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competitive frontier Global economic competitiveness stumbles in face of technology transformation

By Jessica Davis Plüss

A major update to the WEF's annual Global Competitiveness Index reveals the global economy is ill-prepared for rapid technological change.

See in another language: 1

• Spanish (es) La competitividad mundial tropieza con la transformación tecnológica

Lausanne The highs and lows of opening a safe drug injection centre

By Simon Bradley in Lausanne

Safe injection centres are part of Swiss drug policy. Yet opening such facilities is fraught with difficulties, as the new Lausanne centre has shown.

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Democracy Labs

Making democracy more democratic? Young researchers explain how they’re trying to do that in our video series.

in depth

in depth Switzerland and the #DroneFrontier

swissinfo.ch's series with swissnex Boston aimed at exploring the changes to policy and society that accompany innovations in drone technology.

News in Brief

Impasse Negotiations on EU-Swiss framework accord stalled

in the flesh Lausanne bans controversial exhibition of plastinated bodies

rare find Archaeologists uncover rare Celtic remains

Million-dollar home Steep increase in Swiss housing prices in last decade

1 There is one comment on this article.

Russia-Ukraine dispute Swiss arbitrator can rule in Crimea investment case

Bloomberg business

• This content was published on October 17, 2018 7:24 AMOct 17, 2018 - 07:24 This content was published on October 17, 2018 7:24 AMRoche's Old Guard of Big Drugs Holds Up in Face of New Foes
• This content was published on October 17, 2018 7:16 AMOct 17, 2018 - 07:16 This content was published on October 17, 2018 7:16 AMEuropean Shares Rise With Technology Sector Leading the Way
• This content was published on October 17, 2018 7:15 AMOct 17, 2018 - 07:15 This content was published on October 17, 2018 7:15 AMStocks Extend Rebound on Earnings-Season Optimism: Markets Wrap
• This content was published on October 16, 2018 10:01 PMOct 16, 2018 - 22:01 This content was published on October 16, 2018 10:01 PMU.S. Beats Singapore to Top of Global Competitiveness Rankings
• This content was published on October 16, 2018 8:12 PMOct 16, 2018 - 20:12 This content was published on October 16, 2018 8:12 PMU.S. Stocks Rally Most Since March as Tech Surges: Markets Wrap

Reuters International

• This content was published on October 17, 2018 3:40 AMOct 17, 2018 - 03:40 This content was published on October 17, 2018 3:40 AMNine U.N. Security Council members ask to discuss Myanmar inquiry
• This content was published on October 17, 2018 6:26 AMOct 17, 2018 - 06:26 This content was published on October 17, 2018 6:26 AMPompeo says Saudis committed to complete probe into journalist's disappearance
• This content was published on October 17, 2018 7:18 AMOct 17, 2018 - 07:18 This content was published on October 17, 2018 7:18 AMHow Russia moved into Central Africa
• This content was published on October 17, 2018 3:47 AMOct 17, 2018 - 03:47 This content was published on October 17, 2018 3:47 AMDeath toll from Florida hurricane at least 27, hundreds missing
• This content was published on October 17, 2018 7:05 AMOct 17, 2018 - 07:05 This content was published on October 17, 2018 7:05 AMAfghanistan blast kills election candidate in southern province

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Follow-up material to accompany the main content

Here are additional stories besides the main content

2008 crisis The day UBS, the biggest Swiss bank, was saved

By Armando Mombelli

The big Swiss bank UBS fell victim to its high-risk strategy of expansion in the US market when the financial crisis erupted ten years ago.

2 There are 2 comments on this article.

See in other languages: 8

• Arabic (ar) اليوم الذي أنقذت فيه الحكومة أكبر مصرف سويسري
• German (de) Der Tag, an dem die grösste Schweizer Bank gerettet wurde
• Spanish (es) El día que Suiza rescató a su principal banco
• French (fr) Le jour où la plus grande banque suisse a été sauvée
• Italian (it) Il giorno in cui è stata salvata la più grande banca svizzera
• Japanese (ja) スイス最大の銀行UBSが救われた日
• Russian (ru) Как спасли самый большой банк Швейцарии
• Chinese (zh) 瑞士最大银行瑞银集团得救的日子

Waiting game The Swiss hunt: collecting the reward for a year’s work

By Clare O'Dea

What's it like to go on the hunt in the Swiss Alps, joining tens of thousands of rifle-carrying men each autumn?

