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An outsider view of Swiss films The Swiss take on blood, sweat and boxing

A hard hitting boxing movie from Swiss director Fulvio Bernasconi pulls no punches in its depiction of no-holds-barred underground fighting.

By Sean Nam (Critics Academy)

François Bonivard In the footsteps of the real prisoner of Chillon

Château de Chillon is the most-visited monument in Switzerland. Its reputation is due in large part to Lord Byron’s poem, The Prisoner of Chillon.

By Olivier Pauchard

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Chiaroscuro Daily dispatches from Locarno

Follow the latest news, notes and curiosities from the 2019 edition of Switzerland's most prestigious film festival.

By Eduardo Simantob

News Digest

This content was published on August 18, 2019 5:00 PM Aug 18, 2019 - 17:00 This content was published on August 18, 2019 5:00 PM

Domestic manufacturers contribute to “High Price” Switzerland

This content was published on August 18, 2019 3:23 PM Aug 18, 2019 - 15:23 This content was published on August 18, 2019 3:23 PM

Locarno Film Festival declared overwhelming success

This content was published on August 18, 2019 2:48 PM Aug 18, 2019 - 14:48 This content was published on August 18, 2019 2:48 PM

Swiss doctoral students complain of being short-changed

This content was published on August 18, 2019 12:39 PM Aug 18, 2019 - 12:39 This content was published on August 18, 2019 12:39 PM

Railway boss defends record after fatal accident

This content was published on August 18, 2019 11:39 AM Aug 18, 2019 - 11:39 This content was published on August 18, 2019 11:39 AM

Switzerland mulls honorary citizenship for WEF founder Schwab

Bloomberg business

• This content was published on August 18, 2019 8:01 PM Aug 18, 2019 - 20:01 This content was published on August 18, 2019 8:01 PM Suffering Emerging Markets Look to Powell to Calm Frayed Nerves
• This content was published on August 16, 2019 2:26 PM Aug 16, 2019 - 14:26 This content was published on August 16, 2019 2:26 PM Swiss Stock Exchange Weighs Buying EU-Based Bourse
• This content was published on August 16, 2019 10:33 AM Aug 16, 2019 - 10:33 This content was published on August 16, 2019 10:33 AM Euro Traders Are Starting to Bet on a Break of $1.10 This Month
• This content was published on August 16, 2019 8:21 AM Aug 16, 2019 - 08:21 This content was published on August 16, 2019 8:21 AM BASF’s $3 Billion Unit Sale Loses Steam as Buyout Firms Exit

Reuters International

• This content was published on August 18, 2019 4:58 PM Aug 18, 2019 - 16:58 This content was published on August 18, 2019 4:58 PM Hong Kong protesters throng streets peacefully in pouring rain
• This content was published on August 18, 2019 10:19 PM Aug 18, 2019 - 22:19 This content was published on August 18, 2019 10:19 PM Canada slams UK decision to 'off-load' Islamist fighter
• This content was published on August 18, 2019 5:07 PM Aug 18, 2019 - 17:07 This content was published on August 18, 2019 5:07 PM Islamic State claims Afghan wedding blast as families bury the dead
• This content was published on August 18, 2019 8:29 PM Aug 18, 2019 - 20:29 This content was published on August 18, 2019 8:29 PM India reimposes some curbs in Kashmir as stone-throwing spreads

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Take a look Picture of the week

In this series, swissinfo.ch picture editors choose an image highlighting a news event of the past seven days.

Week in Numbers Rehoused pets, Schengen visas and prison earnings

Here’s a round-up of some of the most interesting statistics to appear in the past week’s stories.

The highway to creativity Roundabouts showcase Swiss art

The centre of a village or a road leading into a town used to be marked with an old oak tree or stone boulder. Today in Switzerland this is often ...

By Helen James

CITES conference Swiss expert warns over lucrative illegal wildlife trade

The illegal trade in wildlife has become a massively lucrative, low-risk activity controlled by criminal groups, warns Swiss expert Mathias Lörtscher.

By Simon Bradley

Council of the Swiss Abroad Expat Swiss push for e-vote and EU bilateral ties

At a meeting in Montreux the Council of the Swiss Abroad has called on the government to take a lead role in the introduction of electronic voting.

By Urs Geiser in Montreux

Lights, camera, inaction Swiss cinemas: more films, fewer filmgoers

The average Swiss goes to the cinema once or twice a year to watch an American film in a multiplex.

By Thomas Stephens, Jessica Davis Plüss, Kai Reusser

Parliamentary elections 2019 Where do the Swiss Abroad win political support?

A look at which major political parties were most friendly to expat Swiss over the last four years.

By Alexandra Kohler, Balz Rigendinger

Letter From The Alps Mass tourism: How we can live with it

I’ve been realizing that the position I took on mass tourism a few weeks ago deserves a second look.  

By Dale Bechtel

Interview: Remo Gysin Expat Swiss lament government’s ‘lack of leadership’ on e-voting

E-voting is no longer an option for the parliamentary elections in October. What does this mean for the expatriate Swiss community?

By Urs Geiser

Get off my land Federer gets caught up in lake access debate

Although Swiss law says waterways belong to the public, Roger Federer won't be losing sleep about a footpath being built through his land.

By Peter Siegenthaler

Opinion Putin’s European waltz in 3D: deflect, deny, discredit

In the 20 years since Vladimir Putin came to power, Russia has developed a strategy for dealing with Western politics. A look at some of the evidence.

By Tornike Metreveli

50 years ago How Japanese climbers pioneered the Eiger's most direct route

When a Japanese team completed a new direct route on the north face of the Eiger exactly 50 years ago, they needed a lot of equipment.

By Mari Eto, edited by Dale Bechtel

Participatory democracy Swiss town tests citizen panel to help voters analyse information

The municipality of Sion in Switzerland is planning a participative democracy experiment first tried out in the US state of Oregon.

By Sonia Fenazzi

Contemporary art Thomas Hirschhorn’s sprawling monument to his Swiss hero

Why has Swiss artist Thomas Hirschhorn built a sprawling wooden art installation in honour of Biel writer Robert Walser outside a local train station?

By Samuel Schellenberg

Parliamentary elections A voter guide for electing the Swiss parliament

In Switzerland the exercise of casting votes can be complicated because the electoral lists are not set in stone but can be modified. Here's how.

Parliamentary elections 2019 Initiatives are not key to election victory

People’s initiatives belong to the tools used by parties in Swiss elections to rally voters to their cause. Yet their mobilising potential is limited.

By Claude Longchamp, political scientist

Studying Switzerland The German researcher who rocked Swiss cheese

When Michael Harenberg came to Switzerland, he never imagined he would find himself trying to find out whether cheese can be improved with music.

By Christian Raaflaub, Burgdorf

History of Swiss diplomacy The long road to the Geneva Conventions of 1949

Seventy years ago, Switzerland achieved a diplomatic coup in organising a major diplomatic conference in 1949 to revise the Geneva Conventions.

By Andrea Tognina

Winegrowers’ festival Fête des Vignerons: see you in 20 years!

The Fête des Vignerons – Vevey’s once-in-a-generation winegrowers’ festival – ended on Sunday in spectacular style.

By Olivier Grivat, Vevey