Swiss Stories

ICRC headquarters in Geneva

70 years Geneva Conventions

History
The Geneva Conventions, which are universally ratified, represent a unique commitment to a common humanity and constitute the core of international humanitarian law. Over the past seven decades they have saved millions of lives in hundreds of conflicts around the world.
Rocket body explosion: In addition to satellite collisions, the space environment can also compromise the integrity of a rocket’s mechanical parts. Wear and tear can trigger auto-ignition or an explosion generating thousands of pieces of debris. (ESA) RemoveDEBRIS 3: More than 7,600 tonnes of space debris are floating in or near the Earth's orbit at an altitude of 2,000 kilometres.

Swiss tech cleans up space

Science & Education
Since humans first conquered space, it has become a dumping ground for fragments of rockets and obsolete satellites. These millions of pieces of debris scattered in orbit pose a considerable risk. To tackle this serious problem, Switzerland has positioned itself at the forefront of the clean-up of space.

by Mehdi Atmani

Tones

Tones, a trailblazing Swiss graffiti artist

Society
Interview with Tones, the acclaimed master of the Swiss graffiti scene whose tag now graces walls around the world, even Nike's headquarters in Oregon.

by Virginie Nussbaum

NASA

Switzerland’s role in the first moon landing

History
Even today, not many people are aware of Switzerland's participation in this historic achievement. And yet, Swiss technological know-how played an important role in the success of the Apollo 11 mission.

by Mehdi Atmani

copyright Guillaume Megevand

The Swiss athlete who runs like a Kenyan

Society
Julien Wanders from Geneva has been training in Kenya since his late teens. Now, at the age of 23, he is already on first-name terms with the world's top runners. This is his inspiring story.

by Bertrand Monnard

90% less herbicide thanks to the robot’s targeted weeding © ecoRobotix

Swiss start-ups at the forefront of ‘green tech’

Science & Education
ecoRobotix, Vivent and AgroSustain all began life in Switzerland but have set their sights beyond our borders. These start-up companies have been working with the scientific community to develop technological innovations that enable more sustainable farming practices. This is a portrait of three Swiss start-ups at the forefront of ‘green tech’.
Teaser

The second life of Swiss bunkers

History
There are believed to be more than 8,000 of them, dotted all over Switzerland, some still concealed beneath their camouflage of yesteryear. But now the country's bunkers have come back to life as veritable national curiosities.