Switzerland

Swiss report more than $6 billion worth of sanctioned Russian assets

ZURICH, March 24 (Reuters) - The Swiss government has frozen around 5.75 billion Swiss francs ($6.17 billion) worth of Russian assets in Switzerland covered by sanctions, and the number is likely to rise,…

Read More Here

Neutral Swiss rule out arms deliveries to Poland

Swiss neutrality rules out delivering weapons to Poland, Swiss President Ignazio Cassis said on Monday during a visit to Ukraine's neighbour. "Poland's first wish is actually for arms deliveries. But that is not…

Read More Here

Swiss media speculate on whereabouts on Putin’s alleged mistress and Russian oligarchs

Switzerland’s weekend press focused on the whereabouts of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s alleged mistress who has been rumoured to be hiding in the Alpine nation. Newly sanctioned Russian oligarchs said to…

Read More Here

Ukraine’s Zelenskiy urges Swiss to crack down on Russian oligarchs

BERN, March 19 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged Switzerland on Saturday to crack down on Russian oligarchs who he said were helping to wage war on his country from the…

Read More Here

Russians have up to $213 billion stashed offshore in Swiss banks

Switzerland's secretive banks hold up to $213 billion of Russian wealth, the country's financial industry association estimates, as sanctions on Russia give a rare glimpse inside Swiss vaults. The Swiss…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Exhibition dedicated to 100th anniversary of The Kid movie by Charlie Chaplin

A visitor looks at items shown in the temporary exhibition 'The Kid' dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the 1921 American silent comedy-drama film. The movie was written, produced, directed…

Read More Here

Swiss gold exports to China ease from five-year high

LONDON, March 17 (Reuters) - Swiss exports of gold to China in February eased from the previous month's five-year high, but shipments to India recovered, Swiss customs data showed on…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Switzerland steps up economic sanctions against Belarus and Russia in line with EU

ZURICH, March 16 (Reuters) - Neutral Switzerland has adopted more European Union sanctions against Russian individuals and entities published on Tuesday in response to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the government said on Wednesday. "Switzerland's…

Read More Here

Switzerland: The land that inflation left behind

BERN, (Reuters) - While the rest of Europe grapples with surging prices, in Switzerland inflation is so tame that some key costs are actually falling. The price of healthcare - a big…

Read More Here

Swiss adopt new EU sanctions on Russia

ZURICH, March 4 (Reuters) - The Swiss government on Friday widened sanctions against Russia in step with further measures imposed by the European Union, tightening exports and financial services to the country…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Neutral Swiss adopt sanctions against Russia

ZURICH, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Neutral Switzerland will adopt European Union sanctions against Russians involved in Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and freeze their assets, the government said on Monday in a sharp…

Read More Here

Swiss halt new bank business with Russians on EU sanctions list

ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland told its banks to halt new business with people and entities on a European Union sanctions blacklist, which the neutral country has adopted to ensure it is not…

Read More Here

EPP calls for Switzerland’s possible blacklisting after Credit Suisse Leaks

The main political grouping in the European Parliament called on Monday for a review of Switzerland's banking practices and for the country's possible inclusion in the EU's dirty-money blacklist after…

Read More Here

EU Parliament’s top group suggests blacklisting Switzerland after Credit Suisse leaks

BRUSSELS, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The main political grouping in the European Parliament called on Monday for a review of Switzerland's banking practices and for the country's possible inclusion in the EU's…

Read More Here

Swiss gold exports to China surge to highest since December 2016

LONDON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Swiss exports of gold to mainland China surged in January to their highest since December 2016, but shipments of bullion to India fell, Swiss customs…

Read More Here

Swiss government decides to lift nearly all COVID-19 restrictions

ZURICH, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Switzerland will lift almost all its coronavirus pandemic restrictions, the government said on Wednesday, as fears waned that a spike in infections fuelled by the Omicron variant…

Read More Here

Swiss reject ban on animal testing in referendum

ZURICH, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Swiss voters rejected a proposal by animal rights activists to make Switzerland the first country to ban medical and scientific experiments on animals, but approved…

Read More Here

Swiss to vote on becoming first country to ban animal testing

ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland votes on Sunday whether to become the first country to completely ban medical testing on animals, after animal rights campaigners gathered enough support to stage a…

Read More Here

Swiss inflation hits 13-year high in January

ZURICH, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Swiss consumer price inflation touched 1.6% in January, the highest level since late 2008, as it moved closer to the 2% upper band of the…

