Switzerland

UPDATED: Germany guarantees Swiss Leopard 2 tanks wouldn’t go to Ukraine – Berlin

BERLIN, March 3 (Reuters) - Germany would not send Leopard 2 tanks onwards to Ukraine if Switzerland agreed to send them as requested by Berlin, a German defence ministry spokesperson…

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Switzerland sent $3.6 bln of gold to Turkey in Jan, the most since at least 2012

LONDON (Reuters) - Switzerland sent 58.3 tonnes of gold worth 3.3 billion Swiss francs ($3.6 billion) to Turkey in January, by far the most for any month in records stretching…

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Swiss seek to confiscate $140 million linked to ex-Ukraine President Yanukovich

ZURICH, (Reuters) - Switzerland has launched proceedings to confiscate more than 130 million Swiss francs ($140.89 million) linked to the entourage of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich who was deposed…

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Swiss gov’t rejects request from Spain to allow it to re-export anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine

ZURICH, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Switzerland has rejected a request from Spain to allow it to re-export Swiss-made anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine, the Bern government said on Friday. Madrid had…

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Don’t assume bird flu risk to humans will remain low, WHO warns

The risk of bird flu spreading in humans is low at the moment - but it doesn't mean it will necessarily stay that way, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has…

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Switzerland’s solar dam: Sun and snow the perfect mix for green energy drive

A snaking wall of solar panels has been attached to Switzerland's longest dam as the landlocked nation looks to maximise its green energy production in the winter months. The Lake…

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Swiss neutrality on the line as arms-for-Ukraine debate heats up

Switzerland is close to breaking with centuries of tradition as a neutral state, as a pro-Ukraine shift in the public and political mood puts pressure on the government to end…

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Switzerland rethinking ‘neutrality’ amid Russia’s war in Ukraine

POLITICO reports that Switzerland's politicians are rethinking what it means to be neutral amid Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Switzerland has been neutral for close to five centuries, while being…

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Roche launches new test to detect fast spreading Omicron sub-variant

ZURICH, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Roche has launched a new PCR test to detect a fast-spreading sub-variant of the Omicron variant of Coronavirus, the Swiss drugmaker said on Thursday. The…

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Davos 2023: Greta Thunberg says energy industry throwing people ‘under the bus’

By Maha El Dahan DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Climate activist Greta Thunberg said on Thursday that the global energy industry would go as far as it could without public pressure,…

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Davos expects record turnout as resumes winter slot

(Reuters) - A record number of business and government leaders will descend on the Swiss resort of Davos today to pore over challenges ranging from global economic slowdown to environmental…

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Ethics group urges tougher Swiss action over money-laundering

ZURICH, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Swiss prosecutors should enforce laws against money-laundering more effectively as the country remains a soft touch for corporate financial corruption, an ethics group said on…

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Swiss National Bank posts record $143 billion loss in 2022

By John Revill ZURICH, Jan 9(Reuters) - The Swiss National Bank posted an annual loss of 132 billion Swiss francs ($143 billion) in 2022, it said on Monday, the biggest…

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Photo Story: Viva Frida Kahlo Immersive Exhibition opens in Lausanne

A person watches the exhibition 'Viva Frida Kahlo - Immersive Exhibition' combining video projections, first-person narration and an original musical score, during a press preview, at Beaulieu in Lausanne, Switzerland.…

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WHO runs out of cholera vaccines as disease surges

GENEVA (Reuters) - The global stockpile of cholera vaccines the World Health Organization helps manage is "currently empty or extremely low", a WHO official said amid a resurgence of the…

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Angelina Jolie leaves U.N. refugee agency after more than 20 years

GENEVA (Reuters) - Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie will quit her role as a special envoy for the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) but will remain a humanitarian activist, the United Nations…

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Bacteria behind certain bloodstream infections grew highly drug-resistant in 2020 – WHO

By Natalie Grover LONDON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - High levels of drug resistance in bacteria that often cause bloodstream infections in hospitals emerged in the first year of the pandemic,…

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Photo Story: First snowfall of the season in Geneva

Two people are seen in a park on Friday morning during the first snowfall of the season, in Geneva, Switzerland. Via EPA-EFE/SALVATORE DI NOLFI

