Two diagnostic trains collect images that AI helps examine back at the depot. SBB says the system now finds around 1,500 defects a month, most of them minor. Getting to the desired reliability took years.
People still decide what the findings mean and carry out repairs. Some structures sit outside the cameras’ view altogether. This morning’s SRF report offers a grounded example of automation: a faster inspection process, with an equally important boundary around what it can see.
Source: SRF · 21 September
AfD leads in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; the Left leads in Berlin. Governing coalitions are another question.
Shantell Martin’s new exhibition joins murals, sculpture, sound and communal making in New Jersey.
Four Italian valleys, rescued Ticino maize and a South African restaurant with a desert pantry.
21 September. SBB’s diagnostic trains gather images while travelling at up to 120km/h. AI processes them later at the depot; staff assess the findings and plan repairs. The division of work matters: the system assists a specific inspection task rather than certifying every part of the railway. For your enterprise-learning interests, the interesting question is how operators learn its blind spots. SRF.
20 September. Researchers including a University of Zürich team are exploring whether the 800-metre Porta Alpina shaft at Sedrun could house an atom interferometer. Measurements suggest passing trains need not rule it out. The old passenger-access project never became the promised tourist gateway; this would give its infrastructure a very different purpose. A site decision and funding are still ahead, with a cost estimate around CHF500 million. SRF.
20 September. Winterthur’s Töss pool handed Sunday’s closing session to dogs, with the water prepared without chlorine. SRF’s photographs catch the splash, concentration and occasional hesitation of an unusual bathing crowd. Similar end-of-season sessions took place in Opfikon and Neftenbach. It is a cheerful local photo essay for the Monday commute, and a different way of seeing familiar public space after the human swimming season ends. SRF · photo report.
20–21 September. Every Crown Court is to have at least one specialist courtroom for rape and sexual-offence cases within two years, under plans announced by the prime minister. The £23 million programme includes staff training, remote testimony and, where buildings allow, separate waiting areas and entrances. Fixed trial dates are due to replace floating listings from October. Rape Crisis welcomed the announcement; delivering the promised experience will depend on implementation. BBC News.
20 September. Reduced river loads force more cargo onto rail and road, raising the cost of moving fuel and other goods into Switzerland. SRF follows the knock-on effects of low Rhine water, including substantially higher transport charges on the Rotterdam–Basel route. If those costs reach retail prices, households may notice them in fuel or food. The size and timing of any pass-through depend on contracts, stocks and competing price pressures. SRF.
21 September. Specialists are drilling through a failing retaining wall to anchor it into healthier rock beneath Fribourg’s old town. The terrace at the restaurant des 3 Rois has been closed during the instability; the wider cliff-edge quarter needs recurring repairs as its rock weathers. The current works cost about CHF400,000, shared between public authorities and the owner. SRF’s pictures show the engineering behind preserving a picturesque cityscape. SRF.
The NAHT says England’s new report cards still harm staff welfare; Ofsted defends its reforms and says grading will continue.
20–21 September · results. The AfD took 38.2% in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, ahead of the SPD, while the CDU fell below the 5% threshold. In Berlin, the Left led with 25.7%; the governing CDU–SPD combination lost its majority. Chancellor Friedrich Merz called the result a disaster for his party but said he would remain in office. The winners of the votes are clear; coalition negotiations will determine who can govern. SRF.
Also read: BBC News · Merz’s response.
21 September. US and Chinese officials are discussing a way to notify one another about AI incidents with national-security implications ahead of the planned Trump–Xi meeting on 24 September. Reuters reports preparatory talks between Scott Bessent and He Lifeng in New York. The proposal concerns communication when something goes wrong, a useful distinction from agreeing common technical standards or settling chip-export disputes. It is a proposed mechanism, not an operating agreement. The Straits Times / Reuters.
21 September · week ahead. World leaders arrive for a week dominated by wars in Iran, Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Congo and Myanmar, alongside climate and AI concerns. AP’s preview sets out the competing pressures on the gathering. Watch the specific commitments that emerge from speeches and meetings: the opening agenda describes the work facing diplomacy, rather than agreements already reached. Associated Press.
A US congressional inquiry is examining components sent from Australia for repair; officials are seeking their recovery and investigating the route.
Paris summoned Iran’s ambassador after the judicial closure; it rejects the Iranian authorities’ allegations against the centre.
Regional workers are pressing to match the central administration’s shorter week, exposing a patchwork of negotiations and implementation.
A Senate report recommends nationalising the emergency-call function after telecom failures; the recommendation is not an enacted takeover.
Reuters analysis emphasises Beijing’s trade resilience and negotiating leverage, alongside weak domestic demand and property pressures.
