The Swiss National Bank left its policy rate at 0% today. August inflation was 0.8%, with dearer oil products helping push it higher. Its forecast puts average inflation at 0.7% this year and 0.8% in both 2027 and 2028, assuming the policy rate stays at zero.
For households, an unchanged central-bank rate does not mean every mortgage, deposit account or bill stands still. Lenders’ pricing, contract terms and energy costs follow different paths. The bank also upgraded its 2026 growth forecast to 1.5–2%, while warning that the Middle East conflict and trade uncertainty could upset the outlook.
SRF reports a route through the heritage-planning blockage affecting about 4,000 Zürich homes.
Sarah Lee’s uncanny paintings, Kanako Abe’s paper worlds and the restoration of a monumental Rivera.
English comedy, short exhibitions and a Saturday museum night — with a compact calendar of places and times.
24 September. Around 4,000 planned homes have been held up while federal heritage considerations play into Zürich’s building decisions. SRF’s Regionaljournal reports that a solution has been found through a relaxation of ISOS guidelines. This is movement in the approval process, rather than 4,000 homes suddenly becoming available. The distinction matters in a city where housing supply takes years to respond to demand. SRF · regional bulletin.
23–24 September. Lake Zürich’s gauge at Schmerikon has recorded its lowest level since measurements began, while the Walensee is at a September low. At the Untersee, Wednesday’s reading went below the previous all-time minimum from 1949. Prolonged dry weather and weak inflows connect the three stories. Linth24’s report gives the local detail; today’s SRF regional coverage also notes that falling water is forcing changes to Untersee and Rhine passenger-boat stops. Linth24 / Keystone-SDA.
Also read: SRF · today’s audio report.
24 September. SRF’s Zurich Film Festival preview looks beyond the celebrity arrivals to films about bereavement after Swissair 111, an unlikely Philippine curling team and art auctioneer Simon de Pury. Doris Dörrie’s science-fiction comedy about a woman and her care robot adds another angle on technology and human attachment. It is a promising programme for your mix of art, comedy and AI interests, with individual screening times and ticket availability on the festival’s programme. SRF Kultur.
Also read: ZFF · programme.
The regional bulletin flags higher train, tram and bus prices; the change is upcoming, not an increase effective today.
A human safety driver will still be at the wheel during the announced public-road operation.
The consumer-credit bank’s move is among today’s regional business developments.
24 September. The SNB sees the current setting as appropriate despite a recent rise in inflation. Its forecast depends on energy pressures easing and assumes an unchanged policy rate throughout. If your next mortgage or savings decision is approaching, the useful comparison remains the actual offer and its conditions, rather than treating today’s decision as a promise about retail rates. SRF’s analysis explains why Switzerland is taking a different path from other major central banks. SRF.
Also read: SNB · assessment.
24 September. An IPPR study estimates that the absence of a UK–EU mutual-recognition agreement for product testing may cost exporters £3.7–6.5 billion a year. Motor vehicles, electronics and pharmaceuticals account for the losses it models. The thinktank argues for renewed negotiations and alignment of relevant rules. These are estimates of forgone trade, not a bill already paid, but the issue is tangible for regulated industries: repeated conformity work can change whether exporting is worthwhile. The Guardian.
24 September. Both Swiss chambers have backed a move to increase maximum custodial sentences for serious offences by young people, following debate prompted by the 2024 antisemitic knife attack in Zürich. The Federal Council must now draft legislation. Supporters argue that exceptional cases require a stronger response; justice and youth-treatment specialists cited in the debate oppose the change and question whether longer sentences improve safety. Today’s vote advances a proposal rather than completing the legal change. SRF.
Parliament wants legislation after violent protest incidents; the proposed liability rules still need to be worked out.
SRF examines the possible international consequences; higher Swiss prices are a risk scenario, not a confirmed outcome of a ban.
23 September; updated 24 September. Xi Jinping’s state visit puts artificial-intelligence safety alongside trade, technology restrictions and the future of the tariff truce. The Guardian’s guide asks what a proposed crisis-communication mechanism would actually achieve: previous hotlines have not always worked when needed. Today’s meeting is consequential for enterprise AI and global business, but an agenda is not an agreement. The evening’s useful test will be concrete commitments and how either side intends to implement them. The Guardian · summit analysis.
Also read: SRF · China’s priorities.
24 September. Flights between Iran and Gulf neighbours, including the UAE, appeared to have been cancelled after a US deadline for firms to stop working with Iranian airlines. Reuters checked airport and airline listings; UAE aviation authorities did not immediately comment. Secondary sanctions seek to put pressure on third-country businesses as well as Iranian operators. Alongside new regional missile incidents, the restrictions add another practical layer of disruption to an already wider conflict. The Straits Times / Reuters.
24 September. Residents told Reuters they were buying food, withdrawing cash and struggling to find medicines as renewed fighting raised fears of siege conditions. Tigrayan and federal authorities give competing accounts of who initiated the escalation. The UN and EU are urging restraint and a return to the peace process. For people who endured the 2020–22 war, the immediate story is the shrinking margin between an anxious shopping trip and an inability to obtain essentials. The Straits Times / Reuters.
Also read: BBC News · military response.
Australia says a wider remit for civil-unrest deployments needs regional consensus, reflecting sovereignty concerns as well as security ambitions.
Reuters reports the ruling via Ukrainian media; the suspect denies involvement and his lawyer says an appeal will follow.
