The ride-hailing company says it will offer drivers the possibility of remaining independent or becoming official employees of a subcontractor firm. The “dual model” will be extended gradually across the country – with the exception of Geneva ...

The Chinese consul general in Zurich has said a trip by Swiss parliamentarians to Taiwan next year would be “disruptive” and unhelpful for Swiss-China relations. “Parliamentarians are official representatives of a country, not simple citizens,...

The first shipment of heavy equipment meant to help Ukraine deal with destroyed infrastructure has left Switzerland. Two lorries carrying four construction vehicles left for the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv on Friday. It is the first deliver...

In a 13-point joint declaration, representatives from Switzerland and the European Union have stressed the importance of maintaining good and stable relations, for the time being on a bilateral basis. There are no insurmountable political difference...

Switzerland should aim to be climate neutral by 2035 instead of 2050 to limit global warming to 1.5°C, say some scientists. In a study released on Friday, the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) analysed Swiss commitment to reducing greenh...

More refugees are arriving in Switzerland via the Balkans and other routes. The need for civil defence facilities and multi-purpose halls to accommodate them is therefore increasing. The government assumes that 19,000 asylum applications will have b...

Swiss President Ignazio Cassis has spoken of a turning point for the continent at the first summit of the European Political Community, attended by more than 40 European leaders. “This summit is a symbol. A symbol that Europe can be strong when it...

A far-right conservative political party has called for an independent enquiry into the high mortality rate in Switzerland this year. The Federal Democratic Union said it handed in nearly 10,000 signatures collected over the past two week for a - no...

The UN Human Rights Council in Geneva has rejected a Western-led motion to hold a debate about alleged human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region after a UN report found possible crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslims. The d...

The umbrella group for gays and bisexuals, Pink Cross, has criticised the Swiss government for failing to sign contracts to procure a vaccine against monkeypox. Roman Heggli, Pink Cross executive director, said it's incomprehensible that the authori...

The share of buildings heated with oil has declined in recent years while gas heating as well as heat pumps have become more popular. Heating oil was used in 41% of buildings in Switzerland and thus remains the main energy source for heating accordi...

Teenagers in Switzerland most often commit shoplifting or carry weapons according to a major international study on juvenile delinquency. Acts of vandalism come in third place. In terms of violence, fights between groups are the most common. This s...

The number of migrants apprehended at Swiss borders has increased significantly in the last few months, reaching a level in September not seen since 2016. In an interview with the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper, Christian Bock, director of the Federal Off...

The Swiss foreign ministry has called on the Iranian government to protect Iranians’ right to freedom of expression amid a violent crackdown on anti-government protests that erupted after the death of a young Iranian woman. In a statement released...

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) and the pilots' union Aeropers have agreed to launch the planned negotiations, waiving the conditions previously set. A first round of negotiations will take place next Friday, according to the statement on Wedn...

Drivers for the American ride-hailing firm Uber in the Swiss city of Geneva have rejected a proposal to settle a dispute over working conditions. Trade union groups continue to insist on an intervention by the cantonal and national governments to en...

The Swiss health authorities have forced a delay of a trial with cannabis in Switzerland's largest city, due to start in the next few weeks. The Zurich city council and the university of Zurich announced that the sale of cannabis products from pharm...

A team of researchers from the Swiss university hospital of Bern, together with Australian scientists, has come up with the basis for tests for a disease of the female reproductive system. The researchers identified cells that are predominantly foun...

Zurich's local government has proposed to increase by CHF100,000 ($101,412) public subsidies to the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF). The proposal, published on Wednesday, is valid for the years 2023 to 2026. The city of Zurich has been supporting the ZFF...

Health premium comparison websites promise to help policyholders find the best premium. But some sites provide truncated information, while others do not provide any comparisons at all. Changing health insurers, deductibles or insurance models are t...

Swiss authorities want to prolong the more lenient rules for controlled heroin distribution which were put in place during the pandemic. A spokesman from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) confirmed on Wednesday that procedures introduced in...

The KOF economic institute has joined other forecasting agencies to lower its predictions for the Swiss economy. However, the experts do not expect a recession for the time being. The Swiss Institute for Business Cycle Research at the Federal Instit...

Swiss voters will not decide on the glacier initiative following a decision by campaigners to withdraw their proposal in favour of the indirect counter-proposal. The initiative committee wrote of a conditional withdrawal. They are confident that th...

A people’s initiative calling for an end to the practice of taxing married couples as a single unit has been handed in and validated by authorities for a possible future vote. The initiative, “for an individual taxation independent of civil stat...

Swiss Economics Minister Guy Parmelin has wrapped up a two-day visit to India where he hoped to spark “a new impulse” for negotiations on a free trade agreement. Regarding the long-running noises about a trade deal, Parmelin told SRF public radi...

Agricultural income in Switzerland grew slightly in 2021 to reach an average of CHF80,700 ($81,765) per farm, according to latest statistics. The 1.9% average rise in 2021 came despite a “mixed year” for farmers and farming in Switzerland, said ...

A federal court has ruled that Swiss authorities should no longer provide legal assistance to Russia in an ongoing probe into embezzlement. Assets linked to the case, frozen in Geneva, are also to be released. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung reports in it...

The world’s steepest cog-wheel railway, leading up to the Pilatus mountain peak in central Switzerland, has been kitted out with new railcars. The eight new cars, built by Stadler, will replace the previous ones dating from the 1930s and 1960s, th...

Chief financial officers (CFOs) are more pessimistic about the economic outlook for Switzerland than they were six months ago, according to a survey conducted by Deloitte for the second half of 2022. However, a majority of the 127 managers surveyed ...

Millions of old but functioning electronic objects are lying around Swiss households – many of which are eventually dumped instead of being reused, according to a survey by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). In the study published o...