Dawn carries AFP’s account of Tehran linking reopening to an end to fighting, released funds and relief from restrictions; these are stated demands.
Energy, materials and logistics pressures are eroding some consumer savings, with the effect varying substantially by product category.
Flights and some Chiba rail services have been cancelled; the heaviest rainfall figures remain forecasts through Tuesday.
The new intergenerational report projects deaths overtaking births in the 2060s, changing the balance between workers and older residents.
Once reduced to five birds, the threatened Chatham Islands species now has about 350 adults—and a national popularity crown.
21 September · protest 18 September. Around 1,500 people joined Friday’s Hands Off the Arts demonstration in Washington, according to The Art Newspaper’s report today. Artists, former staff and union members protested the centre’s threatened closure and transformation under Donald Trump. The photographs make the cultural dispute tangible: a performing-arts institution becomes a place of public assembly. The protest is an established event; the eventual fate of the building remains contested. The Art Newspaper.
20 September. Terry Kelly at North Tyneside Hospital’s Ward 21 is connecting older mental-health patients with community groups, including Age UK and local support services. Volunteers can accompany people to an initial session, helping turn a referral into a real first visit. The Chronicle’s feature offers a hopeful story from your family’s part of the country: practical companionship can be the missing step between available activities and someone feeling able to join. ChronicleLive.
20 September. The Swan in Heworth, Gateshead, has closed for an expected three-week refurbishment under new Craft Union management. The departing team marked its final Saturday on 19 September. For the Tyneside desk, this is a small piece of neighbourhood change: a pub near a Metro stop preparing for another chapter. Treat the reopening period as an estimate until the new operator confirms a date. ChronicleLive.
Hang-Up’s current group exhibition places editions and originals alongside Riley, Hirst and others; the commercial show continues until 1 October.
19 September · newly opened. Kunstmuseum Basel’s newly opened Gertrud Dübi-Müller exhibition brings together around 80 works associated with a collector who was also a photographer, driver and mountaineer. Her friendships with artists, including Ferdinand Hodler, shaped the collection; Van Gogh, Cézanne and Matisse are among the names represented. The exhibition opened on 19 September and runs to 7 February. It offers a portrait of collecting as a lived relationship rather than a list of famous acquisitions. Kunstmuseum Basel · exhibition.
Also read: SRF Tagesschau · 20 September broadcast with exhibition coverage.
20 September 2026–23 July 2028. Past, Present, Future opened yesterday at Grounds For Sculpture in Hamilton, New Jersey. Martin’s linework expands into murals, outdoor sculpture, recorded mark-making and community quilts. Town Topics describes a two-year drawing practice becoming part of the installation, with visitors invited to make work too. For your street-art interests, this is an appealing widening of the frame: how a recognisable graphic language behaves when it leaves the wall and enters a shared landscape. Grounds For Sculpture · exhibition.
Also read: Town Topics · exhibition preview.
15 September · discovery. A suspended fleet of miniature boats fills The Wanderers at P·P·O·W: fishing vessels, tankers and elaborate sailing ships mingle with plants and ornament. Colossal’s photographs invite a close look at their construction before the wider associations unfold—trade, migration, empire and the movement of wealth. The accompanying embellished royal busts extend that conversation. A rewarding visual discovery for anyone who enjoys art that changes a familiar object’s meaning. Colossal.
Organic materials and landscape forms turn an exhibition at Paula Cooper into an encounter with growth, ecology and space.
The Musée du Luxembourg brings together around 200 drawings, prints, photographs and films to illuminate the image-making process.
Tonight, 21 September · 19:00. Sibylle Anderl discusses Bequeme neue Welt with Martin Meyer at Literaturhaus Zürich. The science journalist and astrophysicist asks what we lose when machines remove effort from thinking and everyday life—a lively companion to your practical AI work and German learning. The venue is sold out, but CHF5 and CHF10 livestream tickets remain available. The German-language conversation starts at 19:00; choose the online option on the original listing. Literaturhaus Zürich.
Also read: SIAF · co-organiser programme.
Tonight, 21 September · 20:00. REFLEKT brings Gülsha Adilji together with journalists Anina Ritscher and Christian Zeier for an evening built around three Swiss true-crime investigations. It combines the appeal of a live host with the work behind a reported story. Doors open at 19:00 and the programme runs 20:00–22:00. Standard admission is CHF30, with reduced and dinner options shown separately. A good alternative if you would rather go out than stream tonight’s Literaturhaus event. Kaufleuten · original listing.
Sunday, 27 September · 18:00. Theatersport returns to the Ida stage at Aargauerstrasse 80, with teams responding to audience suggestions and competing through improvised scenes. Music and changing genres add to the challenge; the audience helps decide the winners. The 27 September show runs 18:00–19:50, with CHF10–20 tickets. For your improv interest, it is a useful chance to watch performers switch rapidly between listening, accepting an offer and building something together. Ida · original listing.
