TOPIC

/ location

Switzerland

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Switzerland. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Bern

Head of State

President Viola Amherd

Head of Government

President Viola Amherd

Palestinian women and girls elbow their way to receive cooked rice from a charity kitchen in Gaza City. Photo: AFP

Israel-Gaza war

Israeli attacks killed over 38,000 women, girls in Gaza since October 2023: UN

About 11,000 women and girls survived the war with injuries that will result in lifelong disabilities.

17 Apr 2026 - 9:42PMvideocam

Style Edit

Style Edit: IWC Schaffhausen celebrates its Pilot’s Watch’s 90th anniversary

17 Apr 2026 - 10:00AM

Watches and Wonders

Watches and Wonders 2026: travel disruptions and glittering debuts

15 Apr 2026 - 1:47PM

Canada

Canada’s Carney secures majority government with special election wins

With a ‌parliamentary majority, Mark Carney will have a freer hand to govern – ‌and solidify his grip on leading Canada.

14 Apr 2026 - 8:45PM

Canada

Canadian PM Carney on verge of majority government amid special elections

Votes are being cast in three districts. Winning just one of them would give the Liberals the ability to unilaterally pass any bill.

14 Apr 2026 - 2:39AMvideocam

Israel-Gaza war

Sumud aid flotilla departs Spain for Gaza to break Israeli blockade

The Israeli military halted 40 boats assembled by the same organisation in October last year, arresting more than 450 activists including Greta Thunberg.

12 Apr 2026 - 6:40PM

Taiwan

Takeaways from Cheng Li-wun’s press conference about meeting with Xi Jinping

KMT chairwoman says that with talks in Beijing, her party has taken the first step to defuse tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

10 Apr 2026 - 4:28PM

Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Kuomintang, Taiwan’s biggest opposition party, says “Taiwan can shake hands without sacrificing anything”. Photo: Reuters

Japan

Solomon Islands residents live in fear of WWII bomb explosions

With more people on the islands killed or injured due to the munitions, a UN team calls for international efforts to remove the danger.

3 Apr 2026 - 6:15PM

Science

‘To do something nobody’s done’: physicist Zhu Zijie leaves Europe for China

Rising star scientist returns to China to undertake cutting-edge research in the field of cold atoms.

30 Mar 2026 - 6:18PMvideocam

Germany

Hundreds flee as fire rips through German nightclub

3 people were injured in the fire in Kehl, southwestern Germany. Authorities said most of the building will have to be torn down.

30 Mar 2026 - 1:08AM

Smoke rises from the roof of a building, the site of a fire at the K nightclub in Kehl, southwestern Germany on Sunday. Photo: Feuerwehr Kehl / AFP / Handout

Science

Cambridge top architect Francois Penz relocates to China from UK

Pioneering French professor who blended architecture with film joins Nanjing University in a full-time position after 45 years at Cambridge.

28 Mar 2026 - 6:11PMvideocam

Francois Penz, former architecture department head at the University of Cambridge, has joined Nanjing University on a full-time basis. Photo: Handout

Electric & new energy vehicles

Pain at the pump fuels EV rush in China, driving a timely boost for carmakers

Brent crude above US$110 is pushing mainland buyers away from petrol cars, lifting China’s EV makers despite fading subsidies.

27 Mar 2026 - 9:00PM

Crime

French court sentences Islamic scholar to 18 years in prison for rape

Tariq Ramadan, currently in Switzerland, was found guilty of raping three women in a Paris trial.

26 Mar 2026 - 11:34AM

Cathay Pacific

Cathay’s European flights could offset Middle East losses, experts say

Hong Kong flag carrier’s decision to extend flight suspensions due to war may have only limited financial impact on overall passenger operations, they say.

25 Mar 2026 - 9:55AM

An aircraft prepares for landing as a smoke plume rises from a fire near Dubai International Airport on March 16. Photo: AFP

France

France raids bank in probe of diplomat over Epstein links

Investigations follow revelations published in the Epstein files by the US Justice Department.

25 Mar 2026 - 9:51AM

French investigators have raided the offices of Swiss bank Edmond de Rothschild. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong economy

Exclusive | Hong Kong developer banks on arts and finance synergy in West Kowloon cultural hub

Sun Hung Kai Properties pushes its ‘Central 2.0’ vision in West Kowloon, linking arts, culture and wealth management despite market headwinds.

