Switzerland News

January 23, 2019

China, Europe follow Brazil’s Bolsonaro onto Davos stage

China and Europe take centre stage at Davos on Wednesday, a day after Brazil’s hard-right President Jair Bolsonaro promised reform and respect for the environment to the world’s business elite. Top billing at the World Economic Forum will go to…

January 22, 2019

From Prince William to Mike Pompeo: top quotes at Davos

Here is a serving of quotes from the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on Tuesday, where a year after US President Donald Trump stole the show, Brazil’s new far-right leader grabbed the limelight. “I’d like to say it’s a…

January 22, 2019

Swiss ambassador summoned over arrest of Iranian TV journalist

Switzerland’s ambassador to Iran has been summoned in Tehran following the arrest in the US of a journalist working for Iranian state-run Press TV news channel. Switzerland has been representing US interests in Iran since 1980. American citizen and Iranian…

January 22, 2019

John Kerry to Trump: ‘Resign’

Former US secretary of state John Kerry said Tuesday he was not ruling out another tilt at the White House in 2020 but that in the here and now, Donald Trump should quit. “I’ve told people I have not taken…

January 22, 2019

Klaus Schwab: Switzerland’s openness is being put to the test

Founder of the World Economic Forum, Klaus Schwab, says Switzerland risks falling behind other economies in the face of rapid technological change. The country dropped from first to fourth in the WEF’s latest economic competitiveness index, ranking poorly in areas…

January 22, 2019

Iran summons Swiss envoy over US arrest of journalist

Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday summoned the Swiss ambassador to Tehran to demand the unconditional and immediate release of a state television journalist detained in the United States. Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said a note of complaint was issued to…

January 22, 2019

Zimbabwe says ‘determined’ on reforms despite bloodshed

Zimbabwe’s government will press on with painful economic reforms to overcome years of crisis despite recent bloody unrest, Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube told AFP Tuesday. “The economic reform agenda is a very serious one, but also we are determined to…

January 22, 2019

Far-right Bolsonaro sells ‘new Brazil’ to Davos elite

Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro touted a “new Brazil” in a speech Tuesday to the world’s business elite in Davos, vowing an investment-friendly agenda and attacking leftwing politics in Latin America. The new leader of the region’s biggest economy gave the…

January 22, 2019

World can help Zimbabwe by lifting sanctions: S. Africa

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Tuesday that lifting sanctions against Zimbabwe was the best way for the world to ease the crisis gripping the country. “It is no longer necessary to have sanctions against Zimbabwe right now, because they…