21–28 September · exhibitions lasting under 15 days and one-off encounters. Times are local.
Im Ansatz Parat and Sowohl Als Lauch bring favourite stage games, audience input and live guitar; entry by donation.
Improvolution’s two-hour workshop is for people with basic improv experience; the listed contribution is CHF5.
20 September. A proposed “climate reserve” would let participating growers put some good-harvest production aside for later release. The National Council has backed it, but the Council of States still has to consider the measure. SRF explores disagreement between producers, including concerns that extra stocks could deepen oversupply. Zürich grower Beat Kamm points to the long life of a vineyard: planting and production cannot adjust to demand as quickly as turning a tap. SRF.
17 September · discovery. WineNews explores Oltrepò Pavese through the Versa, Scuropasso, Coppa and Staffora valleys, drawing on new mapping and conversations with producers. The video brings together established names such as Conte Vistarino and newer investment associated with Berlucchi’s Ziliani family. It is a useful Italian-language route beyond a single regional label: compare slopes, villages and producers, then listen for how each describes what makes the wines distinctive. WineNews · Italian video.
18 September · discovery. Boscia at Tswalu pairs a restored farmhouse setting with ingredients including local venison, tsamma melon and wild rosemary. Winemag introduces head chef Dillan Kannemeyer and creative director Luke Dale Roberts, whose five-course menu combines local produce with wider culinary influences. South African wines and alcohol-free pairings are part of the proposition. Public Saturday lunches are planned from October; the article is an absorbing regional food profile even without a trip in mind. Winemag · South Africa.
21–28 September · Zürich tastings and a film-festival aperitivo. Times are local.
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 24 Sep · 14:00–19:00 | Italian & Spanish wine tasting Free; includes Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Sierra de Gredos. | Boucherville, Kinkelstrasse 40, Zürich |
| 24–26 Sep | Vespa Vino Bar: Tuscan aperitivo at ZFF Thu–Fri 16–18; Sat 14–18. Free entry; drinks extra. Fair weather only. | Ristorante Vallocaia, Niederdorfstrasse 15, Zürich |
| Fri 25 Sep · 17:00–19:00 | Afterwork wine tasting Free. | Mövenpick Wein Zürich-Enge |
| Sun 27 Sep · 15:00 | Tavolata e Cinema Meal and wines CHF105; with Wild Horse Nine premiere CHF120. Film 16+; booking required. | Ristorante Vallocaia, Niederdorfstrasse 15, Zürich |
A growers’ cooperative is keeping four traditional varieties in cultivation after higher-yielding feed maize displaced much of their acreage.
The Campo de Borja producer links its anniversary to old-vine Garnacha and what it calls its earliest harvest; Vinetur carries the winery’s account.
DNA research traces introduced cultivated vines and their mixing with local wild grapes; it does not date the peninsula’s first-ever wine.
21 September. The index reshuffle brings Sandoz and Galderma into Switzerland’s 20-company benchmark, replacing Swisscom and Kühne+Nagel. SRF puts the resulting healthcare weighting at around 43%. For your pharma and enterprise work, the change is a useful snapshot of the sector’s prominence in Swiss business. If you hold an SMI-tracking product, its sector exposure changes too; index membership by itself says little about the direction of an individual share price. SRF.
21 September. The White House is considering an external commission that could veto National Institutes of Health research grants, according to US reporting relayed by AFP. Research advocates warn that another approval stage could delay decisions. This remains a reported proposal, not a new operating rule. For life-sciences organisations, the concrete issue is whether research funding decisions might acquire another gate, with consequences for planning and partnerships if it proceeds. The Straits Times / AFP.
Also read: The New York Times · underlying reporting.
18 September · catch-up. SWI examines the compulsory administration of Nestlé’s Russian subsidiary, despite the company not planning an exit. The report places the move within a wider pattern of political intervention in foreign-owned businesses. For a Swiss-company watch, it is a reminder that continuing to operate does not remove country risk. The immediate development is the administration measure; the eventual ownership and commercial consequences should not be treated as settled. SWI.
ABC’s investigation follows Dahua components in Leapmotor vehicles and asks how Australian security restrictions apply; it does not establish a blanket car ban.
Rechecked 21 September. London and other UK offices; regular travel. This senior role leads learning operations, curricula, quality, analytics and budgets, initially focused on Audit. It suits your enterprise capability and regulated-sector experience, although the advert expects strong understanding of audit and its regulatory setting. An audit career background is beneficial rather than essential. The employer page remains live with an Apply route; it was posted on 17 July and gives no closing date. BDO · original advert R20571.