23 Mar 2026 - 8:34AM

Made in China 2025

Global drug giants double down on China amid push for self-reliant supply chains

Multinationals are building self-reliant supply chains in China to insulate local markets from potential trade disruptions, say analysts.

20 Mar 2026 - 2:30PM

Ukraine war

Kremlin says Ukraine peace talks on ‘situational pause’ amid Iran war

The Kremlin confirms halt as Russian newspaper claims the Middle East crisis could force Ukraine towards territorial compromise.

19 Mar 2026 - 6:20PM

A man walks past portraits of Russian soldiers in a St Petersburg street exhibition. Photo: AP

China trade

Papers please: China raises pressure on Panama with ship inspection wave

Intensified inspections for Panama-flagged vessels – among the world’s most common registrations – retaliation for canal port seizure, source says.

16 Mar 2026 - 7:30PMvideocam

United States

Trump’s ‘racist hate speech’ fuelling rights violations in US, UN panel says

UN watchdog is ‘deeply disturbed’ by dehumanising language and condemns the use of lethal force in recent immigration and protest crackdowns.

12 Mar 2026 - 2:45PM

United States

US launches trade probe into China and EU in bid to revive Trump tariffs

The Section 301 investigations could lead to another set of import taxes to replace those struck down by the Supreme Court.

12 Mar 2026 - 7:46AM

US President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in April 2025. Photo: Reuters

Crime

Deadly Swiss bus fire started by ‘disturbed’ man who set himself alight

The blaze, which broke out on the bus in the main street of the small town of Kerzers, killed six and left five injured.

11 Mar 2026 - 10:02PM

Fire investigators examine the charred bus. Photo: Kontonspolizei Freiburg via EPA

China-Africa relations

Why China and South Africa have a US$17 billion gap on trade data

Statistical discrepancy reflects different reporting practices and ‘opaque’ global commodity chains, according to observers.

10 Mar 2026 - 12:00PMvideocam

Hong Kong economy

As Iran war closes Middle East skies, how high can Cathay Pacific fares fly?

Cathay fares to Hong Kong surge 93 per cent on average for Saturday departures compared with typical prices over past 12 months.

9 Mar 2026 - 8:15PM

US, Israel war on Iran

US seen as likely responsible for Iran school strike that killed scores

A girls’ school in Minab, in southern Iran, was hit on Saturday during the first day of US and Israeli attacks on the country.

6 Mar 2026 - 3:32PMvideocam

Graves for victims of the strike on a school in Minab, Iran. Photo: Iranian Foreign Media Department via Reuters

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong unveils incentives to attract gold refiners and boost global hub plan

Targeted measures, tax incentives and cross-border partnerships aim to bolster city’s role as a global gold trading and refining hub.

5 Mar 2026 - 10:00AM

With new incentives and a 2,000‑tonne storage target, Hong Kong is positioning itself as a trusted global vault and bullion trading centre. Photo: Edmond So

Timepieces

5 watch moments in February 2026: the Baftas, Jungkook’s new role and more

Breitling partners with Aston Martin, Louis Vuitton collaborates with De Bethune, and Swiss jump-hour watch brand Niton is revived.

2 Mar 2026 - 4:47PM

United States

Opinion | Trump’s State of the Union report underlines shift to ‘world minus one’

In his address to Congress, Trump emphasised that America ‘is back’. However, the US’ financial position tells a different story, one with global implications.

27 Feb 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW

Switzerland

Israeli attacks killed over 38,000 women, girls in Gaza since October 2023: UN

About 11,000 women and girls survived the war with injuries that will result in lifelong disabilities.

Style Edit: IWC Schaffhausen celebrates its Pilot’s Watch’s 90th anniversary

Watches and Wonders 2026: travel disruptions and glittering debuts

Canada’s Carney secures majority government with special election wins

With a ‌parliamentary majority, Mark Carney will have a freer hand to govern – ‌and solidify his grip on leading Canada.

Canadian PM Carney on verge of majority government amid special elections

Votes are being cast in three districts. Winning just one of them would give the Liberals the ability to unilaterally pass any bill.

