Gilead's Hepatitis C drug Sovaldi can cost as much as $1,000 a pill (Keystone) For a rich country that is a global hub for pharma companies, Switzerland is going to extraordinary lengths to avoid Hepatitis C patients having to pay for pricey drugs. Despite attempts at gentrification, Zurich’s

May 20, 2017 - 11:00Michael Rüegsegger, an auctioneer, gazes into his computer screen. The compressors of the high-pressure cleaners puff up, a group of brown cattle stands wet in the spray mist, while another truck drives forward and the last group of cattle prepares to unload. "I'm Michael," he sa

Workers upgrading part of the Large Hadron Collider at Ce deep underground on the French-Swiss border near Geneva (Keystone) Ce practises cutting-edge science but its pension fund is surprisingly risk averse. The prestigious nuclear research centre near Geneva, is best known for blasting a

Leibstadt is one of Switzerland's five nuclear reactors. It remains on the grid but no new nuclear power plants can be built after Sunday's vote (Keystone) Voters have endorsed a new energy law that aims to promote renewable energy, ban new nuclear power plants and lower energy consumption.

Swiss Energy Minister Doris Leuthard at the inauguration of a wind farm at Gries on the Nufenen Pass in canton Valais - Europe's highest wind turbine park. (Keystone) On May 21, Swiss voters endorsed a new energy law that aims to promote renewable energy, ban new nuclear power plants and ensur

A a Reinhart in a contemporary etching. (zvg) The new priest appeared before his congregation for the first time on 1 January 1519. The faithful sat shoulder to shoulder on the benches of Zurich's Grossmünster, for Huldrych Zwingli's reputation had preceded him: he was said to be a gifted pre

Boosting interest in politics by introducing compulsory voting? (Keystone) Driven by conce s over low tu out, a Swiss political party has proposed mandatory voting in canton Jura. The northweste region could one day follow the example of Schaffhausen, the only one of Switzerland’s 26 cant

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May 23, 2017 - 15:45British actor Roger Moore, who played the role of James Bond in seven of the spy adventures, has died in Switzerland at the age of 89. He passed away after a short battle with cancer. His family a ounced the news on Tuesday: “it is with a heavy heart that we a ounce the death o

Besides celebrating the world of cinema, this year’s edition of the Ca es Film Festival will commemorate its 70th a iversary. Here is a look back at the Swiss presence at the prestigious festival, including luminaries such as Ursula Andress, Jean-Luc Godard and Bruno Ganz. (SRF, swissinfo.ch)Let's b...

A small group of activists launched Spain's anti-austerity Indignados movement(Indiginados)From the United States to Europe, wealthy and captivating populists such as US President Donald Trump and Swiss People’s Party backer Christoph Blocher pose a

New aerial images record details of Switzerland with an accuracy of 10cm - thanks to the latest technology deployed by the Federal Office of Topography. (SRF/swissinfo.ch)The federal office has come a long way since the days - more than a century ago

May 15, 2017 - 17:00Psychedelic chalets and sexual liberation – these were some of the motifs of the Swiss pop art movement that a leading museum has resurrected.An exhibition at the Aargauer Kunsthaus offers a comprehensive overview of Sw

A Swiss mountain guide in his sixties has become the first person with a prosthetic leg to complete a major trek across East Greenland. (RTS/swissinfo.chexte al link) Rey (Reto) Keller, from the easte canton of Graubünden, had set out to cover 200

Belfort's wildest excesses were portrayed by Leonardo Di Caprio in the Wolf of Wall Street movie(Keystone)Amid booming music, nightclub lightshows and Hollywood-style glitz, the real Wolf of Wall Street strides out on stage to teach the art of sales

Undercover agent working for the Swiss intelligence service? There's no black and white in the murky world of spies (sergign/123RF)The ongoing scandal of an alleged Swiss spy arrested in Germany at the end of April has shone a spotlight on the Federa

May 13, 2017 - 11:00Alfons Rohrer (1925-1998) from Sachseln, canton of Obwalden, was a landlord at the guesthouse Bahnhof, a member of the vocal club and local fire brigade, and he presided over the union of sheep breeders. He also was a p

A quarter of women who give birth in Switzerland are over 35, and 6% are over 40.(Keystone)The average age of women giving birth in Switzerland now hovers around 32. The number of over 35s having children is also growing. As Mother’s Day is celebrate

SNB chairman Thomas Jordan was on the defensive in a room full of private bankers(Keystone)Negative interest rates are the bane of the financial sector – and the longer they remain, the louder bankers cry foul. The Swiss private banking and asset man

Charly Pache tries to convince passers-by of the benefits of choosing politicians by lot(Helen James)An outlandish idea? Food for thought, according to most people stopped in a street in Fribourg by two representatives from Generation Nomination (GeN