Rechecked 21 September. Zürich. A retained local lead combining change, learning, digital adoption and AI-enabled transformation. English is required; German or French is highly desirable. Senior Manager candidates also need substantial programme leadership and business-development experience. The employer page remains active, displays 12 September and gives no closing date. It remains the closer geographic fit; compare its consulting-sales expectations with the more internally focused BDO role. EY · original advert.
19 September · weekend results. GC’s men won 26–19 on Saturday in the Swiss LNA, according to the federation’s results service. At the same ground earlier in the day, the Valkyries lost 24–50 to Entente Red Wolves in the women’s LNFA. Those are two distinct matches and teams. For your local rugby desk, the men’s seven-point win is the weekend headline; the official results page carries the team-sheet links for a closer look. Suisse Rugby · official results.
20 September · qualification update. Western Force beat the Brumbies 40–12 in Perth, confirming that both the Force and NSW will contest the Super Rugby AUS final. The teams are each unbeaten after two games. Their meeting in Sydney next Sunday, 27 September, now determines who hosts the final. That is the meaningful change since yesterday’s paper: the Waratahs have moved from a strong qualification position to a secured place. Rugby.com.au.
19 September. Andrew Shovlin says Mercedes is preparing changes for the Malaysian Grand Prix on 2–4 October, with qualifying performance a particular concern. Grandprix.com reports the team trying to recover pole-position pace despite recent race wins. For the McLaren watch, this is a rival’s development signal: the competitive picture can shift between weekends, but an intended upgrade is not yet evidence of a faster car on track. Grandprix.com.
The Swiss rider’s second time-trial title in Montreal comes with a tribute to the coaches and support team behind an individual result.
A dramatic 29–26 home victory included disciplinary cards and a delayed second half after a fire outside the stadium.
The Jerez outing gives Haas another comparison for its 2027 driver choices; the team has not announced its line-up.
16 September · catch-up. Speaking to Westminster’s full council on 16 September, Paul Swaddle said more than 650 dangerously parked dockless bikes had been removed since July and £250,000 in fines paid. The local Conservative association’s account also highlights an Airbnb data-sharing partnership and a short-let enforcement task force. These are the council leader’s claims, presented by his party. They give you a concrete update on the Westminster councillor you follow, beyond a general biography. Westminster Conservatives · speech account.
21 September. Pace Prints chief executive Jacob Lewis talks to The Art Newspaper about collecting, his route from intern to gallery leader and the works that stayed with him. His first purchase was a Lisa Yuskavage print in 2007; the conversation ranges from instinct to the craft of making editions. It is particularly apt for your interest in prints: a chance to think about the object and process behind the artist’s name. The Art Newspaper.
20 September. SWI’s new interview and review explores All About Corinne, Marc Fitoussi’s film about a background performer, with Huppert playing the fictional Corinne and Sandrine Kiberlain appearing as herself. The film premiered at Locarno earlier in the summer. The appeal here is the comic tension between aspiration, visibility and the hierarchy of a film set—a performer profile that reaches beyond the usual red-carpet conversation. SWI.
Returning to the Wallabies setup, he describes changes in preparation and body care after his American-football detour.
21–28 September. Tonight: Anderl’s 19:00 livestream or REFLEKT at Kaufleuten at 20:00. Wednesday: the design-business workshop. Thursday: design beyond aesthetics, Boucherville’s tasting, or Improvolution. Friday–Sunday: WILD HeART’s three-day exhibition. Saturday: Basel’s Artstübli finissage or Lausanne’s museum night; improv games in Zürich. Sunday: Waratahs v Force, Tavolata e Cinema, or Ida Theatersport. The linked calendars and event stories above carry the practical details.
An original idea for your work. Build a short AI-assisted practice task with two kinds of evidence: some the tool can inspect and some it cannot see. Ask participants to mark that boundary before accepting its recommendation. Then reveal one important fact from outside its view. Observe who revises the decision and who defends the original output. Inspired by the railway inspection story, this tests whether people understand the task’s limits rather than merely know which button to press.
Probability challenge · original wording · 3 minutes. Three cards are identical in size and feel. One is red on both sides, one blue on both sides, and one red on one side and blue on the other. You choose a card uniformly at random, then choose one of its faces at random to look at. It is red. What is the probability that the other side is also red? Explain your answer without using a formula.
A little German: “Die Ausstellung endet am Sonntag.” — “The exhibition ends on Sunday.”
Two-thirds. Label the red faces R1 and R2 on the red/red card, and R3 on the red/blue card. Six card-and-face outcomes were equally likely before you looked. Seeing red leaves three equally likely outcomes: R1, R2 or R3. In two of those three cases the other face is red. The cards are no longer equally likely after the observation: the red/red card had two ways to show you red.