Sumud aid flotilla departs Spain for Gaza to break Israeli blockade

The Israeli military halted 40 boats assembled by the same organisation in October last year, arresting more than 450 activists including Greta Thunberg.

Takeaways from Cheng Li-wun’s press conference about meeting with Xi Jinping

KMT chairwoman says that with talks in Beijing, her party has taken the first step to defuse tensions across the Taiwan Strait.

Solomon Islands residents live in fear of WWII bomb explosions

With more people on the islands killed or injured due to the munitions, a UN team calls for international efforts to remove the danger.

‘To do something nobody’s done’: physicist Zhu Zijie leaves Europe for China

Rising star scientist returns to China to undertake cutting-edge research in the field of cold atoms.

Hundreds flee as fire rips through German nightclub

3 people were injured in the fire in Kehl, southwestern Germany. Authorities said most of the building will have to be torn down.

Cambridge top architect Francois Penz relocates to China from UK

Pioneering French professor who blended architecture with film joins Nanjing University in a full-time position after 45 years at Cambridge.

Pain at the pump fuels EV rush in China, driving a timely boost for carmakers

Brent crude above US$110 is pushing mainland buyers away from petrol cars, lifting China’s EV makers despite fading subsidies.

French court sentences Islamic scholar to 18 years in prison for rape

Tariq Ramadan, currently in Switzerland, was found guilty of raping three women in a Paris trial.

Cathay’s European flights could offset Middle East losses, experts say

Hong Kong flag carrier’s decision to extend flight suspensions due to war may have only limited financial impact on overall passenger operations, they say.

France raids bank in probe of diplomat over Epstein links

Investigations follow revelations published in the Epstein files by the US Justice Department.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Exclusive | Hong Kong developer banks on arts and finance synergy in West Kowloon cultural hub

Sun Hung Kai Properties pushes its ‘Central 2.0’ vision in West Kowloon, linking arts, culture and wealth management despite market headwinds.

Global drug giants double down on China amid push for self-reliant supply chains

Multinationals are building self-reliant supply chains in China to insulate local markets from potential trade disruptions, say analysts.

Kremlin says Ukraine peace talks on ‘situational pause’ amid Iran war

The Kremlin confirms halt as Russian newspaper claims the Middle East crisis could force Ukraine towards territorial compromise.

Papers please: China raises pressure on Panama with ship inspection wave

Intensified inspections for Panama-flagged vessels – among the world’s most common registrations – retaliation for canal port seizure, source says.

Trump’s ‘racist hate speech’ fuelling rights violations in US, UN panel says

UN watchdog is ‘deeply disturbed’ by dehumanising language and condemns the use of lethal force in recent immigration and protest crackdowns.

US launches trade probe into China and EU in bid to revive Trump tariffs

The Section 301 investigations could lead to another set of import taxes to replace those struck down by the Supreme Court.

Deadly Swiss bus fire started by ‘disturbed’ man who set himself alight

The blaze, which broke out on the bus in the main street of the small town of Kerzers, killed six and left five injured.

Why China and South Africa have a US$17 billion gap on trade data

Statistical discrepancy reflects different reporting practices and ‘opaque’ global commodity chains, according to observers.

As Iran war closes Middle East skies, how high can Cathay Pacific fares fly?

Cathay fares to Hong Kong surge 93 per cent on average for Saturday departures compared with typical prices over past 12 months.

US seen as likely responsible for Iran school strike that killed scores

A girls’ school in Minab, in southern Iran, was hit on Saturday during the first day of US and Israeli attacks on the country.

Hong Kong unveils incentives to attract gold refiners and boost global hub plan

Targeted measures, tax incentives and cross-border partnerships aim to bolster city’s role as a global gold trading and refining hub.

5 watch moments in February 2026: the Baftas, Jungkook’s new role and more

Breitling partners with Aston Martin, Louis Vuitton collaborates with De Bethune, and Swiss jump-hour watch brand Niton is revived.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | Trump’s State of the Union report underlines shift to ‘world minus one’

In his address to Congress, Trump emphasised that America ‘is back’. However, the US’ financial position tells a different story, one with global implications.

Exclusive | Hong Kong developer banks on arts and finance synergy in West Kowloon cultural hub

Opinion | Trump’s State of the Union report underlines shift to ‘world minus one’