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Life & Aging

Infertility: how Switzerland is failing many couples who want a child

More and more couples need medical help to be fertile: a clinic in Zurich.

Infertility affects around one couple in seven in Switzerland, but access to assisted reproductive technology is hindered by the lack of treatment and restrictive legislation.

By Pauline Turuban

Life & Aging

Fertility rates plummet in Switzerland – and beyond

By Pauline Turuban

Swiss Politics

‘Almost half of Swiss families are unable to cover an unexpected expense’

By Samuel Jaberg

Education

Raising two children in Switzerland costs at least half a million francs

By Samuel Jaberg

From the cute to the horrific: Switzerland’s weirdest museums

This content was published on May 17, 2024 Switzerland has some of the biggest and best museums in the world, but it is also home to some really bizarre and niche ones.

Taiwan’s fight against digital disinformation

This content was published on May 16, 2024 The citizens of Taiwan – with government support – are successfully fighting back against fake news.

Photograph of a contrac child at work, taken in 1945.

Is Switzerland doing enough for victims of compulsory social measures?

This content was published on May 17, 2024 A recent study looked at the dark Swiss history of compulsory social measures and analysed the current situation.

Switzerland Today

This content was published on May 17, 2024 On Friday: FIFA’s uncertain future in Zurich, and a real-life Alpine spy thriller.

Swiss village of Lauterbrunnen mulls Venice-style tourist entry charge

This content was published on May 16, 2024 Lauterbrunnen, with its Instagram-friendly Alpine waterfalls and cliffs, is a victim of overtourism. It is now considering whether to follow Venice and start charging day-trippers for access.

Swiss Abroad suggest solutions for reducing healthcare costs

This content was published on May 16, 2024 The Swiss diaspora believes the Swiss healthcare system needs to be reformed, but their solutions are diverse.

One of Hodler's more iconic works: Der Tag (The Day), 1904/1906

Swiss artists remix Ferdinand Hodler for the 21st century

This content was published on May 15, 2024 Zurich’s Kunsthaus highlights Ferdinand Hodler’s more progressive stances through the eyes, and works, of contemporary artists.

Our highlights

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Swiss Film Selection

SWI swissinfo.ch offers a selection of Swiss films in English chosen from the Swiss streaming platform Play Suisse.

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“Let’s Talk” is SWI swissinfo.ch’s format to discuss relevant topics with high-profile experts and political figures.

Special reports

Check out our long format stories on topics like the Swiss pharma industry, Switzerland’s struggles with dirty gold, and living in the Alps.

Switzerland: How To

How do you dispose of rubbish in Switzerland? What are the visa requirements? It’s all here.

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We’d love to hear what you think about what’s going on in the world. You can find all of our debate questions here.

Swiss student group condemns campus occupations

This content was published on May 17, 2024 Some aspects of pro-Palestine sit-ins have gone too far, but the right to protest and debate must be upheld, the student association has said.

Swiss police remove protestors from University of Bern.

Swiss police clear pro-Palestinian students protesting in Bern

This content was published on May 15, 2024 Police moved in early on Wednesday to remove some 30 pro-Palestinian student protesters from a Bern university building.

Red Cross sets up Rafah emergency field hospital

This content was published on May 14, 2024 The Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and partners are opening a field hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday.

Police clear out pro-Palestinian students protesting in Geneva

This content was published on May 14, 2024 The police intervened early on Tuesday to dislodge pro-Palestinian students who had been occupying the University of Geneva for almost a week.

Students hang up large signs and sit on the floor in a university building in Fribourg

Pro-Palestine protests extend to Basel and Fribourg universities

This content was published on May 13, 2024 Demonstrators called for an academic boycott of all Israeli institutions and disassociation with Chaim Weizmann, the first Israeli president.

About 60 people crowd into the entrance of a university building. One is waving a Palestinian flag.

Swiss pro-Palestine protest reaches University of Bern

This content was published on May 13, 2024 Another Swiss university joins sit-ins to protest the worsening situation in the Middle East.

Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership

This content was published on May 11, 2024 On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).

Student protesters at a sit-in at University of Lausanne

Lausanne students end night-time Gaza protest

This content was published on May 9, 2024 The night-time occupation of a building at the University of Lausanne that began on May 2 ended on Wednesday evening.

