Young citizen scientists at the Bioscope public lab in Geneva lea firsthand about the wonders of discovery, as well as the limitations of the scientific process. (Jörg Brockmann) When you open politics to the public, you get direct democracy. But what happens when you open science to the public? If ...

The large influx of dentists from abroad has increased competition and jeopardised the profitability of many Swiss dental practices. (SRF/swissinfo.ch/cp) In Swiss cities, one in two dental practices is struggling to keep its business afloat, according to a study by the Swiss Dental Association (SSO...

Renewable energy production is just one of the aspects of the initiative. (Keystone) There is little dispute that the Swiss must reduce their ecological footprint, but the devil lies in the details. Voters will decide on Sunday whether there should be more gove ment intervention. If everyone lived l...

The old age pension scheme is one of the major reform projects of Switzerland's social security system xa0 (Keystone) Voters are to decide on a people’s initiative calling for a 10% boost in benefits from the state retirement fund – a move supported by the political left, but deemed far too costly b...

Opponents fear the reform could be the beginning of a 'Big Brother' surveillance policy, but supporters say the intelligence service needs extra powers to prevent terrorist attacks (Keystone) Voters look set to approve a law allowing the Swiss intelligence service to tap private emails and monitor o...

If every byte of information on the inte et needs a physical location where it’s stored, one of the safest places to keep this data might be inside a Swiss mountain. (Carlo Pisani, swissinfo.ch) Around 80 kilometres from Zurich it is one of the largest Swiss military bunkers ever built. In 2011 the ...

Odd job anyone? Christian Hänny spends his days hiking in the mountains - and caring for pregnant cows. Let's block ads! (Why?)

We often get asked who our audience is at swissinfo.ch. Well, we’re aimed at an inte ational community who are interested in Switzerland, and Swiss citizens living abroad. To know our readers better, we asked our fans on Facebook to tell us who they are and what their connection to Switzerland is. H...

Neuchâtel Castle: on September 25 local voters will decide whether to give foreign residents the right to stand for election at the cantonal level (Keystone) If you live in Switzerland but you are not Swiss, your political rights such as the ability to vote depend largely on where you reside. A look...

[unable to retrieve full-text content] The music of Swiss cellist Martin Tillman has provided the backdrop for pirates, soldiers and comic book heroes in some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters. But his latest album is a tribute to a different leading lady: his wife.xa0 Following a move from Zurich...

One month into his new Geneva job, Swiss ambassador Valentin Zellweger (centre) was already hosting top officials like US Secretary of State John Kerry (Keystone) From his sixth-floor office window Valentin Zellweger has sweeping views of his new realm – Inte ational Geneva – that stretches from the...

In conversation in Mongolia: Johann Schneider-Ammann (left) and Jean-Claude Juncker (Keystone) Two years after the country voted to curb immigration from the EU, it is desperate to reach a deal with Brussels. But few in Europe want to strike a pact that could be a template for post-Brexit Britain. T...

Watch your step, it's a long way down (Keystone) The news we won’t report: men over 50 are at risk of falling off mountains. One of the inherent risks of being an editor is deciding what constitutes news, which is why a recent television report about the danger of hiking in the Alps – especially for...

Most buyers are attracted by low Chinese prices, even if they are aware the goods are likely counterfeitsxa0 (swissinfo.ch) Chinese online retailers are targeting customers looking for a bargain in expensive Switzerland. More and more Swiss are being seduced by the unbeatable prices on offer. It is ...

These are the top stories we're following in the week starting September 19.xa0 Valentin Zellweger (centre) (Keystone) Tuesday It’s been a whirlwind start to his new job: meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry, attending the Human Rights Council and hosting the Swiss ambassadors’ annual get-togeth...

Did you know that you don't have to be a scientist to do science? In Switzerland, efforts to democratise the scientific process start with inviting citizens to answer their own questions. Let's block ads! (Why?)

The art guide is Switzerland's best-selling publication (GSK) The 1,000th edition of the art guide “Schweizerische Kunstführer” is out – time for a virtual trip through the archives of Switzerland’s best-selling publication. Here’s a round-up of some special, lesser-known but unmissable art sites in...

Battle of the generations? Actually political ideology seems to be more important when deciding whether to increase pension payments (Keystone) Why would you vote against something from which you would benefit – or vote in favour of something that you would have to pay for but not benefit from? An u...

Sep 17, 2016 - 11:00Instead of sitting out a sentence behind bars, or going into debt to pay a fine, people in Zurich are able to take part in a work project recycling electronic scrap.Last year, the equivalent of 6,300 days in detention was worked off, thanks to a charity set up to help the reinteg...

Supporters of the new intelligence law claim the changes to the secret services’ competences are an improvement to security. But in reality the new law complicates the criminal conviction of planned terror attacks, argues politician Balthasar Glättli. By Balthasar Glättli The new intelligence law (s...