Zürich has moved from third to first in UBS’s annual assessment of property-bubble risk across 23 cities. Over two decades, home prices have risen almost 140%, compared with roughly 40% for rents and 30% for incomes, according to the study reported by SRF yesterday.
Scarce housing, low financing costs and demand from internationally mobile workers help explain the pressure. The index cannot say whether or when prices will fall. For anyone weighing a move or purchase, affordability under less favourable conditions is more useful than a bet on the timing of a correction.
Source: SRF · 22 September
Qatar mediates fresh US–Iran contacts at the UN. Ten more world briefs range from Mexico’s schools to Katmai’s bears.
A Grand Palais exhibition opening today pairs his paintings with artists who followed him.
A Montalcino purchase, South African thoughts on Californian Chenin, and Ecuadorian agave makers.
22 September. Zürich’s price-to-income squeeze is the useful local finding behind the global ranking. If you are considering buying, compare the cost of ownership with renting and leave room for changes in financing or maintenance costs. If you rent, the index is not a forecast for your next rent notice. Its measure concerns valuation risk across a city, not the fate of an individual home. SRF.
22 September. Schaffhausen and Thurgau are testing uses for sediment containing dead quagga mussels near Stein am Rhein. Around 100 cubic metres have been collected; the shells’ high calcium-carbonate content makes cement production and fertiliser possible destinations. These are trials, with results expected by year-end. It is an intriguing local example of turning a disposal problem into a materials question, although finding a use for the shells will not itself remove the invasive species. SRF.
23 September. Dry conditions have left some trees and branches unstable, forestry specialists warn. Their practical advice is to keep to official paths, respect local closures and avoid wooded areas in strong wind. The report describes a changing risk across Swiss woodland, rather than announcing a blanket Zürich closure. For an autumn walk, the condition of the route matters as much as the forecast’s promise of a dry afternoon. SRF.
A Kassensturz/Saldo laboratory comparison rates five of ten sets good; short battery life drags down several contenders.
23 September. The Council of States backs requiring 90% hard core capital for UBS’s foreign subsidiaries, rejecting its committee’s proposed equal split between core capital and additional tier-one instruments. This is a legislative stage, not a rule already in force. UBS says the wider requirements would be costly; the regulator and Swiss National Bank argue that the government’s approach is manageable. The argument remains central to Switzerland’s banking model. SRF.
23 September. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced a National Centre for Information Defence alongside a push for international AI standards at the UN. The plan brings intelligence, policing and technology platforms into the response to hostile information activity. For your AI and capability interests, the next test is operational: who recognises a threat, who judges the evidence and how responsibility passes between organisations. An announcement alone cannot establish those working arrangements. BBC News.
23 September. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting is reviewing the proposed Chagos deal amid a lack of US support. The agreement would transfer sovereignty to Mauritius while retaining the Diego Garcia base under a lease. Implementation had already been paused; today’s development adds uncertainty rather than definitively cancelling the agreement. The dispute brings together colonial history, the islanders’ interests and the practical future of a strategically important UK–US base. BBC News.
It now expects 1.0% next year, down from 1.1%, while lifting its 2026 estimate to 1.1%; energy costs remain a risk.
New figures show an 11% annual rise and a stark deprivation gap, with powerful synthetic opioids complicating prevention.
23 September. Qatar is mediating exchanges between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the first such contacts since the June ceasefire broke down. The opening sits alongside renewed threats from President Trump and Iran’s demand for an end to aggression. No breakthrough has been reported. Its immediate significance is that a channel is operating again while the war continues to threaten lives, shipping and energy supply. BBC News.
23 September. Opposition leader María Corina Machado’s team says three attempts to return by sea and air failed in recent hours, without identifying who blocked them. The report follows interim president Delcy Rodríguez’s meeting with Donald Trump in New York. Machado has been abroad for nine months. Her ability to re-enter and participate in political life offers a concrete test of the space available to opposition figures during Venezuela’s transition. The Straits Times / Reuters.
23 September. Hurricane Polo has reached sustained winds of about 180mph, according to US hurricane monitoring. The forecast keeps its centre offshore, but dangerous surf and heavy rain can still affect south-western Mexico, including Jalisco, Colima and Michoacán. Flooding and landslides are among the risks. A track that avoids landfall does not mean a coastal population escapes the storm’s effects. Local warnings will matter as the forecast changes. BBC News.
