Hundreds of Ukrainian refugees who have fled the war-torn country have contacted Swiss universities to attend classes. The University of Zurich confirmed to the Keystone-SDA News Agency on Wednesday that “several hundred” Ukrainian refugees had...

Switzerland and Georgia have agreed a declaration of intent for a partnership on migration. On a visit to Tbilisi, Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding to govern various aspects of the planned cooper...

Plans for an independent commission to judge looted Nazi art have won initial backing from the Swiss parliament. The House of Representatives unanimously agreed to call on the government to set up a panel, which issues recommendations in cases of cu...

The European Union has asked Switzerland to send written responses to a series of open questions as talks seem unable to resolve the current political impasse and to advance negotiations on individual agreements. According to Swiss public broadcaste...

Switzerland has announced it will contribute another CHF60 million ($60.5 million) in humanitarian aid to Syria and its neighbouring countries in the Middle East. The money is destined for projects to protect the civilian populations, give people ea...

The Swiss parliament has agreed in principle to boost the right of individuals to block potentially damaging publications. The House of Representatives on Tuesday followed the Senate in approving a reform of the code of civil procedure. It foresees...

Courts in Switzerland dealt with 68 major cases of white-collar crime last year causing losses of CHF567 million ($571 million), according to a new survey by a leading consultancy firm. That’s a 30% increase in the number of cases compared with 20...

Andy Warhol’s 1964 “Shot Sage Blue Marilyn” has become the most expensive painting from the 20th century ever auctioned. The iconic work previously belonged in the collection of Swiss art dealers Thomas and Doris Ammann. The painting, one of a...

Swiss military spending should increase from CHF5.6 billion ($5.7 billion) a year to around CHF7 billion, according to one of Switzerland’s parliamentary chambers. The House of Representatives on Monday voted to increase the budget to at least one...

Switzerland won’t receive any preferential treatment over European Union member states warned the EU ambassador to Switzerland, Petros Mavromichalis. “The single market is a key strength of the EU. We would weaken the internal market if we allow...

Erik Fyrwald, the CEO of the Swiss agrochemicals group Syngenta, has called for an end to organic farming to avoid a worsening food crisis. The president of the Swiss Small Farmers’ Association meanwhile dismissed his arguments as “grotesque”. ...

The former Russian banker Oleg Schigajew, who has been fighting extradition from Switzerland to Russia on embezzlement charges, can stay in the Alpine country as legal proceedings against him have been stopped. On Sunday, the NZZ am Sonntag confirme...

The European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, has warned of the negative consequences if Swiss citizens vote against raising Switzerland’s contribution to Frontex, the European border agency. A nationwide vote is planned on the issue ...

Despite earlier criticism from a United Nations expert and campaign groups, a Swiss parliamentary committee on Friday blocked an attempt to overhaul strict Swiss banking secrecy rules. An addition to Article 47 of Switzerland’s Banking Act makes i...

Swiss police have seized more than 500kg of cocaine concealed in a container shipped from Brazil to the Nespresso factory in the town of Romont in western Switzerland. The drugs were discovered by workers unloading bags of coffee beans on May 2 and ...

The Swiss government should set up a crisis management team to help deal with emergencies like the coronavirus pandemic, say cantons. The recommendation arises from a cantonal assessment of the response to the pandemic over the last two years. The r...

The new Swiss embassy to the Vatican at the Holy See has been inaugurated and will start operating in the coming months. Since 2014, Swiss diplomatic links with the Vatican have been conducted through the Swiss ambassador in Slovenia. On Friday, Swi...

Swiss Post has issued a special postage stamp to commemorate the national Guide and Scout Movement. With a face value of CHF1.10 ($1.10), the stamp smells of smoke and marks the National Jamboree that only takes place every 14 years, Swiss Post said...

Switzerland’s competence centre for cybersecurity says attacks on computer systems more than doubled last year compared with 2020. The sharp increase to 21,712 cases from 10,833 might be due to simplified reporting procedures, the National Cyber S...

Both the corporate tax rate and the tax rate for high income earners has declined in Switzerland over the last year according to an analysis by the tax advisory firm KPMG. Switzerland is under increasing pressure to come up with a plan to implement t...

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has named Martin Schlegel to take over as vice-chair of its Governing Board, which sets interest rates in Switzerland. Schlegel will replace Fritz Zurbrügg who steps down at the end of July following health issues. Th...

The government has extended measures to support Swiss scientists unable to receive funding for the European Union’s flagship research and innovation programmes. A total of just over CHF1.2 billion ($1.2 billion) for 2021 and 2022 were earmarked to...

Brussels has proposed a phased-in ban on all imports of Russian oil as part of new sanctions against Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. In Switzerland, views diverge on the potential impact of European bans on the Alpine country’s energy supplies....

A Swiss foundation and the Vatican have agreed the terms of the first phase for the renovation of the Papal Swiss Guard barracks in Rome. The agreement covers the planning stage for the modernisation of three 19th-century buildings that house Swiss ...

A Swiss canton has legal ownership of rare ancient artefacts, but only because it took possession of the collection before regulations were introduced to prevent unlawful imports of cultural objects. Therefore, the so-called Guigoz collection in wes...

Swiss biotechnology companies invested a record CHF2.6 billion ($2.7 billion) into research last year despite most concentrating their efforts away from the coronavirus pandemic. Research was instead focused on areas such as immuno-oncology, neurolo...

The UN Rapporteur for the protection of freedom of expression has criticised Switzerland's banking secrecy laws that result in self-censorship by journalists. This comes as Switzerland drops four places in the annual country ranking of freedom of the...

The number of reported suspicious financial transactions continued to rise in Switzerland in 2021, but at a lower rate than in the first year of the pandemic. Switzerland’s Money Laundering Reporting Office (MROS) saw a 12% increase of suspicious ...

Consumers in Switzerland are much more pessimistic about the general economic situation, with households feeling the strain as prices continue to rise, a new survey shows. April data published by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) on ...

Traditional May 1 celebrations have drawn thousands of demonstrators to Swiss cities. The situation in Ukraine was a key focus of demands this year. Demonstrations were planned in 50 locations across Switzerland on Sunday. The largest of which was i...