Switzerland

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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UPDATED: Russia says Switzerland cannot represent its interests in Ukraine

MOSCOW, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday it had turned down a Swiss offer to represent Ukrainian interests in Russia and Moscow's interests in Ukraine because it no…

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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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Cash payments in Switzerland lose further ground, poll finds

Some 52% of respondents in a survey said either of the cards were absolutely indispensable for them, the independent online comparison service, moneyland.ch said. The share of respondents who prefer…

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Photo Story: Rhine Falls in Neuhausen, Switzerland

A tourist vessel sails in front of the Rhine Falls in Neuhausen, Switzerland. The weather forecast predicts warm temperatures for the coming days. Via EPA-EFE/MICHAEL BUHOLZER

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Swiss adopt new EU sanctions on Russia, allow oil payments

The Swiss government imposed further sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine, in line with the European Union's latest measures on gold and gold products, the cabinet said. The…

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Swiss inflation holds steady at 3.4% in July

ZURICH, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Swiss consumer price inflation held steady at 3.4% in July, slightly less than economists had expected after inflation touched a 29-year high in June. The reading -…

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Photo Story: Melting Sardona glacier in Switzerlands reveals a cave

A man stands in a glacier cave at the Sardona glacier in Vaettis, Switzerland. The melting glacier has revealed a cave. Via EPA-EFE/GIAN EHRENZELLER

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Swiss leading economic indicator points to gloom ahead

ZURICH, July 29 (Reuters) - The forward-looking Swiss KOF economic barometer slipped to its lowest reading in two years in July, data published on Friday showed, indicating a sluggish development for one…

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Swiss brace for rolling four-hour blackouts in any energy crunch

ZURICH, (Reuters) - Switzerland could resort to rolling four-hour regional blackouts should Europe's energy crisis lead to winter power shortages, a senior utility sector official said this week. The country is bracing for…

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Photo Story: Angele at the 45th Paleo Festival in Nyon

Belgium's singer Angele Van Laeken, aka Angele, performs on the main stage, during the 45th edition of the Paleo Festival in Nyon, Switzerland, on Thursday evening. The Paleo is the…

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Swiss say energy supplies safe for now, winter shortages loom

ZURICH, July 20 (Reuters) - Swiss energy supplies are safe for now but power shortages may loom in winter due to the war in Ukraine, possible interruptions in gas supplies in Europe,…

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Swiss attorney general warns trading looted commodities could be war crime

ZURICH, July 14 (Reuters) - Switzerland's attorney general has warned Swiss-based commodities trading firms that dealing with stolen raw materials, notably from Ukraine, could trigger war crime charges. "Commercialising looted raw materials…

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EPA’s Eye In The Sky: Corsier, Switzerland

Giant landart artwork representing Charlie Chaplin in costume of his character "The Tramp" "Charlot chez Chaplin" by French artist Franck Bonneau along the route of the 9th stage (Aigle -…

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Swiss inflation in June tops 3%, highest since 2008

ZURICH, July 4 (Reuters) - Swiss consumer prices rose 3.4% in June, more than economists had expected and the first time inflation in Switzerland has topped 3% since July 2008. The reading…

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Swiss gear up for hard times with bulked up food reserves

ZURICH, (Reuters) - Switzerland wants to expand its emergency food reserves to make sure the neutral country is not hit by shortages of coffee, grain and sugar caused by over-extended supply chains,…

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Swiss top court upholds ban on foreign online betting operators

Switzerland's supreme court has upheld a ban on accessing foreign online gambling sites, dashing the hopes of three betting outfits to tap the Swiss market. The Federal Court said in…

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Court convicts Credit Suisse in money-laundering case

BELLINZONA, Switzerland, June 27 (Reuters) - Switzerland's Federal Criminal Court convicted Credit Suisse CSGN.S and a former employee of failing to prevent money-laundering in Switzerland's first criminal trial of one of its major banks.…

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Financial watchdogs should do more to protect crypto traders, top Swiss regulator says

ZURICH, June 22 (Reuters) - Cryptocurrency trading increasingly resembles the U.S. stock market of the late 1920s, Switzerland's top market regulator said on Wednesday, calling for regulators to take more action to…

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Photo Story: Geraldine Fasnacht SolarStratos wingsuit jump

Swiss freeride snowboarder, base jumper and wingsuit pilot Geraldine Fasnacht jumps out of SolarStratos, a solar powered aircraft prototype. The aircraft was flown by Swiss adventurer Raphael Domjan and this…

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UPDATED: Swiss franc in biggest daily jump since 2015 after rate hike

LONDON, June 16 (Reuters) - Switzerland's franc soared on Thursday after the Swiss National Bank took markets by surprise with a large interest rate hike, putting the currency on track for its…

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Swiss cut economic growth forecasts, citing war and inflation

ZURICH, June 15 (Reuters) - The Swiss economy is expected to expand by 2.6% in 2022, the government said on Wednesday, becoming the latest region to downgrade its growth estimates due to…

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UPDATED: Swiss airspace re-opens after ‘technical malfunction’

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…

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Moscow Exchange suspends Swiss franc trading after new sanctions

The Moscow Exchange said it would suspend trading of the Swiss franc against the rouble and the U.S. dollar from Tuesday after Switzerland adopted new EU sanctions against Russia. The…

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Switzerland adopts new EU sanctions against Russia, Belarus