See in other languages: 9

• Arabic (ar) "الصيد في سويسرا .. حصاد عام من العمل"
• German (de) Schweizer Jagd: Belohnung für ein Jahr Arbeit
• Spanish (es) Caza en Suiza: la recompensa a un año de trabajo
• French (fr) Partir à la chasse, la récompense de l’année
• Italian (it) Il rito ancestrale della caccia alta in Svizzera
• Japanese (ja) スイスの狩猟　ハンターの一日に密着　
• Portuguese (pt) Após um ano de trabalho, à caça!
• Russian (ru) Швейцарская охота: ежегодный отпуск для души
• Chinese (zh) 瑞士狩猎季：收获一年的努力

Point of view Opportunity knocks for Switzerland in the US

By Ralph Pöhner, Handelszeitung

US President Donald Trump prefers bilateral agreements to multilateral ones. For Switzerland, this signifies an opportunity – but also uncertainty.

1 There is one comment on this article.

See in other languages: 3

• German (de) In den USA winkt eine Chance
• French (fr) Retour à la case départ avec les États-Unis
• Italian (it) Ritorno alla casella di partenza con gli Stati Uniti

Amur Senza Fin Screen romance à la Romansh

By Thomas Stephens

Glisch, camera, acziun! The first professional feature film in Romansh has been picked up by an American distributor.

Week in Numbers Record expat pay packets and stress at work

Almost every article published by swissinfo.ch contains a percentage, an age, an amount of money or some other figure.

2 There are 2 comments on this article.

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.

See in other languages: 9

• Arabic (ar) صورة الأسبوع
• German (de) Bild der Woche
• Spanish (es) Foto de la semana
• French (fr) L'image de la semaine
• Italian (it) L'immagine della settimana
• Japanese (ja) 今週の写真
• Portuguese (pt) Imagem da semana
• Russian (ru) Фотография недели
• Chinese (zh) 本周图片

class divide What the statistics don’t say about teachers’ salaries

By Marc-André Miserez

How much does a schoolteacher earn in Switzerland? There are big differences between the cantons, and also a gap between theory and practice.

2 There are 2 comments on this article.

See in other languages: 6

• German (de) Wieviel verdient ein Lehrer in der Schweiz?
• Spanish (es) La aritmética no cuadra con el salario del profe
• French (fr) L’arithmétique ne dit pas tout du salaire de ceux qui l’enseignent
• Italian (it) Le cifre non dicono tutto sul salario degli insegnanti
• Portuguese (pt) Matemática não diz tudo sobre o salário dos professores
• Russian (ru) Зарплата швейцарских учителей — это целая арифметика

Privacy Kiss-and-tell visa incident sparks official criticism

By Susan Misicka

A Vietnamese woman had to share private messages to get a Swiss tourist visa. The foreign ministry says the incident was an exceptional error. 

4 There are 4 comments on this article.

See in another language: 1

• Chinese (zh) “披露私情”签证事件引发官方批评

Photography Lopreno: ‘A philosopher who thinks with light’

By Patrick Gilliéron Lopreno (images) and Frédéric Burnand (text)

"Eloge de l’invisible" is enriched by an unlikely yet successful encounter with publisher and polemicist Slobodan Despot, who wrote the preface.

See in other languages: 9

• Arabic (ar) لوبرينو.. "فيلسوف يُعمل الفكر عبر الضياء"
• German (de) Loprenos neuer Fotoband "hat etwas Heroisches"
• Spanish (es) Lopreno, “un filósofo que piensa con las luces”
• French (fr) Lopreno, «un philosophe qui pense avec la lumière»
• Italian (it) Lopreno, "un filosofo che pensa con la luce"
• Japanese (ja) 「光で考える哲学者」、写真家ロプルノ
• Portuguese (pt) Lopreno, "um filósofo que pensa com a luz"
• Russian (ru) Окружающий мир глазами фотографа и философа
• Chinese (zh) 用光线思考哲学的摄影师

#DroneFrontier Public gets hands-on experience with Swiss drones in Boston

By Celia Luterbacher

Swiss drones were front and centre this week at HUBWeek, an “ideas festival” in Boston, Massachusetts.

Civic rights The four ingredients of a successful people’s initiative

By Sandro Lüscher in Zurich

The people’s initiative is the fundamental instrument of Swiss direct democracy, but what's needed to make it successful?