The parliamentary election tests parties against youth frustration while the monarchy retains substantial power; results are still to come.
From 3 November, public primary and secondary pupils face restrictions throughout the school day; older students fall under different arrangements.
The one-day closure honours a rope-access worker who died on Tuesday night; police are investigating the circumstances.
The state will fund essential work at Cliff Head and seek recovery from industry, reviving questions about decommissioning liabilities.
ADB forecasts 3.7% growth and 8.3% inflation for FY2027, with imported energy costs and regional conflict among the downside risks.
Opinion: Zahid Hussain argues that prominent mediation abroad masks deteriorating security and political instability inside Pakistan.
A 37-country survey finds more positive than negative emotion in 34 countries; many respondents have never tried AI, complicating easy conclusions.
Officials allege improper enrolment as they halt coverage; the immediate stakes are continuity of insurance for those affected.
UNFPA reports worsening conditions and shrinking support; a rise in recorded early-marriage cases is not a population-wide prevalence estimate.
Katmai’s annual contest invites viewers to admire the bears’ preparations for winter and choose a favourite.
22 September. Vegetables from Kew Gardens are reaching the Real Junk Food Project’s pay-as-you-feel operation at the ETNA Centre. The weekly harvest-and-delivery routine connects a famous institution with practical food sharing nearby. It is a pleasingly local Richmond and Twickenham story: the gardens produce something edible, volunteers move it and a community kitchen makes it available without a fixed-price barrier. Twickenham Nub News.
22 September. Free MetroConnect Wi-Fi, already available at Haymarket and Central, is being extended to Monument, St James, Jesmond and Gateshead over seven months. Access involves a short registration through Pop. For visits north, the useful detail is the staged station rollout: this is not a promise of continuous connectivity across every train or station, and the announcement does not add Tynemouth to the list. ChronicleLive.
21 September. Grand Angle is taking eleven themed photography exhibitions to places around France through September 2027, drawing on a substantial digitised archive. Recent stops include rural-life photographs in Roubion and Willy Ronis work in Châtel-Saint-Germain. The programme rewards a detour beyond Paris: familiar names and overlooked social histories appearing in smaller settings. Its touring map makes a useful companion to your wider French art interests. Colossal.
Police figures obtained through FOI show 19 thefts in January–June, versus eight a year earlier; these are counts, not a risk per journey.
Curt Asker, Inge Boesken Kanold and Lotti Ringström feature at Maison Olivier Galerie Privée, 100 chemin de Contarde, on 24–26 September, 15:00–18:30.
22 September. Chicago artist Emmy Star Brown builds exuberant murals from curving shapes, looping lines and lettering. Colossal’s new profile connects her background in advertising and visual communication with a practice designed to meet people in public space. If Invader makes a city into a game of recognition, Brown invites a different encounter: colour and rhythm that change the mood of a wall before you have decoded a subject. Colossal.
23 September · opening. Opening today at the Grand Palais, Cézanne and Us brings roughly 70 works by Cézanne into conversation with 75 by later artists, including Picasso, Joan Mitchell, Zao Wou-Ki, Etel Adnan and Peter Doig. It runs until 17 January 2027. The selection offers a way to compare how painters reconstruct space, colour and looking across very different artistic languages, rather than simply tracing a line of influence. Grand Palais · exhibition.
Also read: The Art Newspaper · preview, 22 September.
22 September · opening. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art’s advertised public opening was 22 September. Its Exposition Park home gathers illustration, comics, children’s stories, film and other visual storytelling. Ma Yansong’s building and the surrounding landscape make it an architectural destination too. For your street-art interests, the appealing question is who gets to tell stories visually, and which images a museum considers worth preserving. Lucas Museum.
Also read: Wallpaper* · opening preview, 27 August.
Ning Xu’s film of airway cilia leads Nikon Small World in Motion; the clips reveal life and structure below everyday visibility.
Henley Spiers’s Shetland photograph wins Bird Photographer of the Year, selected from about 24,000 entries.
The artist layers materials and personal histories to explore Puerto Rican and Black identity.
New austerity tours make ageing infrastructure visible while institutions argue for better funding.
The Art Institute concluded that Woman with a Fan left the Lewenstein family through a forced wartime sale.