Read More Here

Switzerland aims for new EU talks on improving troubled ties

ZURICH, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Swiss President Ignazio Cassis wants to thaw frosty ties with the European Union by seeking a new package of bilateral agreements and believes his country…

Read More Here

Swiss to abolish import duties on industrial goods from 2024

ZURICH, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Switzerland will abolish import duties on industrial goods from the start of 2024 in a bid to shore up the country as a place to…

Read More Here

Swiss start relaxing pandemic measures

ZURICH, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Switzerland on Wednesday began easing coronavirus pandemic restrictions as fears waned that a spike in infections fuelled by the Omicron variant would overwhelm the health…

Read More Here

Swiss government tells banks to hold more capital for Swiss home mortgages

ZURICH, Jan 26 (Reuters) - The Swiss government will require banks to hold additional capital for residential mortgages from the end of September, it said on Wednesday, as it aims…

Read More Here

Swiss franc rises to near 7-year high as safe haven flows resume

ZURICH, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The Swiss franc rose 0.2% early on Monday as safe-haven inflows driven by concerns over Ukraine pushed the currency to its highest level against the…

Read More Here

Swiss cabinet extends quarantine, work-from-home rules into February

ZURICH, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Switzerland will extend until the end of February coronavirus quarantine and work-from-home rules and plans to keep until the end of March other curbs on…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Patrouille Suisse flyover in Wengen

The Patrouille Suisse jets perform prior to the Men's Downhill race at the Fis Alpine Skiing World Cup in Wengen, Switzerland, 15 January 2022. Via EPA-EFE/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Read More Here

Switzerland tests digital currency payments with top investment banks

ZURICH, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Switzerland's central bank has successfully used digital currency to settle transactions involving five commercial banks, the Swiss National Bank said on Thursday, the latest trial…

Read More Here

Swiss halve quarantine period to five days to tackle Omicron wave

ZURICH, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Switzerland will halve its quarantine time to five days to help tackle a wave of coronavirus infections that threatens to hamstring the economy, the government…

Read More Here

Prospects dim as U.S., Russia start tense talks over Ukraine crisis

GENEVA, Jan 10 (Reuters) - With diplomats publicly pessimistic, the United States and Russia are set to begin fragile negotiations in Geneva on Monday that Washington hopes can avert the…

Read More Here

Swiss-EU relationship could fall apart if talks fail, EU’s Sefcovic says

BERLIN, Dec 28 (Reuters) - The European Union's relationship with Switzerland could fall apart if negotiations over Switzerland's place in the EU internal market fail, European Commission Vice President Maros…

Read More Here

Swiss airports see 50% fewer passengers than pre-pandemic

Amid flight cancellations and coronavirus related travel restrictions, Swiss airports are expecting half the number of passengers over the holidays than before the pandemic. This is still more traffic than…

Read More Here

Swissmedic approves Roche’s Ronapreve to treat COVID-19 patients

ZURICH, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Swiss drugs regulator Swissmedic said on Monday it approved Ronapreve, an antibody treatment jointly developed by Roche and Regeneron, to treat COVID-19 patients. "In this…

Read More Here

Swiss to allow simple legal gender transition from Jan. 1

ZURICH, Dec 26 (Reuters) - People in Switzerland will be able to legally change gender by a visit to the civil registry office from Jan. 1, putting the country at…

Read More Here

Thousands of fake Covid-19 certificates uncovered in Switzerland

Criminal proceedings have been launched in Switzerland following the discovery of around 8,000 fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates that were issued in the eastern canton of St Gallen. Police believe the…

Read More Here

Switzerland to tighten pandemic measures from Monday

Switzerland is ordering more COVID-19 vaccination doses, the government said, as it tightened pandemic curbs while opting not to embrace -- for now -- an even stricter limited lockdown. It…

Read More Here

Switzerland says foreigners welcome to ski lifts if they respect pandemic rules

Swiss ski lifts are open for foreign visitors as long as they respect the rules that the government has introduced to try and break the momentum of the coronavirus pandemic,…

Read More Here

Online gambling sites lose bid to access Swiss market – court

A Swiss court has blocked requests by foreign online gambling operators to access the Swiss market, which gaming officials have limited since 2019 to Swiss-approved games of chance. That means…