See in other languages: 9

• Arabic (ar) أربعة عناصر لتنفيذ مبادرة شعبية ناجحة في سويسرا
• German (de) Die vier Zutaten für eine erfolgreiche Volksinitiative
• Spanish (es) Los cuatro ingredientes para el éxito de una iniciativa popular
• French (fr) Initiative: les quatre ingrédients du succès
• Italian (it) I quattro ingredienti per la riuscita di un’iniziativa popolare
• Japanese (ja) 国民発議を成功させるための四つのコツ
• Portuguese (pt) Os quatro ingredientes para uma iniciativa popular bem-sucedida
• Russian (ru) Законодательная инициатива: четыре слагаемых успеха
• Chinese (zh) 在瑞士成就1项公民动议的4项原则

Living concept Switzerland warms to ‘tiny houses’

The small house movement is gaining momentum in Switzerland, offering affordable and ecologically friendly housing.

5 There are 5 comments on this article.

See in another language: 1

• Russian (ru) Хорошо иметь маленький домик в Швейцарии!

FINMA approval Crypto Finance eyes Asian expansion after winning Swiss license

By Matthew Allen

Swiss cryptoasset firm Crypto Finance will use its newly won regulatory approval as a platform for Asian expansion.

Final destination What happens when you die on holiday in Switzerland?

By Anand Chandrasekhar

A fall on a hiking path or a sudden heart attack could bring your Swiss holiday to an abrupt end. What next?

14 There are 14 comments on this article.

See in other languages: 5

• Spanish (es) ¿Qué pasa cuando un vacacionista muere en Suiza?
• French (fr) Que se passe-t-il si vous mourez pendant vos vacances en Suisse?
• Japanese (ja) スイスで旅行中に死んだらどうなる？
• Portuguese (pt) O que fazer quando se morre fazendo turismo na Suíça?
• Russian (ru) Что будет, если иностранный турист умрёт в Швейцарии?

With or without you What would a no-deal Brexit mean for Brits in Switzerland?

By Jo Fahy

If the UK drops out of the EU without a deal – what will happen to UK citizens in Switzerland? The clock is ticking.

4 There are 4 comments on this article.

See in other languages: 2

• German (de) Was würde ein harter Brexit für die Briten in der Schweiz bedeuten?
• French (fr) Que signifierait un Brexit «dur» pour les Britanniques résidant en Suisse?

War and revolution The road to proportional representation in Switzerland

By Igor Petrov

Here's how, in 1918, Switzerland made the historic decision to move to a proportional representation system at national level.

1 There is one comment on this article.

See in other languages: 9

• Arabic (ar) الحرب والاضراب يُمَهِدان الطريق لنظام التمثيل النسبي في سويسرا
• German (de) Wie die Schweiz ein gerechteres Wahlsystem schuf
• Spanish (es) Representación proporcional en Suiza: aspectos históricos
• French (fr) Comment la Suisse a adopté un système électoral plus juste
• Italian (it) Dal maggioritario al proporzionale: le ragioni di una scelta storica
• Japanese (ja) スイスの比例代表制　その歴史的側面
• Portuguese (pt) Suíça e o sistema eleitoral proporcional
• Russian (ru) Как Швейцария уничтожила однопартийную систему
• Chinese (zh) 比例代表制：打破瑞士自由民主党的政治垄断

Proportional representation When a democratic revolution rocked Swiss politics

By Renat Kuenzi

The introduction of the proportional representation election system 100 years ago ended the dominance of the party of Switzerland’s founding fathers.

See in other languages: 3

• German (de) Der grösste Umsturz in der Geschichte der Schweizer Politik
• French (fr) La plus grande révolution dans l’histoire de la politique suisse
• Italian (it) La più grande rivoluzione nella storia della politica svizzera

Election barometer Swiss Abroad Why Swiss expats vote differently when they go abroad

By Urs Geiser

Ties between Switzerland and the EU are the main concern of expat Swiss citizens who took part in a poll ahead of the 2019 parliamentary elections.

1 There is one comment on this article.

See in other languages: 5

• German (de) Warum Auslandschweizer anders wählen
• Spanish (es) ¿Por qué los suizos fuera del país votan diferente?
• French (fr) Pourquoi les Suisses votent différemment quand ils vivent à l’étranger
• Italian (it) Perché gli svizzeri all'estero votano in modo diverso
• Portuguese (pt) Por que os expatriados suíços votam de maneira diferente quando vão para o exterior

university comparison series How great is the student experience at a Swiss university?

By Tony Ganzer, Geraldine Wong Sak Hoi and Leo Shearmur

Can Swiss universities offer the kind of support and vibrant student life that attracts many to the US and UK?

3 There are 3 comments on this article.