Friday 25 September. Last Player Standing brings English-language competitive improv to Brewdaz, Hardplatz 17, on Friday. Eight performers begin in paired scenes; audience scoring and eliminations shape the evening. Doors open at 19:00 and the show starts at 19:30. Standard tickets are currently listed at CHF24.46. This is the closest fit this week for your improv interest: the audience helps determine what survives, rather than simply watching a fixed bill. Eventfrog · organiser listing.
Friday 25 September. Teddy Hall’s English-language Comedy Confessions starts at 20:00 on Friday at Comedyhaus, Albisriederstrasse 16; doors open at 19:30. Hall and guests share stories, and an interactive section invites the audience to bring its own confessions. Standard tickets are listed at CHF27, with other tiers available. Expect participation and adult material: the attraction is the shared judgement of a story as much as the prepared stand-up. Eventfrog · organiser listing.
Friday 25 September. Wortlos starts at 22:15 on Friday at Theater im Zollhaus, Zollstrasse 121. The premise is physical comedy and storytelling without spoken words, a useful alternative to either English stand-up or a demanding evening of German listening. There is no admission after the start. It could make a late second act to the evening, but allow travel time rather than assuming two separate shows will fit neatly together. Eventfrog · organiser listing.
23–30 September · exhibitions lasting under 15 days and one-off encounters. Times are local.
An English-language open-mic evening runs 20:00–22:00 on Wednesday; the listing carries reservation details.
Ten comedians are on the English-language bill, 19:30–22:00.
22 September. Marcel Van Poecke, owner of Poggio Antico, has announced the acquisition of neighbouring Podere Pian Moggio. The plan includes around four hectares of new planting using material from surviving old vines. WineNews’s profile places the expansion alongside the estate’s high-altitude, organic vineyards and Van Poecke’s involvement in Siena’s Palio. It is a portrait of wine ownership as a mixture of capital, patient agricultural decisions and local attachment. WineNews · Italian.
21 September. Writing from South Africa, Tim James follows renewed Californian interest in Chenin Blanc and the connections forged by winemakers working across regions, including Tegan Passalacqua’s experience in the Swartland. This is a critic’s reading of a small revival, not evidence of a mass-market comeback. The pleasure lies in seeing the grape through a different conversation: the Cape and California talking to one another, with the Loire as another reference point. Winemag · Tim James, opinion.
22 September. Vinetur interviews Edison Quishpe and Juan Pablo Calle about miske, the Ecuadorian spirit made by fermenting and distilling agave sap known as tzawarmishky. That starting point distinguishes it from tequila’s use of cooked agave hearts. Their account opens a wider drinks map of craft, place and inherited knowledge. Read it as a producer interview, with claims about the sector attributed to its advocates rather than an independent market assessment. Vinetur · Spanish.
23–30 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 |
Rhineland-Palatinate reports healthy fruit and dry conditions, but uneven ripening means quality claims remain harvest expectations.
Inter Beaujolais president Joseph Kargul points to reduced crops and hail damage as pressures on producers.
Visit Napa Valley estimates tourism’s 2025 economic impact at $2.8 billion, up 2.9%; that is tourism impact, not wine-sales growth.
Reported export value fell 2.2% to €5.4 billion, with volume also lower — a broader trade backdrop to individual producer stories.
23 September. Roche says sefaxersen met the primary endpoint in the phase III IMAgINATION trial in primary IgA nephropathy, reducing proteinuria relative to placebo at 37 weeks. It describes the effect as clinically meaningful but has not released full results here. Follow-up on kidney function continues. A positive interim surrogate endpoint is encouraging evidence, not yet proof of a long-term kidney outcome or regulatory approval. Roche · company announcement.
Also read: Fierce Biotech · reporting.
23 September. Stanford has acknowledged that AI was used to alter people in a dining photograph, including replacing a Hispanic student with a Black woman. It removed the material and promised further training and review. Its existing policy already prohibited this alteration. The enterprise-learning lesson is concrete: writing a rule is only the beginning; people need to recognise the prohibited action inside the ordinary tools and approval steps of their work. The Straits Times / The New York Times.
23 September. A Victorian audit finds insufficient evidence that a roughly A$40 million youth-offending prevention programme reduced offending over ten years. Missing eligibility and outcome information weakens the assessment; a reoffending rate alone cannot establish its causal effect. The department accepted recommendations on data and oversight. For L&D measurement, it is a familiar problem at a different scale: activity, expenditure and participant outcomes do not automatically reveal what an intervention achieved. ABC News Australia.