Read More Here

Swiss drop money-laundering case involving Spain’s former king

Geneva's chief prosecutor said on Monday he had closed a criminal investigation into allegations Spain's former king Juan Carlos laundered "illegal commission" payments from Saudi Arabia, due to insufficient evidence.…

Read More Here

Swiss propose boosting minimum internet speed

The Swiss government proposed increasing by a factor of eight the minimum internet speeds that providers of basic service need to ensure. At present Swisscom has the concession to provide…

Read More Here

Digital euro, Swiss franc trials were successful, c.banks say

Europe's first cross-border trial of central bank digital currency payments has been described as a success by the central banks of Switzerland and France, though they said it would not…

Read More Here

Swiss group lights 11,288 candles for COVID-19 victims

More than 11,000 candles - one for each Swiss victim of the coronavirus pandemic - lit up the December darkness outside the Swiss parliament in Bern on Tuesday evening. "We…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Playmobil model of L’Escalade of Geneva

Visitors look at a model of the Escalade built with 13,000 pieces of Playmobil, realized by a father and his two children, on display at the department store Manor in…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Swiss tighten COVID-19 restrictions as cases rise

Switzerland announced stronger anti-Covid-19 measures on Friday, as its government battles to contain a surge in coronavirus infections and the arrival of the Omicron variant in the country. The country…

Read More Here

Geneva places 2,000 people in quarantine after two Omicron cases

ZURICH, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The Swiss cantons of Geneva and Vaud have placed 2,000 people, most of them children, into quarantine after two cases of the Omicron variant were…

Read More Here

Swiss voters back government’s COVID-19 response plan

ZURICH, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Swiss voters on Sunday backed the government's pandemic response plan by a bigger than expected majority in a referendum, paving the way for the continuation…

Read More Here

Swiss voters trend towards backing government’s COVID-19 response plan

ZURICH, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Swiss voters on Sunday trended towards backing the government's pandemic response plan, paving the way for the government to continue exceptional measures to stem the…

Read More Here

Switzerland adds Britain, Netherlands, three others to quarantine list

Switzerland widened quarantine requirements to stem the spread of the new Omicron coronavirus variant to travellers arriving from Britain, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Egypt and Malawi, where cases have…

Read More Here

Swiss expect slower economic growth as pandemic returns

ZURICH, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The Swiss economy grew by a weaker-than-expected 1.7% during the third quarter, the government said on Friday, as it braces for a further downturn from…

Read More Here

Swiss wind park ordered to scale back to protect birds

A new wind park in Switzerland must scale back its plans to deliver renewable energy in order to protect vulnerable bird species, the country's supreme court ruled this week. Plans…

Read More Here

Switzerland reports H5N1 bird flu at animal sanctuary, OIE says

PARIS, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Switzerland has reported an outbreak of the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus among poultry at an animal sanctuary, the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal…

Read More Here

Switzerland holds off on new measures despite “critical” COVID situation

Switzerland will hold off from new national restrictions to curb coronavirus infections, the government said, as it appealed to common sense and local measures to stem the rising tide of…

Read More Here

Photo Story: The Lausanne Light Festival

People view the light projection of painting of Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh realized by MP Studio in the Saint-Francois Place ahead of the Lausanne Light Festival (Festival Lausanne…

Read More Here

Swiss watchdog faults two more banks in Venezuela money-laundering probe

ZURICH, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Switzerland's financial regulator reprimanded two more Swiss banks for breaching their obligations to combat money laundering as it wrapped up a five-year investigation into banks'…

Read More Here

Swiss to allow same-sex weddings from July 2022

ZURICH, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Same-sex couples can wed in Switzerland from July 1 next year, the government said on Wednesday, enacting the results of a ground-breaking referendum on the…

Read More Here

Swiss franc remains in demand as safe haven says Swiss National Bank’s Maechler

The Swiss franc continues to be in demand as a safe haven investment as market uncertainties remain elevated due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Swiss National Bank governing board member…

Read More Here

Swiss pursue ‘special path’ with big trade partner China -minister

Switzerland's foreign minister played down prospects for his neutral country to embrace Western sanctions against China over its human rights record as Bern pursues a "special path" with Beijing, a major trade…

Read More Here

Photo Story: First snow in Switzerland

A snow-covered tree in St. Margrethenberg, Switzerland, 04 November 2021. The east of Switzerland received the first snow this winter. Photo - EPA-EFE/GIAN EHRENZELLER

Read More Here