Switzerland

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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Prosecutor investigating FIFA boss Infantino is removed

ZURICH (Reuters) - FIFA President Gianni Infantino has won his bid to have a Swiss special prosecutor removed from an investigation looking at his undocumented dealings with Switzerland's former attorney general. The…

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Iran – Senior Swiss diplomat found dead

DUBAI (Reuters) -The first secretary at the Swiss embassy in Tehran was found dead on Tuesday after falling from a high-rise building where she lived in the north of the…

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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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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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Swiss Olympic unhappy with continued restrictions on indoor sport

Swiss Olympic has criticised the Federal Council's decision to postpone the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions in Switzerland, calling it a "disappointing" outcome for the sports community. Switzerland will not ease…

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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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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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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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Photo Story: Cold weather in Geneva

People wearing protective face masks as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus COVID-19 walk on the bank that is covered with ice after the wind blew spraywater from…

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Switzerland plans cautious easing of pandemic lockdown from March

Switzerland plans to make its first “cautious steps” towards ending its coronavirus lockdown next month, the government said, contrasting with neighbours that are sticking with many restrictions. In the first…

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EU ambassador to Switzerland says treaty talks finished – Blick

ZURICH, Feb 7 (Reuters/Blick) - The European Union will not reopen parts of a stalled bilateral treaty with Switzerland, the EU ambassador to the Alpine republic said in an interview…

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Swiss delay AstraZeneca COVID vaccine approval, order more shots from others

ZURICH, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Switzerland has withheld approval for AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, drugs regulator Swissmedic said on Wednesday, demanding more efficacy and quality data before greenlighting a shot that…

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Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss to cut Geneva flights further to “absolute minimum”

ZURICH, Feb 1 (Reuters) - Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss International is reducing its Geneva flight operations further to an "absolute minimum", citing coronavirus travel restrictions, the company said on Monday. The…

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Coronavirus cases in Switzerland and Liechtenstein pass 500,000 mark

Coronavirus infections in Switzerland and Liechtenstein passed the 500,000 mark on Tuesday, data from Swiss health authorities showed, as new infections rose by 2,260. The total number of confirmed cases…

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Two hotels quarantined in the Swiss resort of St Moritz

Officials in the Swiss mountain resort of St Moritz quarantined employees and guests of two luxury hotels, closed ski schools and kept schoolchildren home from class on Monday after a…

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Swiss set to approve AstraZeneca COVID vaccine this month

AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine could win Swiss regulatory approval as early as this month, the NZZ newspaper reported on Saturday, citing two unnamed sources. It said watchdog Swissmedic plans a meeting…

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Swiss minister expects regulator to approve Moderna COVID shot ‘very soon’

Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset said he expects Switzerland's drugs regulator swissmedic to approve Moderna Inc's COVID-19 vaccine "very soon", suggesting a wait of just days, not weeks. "The signals…

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Swiss economy could grow by 4% in 2021 and 2022

The Swiss economy could grow at more than double its usual rate in 2021 and 2022, with GDP increasing by around 4% in both years as output recovers from the…

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Swiss add Denmark, Netherlands to quarantine list

Swiss health authorities added Denmark and the Netherlands to their list here of areas from which travellers must enter a 10-day quarantine designed to curb the spread of COVID-19. The…

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Switzerland says residents who want a COVID-19 shot should get one by summer

Everyone in Switzerland who wants to be vaccinated against COVID-19 should be able to get a shot by summer, a Swiss health official said, as the nation anticipates imminent approval…

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Link between COVID-19 shot, Swiss death ‘highly unlikely’

Swiss drugs regulator swissmedic said it saw no link between the death of a 91-year old person in the canton of Lucerne and the COVID-19 vaccine, adding the deceased suffered…

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Swiss police probe 12 Brits suspected of fleeing ski resort quarantine

ZURICH (Reuters) - Swiss police said on Wednesday they are investigating 12 cases in which British tourists ignored quarantine orders aimed at containing new COVID-19 virus variants after hundreds of…