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WHO estimates 90% of world have some resistance to Covid

The World Health Organization estimates that 90% of the world population now has some resistance to Covid-19, but warned that a troubling new variant could still emerge. Gaps in vigilance…

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Swiss seek mandatory reporting of cyberattacks on key infrastructure

ZURICH, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The Swiss government proposed on Friday making it mandatory to report cyberattacks on critical infrastructure as a way to help shed light on hackers and…

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UPDATED: WHO to use ‘mpox’ for monkeypox to fight stigma

GENEVA, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The World Health Organization said on Monday it would start using a new preferred term, 'mpox', as a synonym for monkeypox and urged others to…

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Switzerland experiencing medicine shortages says pharmacists association

ZURICH, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Switzerland is experiencing medicine shortages due to supply chain issues linked to COVID lockdowns in China and war in Europe, the country's pharmacists association said.…

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Swiss minister: economic situation means difficult years ahead

ZURICH, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The threat of recession in the euro zone and beyond, an energy supply squeeze and the eroding effect of inflation on purchasing power mean Switzerland…

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Swiss inflation slows more than expected in October

ZURICH, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Swiss consumer price inflation slowed to 3.0% in October but still overshot the Swiss National Bank's 0-2% target range for the ninth month in a…

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Month of October was warmest one in Swiss history

The month just ending was the warmest ever October in Switzerland. The weather watchers from MeteoSwiss, said that the month of October had surpassed everything recorded since 1864. The situation…

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Tuberculosis deaths rose during pandemic, reversing years of decline, WHO says

(Reuters) - Global deaths from tuberculosis are estimated to have increased between 2019 and 2021, reversing years of decline as the COVID-19 pandemic severely derailed efforts to tackle the disease,…

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Photo Story: Celestial Sphere at UN in Geneva returns after renovation

The big sculpture 'Celestial Sphere' by Paul Manship after its renovation has returned to its place in front of the Palais des Nations at the European headquarters of the United…

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Switzerland to examine new German request to allow weapon re-exports to Ukraine

ZURICH, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Germany has made another request to neutral Switzerland to allow it to re-export Swiss-made ammunition to Ukraine to be used in its war against Russia,…

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Photo Story: Annual air show of the Swiss Army in the Axalp area

Five Tiger F5 airplanes from the Patrouille Suisse drop flares during the annual airshow of the Swiss Army in the Axalp area near Meiringen, Canton of Berne, Switzerland. Via EPA-EFE/ANTHONY…

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Swiss to destroy 9 million expired Moderna COVID-19 jabs

ZURICH, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Switzerland will destroy 9 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine that have reached their expiry date, with another 5.1 million vaccine jabs set to meet…

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Swiss considering wider EU sanctions on Iran over Amini death

ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland is considering whether to adopt the strengthened European Union sanctions against Iran following Teheran's crackdown against demonstrators outraged by the death in police custody of 22-year-old…

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Swiss state pensions to rise 2.5% to help offset inflation

ZURICH (Reuters) - The Swiss state pension will rise by 2.5% next year, the government said this week, to help offset the highest inflation the country has seen in nearly…

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Swiss govt to track corporate ownership in bid to curb money laundering

ZURICH, Oct 12 (Reuters) - The Swiss government plans to create a central registry to track who actually owns legal entities in a move to fight money-laundering via shell companies,…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Saillon, Switzerland

Swiss conceptual artists Patrik and Frank Riklin pose in their 'idyllic' suite located in the vineyards, part of the project 'Null Stern Hotel', in Saillon, Switzerland. The Swiss conceptual artists…

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Swiss voters support increase in women’s retirement age

Swiss voters accepted the government's pension reform plan by a narrow margin on Sunday. The plan would raise the retirement age for women from 64 to 65, bringing it in…

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Swiss to vote on Sunday on banning factory farming

GENEVA (Reuters) - Swiss voters decide on Sunday whether to ban factory farming in a referendum on whether the wealthy country's strict animal welfare laws need to be tightened yet…

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Photo Story: The Castello CUBE, artwork worth 10 million euro displayed in downtown Zurich

A security guard rushes by as an elderly man on Thursday tried to measure The Castello CUBE, an artwork made by German artist Niclas Castello, in Zurich, Switzerland. According to…