Police officers supervise Pro-Palestinian demonstrators during protest in the entrance hall of the main building of the ETH Zurich on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 in Zurich, Switzerland. (

Swiss Jewish group concerned about university protests

This content was published on May 8, 2024 The Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities worries that protests are taking on ideological and radicalised features.

Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation

This content was published on May 8, 2024 After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.

A blowing flag with the emblem of the Red Cross on top of the headquarters of the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC in Geneva, Switzerland

Red Cross: 22 staff killed in Middle East since October

This content was published on May 8, 2024 The Red Cross and Red Crescent network in Gaza and Israel has lost 22 staff members since last October, the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) said on Wednesday.

The hall of EPFL’s architecture building in Lausanne is currently occupied by around 50 Pro-Palestinian protesters.

University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave

This content was published on May 7, 2024 Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.

Pro-Palestinie sit-in at University of Lausanne.

University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in

This content was published on May 7, 2024 The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.

Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott

This content was published on May 4, 2024 Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.

Swiss parliamentary committee favours partial funding of UNRWA

This content was published on Apr 30, 2024 A parliamentary committee has called for partially resuming support for UNRWA – but has imposed conditions.

Have you encountered “overtourism”? How should popular destinations deal with it?

Places like Venice or Barcelona, and destinations in the Swiss Alps, are struggling with an influx of tourists. What to do?

Join the discussion

May 17, 2024

56 Comments

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The small robot aiming to explore volcanic tunnels on the moon

This content was published on May 7, 2024 In the not-too-distant future, a hopping Swiss-developed robot could be bound for the moon to pave the way for future missions.

How drug prices are negotiated in Switzerland and beyond

This content was published on Apr 23, 2024 Switzerland’s pharmaceutical sector supplies drugs worldwide, but not all countries receive them with the same price tag. Here’s why.

woman in black shirt pointing at camera with blue background and emojis

How you view the problem of low birth rates in Switzerland

This content was published on Apr 22, 2024 Why do you think the Swiss birthrate has fallen so low. What impact will this have?

Guerreiro do Divino Amor poses in front of the "Fountain of Helvetia", part of the installation at the Swiss Pavilion in Venice.

An Alpine carnival: Switzerland stars as a superfiction at the Venice Biennale

This content was published on Apr 20, 2024 The Swiss-Brazilian artist Guerreiro do Divino Amor will represent Switzerland for the 60th edition of the Venice Art Biennale.

Switzerland’s long-standing love of cartography

This content was published on Apr 17, 2024 Long world-renowned, Swiss maps have in recent years managed to reach a wider public.

Moon robots learn to walk – in Zurich

This content was published on Apr 13, 2024 Scientists in Switzerland are developing robots that will one day explore the Moon or Mars.

a customs officer looking through luggage

Drug-busting with customs officers at Zurich airport

This content was published on Apr 12, 2024 Watch: Gino the sniffer dog helps in the search for cocaine smuggled into Switzerland via Zurich airport.

Flexible retirement could help plug labour gaps in Switzerland

This content was published on Apr 3, 2024 At a stretch, people of retirement age could be persuaded to stay at work longer.

Former CERN director Herwig Schopper – a centenarian on the impact of physics

This content was published on Mar 22, 2024 The German physicist and former director of CERN looks back at some of the highlights and encounters of his career.

Tandem jumps are even more dangerous than BASE jumping.

Should tandem BASE jumping be banned in the Swiss Alps?

This content was published on Mar 19, 2024 A new type of extreme sport is making people see red in the Alpine town of Lauterbrunnen: tandem BASE jumping.

How we work: comment moderation

This content was published on Mar 13, 2024 Are comments on SWI swissinfo.ch censored? How do we moderate your contributions? In this video we make our moderation transparent.

‘Yes’ to more state pension in Switzerland

This content was published on Mar 3, 2024 Watch the reaction to Sunday’s vote on raising Swiss state pensions.

A man looking at a vegan cheese wheel on a table.

Redefining what Swiss cheese can be

This content was published on Feb 29, 2024 New Roots has managed to grow from a market stall to a 4,000m2 factory in a span of eight years.

