Switzerland

Swiss accelerate reopening, allow large events with ‘COVID certificates’

Switzerland will allow large concerts or sporting events topping 10,000 people starting on Saturday, provided attendees can produce so-called COVID certificates showing they are vaccinated, have recovered from COVID-19 or…

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Swiss to start inoculating youngsters against COVID-19 as early as next week

Switzerland plans to allow 12- to 15-year olds to receive vaccinations against COVID-19 as soon as next week, government vaccine chief Christoph Berger told Swiss newspaper NZZ in an interview…

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Swiss government proposes making new renewable energy targets binding

The Swiss government on Friday proposed binding rules to boost energy production from hydropower and other renewable sources and limit energy consumption through 2035 and 2050. It wants to add…

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UPDATED: Russian President Putin says hopes meeting with U.S. Biden will be productive

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday he hoped a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva would be productive. "Mr President, I'd like to thank you for your…

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Biden and Putin summit: Where they disagree and where they might compromise

Don’t expect a major breakthrough at a summit on Wednesday between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, a U.S. official said on Tuesday, given relations between…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Geneva, Switzerland

Sail boats line up for the start of the 82nd 'Bol d'Or' sailing race on Lake Geneva, in Geneva, Switzerland, 12 June 2021. Over 450 boats participate in this weekend's…

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Swiss reject law to help country meet Paris carbon emissions goal

Swiss voters rejected a trio of environmental proposals on Sunday, including a new law intended to help the country meet its goal for cutting carbon emissions under the Paris Agreement…

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UPDATED: Swiss voters look set to reject law to help cut carbon emissions

Swiss voters look set to reject a new law which would help the country meet its goals under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, according to early indications by national…

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Swiss stepping up checks over suspicious pay support scheme claims

Swiss authorities are intensifying checks regarding possible abuse of a short working hours scheme introduced last year to help soften the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the job market.…

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Swiss government says will remain business friendly after G7 tax deal

Switzerland will make sure it remains attractive to business, the government said, after Group of Seven (G7) nations reached a landmark deal to reduce the incentive of multinational companies to…

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Photo Story: Anything to Say? art installation in Geneva

People walk past the sculpture 'AnythingtoSay?' by Italian artist Davide Dormino representing the whistleblowers (L-R) Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange as the artwork is installed on the Paquis…

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Swiss repeat backing for political solution in Libya

Switzerland co-hosted on Wednesday the latest meeting of an international follow-up committee on Libya. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis stressed the importance of elections to be held in the country in…

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Lonza plans new production line to make Moderna COVID-19 vaccine ingredients

Swiss contract drug manufacturer Lonza said on Wednesday that a new production line in the Netherlands will produce ingredients for Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine, part of the U.S. drugmaker's plan to…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Bavois, Switzerland

The Bavois Castle, in Bavois, Switzerland. The Chateau de Bavois was built in the 14th century. Photo: EPA-EFE/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

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Nestle under fire over unhealthy products

Nestle said on Monday it was working on updating its nutrition and health strategy after the Financial Times reported an internal document at the food giant described a large portion…

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Swiss to pay economic price for ditching EU treaty

Switzerland will pay the price in lost exports, higher costs and diminished attractiveness as a business centre after deciding this week to pull the plug on a draft treaty binding…

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Doctors for Extinction Rebellion collective hold demonstration outside WHO headquarters in Geneva

Medics concerned about the effects on public health of environmental degradation marched on the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva on Saturday (May 29), demanding health authorities make climate change and biodiversity loss their top priorities. White-clad…

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Credit Suisse scandals prompt Switzerland to think unthinkable: punish bankers

Exasperation with Credit Suisse following a string of scandals is prompting Switzerland to rethink a system in which top bankers have been largely untouchable. Credit Suisse's heavy losses from the…

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Swiss abandon EU talks and reject treaty

Years of talks to bind Switzerland more closely to the European Union’s single market collapsed on Wednesday when the Swiss government ditched a draft 2018 treaty cementing ties with its…

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UPDATED: Stalled EU treaty close to collapse as Swiss cabinet meets

