Latest Switzerland News

Behind all the speechmaking at the UN lies a basic, unspoken question: Is the world governable?

Sep. 21, 2023 12:45 PM EDT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Work together. Go it alone. The apocalypse is at hand. But the future can be bright. The squabbles never cease, yet here are human beings from all across the world — hashing out conflicts with words and processes, convening under one roof, trying to write the next chapter...

Swiss parliament approves ban on full-face coverings like burqas, and sets fine for violators

Sep. 20, 2023 19:09 PM EDT

GENEVA (AP) — The lower house of Switzerland's parliament voted Wednesday to give final legislative passage to a ban on face coverings, such as the burqas worn by some Muslim women. The National Council voted 151-29 for the legislation, which was already approved by the upper...

Former Belarusian operative under Lukashenko goes on Swiss trial over enforced disappearances

Sep. 19, 2023 05:06 AM EDT

GENEVA (AP) — A former member of Belarusian President Aleksander Lukashenko’s special security forces was going on trial Tuesday in Switzerland over the enforced disappearances of political opponents in the late 1990s — seen as a landmark case of international justice. Yuri...

Aberg makes it look easy and leads by 2 at Wentworth as he pursues another win

Sep. 16, 2023 14:27 PM EDT

VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — Ludvig Aberg of Sweden closed in on his second straight victory on Saturday when he posted a 6-under 66 at Wentworth for a two-shot lead over Connor Syme and Ryder Cup teammate Tommy Fleetwood in the BMW PGA Championship. Aberg, in only his fourth...

Sweeping study finds 1,000 cases of sexual abuse in Swiss Catholic Church since mid-20th century

Sep. 12, 2023 13:34 PM EDT

GENEVA (AP) — A sweeping, year-long study of sexual abuse by Catholic priests and others in Switzerland published Tuesday has turned up more than 1,000 cases since the mid-20th century, as the Swiss church becomes the latest in Europe to reckon with the abuse scandal. With few...

Latvia and Estonia sign deal to buy German-made missile defense system

Sep. 11, 2023 11:10 AM EDT

VIENNA (AP) — Estonia and Latvia signed an agreement Monday with Germany to purchase a medium-range air defense missile system that opens the way for the two Baltic nations to join a common air defense system proposed by Germany last year. The agreement was signed Monday at a...

Vatican orders investigation into Catholic clerics linked to abuse, Swiss Bishops' Conference says

Sep. 10, 2023 15:29 PM EDT

BERLIN (AP) — The Vatican has ordered an investigation into high-ranking Catholic clerics in Switzerland in connection with sexual abuse, the Swiss Bishops' Conference said on Sunday. The group said in a statement that there were allegations against several active and retired...

Swiss parliamentary panel urges expulsions of Russian, other spies who threaten national security

Sep. 05, 2023 16:56 PM EDT

GENEVA (AP) — A Swiss parliamentary commission voted Tuesday to urge the government to systematically expel Russian and other spies who threaten Switzerland's security through illegal intelligence activities. The foreign affairs commission of the lower house of parliament passed...

Column: Ryder Cup is the ultimate test for the unflappable Swedish rookie Ludvig Aberg

Sep. 05, 2023 14:50 PM EDT

The comparisons with Sergio Garcia are inevitable and appropriate based on the sheer skill and rapid rise. Just don't look for Ludvig Aberg to be sprinting and strutting and leaping into the arms of his teammates at the Ryder Cup. “It was like a walk in the park for him,” Luke...

Asylum applications in the European Union continue to rise after a major hike last year

Sep. 05, 2023 04:32 AM EDT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Asylum applications in the European Union continued to rise in the first half of 2023 following a major hike last year, pressuring limited hosting capacities and moving the issue up the political agenda in many nations. The European Union Agency for Asylum said...