Around 15% of the Swiss population could get infected this summer with new Omicron subvariants, warns the former head of the government’s Covid-19 taskforce. Tanja Stadler believes the risk of intensive care units becoming overloaded by this new w...

Swiss researchers have created a risk map of sub-Saharan Africa, based on population density and infrastructure, which they hope can help anticipate the spread of disease outbreaks. The research by the federal technology institute ETH Zurich and the...

While he is grateful for the Swiss organisation of the upcoming Ukraine Recovery Conference, Switzerland could do more to chase down Russian oligarchs, Artem Rybchenko says. Rybchenko, the Ukrainian ambassador in Bern, told the Blue News website tha...

Russian oligarch Vitaly Malkin plans to sue Credit Suisse for CHF500 million ($515 million) due to losses caused by a former employee of the bank, according to a newspaper report. The SonntagsZeitung writes that Malkin is chasing the bank in connect...

Huge crowds turned out for the Pride Parade in Zurich on Saturday, which this year focussed on the rights and challenges of transgender people. Organisers spoke of some 40,000 participants in the Swiss city, which would make it the biggest edition s...

The Swiss Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF has trained a computer programme to churn out avalanche forecasts which are just as accurate as those written by human forecasters. The artificial intelligence (AI) tool, trained with two decad...

The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), located on the French-Swiss border near Geneva, has decided to end all cooperation agreements with Russia and Belarus when they expire in 2024 over their roles in the war in Ukraine. The CERN Co...

The pharmaceutical industry and several NGOs have criticised deals on vaccines and food security made at a six-day meeting of the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO’s 164 members agreed on a package of trade reforms in the early ...

The Swiss government has resolved to "step up" exploratory talks with the European Union aimed at resolving differences concerning future bilateral relations. Switzerland has repeatedly rejected EU demands to replace a series of separate treaties wi...

An attempt to mediate a dispute between crop science company Syngenta and a group of NGOs over the sale of an insecticide in India has acrimoniously collapsed. Both parties blamed each other for failing to make progress on resolving claims that Syng...

Multiple cases of Covid-19 have caused chaos at the Tour de Suisse cycling race in Switzerland, forcing three teams and numerous riders to pull out. Overall leader Aleksandr Vlasov tested positive the day after winning the fifth stage, the Russian r...

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano, Switzerland, in July, according to media reports. Her appearance at the major international conference on the reconstruction of Ukrai...

A divided Swiss parliament has demanded that the government tear up orders for 14 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines and renegotiate contracts for half of this supply. Switzerland had ordered seven million doses from Pfizer/Biontech and the same amo...

A proposal to halve taxes on petrol, diesel and heating oil to cushion the effects of rising commodity prices has been rejected by parliament. On Thursday, the House of Representatives joined the Senate in voting down the motion from the People’s ...

Swiss cantons have so far handed out at least 1,500 work permits to the 57,000 refugees who have arrived from Ukraine. Ministers are meeting with employers and cantons to work out ways to increase the number of refugees joining the workforce. Not e...

The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland (OAG) has filed an indictment against a Swiss-Turkish man who fatally stabbed a man in the Swiss town of Morges in 2020 in a “jihadist-motivated” attack. The 28-year-old Swiss-Turkish dual natio...

Switzerland’s central bank has raised interest rates for the first time in 15 years (by half a percent), in a bid to prevent inflationary pressures on the Swiss economy. The Swiss National Bank (SNB) said on Thursday that its benchmark rate would ...

The Swiss army has carried out the first successful test flight of an unmanned reconnaissance drone manufactured by Israel. The move comes after earlier controversy over the purchase of Israeli military technology. It is one of two unmanned Hermes ...

Voters at Migros regional cooperatives have decided overwhelmingly that Switzerland’s largest retailer should not start selling alcohol. All ten regional cooperatives that govern Migros outlets voted on Thursday to keep the ban in place at all Mig...

Economics Minister Guy Parmelin says Switzerland remains open to a compromise on intellectual property (IP) rights on Covid vaccines. He said the Swiss government would not agree to a full waiver of the rights but it was willing to continue discussi...

A technical problem with the air traffic control system halted take-offs and landings at Swiss airports early on Wednesday morning. Flights resumed from Zurich and Geneva from 8.30am, the Skyguide agency confirmed. Skyguide initially said the closur...

Switzerland has lost its top spot in the latest World Competitiveness ranking compiled by the Lausanne-based IMD business school. Among the reasons for the drop are Switzerland’s comparatively high prices and the weakening economic efficiency duri...

The Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) has downgraded its economic growth forecast for 2022 to 2.6% due to the war in Ukraine and uncertainties in China. “The Swiss economy made a solid start to the year, but prospects for the internati...

Twenty-five people have been treated for burns after walking on hot coals during a private event near the city of Zurich, according to the cantonal police. Emergency services were called to treat people for injuries at a corporate get-together on th...

The US tax authority IRS wants further information from the Swiss authorities on account data at 26 financial institutions. The IRS has made numerous requests for information in the past. The requests for administrative assistance concern bank accou...

A perceived lack of equal rights for women and men in Switzerland have been at the centre of a day of action. Organisers of the event on Tuesday said the political fight for equal pay and respect for women had made hardly any progress over the past ...

The Swiss parliament has exonerated Interior Minister Alain Berset of abusing state resources to handle an attempt by a citizen to blackmail him. The control committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate on Tuesday said Berset was justif...

Parliament has called for additional efforts to boost the Swiss tourism industry. The Senate on Tuesday followed the House of Representatives approving a demand for the government to launch an “efficient programme” to support the industry which ...

Four people suspected of supporting the Islamic State terror organisation have been arrested in a joint operation by Swiss and German justice authorities. The Swiss Office of the Attorney General (OAG) said three suspects had been detained and sever...

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, says she will not seek re-election for another term, but denied the decision was motivated by criticism of her recent controversial visit to China. Bachelet made her announcem...