A framework to simplify and strengthen ties between Switzerland and the European Union was close to collapsing on Wednesday as the Bern government met to consider breaking off talks over…

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Photo Story – Blooming daffodils field near Montreux

A person holds a Narcissus in a field of white blooming daffodil Narcissus, during a spring weather day in Les Pleiades Blonay, above Montreux, Switzerland, 23 May 2021. The meadows…

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Swiss engineering sector optimistic that pandemic gloom is receding

More than half of Swiss engineering firms expect orders from abroad to rise over the next 12 months and the sector could see revenue return to pre-pandemic levels in the…

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Swiss parliament to look into Credit Suisse fiasco

A Swiss parliamentary committee will discuss the fallout from billions of dollars worth of losses at Credit Suisse amid risk-management failures, bringing political scrutiny to bear on the financial sector,…

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Lufthansa unit Swiss expects to turn a profit by mid-year

German airline Lufthansa's subsidiary Swiss International Air Lines expects to be profitable by the middle of the year as it restructures its operations, its chief executive told a Swiss newspaper…

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UPDATED: Swisscom resolves internet access problem in Switzerland

Swisscom has restored normal service after reporting a large outage issue affecting internet access for some customers in Switzerland on Friday. The "major malfuntion" reported at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT)…

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Photo Story – Multi Visual show Light Ragaz in Tamina canyon

A visitor's face is projected onto a stone wall at the multivisual show 'Light Ragaz' in the Tamina canyon in Bad Ragaz, Switzerland, 10 May 2021 (issued 13 May 2021).…

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Most Swiss still back treaty deal with EU, poll shows

Most Swiss voters are still in favour of striking a bilateral treaty deal with the European Union, a poll for newspaper NZZ am Sonntag showed, despite years of fraught negotiation…

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Pfizer asks Swiss OK for COVID-19 vaccine for children 12 to 15

ZURICH, May 7 (Reuters) - Pfizer has sought Swiss regulatory approval for its COVID-19 vaccine in children aged 12 to 15, regulator Swissmedic said on Friday. It is currently authorised…

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Swiss voters set to back COVID-19 law, crackdown on pesticides

Swiss voters are set to back government measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic and to support a crackdown on pesticide use -- in defiance of Bern's wishes -- in binding…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Niederscherli, Switzerland

A child riding his bike on a pump track of the Swiss Bike Park Oberried at Niederscherli, Switzerland. Photo: EPA-EFE/ANTHONY ANEX

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Swiss manufacturing PMI hits record high in April

The outlook for Switzerland's industrial sector continued to brighten in April as the Purchasing Managers Index hit a record high, data showed on Monday. The PMI indicator, produced by procure.ch…

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Swiss savers could power post-COVID economic recovery

Swiss consumers are set to boost the country's post-COVID-19 economic recovery, economists say, by using the mountains of cash saved during the crisis to fuel a spending spree. Wealthy Switzerland's…

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Huge shipments to India drive Swiss gold exports to 10-month high

Switzerland in March recorded its biggest monthly gold exports in ten months as shipments to India leaped to their highest since 2013, underlining a revival in Asian bullion demand, Swiss…

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UPDATED: EU, Swiss talks on future ties stuck over Swiss carve-out demand

Talks on future ties between the European Union and Switzerland were stuck on Friday over Swiss demands that state aid, labour rules and citizens rights be carved out of a…

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Roche’s COVID-19 tests business saves the day for slumping drug division

Swiss drugmaker Roche on Wednesday stuck to its 2021 forecast for revenue growth, as first-quarter sales of COVID-19 tests offset a slumping main drug business that has been hurt as…

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Roche looking for new place to test COVID-19 pill after cases plummet in UK

Roche is looking for another location to carry out trials of its pill to fight COVID-19, after plummeting case numbers in Britain made it difficult to find enough patients for…

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Photo Story: Traditional end of winter festival in Switzerland

The Boeoegg, a symbolic snowman, is lowered by a large crane onto the platform over the Devil's Bridge, in the Schoellenen Gorge near Andermatt, Switzerland, on Monday 19 April 2021.…

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Swiss to further relax COVID-19 restrictions from next week

