Geneva - Former Russian oil tycoon and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who spent a decade in prison in Russia, has applied for a residency permit in Switzerland, his spokesman told AFP on Monday."His application for residency was filed a while ago," said s...

Lausanne - New research shows that there are a greater number of genetic mutations among autistic girls, compared to boys. This finding suggests that the female brain can better handle such variations.

Geneva - For lovers of luxury and bling-bling, German tuning specialist Carlsson is offering an eyeful at the Geneva Motor Show this week, displaying the world's first gold-covered car.Several thousand sheets of gold leaf were needed to cover the Versailles-ins...

Berne - Terminally ill patients given (LSD) in conjunction with talk therapy reported decreased anxiety, along with intense cerebral adventures, in what is the first controlled trial of the powerful psychedelic drug in more than 40 years.

Geneva - An Australian lawyer and jurist, Francis Gurry, was Thursday renewed for a second term as chief of the UN's influential intellectual property agency based in Switzerland.The World Intellectual Property Organisation's (WIPO) coordination committee nomin...

Z - Large banks are moving closer to meeting their capital requirements under Basel III, the banking reforms imposed to avoid a repeat of the 2008 global financial crisis, a study found Thursday.

Geneva - Brew an espresso, watch a movie on a large screen, surf the Internet or simply sit and chat with friends?As automakers and technology firms steer towards a future of driverless cars, a Swiss think tank is at the Geneva Motor Show this week showing off ...

Berne - Swiss voters will head to the polls in May to decide whether to raise the wealthy alpine nation's minimum wage to 22 Swiss francs ($24.73) an hour, by far the world's highest.

Geneva - The World Health Organisation Wednesday said the recommended amount of sugar consumed daily should be halved as it stepped up its battle against public health problems like obesity and tooth decay.The UN health agency said it was maintaining its 2002 g...

Geneva - Global air passenger traffic rose by 8.0 percent in January compared to the same month in 2013, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said Wednesday.The year "is off to a strong start, with travel demand accelerating over the healthy resul...

Geneva - Massive or small, affordable or off-the scale pricey: urban sports utility vehicles abound at the Geneva Motor Show, with luxury carmakers speeding into the lucrative market.One of the stars of the show, which opened its doors to the media on Tuesday, ...

Geneva - Automobile giants pitched smaller, nimbler cars to tempt cash-strapped consumers in a recovering European market, with compact vehicles taking centre stage at the Geneva Motor Show.Small, punchy vehicles grabbed more of the spotlight than usual as one ...

Geneva - It only makes sense that Tesla has decided to be aggressive in its expansion into Europe (and then Asia) since the continent is so much farther ahead of North America in terms of the vehicle electricity-supply grid.

Z - Mining giant Glencore Xstrata plunged deep into the red in 2013 with a net loss of $7.4 billion (5.3 billion euros) from a profit of $1 billion a year ago, after booking massive writedowns related to its merger.The group said in an earnings statement T...

Geneva - German top-of-the-range car maker BMW hopes this year to reach its target of global unit sales of more than two million cars, two years ahead of schedule, its chairman said Tuesday."We're very satisfied with the way the year has started for us," chief ...

Geneva - Peugeot's 308 picked up the Car of the Year award Monday, a boost for the troubled car company that recently had to be rescued by the French state and China's Dongfeng.A panel of European automobile journalists chose the Peugeot 308 hatchback over a ha...

Geneva - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday harshly criticised threats of "sanctions and boycotts" over his country's role in the spiralling crisis in Ukraine, as Western powers ponder whether to kick Moscow out of the G8."Those who try to interpr...

Z - Football's world governing body FIFA on Saturday officially authorised the wearing of head covers for religious purposes during matches."It was decided that female players can cover their heads to play," said FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke at a m...

Geneva - Switzerland said Thursday it was prepared to freeze any funds Ukraine's ousted president Viktor Yanukovych might have in Swiss banks.The Swiss government has decided "in principle to freeze any possible funds Mr Yanukovych may have in Switzerland", for...

Plaque on the teeth of a 1,000-year-old skeleton has been found and it contains biological material. Containing a high concentration of genetic material and numerous pathogens, this is the oldest biological material yet recovered.