How we work: sources

This content was published on Feb 28, 2024 How does SWI swissinfo.ch track down and vet sources? Find out in the latest installment of our “how we work” series.

Swiss research uses VR to reduce pre-surgery anxiety

This content was published on Feb 25, 2024 The use of virtual reality (VR) in medicine is becoming increasingly popular. For example, to reduce preoperative anxiety.

External Content

Each day, SWI swissinfo.ch selects and presents content from our European public service media partners as part of a project of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

Reuters International

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 19:48

German leaders to decide soon whether to curb use of Chinese 5G equipment, sources say

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 19:40

Hundreds more French police start deploying to secure New Caledonia

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 19:34

Israel tells World Court South Africa case makes a mockery of genocide

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 19:33

Ukraine restores consular services for military-age men abroad

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 19:33

Fierce fighting in northern Gaza as aid starts to roll off US-built pier

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 19:17

Russian guided bombs kill two, injure 13 in Ukraine’s Kharkiv

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 19:06

Aid begins to arrive in Gaza via U.S.-built pier

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 19:03

Russian activist in Georgia warns ‘foreign agent’ law will kick-start crackdown on dissent

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 19:02

Taiwan lawmakers exchange blows in bitter dispute over parliament reforms

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 18:38

London’s FTSE nudges lower for week after record run

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 18:30

European shares end lower on rate cut jitters; Richemont shines

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 18:23

EU bans distribution of four Russian news outlets

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 18:19

Swedish police investigate shooting near Israeli embassy in Stockholm

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 17:51

Yellen to push G7 to bring forward interest on Russian assets to aid Ukraine

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 17:49

Ukraine braces for heavy battles as Putin says Russia carving out ‘buffer zone’

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 17:47

Russian court seizes $462.7 million euros of UniCredit assets

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 17:36

Anger, anxiety, acrimony: Slovaks weigh what led to Fico shooting

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 17:29

Stocks inch up as timing of US rate cuts weighed; copper jumps

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 17:25

Russia’s Tuapse oil refinery halted after Ukrainian drone attack, sources say

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 17:09

Thousands mark Family Purity in Georgia as anti-govt protests simmer

Bloomberg Business

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 14:26

Stocks Churn as Traders Waver on US Rates Outlook: Markets Wrap

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 13:45

FIFA Amends Rules to Allow Headquarters to Move From Zurich

This content was published on May 17, 2024 – 10:09

Unilever to Keep Making Russian Ice Cream After Split

This content was published on May 16, 2024 – 23:07

Dow Average Touches 40,000 Before Pulling Back: Markets Wrap

This content was published on May 16, 2024 – 15:44

UBS Considering US CEO Role for Karofsky in Strategic Revamp

This content was published on May 16, 2024 – 11:31

More Companies Are Selling Shares to Help Cut Debt

This content was published on May 16, 2024 – 09:10

UBS Revamps Leadership of Asset Management Unit

This content was published on May 16, 2024 – 09:04

Swiss Growth Slows as Export Woes Hit Struggling Industry

This content was published on May 15, 2024 – 16:06

Roger Federer-Backed On Signs Deal With Rising Tennis Star Flavio Cobolli

This content was published on May 15, 2024 – 15:28

Swiss to Soften Rules on Arms Exports But Won’t Help Ukraine

This content was published on May 15, 2024 – 13:47

Stock Futures Hold Gains Before US Inflation Data: Markets Wrap

This content was published on May 15, 2024 – 09:46

SoftwareOne Says It Has Multiple Approaches to Go Private

This content was published on May 14, 2024 – 23:35

‘Worst Fear’: Archegos Witness Recalls Moment That Doom Appeared

This content was published on May 14, 2024 – 17:00

Federer-Backed On Boosts Forecast After Sneaker Demand Rises

This content was published on May 14, 2024 – 16:06

Wall Street Looks Past PPI With Powell in Focus: Markets Wrap

This content was published on May 14, 2024 – 14:55

Paris Olympics May Bring $12 Billion Boost, Study Shows

This content was published on May 14, 2024 – 14:18

Nations, Firms Pledge $2.2 Billion to Africa Clean Cooking

This content was published on May 13, 2024 – 22:22

Stocks Waver as Traders Map Out Game Plan for CPI: Markets Wrap

This content was published on May 13, 2024 – 19:58

Switzerland Shouldn’t Follow Europe’s Lead on Tax, Roche CEO Says

This content was published on May 13, 2024 – 16:38

UBS’s Ermotti Says His Term as CEO Could Stretch to 2027

UBS chief Sergio Ermotti criticises Swiss regulators over Credit Suisse

This content was published on May 16, 2024 Ermotti’s comments come after Swiss financial watchdog said it supported new rules that could increase capital requirements.