The announced deal can reach $900 million through its components and potential payments; that is not a disclosed upfront cheque.
The Zürich-based sportswear company plans to repurchase up to US$1 billion by the end of 2029.
Live listing checked 23 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.
Live listing checked 23 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.
21 September. McLaren is preparing a more substantial development package for Azerbaijan, according to reporting that draws on Neil Houldey’s explanation of its programme. Baku rewards straight-line efficiency without forgiving an unstable car through slower sections. Treat this as the team’s target rather than confirmation that every component has arrived or worked: the useful evidence will be what is presented and run at the circuit, followed by performance across the weekend. GrandPrix.com.
23 September. Eighteen-year-old Angus Grover makes his first senior start among changes for Sunday’s meeting with the Force at Warringah. Both sides have already qualified for the final; the fresh story is how NSW is reshaping its side for the contest that decides the host. Kick-off on 27 September is 12:45 Sydney time, which is 04:45 in Zürich. An early alarm is required if you want this one live. Rugby.com.au · team news.
23 September. BBC Sport’s early-season expected-goals analysis finds support in the chance data for Brentford’s unbeaten start. Non-penalty xG helps separate the opportunities a side creates from short-term finishing and penalty decisions. For your predictor interest, it is a useful second view rather than a verdict: five matches make a small sample, and teams have faced different opposition. A table of results and a table of chances answer related but different questions. BBC Sport.
Red Bull’s announcement comes as Hadjar prepares to return in Azerbaijan after three races out with a wrist injury.
Kaitlan Leaney looks ahead from Edinburgh after the narrow 29–26 defeat by France.
The F1 Commission has agreed a reduction from 305km to 290km, still subject to World Motor Sport Council approval.
The Stoop fixture is listed for 19:45 UK time — 20:45 in Zürich.
22 September. Andrew Ainsworth reflects on making the original screen-used Stormtrooper helmets in 1976. The Twickenham maker’s account is as much about turning imagined forms into repeatable physical objects as it is about film nostalgia. His workshop story connects design, materials and resourcefulness on your old doorstep. The anniversary concerns the making of the props; the first Star Wars film reached cinemas the following year. Twickenham Nub News.
23 September. Coltrane was born on 23 September 1926. SRF’s centenary portrait follows a musician whose relatively short career as a bandleader contained an extraordinary expansion of technique, collaboration and expression. His story bridges your interest in improv with another discipline built on listening, preparation and response. Revisit a familiar recording alongside the account of the work behind it: apparent freedom rests on sustained attention to the instrument and to other players. SRF Kultur.
23 September. Nigella Lawson made her debut as a Bake Off judge on Tuesday, joining Paul Hollywood after Prue Leith’s departure. Early reviews are largely warm, though not uniformly convinced that a new judge changes the established format. The Guardian is particularly enthusiastic. For the food pages, this is less a recipe recommendation than a look at the language used to judge pleasure, texture and generosity on television. BBC News.
Also read: The Guardian · review.
Your action box. Today: Design Upskilling at the Museum für Gestaltung, 16:30; Jackpot Comedy at OTRO, 20:00. Thursday: ART de SUISSE opens at 17:00; Boucherville pours Italian and Spanish wines from 14:00. Friday: choose improv at Brewdaz or Teddy Hall at Comedyhaus; Quins–Bath starts at 20:45 Zürich time. Sunday: the Design Weeks hub, Lob der Katze and WILD HeART reach their final day. The linked calendars carry addresses and booking details.
One idea to borrow. For the next learning initiative, write down one observable decision people should make differently. Record how often it occurs before the intervention, what eligible participants receive and what comparable people experience. Agree the follow-up date before launch. The Victorian audit on the business pages reminds us that a convincing attendance story can coexist with an unanswered impact question. This small design exercise makes the question explicit before the evidence disappears. ABC News · the prompt for this idea.
Original puzzle · wordplay. Insert one word into each gap to make two familiar expressions. The same word must work on both sides; an expression may become a compound word. Try all five before opening the answer.
For an extra challenge, invent a sixth pair linked to another desk in today’s paper. The intended solutions are below.
ART: street art / art gallery. COUNTRY: wine country / country music. CLUB: rugby club / club sandwich. WORK: teamwork / workshop. CURVE: learning curve / curveball. These are the intended bridges; compound words may close up when the missing word is inserted.