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Border guards unlock a crossing between Switzerland and France Keystone / Martial Trezzini On June 15 Switzerland re-opened its borders with many other European states after improvements t...

Seven Swiss cities feature in the Expat City Ranking 2019exteal link by InterNations. They all come in the top 20 in the world for quality of life, receiving mostly high marks for safety, local tran...

Meat may be a delicious staple for most Swiss but it is not so good for the climate.(Keystone) The latest UN climate re...

Environment Minister Sommaruga acknowledged that many citizens share the conces of the Green Party to curb urbanisation but they reli...

Public broadcasting models around the world vary greatly in terms of funding models and govement influence.(swissinfo.ch) On March 4, Switzerland will decide on the future of its public service radio and TV. If voters tu out in favour of abolishing the licence fees that finance public broadcasters, the Swiss media scene will change drastically. What’s the situation for public media around the world?SWI swissinfo.ch tapped its inteational network to find out what kinds of media systems exist elsewhere and how they are maintained.Switzerland’s federal govement should stay out of the media altogether. So say those promoting the "No Billag" ...

For many in the US and Switzerland, cost conces and lack of understanding of the benefits of regular screenings and lifestyle changes are barriers to preventive medicine. (Keystone) Preventing or addressing an early-stage medical condition is a big piece of the health care puzzle. But the practice is sporadic in both the US and Switzerland. In our previous articles on American and Swiss health care, much of the focus has been on the costs, consequences, and construction of health care delivery systems in the US and Switzerland. That’s to say, we’ve mostly worried about the particulars of a patient getting treatment for conditions. But health care is not just provided once a condition i...

Here is a selection of stories we're looking ahead to in the week of January 15, 2018. (Keystone) Tuesday The Swiss national football team has been doing well of late, but not much is known about the country’s Super League. We look at why, and consider whether the team is punching below or above its weight in Europe, relative to its national success and the finances of its clubs. (Keystone) Wednesday Why are the Swiss such experts at predicting avalanches? What makes their approach so special? All will be revealed in our in-depth article. (Keystone) Thursday On March 4, the Swiss could vote to get rid of the radio and television licence fee. We look at the arguments on...

A section of the cathedral's dome showing Gallus taming a wood-bringing bear. (Keystone) After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe was plunged into the Dark Ages. It might have fallen further had it not been for the epic efforts of a band of Irish monks. Take a walk through the vast courtyard of St Gallen Abbey. The stone church towers stretch 68 metres into the sky, clichés of clanging bells sound out, a scent of hot waffle drifts from an old cafe. A few bemused Asian tourists stroll around. It’s difficult to imagine things were ever otherwise. But the history of the Abbey—and of founding father Gallus—is one of constant change. Enzo Farinelli, a Dublin-based Italian scholar, says it...

... Print comment Reuse article (PatitucciPhoto) We spent the summer of 2017 primarily doing one thing;ruing trails in the Swiss Alps. We’d taken on a trail ruing book project, a guide to the best trail runs of the Swiss Alps due out in spring 2018.One of the hi...

... Print comment Reuse article See in another language: 1 See in another language: 1 Languages: 1 laura g 1 Laura Gibilras swissinfo.ch: You were bo in Italy as a Swiss abroad. Does someone ...

... Print Reuse article See in other languages: 8 See in other languages: 8 Languages: 8 More than 80% of the foreign population living in Switzerland is from another European country. Immigration from Germany, Italy and, to a lesser ...

Today, about 90% of Switzerland’s natural ponds are in the mountains, with only 5-10% on the plateau, where human activity is most intensive. Most ponds found in lowland areas are artificial.(Beat Oertli, HES) Only 12 kilometres to the east of the bustling city of Geneva at the Lullier Horticultural School, a cattail-shrouded pond blends in so perfectly with the bucolic surroundings that the eye passes right over it. But as Beat Oertli, a professor of aquatic ecology at the University of Applied Sciences of Weste Switzerland (HESSO) explains, this pond isn’t just part of the landscape: it’s been strategically placed to protect a nat...

Around 2.2% of Bosnia and Herzegovina is still covered withmines(zVg) The barking of dogs produces such noise that it’s impossible to hear your own voice. We are at the Global Training Centre for Mine Detection Dogs in Blagovac, in rural Bosnia, about 10 kilometres north of the capital Sarajevo.+Read about the Ottawa Convention, baing landminesFourteen people are currently looking after 60 dogs on these vast premises. The dogs have names like Panzer, Amor, Luna, Irony, Jala or Brick. They are all Belgian Shepherds.“This breed is healthy, active and not as lazy as, say, a Labrador,” says Goran Šehić, the deputy programme manag...

The village, situated on the weste shore, has anofficial motto "joie de vivre at Lake Zurich"(Gemeinde Rüschlikon) Not Switzerland’s financial capital, nor inteational centre, but a small lakeside community near Zurich has been named the most attractive place to live in the country.It’s raining heavily and the sky is heavy and grey when I...

Honorary consuls are local personalities who represent foreign states in Switzerland, and they are not paid for their work. What motivates them? (RTS/swissinfo.chexteal link)There are about 130 honorary consuls them in Switzerland. They are not professional diplomats, but people who workon a voluntarybasis until their appointments are revoked. For instance, François de Coulonexteal link, who...

Tama Vakeesan was bo in Switzerland – to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. She’s interested in cultural andreligious diversity in Switzerland. This week she meets members of the“Dialogue en route” project. They takegroups of young people toreligious buildingsand teachthem about different faithsandcultures.(SRFKulturplatz/swissinfo.ch) subscription form Form for signing up for free newsletter. Sign up for our free newsletter and get the top stories delivered to your inbox. ...

What would Switzerland be without its stuing mountains? In this episode Diccon Bewes gives a brief introduction to the Swiss Alps. (Diccon Bewes for swissinfo.ch) subscription form Form for signing up for free newsletter. Sign up for our free newsletter and get the top stories delivered to your inbox. ...

What would Switzerland be without its stuing mountains? In this episode Diccon Bewes gives a brief introduction to the Swiss Alps. (Diccon Bewes for swissinfo.ch) subscription form Form for signing up for free newsletter. Sign up for our free newsletter and get the top stories delivered to your inbox. ...

Rudolf Strahm believes that the welfare state has come to the limits of its acceptance in Switzerland (Keystone) Rudolf Strahm is one of Switzerland’s most reputed economists. Here, he shares his opinion of Pension Reform 2020, which will come to vote on September 24. swissinfo.ch: The old-age pension system has been revised ten times since its introduction in 1948. The last revision was in...

Every dozen years or so, crowds flock to the Unspuen Festival that features the best of Swiss traditions: alpho music, Schwingen wrestling, flag throwing and a feat of strength to see who can throw an 83.5kg stone the furthest. The festivalexteal linktake place over ten days fromAugust 26 in the alpine resort of Interlaken. There are rumours that the original Unspuen stone dating back t...