BERLIN, June 10 (Reuters) - Switzerland has adopted new EU sanctions against Belarus and Russia, also imposing financial and travel sanctions on 100 additional individuals and entities, including oligarch Aleksandra Melnichenko, the…

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Ronaldo brace leads Portugal to big win over Switzerland

LISBON (Reuters) - Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal swept to an emphatic 4-0 victory over Switzerland in their UEFA Nations League clash at the Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon…

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Neutral Swiss spell out rules for re-export of arms

Switzerland reiterated it would not as a neutral country allow the re-export of Swiss arms to conflict zones but this did not cover some Swiss-manufactured parts that other countries may…

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Swiss catch inflation bug, prices rise at fastest pace in 14 years

ZURICH, June 2 (Reuters) - Swiss prices increased by their highest level in 14 years during May, the government said on Thursday, as Switzerland became the latest country to be hit by…

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Swiss veto Danish request to send Ukraine armoured vehicles

ZURICH, June 1 (Reuters) - The Swiss government has vetoed Denmark's request to send Swiss-made armoured personnel carriers to Ukraine, citing its neutrality policy of not supplying arms to conflict zones, Swiss…

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Swiss regulator weighing new COVID booster recommendation for children

Swiss drugs regulator Swissmedic said on Tuesday it is reviewing an application from pharmaceutical company Pfizer for a new dosage recommendation for a COVID-19 booster shot for children. The regulator…

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This Spring in Switzerland was one of the warmest on record

Spring 2022 in Switzerland was one of the warmest on record, with temperatures from March to May around 2.5 degrees above normal, public television weather service SRF Meteo said. Only…

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Ukraine top of the agenda in Davos as business leaders gather

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Russia would normally have its own "house" at the World Economic Forum as a showcase for business leaders and investors. This year the space on the…

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Switzerland confirms its first case of monkeypox

VIENNA (Reuters) - Switzerland has detected its first confirmed case of monkeypox, a person in the canton of Bern who contracted it through "close physical contact abroad", the canton said…

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Photo Story: Heatwave in Geneva

People enjoy the warm weather in the plage des Eaux-Vives on the shore of the Lake Geneva, during a heatwave in Geneva, Switzerland. Via EPA-EFE/SALVATORE DI NOLFI

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Swiss voters approve ‘Lex Netflix’ TV streaming funding law

Swiss voters on Sunday backed proposals to make global TV streaming services such as Netflix Inc, Amazon and Disney invest some of their revenues generated in Switzerland into domestic film-making.…

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Analysis: Neutral Switzerland leans closer to NATO in response to Russia

BERN, May 15 (Reuters) - Switzerland's fabled neutral status is about to face its biggest test in decades, with the defence ministry tilting closer to Western military powers in response…

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Swiss voters look set to approve TV streaming funding law

ZURICH, May 15 (Reuters) - Swiss voters on Sunday looked set to back proposals to make global TV streaming services such as Netflix Inc NFLX.O Amazon AMZN.O and Disney DIS.N invest some of their revenues generated in Switzerland…

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Photo Story: The Alpaufzug in Weissbad, Switzerland

An alpine farmer and cows take part in 'Alpaufzug', the ceremonial driving of cattle to the alps, in Weissbad, Switzerland. Via EPA-EFE/GIAN EHRENZELLER

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EU threatens to kick Switzerland out of passport-free zone

Brussels has threatened to throw Switzerland out of the EU’s passport-free zone if it does not back paying more to the bloc's border agency, as the country prepares to vote…

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Swiss release some frozen Russian assets

The Swiss government reported 6.3 billion Swiss francs ($6.33 billion) worth of Russian assets frozen under sanctions to punish Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, a drop from early April as around…

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Swiss National Bank opposed to holding bitcoin as a reserve currency

ZURICH, (Reuters) - The Swiss National Bank is against buying and holding bitcoin as a reserve currency, Chairman Thomas Jordan said at the central bank's annual general meeting this week. "Buying bitcoin…

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Swiss gold exports to the United States rocketed in March

Swiss shipments of gold to the United States surged in March to their highest since May 2020, Swiss customs data showed, as investors spooked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and…

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Fossils of giant marine reptiles found high in the Swiss Alps

Fossils from some of the largest creatures ever to swim Earth's oceans - whale-sized marine reptiles called ichthyosaurs - have been found in a counterintuitive place: atop three mountains in…

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Swiss OK agreement on classified information exchange with NATO

BERLIN, April 27 (Reuters) - Switzerland's government approved on Wednesday an agreement that forms the basis for exchanging sensitive information with NATO, it said. Such agreements make it possible, among other things,…

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Swiss to keep mum on Russian commodity deal sanctions rulings

ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland will maintain tight non-disclosure rules as part of its Russian sanctions package and keep conversations with trading houses on their purchases of Russian crude confidential, the government agency…

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U.S. surpasses Germany as top Swiss export market as pharma booms

ZURICH (Reuters) - The United States overtook Germany as Switzerland’s biggest export market last year, mainly thanks to strong growth in chemical and pharmaceutical products over the last two decades,…

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Swiss adopt latest round of EU sanctions on Russia

ZURICH, April 13 (Reuters) - Switzerland has adopted the latest round of European Union sanctions against Russia and Belarus for Moscow's military aggression against Ukraine, the government said on Wednesday,…

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Swiss parliament panel narrowly rejects curbs on Russian energy deals

ZURICH, April 6 (Reuters) - The foreign affairs committee of the Swiss parliament's lower house has narrowly rejected a proposal by the centre-left Social Democrats to ban physical and transit trade in…

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