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Swiss canton says person died after COVID-19 shot, unclear if there is a link

ZURICH, Dec 30 (Reuters) - A Swiss person who was among the first in the country to be vaccinated with a COVID-19 shot later died, officials in the canton of…

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British skiers flee Swiss Ski Resort quarantine

ZURICH (Reuters) - Hundreds of Britons have fled quarantine in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier, with the country’s health minister attributing the exodus to an “impossible situation” where authorities…

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Ninety-year-old woman first in Switzerland to get COVID-19 shot

A 90-year-old woman in the canton of Lucerne on Wednesday became the first person in Switzerland to be vaccinated against the new coronavirus, as the Swiss military distributed a first…

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Swiss authorities report 4,275 new cases of Covid-19

Coronavirus infections rose by 4,275 cases in a day, data from Swiss health authorities showed on Tuesday, as the country closed restaurants and recreational sites to slow the spread of…

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Swiss report 10,000 new coronavirus cases over three days

Coronavirus infections rose by 10,002 since Friday, data overview from Swiss health authorities showed on Monday, as Switzerland headed toward tougher restrictions on public life starting on Tuesday to curb…

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Swiss drugs regulator authorises Pfizer/Biontech COVID-19 vaccine

Swiss drugs regulator Swissmedic has authorised the COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer and partner BioNTech, the agency said on Saturday, calling it the world's first such approval under a standard procedure.…

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Switzerland urges people to stay home

Switzerland is heading for a second lockdown as the government ordered restaurants and sports and recreation centres closed for a month from Tuesday and urged people to stay home. Backing…

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Photo Story: Exhibition in Switzerland of Auguste Rodin and Hans Arp sculptures

A selection of photos from the exhibition of Auguste Rodin and Hans Arp sculptures that has just opened for the public at the Fondation Beyeler in Riehen, Switzerland. The artwork…

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Swiss hospitals implore health minister to tighten coronavirus restrictions

The directors of five of Switzerland's largest hospitals have written to the health minister asking for urgent measures to reduce coronavirus infections, the SonntagsZeitung newspaper reported on Sunday. In their…

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Swiss-Italy rail link to return to service

Rail connections between Italy and Switzerland will no longer be halted due to concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus, the Italian transport ministry said. All cross-border trains between…

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Swiss expand coronavirus risk quarantine list, adds United States

Switzerland has expanded its list of countries here with a high risk of coronavirus infection from which new arrivals must quarantine themselves for 10 days, the Federal Office for Health…

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Photo Story: Heavy snowfall in St. Moritz

Cars are covered with snow in St. Moritz, Switzerland after a heavy snowstorm during the night between Friday and Saturday. Due to a heavy snowfall and strong wind, the International…

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Swiss approve agreement on service workers mobility with Britain

Switzerland has approved an agreement to allow free movement of service workers between the country and Britain after Brexit, the Bern government said. The Services Mobility Agreement (SMA) between Switzerland…

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Swiss firms narrowly avoid ‘Responsible Business’ liability as vote divides nation

Swiss firms narrowly avoided facing greater liability for human rights and environmental abuses on Sunday after a national vote rejected the proposal due to regional differences despite it winning majority…

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Swiss suspect terror link in department store attack in Lugano

A Swiss woman grabbed a woman by the neck and wounded another in the neck with a serrated knife in a department store in the southern Swiss city of Lugano…

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Swiss doctors urge COVID vulnerable to declare end-of-life wishes in advance

By John Miller - ZURICH, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Swiss doctors have urged those vulnerable to COVID-19 complications to record their wishes for end-of-life care in advance to help ease…

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Switzerland starts ‘rolling review’ of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine

Switzerland has begun a rolling review of Moderna's, COVID-19 vaccine candidate so it can give it a speedy approval should it pass muster in clinical trials, the country's drug regulator…

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Switzerland tries to revive stalled EU treaty

Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga called European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday to outline Bern's proposal to unblock a stalled bilateral treaty, von der Leyen said in a…

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