The Swiss government announced further easing of its COVID-19 restrictions on, allowing restaurants to reopen outdoor terraces from next week and sports events to take place with audiences. The government…

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Photo Story: Fruit trees given protection in Switzerland

A fruit tree is covered with a layer of ice after it has been artificially watered to protect the delicate blossoms from freezing in Bernex Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. Water…

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Swiss watchmakers go digital to show off new products, revive sales

Luxury Swiss watchmakers, usually not big fans of online retailing, are launching a new all-digital Watches & Wonders event on Wednesday to show off their latest products, hoping to revive…

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Swiss industrial outlook at most positive level in 15 years – PMI data

The outlook for Switzerland's industrial sector continued to brighten in March, data showed on Thursday, with the Purchasing Managers Index hitting its highest level in nearly 15 years. The PMI…

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Photo Story – Swiss police to remove environmental activists

Swiss police officers during the operation to evict environmental protesters from the ZAD de la Colline, or 'Zone A Defendre' (zone to be defended) installed by environmental activists in the…

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Swiss approve Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, haven’t bought any

Swiss drugs regulator Swissmedic approved Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, an agency spokesman said on Monday, the third shot to be approved by the country with vaccines from Pfizer and…

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EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Zurich, Switzerland

Snow covered streets and streetcar tracks at Central square in Zurich, Switzerland. Via EPA-EFE/ENNIO LEANZA

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Photo Story – Mars 2021 school activity in Switzerland

8 year old students of the private school Vivalys dressed as astronauts experiment the germination of a seed with their teacher as they conduct a three days simulation of life…

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Photo Story – FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup finals in Lenzerheide

Winner Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland poses with the crystal globe after the podium ceremony for the women's Super-G overall standings at the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup finals, in Lenzerheide,…

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Swiss government forecasts economy will grow by 3% in 2021

Switzerland's economy will bounce back from its coronavirus-driven downturn to grow by 3% in 2021, the government said in its latest forecasts on Thursday, although it expects a weak start…

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Swiss plan free coronavirus tests for population

Switzerland unveiled a 1 billion Swiss franc ($1.08 billion) plan to offer free coronavirus tests for its entire population as part of measures to ease the country’s exit from COVID-19…

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Swiss voters back ban on facial coverings in referendum -official

ZURICH, March 7 (Reuters) - A far-right proposal to ban facial coverings in Switzerland won a narrow victory in a binding referendum on Sunday instigated by the same group that…

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UPDATED: Exit polls indicate Swiss voters set to back ban on facial coverings

Swiss voters were projected to approve by a slim majority a far-right proposal to ban facial coverings in a binding referendum on Sunday viewed as a test of attitudes toward…

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Switzerland to vote on veil and face cover ban

Euronews - With large swathes of Europeans wearing masks to fight COVID-19, it seems a bizarre time to hold a vote on banning face coverings. "But that is exactly what…

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Swiss church bells mark year since first COVID-19 death

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Reuters) - Swiss church bells rang out at noon on Friday and people observed a minute of silence to mark a year since the country's first death from…

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Kuehne & Nagel 2020 core profit inches up on air logistics

Swiss logistics group Kuehne & Nagel International reported on Wednesday a slight increase in 2020 core earnings, with pharmaceuticals and e-commerce growth driving growth in a year marked by the…

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Switzerland ‘losing global clout’

Switzerland’s fading influence on the international stage is a cause of concern to former Swiss National Bank (SNB) chairman Philipp Hildebrand. Hildebrand, who this week ended his race to become…

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Swiss economy shrinks by better-than-feared 2.9% in 2020

The Swiss economy contracted by 2.9% in 2020, the government said on Friday, the worst downturn in more than 40 years as the COVID-19 pandemic battered the service sector and…

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Swiss industry calls for extension to short-time work scheme

Swiss mechanical and electrical engineering companies have called for the country's short-time working compensation scheme to be extended to 24 months to prevent more job losses in a sector hit…

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Swiss could re-examine AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine contract

Switzerland could pass on the doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination it has ordered, with the country yet to approve the shot, newspaper NZZ am Sonntag reported. Switzerland earlier this…

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