COMMENT: Nobody expected the conservative Swiss to approve the idea of a hefty monthly payout to everyone in the country without exception.

Switzerland is considering a plan to pay its people for doing nothing.

New Zealand is now ranking in 16th place on the world stage for the world's most competitive economies.

A Swiss village largely populated by millionaires has opted for a $400,000 fine instead of accepting 10 refugees into their community.

It's been almost 70 years in the making, but the longest rail tunnel in the world is only days away from opening.

We entered the clearing and stopped, breathing hard after snowshoeing through deep powder.

Formula One legend's former boss at Ferrari spoke only briefly to reporters and refused to elaborate on his short statement.

New Zealand is unlikely to escape the global volatility shaking world markets, CNN's Richard Quest has warned.

What's not to love about a country that offers mind-blowing scenery and a bit of James Bond?

David Hyde couldn't afford accommodation in one of the world's most expensive cities. Now locals have come to his rescue.

South Island's Agassiz Glacier has been "un-named" as part of a global campaign to remove the use of the name of Agassiz, a Swiss geologist who believed not all races were created equal.

An extradition order granted for man accused of a cold case killing in Switzerland has been appealed and is now in the hands of the Justice Minister.

An extradition order has been granted for man accused of a cold case killing in Switzerland.

An extradition hearing has been held at the Auckland District Court for a man accused of a cold case killing in Switzerland.

Justine Tyerman is captivated by the scenery of Valais' alpine skifields.

Dame Jenny Shipley wants NZ firms to take advantage of her appointment to the the board of the Boao forum, which has grown to become a major event for world leaders.

The number of foreign firms setting up operations in Switzerland has dropped 8 per cent to 274.

Justine Tyerman suspects there is a secret ingredient in Swiss chocolate which anaesthetises the conscience ...

New Zealanders who savoured the privacy of their Swiss HSBC bank accounts will continue to enjoy it from Inland Revenue, which won't reveal whether information from leaked files lifted any locals' tax bills.

One HSBC client with links to New Zealand had up to $67.83 million with its Swiss private banking arm, according to leaked files.

Those at Davos, seemingly representing the interests of the very wealthy, like to think they are working to make the world a better place - as long as they are not inconvenienced in doing so.

The PM's halfway up a mountain in the Swiss Alps when he takes a break from his deliciously cliched fondue dinner to explain the Davos experience over a dodgy phone connection.

Global Brokers NZ has so far returned more than half of its clients' funds, says the Financial Markets Authority.

For the first time in many years a New Zealand prime minister will join global powerbrokers in chilly Davos for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF).

Global fallout from the shock decision by Switzerland's move to remove the cap on the franc has widened with more traders and hedge funds closing or facing escalating losses.

Keeping up with the progress of the global economy is becoming a fiendishly complex sport, writes Liam Dann.

Fallout from the Swiss central bank's surprise move to ditch the franc's cap against the euro spread to Queen St yesterday, with an Auckland-based currency brokerage announcing it was shutting down....

Switzerland's central bank has dropped a bombshell on foreign exchange markets by withdrawing its currency peg against the euro, driving the Swiss franc sharply higher and pushing other currencies,....

More than 60 billion ($116 billion) was wiped off the value of Switzerland's leading companies after the central bank scrapped the cap on the Swiss franc against the euro.

The NZ dollar rose to its highest level in more than six weeks against the greenback, and touched a record 67.45 euro cents after a Swiss move overnight.