A heat record that had stood for almost 80 years in Switzerland has been broken. On Thursday, shortly before 3 pm, temperatures exceeded 37.0 degrees at no fewer than four monitoring stations. This is the highest temperature ever recorded in Switzerl...

Faced with US tariffs, sluggish global growth and geopolitical tensions, the Swiss economy is holding up well and is expected to continue to do so, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Domestic demand, zero interest rate and recent wag...

Switzerland faces multiple and growing threats including espionage, cyberattacks and terrorism. Russia is regarded as the most immediate threat, according to a statement issued on Thursday by the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service (SRC). The internat...

Switzerland will send emergency aid to Venezuela, which has been hit by two powerful earthquakes that have claimed the lives of at least 160 people. The Swiss plan to deploy a team of 80 rescue workers, eight search dogs and 18 tonnes of equipment. T...

All parties have lodged an appeal following the conviction of a family of Serbian origin for human trafficking in the Bernese Oberland. The three defendants are accused of having lured women from their home country to Switzerland over a period of sev...

Switzerland's net migration figure for the European Union and European Free Trade Association stood at 50,900 people, according to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). This figure is down on the previous three years. However, the number...

New figures from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO) show that full-time workers in Switzerland earned significantly more in 2025. The median salary was higher than in the 2024 survey. Anyone who had a full-time job in Switzerland last year ea...

The powerful earthquakes in Venezuela were detectable as far away as Switzerland. The Swiss Seismological Service’s seismometers registered the tremors, the service said in response to an enquiry from the Keystone-SDA news agency. The two powerful ...

It was a record-breaking day on the Swiss stock market on Wednesday. The benchmark SMI index climbed above the 14,000-point mark during a rally and, in the early afternoon, broke the all-time high set in February. In a market with little news, it was...

The Swiss Competition Commission (Comco) is expanding an investigation launched in 2020 into possible bid-rigging cartels in the construction sector in the Italian-speaking region of Moesa, in the canton of Graubünden. Nine companies are now under i...

Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has experienced a number of disruptions to the railway infrastructure and rolling stock caused by the heat. This includes overheating of traction motors or faults in air-conditioning systems. According to a statement issu...

According to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a technical working meeting between the US and Iran is planned for June 29-30 in Switzerland. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern has not confirmed this. Rubio announced the latest meeting...

Switzerland has qualified for the round of 32 at the World Cup as group winners. The Swiss national team beat co-host country Canada 2–1 in Vancouver on Wednesday. The Swiss goals came early in the second half, scored by Ruben Vargas (46’) and Jo...

On Wednesday, the River Aare in Bern set a new June record, reaching its highest temperature ever recorded for the month. At 5pm, official figures put the Aare’s temperature at Marzilibad at 23.4°C — above the previous June record of 22.79°C, s...

Following criticism, the Federal Council has scaled back a planned increase in the VAT rate to fund the armed forces. It proposes 0.5% rather than 0.8% as originally planned; this would remain in force for 12 years, not 10. The standard rate (for the...

Switzerland plans a full withdrawal from development programmes in Latin America. The Federal Council on Wednesday outlined its 2029–2032 international cooperation strategy. With federal finances under pressure, the focus will shift toward humanita...

Further cuts to the federal budget will not be needed in 2027, Switzerland's Federal Council (executive body) said on Wednesday. It announced that revenue is CHF1.8 billion ($2.2 billion) higher than had been estimated in February. But the 2027–202...

The heatwave danger level was raised from 3 to 4 across much of canton Ticino on Wednesday. On Tuesday, the high-risk zone (level 4) already extended across the central Swiss Plateau region and French-speaking Switzerland. The level‑4 heatwave warn...

Swiss men will be required to serve in the security sector, whether in the armed forces or in disaster response. In response to a request from Parliament, the federal government decided on Wednesday to merge civil defence and civilian service. The ai...

The electricity agreement between Switzerland and the European Union has cleared its first hurdle in the Swiss Parliament. The Senate's Energy Committee decided to proceed with the bill by 6 votes to 4, with 3 abstentions. The agreement forms part of...

Switzerland has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Indonesia that will facilitate access to critical minerals and metals. In return, Switzerland has committed to promote investment in Indonesia. This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is of gre...

According to the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland, those who pollute water often get off too lightly. A research project is now analysing why law enforcement is patchy and what needs to change. The project, funded by the Swiss National Science...

Artificial intelligence is bringing about significant changes to the Swiss labour market. According to a study, it is young people starting their careers in digital, knowledge-based and office-based roles who are feeling the greatest impact of this c...

The Bürgenstock Resort on Lake Lucerne had to arrange the talks between representatives of the US, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan in less than 48 hours. To make room for representatives, the resort had to cancel over a thousand reservations. By the time t...

Last year the consular service of the Swiss foreign ministry assisted Swiss travellers abroad in 1,238 cases. This represents a 14% increase on the previous year. There are several reasons for this rise. According to federal figures, Swiss people are...

The heatwave has been gripping Switzerland for some time and is affecting more and more regions. The government has issued a warning and raised the danger level from 3 to 4, meaning “high danger”. No relief from the heat is expected until Monday....

Swiss Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter remains firm in her belief that full capital coverage of UBS’s foreign subsidiaries is necessary. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox "The requirements being called for in the curre...

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is extending the suspension of its flights to and from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) until the end of the summer timetable on October 24. The airline announced on Tuesday that the extended suspension wa...

The Swiss Tenants’ Association has submitted the signatures for the rent control initiative. Its key demand is that rents should be reviewed automatically and regularly, and that a rent must be reduced if it is unreasonably high. +Get the most impo...

In the first quarter of 2026, the Swiss economy recorded a lower current account surplus than in the same quarter of the previous year. This is mainly attributable to trade in goods, and in particular to trade in gold. +Get the most important news fr...