Owning a home is becoming increasingly difficult in Switzerland

This content was published on May 15, 2024 According to a Credit Suisse study, only one in five 35-year-olds owns property, compared with 55% of people aged 70.

Painting titled "Rwanda 1994" by Cameroonian artist Barthelemy Toguo at the show Unlimited in the context of the international art show Art Basel, in Basel, Switzerland, on Thursday, June 14, 2018.

Genocide in Rwanda: Swiss showed ‘ambivalence between words and actions’

This content was published on May 14, 2024 Historian Thanushiyah Korn explains Switzerland’s role as a key development actor in Rwanda before the 1994 genocide that claimed over 800,000 lives.

Felicien Kabuga, The Hague, November 2020

How Switzerland let an alleged mastermind of the genocide in Rwanda slip away

This content was published on May 14, 2024 In 1994 Switzerland failed to arrest one of the world’s most wanted men. We look back at the case of Félicien Kabuga 30 years after the genocide in Rwanda.

Is Geneva still the capital of peace?

This content was published on May 13, 2024 As multilateral diplomacy and Swiss neutrality come under pressure, Geneva’s reputation as a place of peace is also at risk.

Will we get a pandemic treaty?

This content was published on May 14, 2024 Four years after the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, countries are gathering in Geneva to seal a pandemic treaty. Can they achieve consensus?

Ten Swiss traditions on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list

This content was published on May 6, 2024 Yodelling might be the next Swiss tradition to make it onto the UNESCO Cultural Heritage list along side a ‘once in a generation’ festival and watchmaking.

Press freedom under attack: our journalists bear witness

This content was published on May 3, 2024 To mark World Press Freedom Day, SWI swissinfo.ch’s international journalists talk about the obstacles they have faced in their reporting.

Dominic Nahr named Swiss press photographer of the Year

This content was published on Apr 30, 2024 Dominic Nahr, known for his war reportages, is the big winner of the Swiss press photography awards this year.

From Bond to Bollywood: scene-stealing Switzerland on the big screen

This content was published on Apr 29, 2024 A scenic cinematic tour of films in which Switzerland’s natural beauty and landmarks have played an unforgettable role.

Jia Zhang-ke, Chinese filmmaker and member of the Concorso internazionale Jury, poses during a photocall at the 71st Locarno International Film Festival, Wednesday, August 1, 2018, in Locarno, Switzerland. The Festival del film Locarno runs from 1 to 11 August. (KEYSTONE/Alexandra Wey)

An outsider at home, a master abroad: Jia Zhangke’s struggles to film the real China

This content was published on Apr 21, 2024 The Chinese director was a guest of honour at the Visions du Réel festival. He explained to SWI how he manages to avoid censorship.

An Alpine carnival: Switzerland stars as a superfiction at the Venice Biennale

This content was published on Apr 20, 2024 The Swiss-Brazilian artist Guerreiro do Divino Amor will represent Switzerland for the 60th edition of the Venice Art Biennale.

epa01096613 Director of 'Google Earth' in Zurich, Samuel Widmann, presents the new 'Google Earth' enhancement 'Sky' during a press conference at the planetarium in Hamburg, Germany, 22 August 2007. The updated version makes use of mounted recordings by the astronomical telescope Hubble and photographs by Palomar Observatory, showing about 100 million stars to the Sky-user. EPA/ULRICH PERREY

Google Maps – a Swiss story

This content was published on Apr 19, 2024 Few people know that behind Google Maps lies a Swiss entrepreneur’s intuition as well as the Alpine nation’s long history of cartography.

Read more: Google Maps – a Swiss story

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