These are some of the stories we’re following in the week of August 22. (Keystone) Monday Do you live in an urban heat island? In cities, the temperature can be five degrees higher than in the countryside, but there are ways to cope – as spatial plaers in the Swiss city of Sion explain. Did you know that one tree provides the same coolness as five air conditioners? (Keystone) Tuesday As the US presidential election approaches, we look at how both the United States and Switzerland are ‘hybrid democracies’ – and what that means for elections, legislation and life satisfaction. Also, a Zurich court will deliver its verdict on former bank employee tued whistleblower Rudolf Elmer. The defence team of the former Julius Bär banker says he should not be standing trial for breaking banking secrecy laws as he did not technically work for Julius Bär but a non-banking subsidi

(swissinfo.ch) What does it take to run the best restaurant in the world? We go inside the Hôtel de Ville in Crissier. The restaurant was named number one in the world by La Liste, a new ranking by the French foreign ministry. When chef Benoît Violier committed suicide earlier this year, his second-in-command and old friend Franck Giovaini had to step into his shoes. He's an anomaly in this high pressure profession.

Aug 20, 2016 - 11:00Claudia Dummermuth is living her dream, thanks to her 700-square-metre lavender field in a residential neighbourhood near Zurich.Dummermuth uses the organic lavender to make essential oil, which goes into salves, soaps and bath salts, and also into lavender-flavoured jam and even a liqueur. Her idealism and love of lavender is evident in her motto: Grow slow and strong, like the plant. Surrounded by houses, her 700-square-metre field is located in Oberstammheim in canton Zurich. The Mediterranean plant belongs to the mint family. The ancient Egyptians used Lavandula angustifolia to obtain precious essential oil for embalming mummies. The Romans, Greeks and Arabs used lavender for personal hygiene, as a laundry detergent, and as medicine. Thanks to its calming, anticonvulsant and balancing effect, today it is used in teas, tinctures, oils and creams to treat flatulence

Wiing an Olympic medal takes years of practice, and in the case of some Swiss athletes, money out of their own pockets. (SRF, swissinfo.ch) Heidi Diethelm won a bronze medal for Switzerland in the women's 25m pistol shooting in Rio. To chase her Olympic dream, she had to put her personal finances on the line. The competitor and mother-of-one had to quit her job two years before the Olympics and dip into her savings to survive. The CHF50,000-CHF75,000 she received in sponsoring was all earmarked for training, competitions and her team. Mario Gyr has a similar story. He was a gold medallist in Rio in the men's coxless lightweight four rowing competition. He and his teammates didn’t seen any money until their first wins. He says that this is due to the fact that in Switzerland there is a policy of rewarding sport achievements. A 2013 report highlighted how almost half of elite athletes

The City of London's financial sector is plaing how to re-position itself with the EU (Keystone) The City of London has given up hope of universal access to the EU single market and is now seeking a bespoke deal for its different sectors to trade with Europe, with similar but stronger ties than Switzerland. Teams across the City and Whitehall have been working over the summer to draw up a plan for Britain's exit from the EU. Officials and representatives from the financial sector are getting ready to present their policy ideas in time for them to be considered by the cabinet committee for Brexit, chaired by Theresa May, the prime minister, when it meets in early September, people involved in the preparations told the Financial Times. he City has come to the conclusion that a deal for the UK to emulate Norway's relationship with the EU is very difficult both politically and practic

Will transgenic co make its way to Switzerland as well? With TTIP, European countries may be forced to adopt US standards. (Reuters) The controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which is entering a decisive phase of negotiations, could have wide-ranging consequences for Switzerland, even though it won’t be a party to the treaty. There is massive opposition to the agreement being discussed between the United States and the European Union despite assurances by govements that the accord will encourage economic growth and create jobs, not only in the US and EU but worldwide. The deal aims to reduce customs tariffs, bureaucracy and barriers to investments which hinder exports and trade ties between the US and EU. But there have been fears that the TTIP will have an enormous impact on a wide range of norms affecting people on both sides of the Atlantic, fr

In Switzerland there are around 220 police officers per 100,000 inhabitants (Keystone) After an attack on a regional train in canton St Gallen, calls have multiplied to boost security. The system could possibly be improved, some people admit, pointing out that the number of police officers in Switzerland is proportionately lower than that in neighbouring countries. Is this statement true or false? Increase the number of railway police (currently 300), check people at station entrances, reintroduce conductors on regional trains, introduce a wide range of technology: after the attack on Saturday there is no shortage of ideas on how to increase security. Pierre Maudet, the Geneva councillor in charge of cantonal security, told Swiss public radio, RTS, that the authorities are constantly looking for ways to improve the system of surveillance and crime prevention, but they are aware that

Crowdfunding has the potential to bridge the geographical, economic and digital divide (Keystone) Would you pay in advance for something you’ve never seen if it’s for a good cause? Crowdfunding projects in Switzerland are giving Swiss consumers a taste for the exotic and helping small farmers find new markets. Tobias Joos is sweaty and a bit out of breath. Nothing unusual for the part-time bike courier who delivers packages around Zurich city to supplement his income. But today is a bit different. Joos has a special delivery to make: ten boxes of spices from India that he sourced from small farmers through his crowdfunding project Crowd Container. His team managed to raise almost CHF84,000 ($84,000) on Swiss crowdfunding platform Wemakeit through over 500 people who placed orders for a box of spices shipped directly from farmers in the India state of Kerala. Joos is no ordin

Albert Roesti, the newly elected president of the conservative right Swiss People's Party, thanks delegates in April 2016 (Keystone) Switzerland has been ranked fifth in a European study comparing support for populist parties and their influence. The Swedish research think tank Timbro ranked Switzerland in the top five nations, behind behind Hungary, Greece, Poland and Italy, in its Authoritarian Populism Index 2016 due to the presence of the conservative right Swiss People’s Party in the govement and recent election results. The People’s Party made large gains in the October 2015 parliamentary elections, increasing its share of the vote from 26.6% to 29.4%. The People’s Party are represented in the cabinet by two ministers – defence and finance. “Switzerland and Austria are among the countries in which right-wing authoritarian parties established themselves the e

Leaders of Swiss political parties comment passionately on the first results of parliamentary elections for public television and radio. Like those in EU countries, the Swiss have confidence in audio-visual media. (Keystone) The existence of solid, well-financed public service media is a sign of an equally solid democracy. That’s one of the conclusions of a study led by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). The study Trust in Media 2016 is based on data gathered twice aually as part of the European Commission’s Eurobarometer. The survey was done in 28 EU member countries (before Brexit), as well as five candidate countries (Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania and Turkey). The first finding: radio, whether public or private, is the champion of all categories when it comes to its credibility with citizens. Across the continent, 55% have confidence in radio, though this confid