A people’s initiative challenging the purchase of F-35A fighter jets has been withdrawn after the Swiss government signed off the deal with the United States. Supporters of the ‘Stop F-35A’ initiative said a nationwide vote would be meaningles...

Switzerland and neighbouring Liechtenstein have recorded more than 500 cases of monkeypox since the start of the outbreak in May. The Federal Office of Public Health on Monday reported 502 confirmed cases. The canton of Basel-City has the highest in...

The Senate has voted against a change in the law that would allow Switzerland to unilaterally sanction countries and individuals in addition to following those of the European Union. At present, the Swiss government can only opt to follow sanctions ...

Swiss officials have signed a deal with the United States to buy a fleet of F-35A fighter jets in the face of an ongoing row about their procurement. The Federal Armaments Office (Armasuisse) rubber stamped the purchase of 36 jets on Monday after ye...

The world record has been broken in Switzerland for cooking the largest rösti, a popular national dish of grated potatoes. Members of the Swiss Farmer’s Union cooked up the 13 square metre rösti in the shape of the Swiss cross in front of the pa...

A restaurant built 3,000 metres above sea level in the Swiss Alps, and a favourite destination for tourists, has been partially destroyed by fire. Police have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the blaze that consumed the Botta de G...

The Federal Council is forming a special unit to respond to possible energy shortages, Economics Minister Guy Parmelin confirmed on Sunday. The government has faced criticism from the cantons about coordination and accusations that it is too slow in ...

A woman who stabbed two people in a shopping centre in southern Switzerland in a jihadist-inspired attack has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment by a Swiss court. The 29-year-old woman was found guilty on two counts of attempted murder and be...

Swiss President Ignazio Cassis is in London for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday. On Sunday he signed the book of condolences for the late monarch, who died on September 8. Cassis, accompanied by his wife Paola, signed the book of condole...

Covid-related restrictions may be long gone but the Swiss are not rushing back to the gym. Older clients now tend to avoid fitness centers while young people have discovered other types of activities. The Swiss Federation of Health and Fitness Cente...

Russia is at war, but that doesn't stop its citizens from travelling, the NZZ am Sonntag reported on Sunday. Swiss hotels registered 61,214 overnight stays by Russian tourists as of the end of July, according to market data from the organisation Swi...

The Swiss government lacks up-to-date information on national electricity production and consumption, according to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy. This is due to the lack of digitalisation of the electricity companies. The lack of information was...

Switzerland says it is deeply disturbed by fresh reports of mass graves in Izyum, a territory in east Ukraine that was until recently occupied by Russian forces. The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs called for "an independent and thorough...

Switzerland and the United States want to continue their strategic partnership in the form of an annual dialogue, according to memorandum of understanding signed to this effect in Washington on Friday. This declaration of intent represents a "signif...

Following the rejection of a proposed climate law last year, the Swiss government has mapped out new changes to the legislation. The new C02 law strips out unpopular tax and levies that saw the downfall of the last proposal at the ballot box. The n...

Swissmedic has issued a temporary marketing authorisation for AstraZeneca’s drug Evusheld, making it the first Covid-19 prophylaxis drug approved by the Swiss medical regulator. This authorisation means that the drug, which is administered as an i...

A nationwide vote on banning fossil fuels in Switzerland has been averted after parliament agreed on a CHF3.2 billion ($3.3 billion) climate action package. Supporters of the ‘Glacier Initiative’ say the new measures go some way to satisfying th...

The Swiss government decided on Friday to stop issuing facilitated visas for Russian nationals. This brings Swiss visa rules in line with the European Union. At its meeting on September 16, the Federal Council (executive body) agreed to suspend comp...

Switzerland is allocating CHF3 million ($3.1 million) to help Pakistan confront one of the worst natural disasters in its history. This in response to an appeal for international aid from the Pakistani authorities, as almost a third of the country ha...

A Russian cultural association lost permission to teach in Switzerland after one of its members displayed the controversial Z-symbol at an Alpine wrestling festival. The Z-symbol is painted on Moscow’s military vehicles in Ukraine and is considered...

Switzerland's Federal Supreme Court has ruled that an Iraqi convicted only of association with al-Qaeda and the Islamic State groups will not be imprisoned. The decision came in response to an appeal by the attorney general. In July 2021, the Federa...

Switzerland’s House of Representatives has approved the purchase of new F-35 fighter jets from the United States. The decision clears the path for Bern to sign the purchase contract, despite a pending initiative on the issue of Swiss fighter jets. ...

Five museums in Switzerland's art hub of Basel plan to examine the origins of objects in their collections amid efforts across Europe to identify the rightful owners of cultural assets. On Thursday, the Basel City cantonal government announced that ...

Swiss citizens want FIFA to compensate foreign workers whose human rights were violated during preparations for the World Cup to be hosted by Qatar in late 2022, according to a poll commissioned by Amnesty International. The Zurich-based world footba...

The Swiss Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) has launched an investigation into a fake government poster campaign encouraging people to report their neighbours if they heat their homes above a certain temperature. Images of the fake posters are believ...

The Swiss competition commission (COMCO) has opened an investigation into suspected unlawful use of a patent to reduce competitive pressure by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis. The probe, which is in collaboration with the European Commission, is...

Office workers who were scorched by hot coals during a team bonding exercise are suing the organisers of the event for criminal negligence. Twenty five people were treated for burns at the corporate get-together on the shores of Lake Zurich in June....

Switzerland will have a seat on a foundation that has been set up in Geneva to manage CHF3.5 billion ($3.66 billion) in Afghanistan central bank funds that were frozen as the Taliban took control of the country. The board of trustees will be complet...

Private phone numbers in Switzerland will only be listed on digital platforms from next year as the iconic printed telephone directory will be discontinued, ending 142 years of existence. The first Swiss ‘White Pages’ telephone directory was pri...

Two businessmen who were convicted in 2013 for large-scale money laundering offences have had their sentences reduced by a Swiss court. The Czech citizens were jailed and fined for their part in the Czech Mostecka Uhelna Spolecnost (MUS) coal compan...