From Baselworld into the stratosphere

Here are a few of the stories we will bring you during the week starting on March 20.

Monday and Tuesday

As part of our #WeAreSwissAbroad series, we bring you a portrait of Nino Niederreiter, one of the best Swiss ice hockey players in North America’s top league, the NHL. A day later, we take a look at talented young players in Switzerland hoping to get the big break – and the career safety net set up for them if they don’t.

 Wednesday

The watch and jewellery industry’s biggest fair, Baselworld, opens its doors on March 23. Why is Switzerland so dominant in this sector? How many Swiss watchmakers are there? Is Rolex the best known brand? We’ll answer these questions and more. 

A new solar-powered aircraft is expected to begin testing this week whether the sky really is the limit for such planes. We’ll report on the first flights of SolarStratos and talk to founder and pilot Raphael Domjan about his plan to break the altitude record and fly to the edge of space in a solar plane – a world first.

Thursday

We all remember doing science projects in school. Did they all wind up in the wastebasket after they were marked? Things have changed, at least at Switzerland’s international schools. We report on why the results of theirs could become an important resource for real scientists. 

Friday

After Brexit, and populist parties across Europe questioning the raison d’être of the European Union, it’s important to review how the EU came about. We take a look at the Treaty of Rome, the agreement signed exactly 60 years ago that paved the way for the EU’s predecessor, the European Economic Community. 

What you may have missed last week:

Have a look at the first iconic alpine animal we profile in our new series on flora and fauna.

Once extinct in the Swiss Alps, now there are thousands of these surefooted creatures living in Switzerland.

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