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The entrance of the Palais des Nations, the UN's European headquarters in Geneva(United Nations Photo) ...

Women candidates from the Green Party celebrate their victories(Keystone / Eddy Risch) From massive shifts in party pow...

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

Encrypted digital tokens, representing ownership rights to underlying securities, are being tipped to transform financial trading. (KEYSTONE/STEFFEN SCHMIDT) The Swiss stock exchange is just one...

Orphans eatxa0lunchxa0in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.xa0More than four million children have lost at least one parent in Congo over the past two decades(Keystone) The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has boycotted a United Nations conference in Geneva that reaped hundreds of millions of dollars to help...

A demonstrator calls for the child protection authorities to be stripped of their powers following the case of a mother who killed her two children to stop them being retued to care. She later killed herself in jail.xa0(Ennio Leanza/KEYSTONE) Child protection authorities are among the most unpopularxa0institutions in Switzerland, even after recent reforms. Why the backlash?Overshadowed by the dark past of so-called "slave children", Swiss ch...

Avalanche observers lea how to check the profile of the snowpackxa0to see how it has changed over the winter and look for weak layers (swissinfo.ch) It may seem quite a leap from studying snowflakes with a magnifying glass to forecasting one of the greatest natural threats in the Alps, but the step is part of how Switzerland manages avalanches. The approach could soon win coveted Unesco cultural heritage status. xa0 “What happens to fresh snow when it lands?” asks Gian Darms, an instructor...

The cross-border Portes du Soleil ski region is a bargain for skiers looking for variety. (© KEYSTONE / JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT) Where in the Swiss Alps do you get access to the most ski slopes for your money? We crunched the numbers and found there’s a reason you’re asked to pay more at Adelboden than Airolo, or at Zermatt than Zuoz.xa0 Our graphic shows the inteational resort of Zermatt exteal linkrivalled in price by only a handful of other ski areas at CHF79 ($81) a day, while a pass at Z...

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,...

This content was published on October 26, 2017 10:47 AMOct 26, 2017 - 10:47 Known for directing Hollywood blockbusters ‘Good Will Hunting’ and ‘Milk’, Gus Van Sant will now feature in the first retrospective of his work in Switz...

A Polish/Scottish couple decidedxa0to apply for Swiss citizenship to boost their children's integration. This is their story. (Julie Hunt, swissinfo.ch)David Kirk comes from Rothesay on the Isle of Bute in Scotland. Dominika Wieczorek Kirkxa0is from the town of Piastow in central Poland.xa0They came to Switzerland as research scientists, and met here. Dominika works at the pharmaceutical giant, Novartis...

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 workxa0on a voluntaryxa0basis until their appointments are revoked. For instance, François de Coulonexteal link, who...

Trying to check the electronic timetablexa0at Swiss railway stations it is difficult to ignore the political postersxa0 (Keystone / Alessandro della Valle) Mode direct democracy keeps citizens tuned in with Swiss politics. It enables them to make an informed judgement on issues at stake in popular votes. There are also good reasons for Switzerland to promote people power worldwide through dipl...

Tama Vakeesan was bo in Switzerland – to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. She meets up with stand-up comedian, Sven Ivanic, who is Croatian, Serbian and "100 % Swiss". They explore the prejudices against Balkan boys in Switzerland, and Svenxa0defends his right to wear tracksuit bottoms.xa0(SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)xa0 subscription form Form for signing up for free newsletter. Sign up for our fre...

On September 24, Swiss voters will decide on a reform of the country's old age and disability pension scheme - it is the 15th vote on the issue in nearly nine decades. So far only two reform proposals won a majority at the ballot box (Keystone) Swiss voters will have the final say later this month on a reform of the country’s old age pension scheme. It is an important, but only temporary dec...

Tama Vakeesan was bo in Switzerland – to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. Sometimes it's hard for Tama and her friends ofxa0different ethnic origins to stay true to family traditions. She asks Arjeta what being an ethnic Albanian means to her.xa0(SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch) ...

Tama Vakeesan was bo in Switzerland – to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. She meetsxa0make-up artist, Kavi, and they discuss why Tamil women still try to make their skinxa0lighter. Is it a hangover from Sri Lanka's colonial past? xa0(SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch) ...

Summer in the Aare River in Thun (Keystone) Up until the 1950s, waste was dumped directly into Swiss rivers and lakes, resulting in dying fish, bad smells and swimming bans. Much has changed since then. The entire population is connected to sewage treatment plants but new challenges are on the...

Will lovers of quality Swiss watches have to spend hundreds of francs to get their favourite timepieces fixed? (Thomas Ke/swissinfo.ch) Even a Swiss-brand watch will not run forever.xa0Nowadays, minor repairs can be very expensive or take months because many specialist watchmakers no longer re...

Almost like civil war: xa0Riot police clash with separatist demonstrators in the town of Moutier in 1977 (Keystone) It may have been just a local ballot, but it marked a decisive stage in a long-term Swiss territorial conflict. Here’s why the town of Moutier’s June 18 vote to join canton Jura wi...