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Nearly 1 million people face starvation in hunger hotspots – U.N. agencies

Nearly one million people in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia, and Yemen are starving or will face starvation this year in the absence of aid, as the global food crisis…

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UN draws deep from emergency funds amid record humanitarian aid gap

GENEVA (Reuters) - Faced with a record $32 billion shortfall in humanitarian aid funding, the United Nations is dipping deep into its emergency fund to support critical programmes in 11…

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Swiss to dial down thermostats in government buildings

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss bureaucrats will need to dress warmly this winter after the government decided public buildings would be heated to no more than 20 degrees Celsius (68°F) to…

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Swiss cut off tax data, make visas harder for Russians

ZURICH, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Switzerland will temporarily halt the exchange of tax information with Russia and make it harder for Russian citizens to get visas, the government said on…

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Photo Story: Queen Elizabeth II projected over Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

A handout photo made available by Swiss light artist Gerry Hofstetter shows a light projection titled 'The Queen - The Queen of England on the way to heaven' on clouds…

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WHO ‘strongly advises against’ use of two COVID treatments

(Reuters) - Two COVID-19 antibody therapies are no longer recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), on the basis that Omicron and the variant's latest offshoots have likely rendered them…

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End of COVID pandemic is ‘in sight’ -WHO chief

The world has never been in a better position to end the COVID-19 pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization said on Wednesday, his most optimistic outlook yet on…

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Swiss seek closer defence ties to EU, NATO; to stay neutral

Switzerland will seek closer defence and security ties to the European Union and NATO while preserving its traditional neutrality in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the government said.…

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Modern slavery on the rise as crises fuel poverty – U.N. report

GENEVA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The number of people forced to work or in a marriage against their will has surged in recent years to around 50 million on any…

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Women’s pay in Switzerland lags that of men by 43%

ZURICH, (Reuters) - Women in Switzerland earn more than 40% less than men and draw less pension money, a gender pay gap report the government adopted this week showed, citing…

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Switzerland’s engineering sector urges country to start energy saving now

ZURICH, (Reuters) - Switzerland's mechanical and electrical engineering sector said this week that businesses and households need to start energy savings immediately and called for more government support to help…

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Swiss inflation ticks up to 3.5% in August

ZURICH, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Swiss consumer price inflation rose a higher-than-expected 3.5% in August, the seventh month in a row that inflation has surpassed the Swiss National Bank's 0-2%…

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UN rights chief’s tenure ends in disappointment for China activists

GENEVA, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Michelle Bachelet, once a political detainee under Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and a doctor for tortured children, pledged to be the champion of victims when…

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Photo Story: Transhumance in Switzerland

A herdsman looks on during the annual cattle drive (Alpabzug) on the Saemtis Alps in Bruelisau, Switzerland, 26 August 2022. Cattle feed on alpine herbs in summer and are later…

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Giant megalodon shark could eat prey the size of killer whales

Megalodon, the largest shark that ever lived, is famous for its huge, human-hand-sized teeth. However, there is little fossil evidence of its whole body. International researchers in collaboration with UZH…

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Photo Story: The dried-out shore of the Lac des Brenets in Switzerland

Stranded boats are pictured on the dried-out shore of the Lac des Brenets 'or Lac de Chaillexon' part of the Doubs river, a natural border between eastern France and western…

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The WHO wants a new term for monkeypox

In a bid to do away with a name criticized for having problematic connotations, the World Health Organization (WHO) is asking the public to weigh in on what the virus…

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Switzerland could align with EU energy saving drive

Switzerland could prevent an energy shortage by aligning with a European Union plan to cut gas use by 15% this winter, Energy Minister Simonetta Sommaruga told newspaper SonntagsBlick. European Union…

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U.N. humanitarian agencies face record funding gap this year

GENEVA, Aug 12 (Reuters) - U.N. humanitarian projects face a record funding gap this year, with only a third of the required $48.7 billion secured so far as global needs…

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Swiss hotel sector shows signs of post-pandemic recovery

A total of 16.9 million overnight stays were made in Swiss hotels between January and June, an increase of 47.3% on the same period in 2021, when Covid health measures…

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