact with Iran through Swiss intermediaries both before and after Tehran’s mass drone and missile attack on Israeli territory, a senior Biden administration official said on Sunday. The official declined to provide details ...

Russia wants to penalise Switzerland for its stance in the Ukraine war by relocating the South Caucasus talks from Geneva to another country, according to the state agency Tass. Russia feels compelled to raise the issue of moving the talks on the con...

In order to better protect taxpayers from the corporate failure of a systemically important bank in future, the Swiss government presented a catalogue of 22 measures for “too-big-to-fail” regulation on Wednesday. However, there is no single panac...

Swiss aid organisations have not left Haiti despite the prevailing chaos. Even though the capital Port-au-Prince has been exposed to violence by criminal gangs for several weeks, their work elsewhere is continuing as normal. The relief organisation o...