The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the US National Science Foundation (NSF) have signed a joint memorandum of understanding to boost future cooperation. The deal was signed on Friday in the American capital, Washington, on the occasion...

The University and Federal Technology Institute Lausanne (EPFL) in the western Swiss city are to introduce non-gendered, eco-friendly toilets, EPFL said in an announcement marking the UN’s World Toilet Day. “This initiative is intended to respon...

Swiss Finance Minister Ueli Maurer and his Russian counterpart Anton Siluanov signed an agreement in Bern on Friday to ease access to Russia for Swiss watches. The deal will remove some administrative hurdles for watches being imported into Russia, ...

Some 60 associations, unions and parties are preparing to oppose the arrival in Geneva next week of controversial French right-wing commentator Eric Zemmour. Zemmour, who has two convictions for hate speech but has risen in opinion polls as a potent...

Hours worked in Switzerland dropped by 3.4% in 2020 due to the impact of Covid-19. This was a particularly sharp fall, but average working hours have been decreasing steadily over the past ten years, according to the Federal Statistical Office (FSO)....

The Swiss definition of a refugee is “very restrictive” and excludes certain groups to their detriment, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said. This is particularly the case for those fleeing civil war, who are granted asylum onl...

Switzerland will not be pressured by the European Union into premature negotiations before a political common understanding is reached, Ignazio Cassis has said. “There are no orders given and taken between the EU and Switzerland,” Cassis told ne...

Swiss President Guy Parmelin has agreed a declaration of intent to boost cooperation with the United States on vocational education and training. The agreement signed in Washington on Thursday is valid for three years and signals “intensifying kno...

Foreign minister Ignazio Cassis has held talks in Slovenia about Switzerland’s policy with the European Union. Cassis told his Slovenian counterpart, Anže Logar, that Switzerland is willing to engage in “structured political dialogue” and tha...

Interior Minister Alain Berset has ruled out a tightening of anti-Covid measures despite a strong increase in new infections. However, he warned that the healthcare personnel in hospitals and homes is exhausted and an increase in hospital admissions...

Switzerland’s financial regulator has reprimanded two more banks for breaching money laundering rules. The decisions on Thursday wrap up a five-year investigation into banks’ dealings with people linked to Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA. ...

The amount of money in sustainable investment funds in Switzerland has more than doubled in the past year and now comes to CHF775 billion ($836 billion), a study has found. The number of such funds based in Switzerland grew from 777 to 1,289 in the ...

Civil society groups have called for a ban on automatic face recognition devices and video surveillance technology in Switzerland. Three organisations, including the Swiss chapter of Amnesty International, said a combination of both tools was highly...

The government seeks to renew its policy to support assistance measures by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It asked parliament to approve plans to continue international monetary cooperation to the tune of CHF10 billion ($10.8 billion) by 202...

The Swiss government wants to make helmets mandatory for cyclists over the age of 12 in a bid to reduce road accidents. It has asked parliament to approve a plan giving the government the right to introduce mandatory helmets for children aged betwee...

European Union Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič says he wants a “clear political signal” from Switzerland that it is “serious” about working on a joint framework for relations. Šefčovič, who met Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis in Bru...

Switzerland has slipped to 25th place in an international comparison of English language proficiency, down seven places from 2020. The Alpine country has dropped out of the top 20 for the first time in a ranking of more than 100 countries released o...

By the middle of the century, Switzerland’s climate will be drier and warmer, with less snow and more intense precipitation, according to scenarios drawn up by federal weather agency MeteoSuisse. However, the effects will vary greatly depending on ...

The population of red kites in Switzerland has grown strongly in recent decades and now accounts for about 10% of the world’s population, according to research by the Swiss Ornithological Institute. That gives the Alpine country a “high internati...

Children can recognise adult emotions even behind face masks, according to a study by researchers at the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV). Mandatory face masks in schools and pre-schools have raised concerns about children's development and emoti...

Women make up half of the highly skilled workforce in Switzerland, but work fewer hours, according to a study published on Tuesday. One in three would like to work more, under certain conditions. Women often opt for part-time work, and the liberal p...

Following the Swiss gymnastics abuse scandal that blew up last year, the sports ministry wants tougher action to deal with ethics violations and to better protect young athletes in the future. Sports Minister Viola Amherd on Tuesday presented a seri...

Switzerland have brushed aside Bulgaria 4-0 to secure a place at next year’s controversial World Cup in Qatar. Playing in Lucerne on Monday night, Switzerland qualified for a fifth successive World Cup in some style, having also hit the post twice...

A British biotech firm is set to start clinical trials in Switzerland of a skin patch vaccine against Covid-19 that uses T-cells and could offer longer-lasting immunity than existing vaccines. Emergex announced on Monday that it had received the gre...

A drive by the Swiss authorities last week to convince more people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 met with some success, but not as much as was hoped. The Federal Office of Public Health said on Monday that 104,689 doses were administered compar...

Zurich looks set to become the second Swiss canton to allow 16-year-olds to vote on local matters – provided the parliamentary decision is also accepted by a referendum. The cantonal parliament passed the motion on Monday despite opposition from s...

The European Union says it wants to establish a concrete plan to re-open bilateral talks with Switzerland next year. Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commission Vice-President responsible for Swiss relations and for Brexit, said the two sides would ...

Swiss child and youth support agency Pro Juventute has received 40% more calls from young people with suicidal thoughts during the pandemic. The non-profit foundation speaks to around 700 children and youths every day, which is far more than during ...

Being excluded from the European Union’s flagship research funding programme Horizon Europe has increased the risks of a brain drain of scientists and young start-ups from Switzerland, top university officials have warned. “We will of course dev...

The Glasgow climate agreement secured at the COP26 conference late on Saturday has delivered a mixed bag, say Swiss media. Uncertainty remains a leitmotif in many papers. “The outcome of Glasgow is delicate in that it turned out ambivalent,” wro...