Russia’s regional governor cites attacks on port infrastructure; the measure also allows affected producers to seek compensation.
Security preparations and assembly restrictions intensify before the PTI’s planned 27 September protest in Islamabad.
The proposed body would assess evidence and policy options; it has political backing but has not been established.
The Straits Times examines the asymmetry between Beijing’s explicit demands and Washington’s less clearly stated boundaries.
Scientists link sewage pollution to an algae bloom disrupting Israeli desalination — an environmental view of the war’s wider costs.
The UN rights chief warns civilians are bearing the brunt and reports documented deaths, including children.
BBC video reporting says around 175,000 people have suffered respiratory illness since August, with unhealthy air reaching neighbouring countries.
Nene Royal becomes the first Thai winner of America’s Got Talent after heavy-metal performances won a devoted following.
23 September · opens 1 October. Sabor de Rua Brasil is due to open inside Twickenham’s Three Kings pub on 1 October. The team includes founders with Savoy and Gaucho experience and chef Maxsuel Xistoli from Espírito Santo. The announced menu includes picanha, skewers and Brazilian-style burgers. It is a useful new address for a future visit to your old neighbourhood, with an opening date next week rather than an assumption that the kitchen is already serving. Twickenham Nub News.
21 September–24 October · current run. A Small and Quiet Light runs at the Orange Tree Theatre until 24 October. Set around the interrogation of a captured wartime agent in Paris, it follows memories of music, family and the choices that brought her into Britain’s Special Operations Executive. The theatre’s own listing supplies performances and ticket options; today’s local weekend guide also points to Friday’s Fidelio Trio concert and a Sunday riverside clean-up. Orange Tree Theatre · listing.
Also read: Richmond Nub News · weekend guide.
24 September. Journalists from CNN, Politico and MS NOW say they were again denied access despite a judge’s temporary order restoring their credentials. One CNN producer apparently entered, adding uncertainty about how the ruling was being applied. The court had criticised the lack of adequate process in the exclusions. For your Washington connection, this is a concrete institutional story: what happens after a legal decision can matter as much as the decision itself. SRF.
Ravel, Takemitsu and Schubert are on the programme at St Mary Magdalene Church, 19:30 UK time.
24 September. Red moons, unusually directed light and fissures in ice make Sarah Lee’s paintings feel slightly beyond the familiar world. Her current Deeper exhibition at Albertz Benda in New York continues through 10 October. Colossal’s new profile considers the tension between alluring scenery and nature’s resistance to being possessed or controlled. These are pictures worth lingering over: the first impression of calm often gives way to a question about what is hidden beneath the surface. Colossal.
23 September. Wolves, rabbits and deer inhabit layered paper worlds glimpsed through intricate foliage. Kanako Abe’s new work leads into The Paper Girl, a collaboration with novelist Caryl Lewis due on 6 October. Its protagonist changes shape in response to others’ demands before learning to say no. The pictures offer both an absorbing craft lesson and a way of making an abstract idea visible — a neat connection between your visual-culture and learning-design interests. Colossal.
23 September. Diego Rivera’s monumental stone work on Mexico City’s Olympic stadium is to be restored, launching a longer programme to preserve major murals across the UNAM campus. Later work will include pieces by Siqueiros and O’Gorman. The stadium relief embeds volcanic stone, marble and river stone into the architecture. For a street-art reader, it is a reminder that public art’s setting is part of the work: conserving the wall, the image and the surrounding space belong together. The Art Newspaper.
The painting is planned for a 2028 show, but full technical study must still confirm or revise the attribution.
His new documentary turns New York’s ordinary building material into a route through the city’s peculiar human stories.
Garry Shaw describes repeated aerial surveys that can guide conservation, from Peru to the Arctic.
A Guardian photo essay follows boxing, block parties and lasting neighbourhood relationships; her Arles exhibition continues to 4 October.
The Vancouver artist receives C$100,000 for a practice joining painting, photography and youth-culture imagery.
Saturday 26 September. The NERDY COMEDY Show at ROBIN’s Coffee combines English stand-up with anonymous audience cards about games, films and pop culture. Normal tickets are CHF10, with other tiers listed. The page gives 19:30 in its event header but 20:00 in the description, with doors at 19:00; arrive for doors or confirm the start when booking. It sounds especially suited to an evening where the jokes can take an unexpected, participatory turn. Eventfrog · organiser listing.
Friday 25 September. Last Player Standing at Brewdaz, Hardplatz 17, sends eight English-language improvisers into paired scenes, with audience scoring influencing who remains. Doors open at 19:00 and the show begins at 19:30; the current standard ticket is CHF24.46. This retained diary pick is still a strong match for your improv interest. The entertainment comes partly from seeing performers adapt under pressure, with no guarantee that the scene goes where either partner expected. Eventfrog · organiser listing.
Friday 25 September. Teddy Hall’s English Comedy Confessions starts at 20:00 tomorrow at Comedyhaus, Albisriederstrasse 16, with standard tickets at CHF27. Audience stories are part of the format. Later, Wortlos at Theater im Zollhaus offers physical comedy without spoken words at 22:15; no late admission. They are distinct choices: one builds on language and shared secrets, the other on bodies, timing and visual interpretation. Eventfrog · Comedy Confessions.
Also read: Eventfrog · Wortlos.
24 September–1 October · short exhibitions and one-off encounters. Times are local.
Teddy Hall and friends try material at ROBIN’s Coffee, 20:00–22:00; reservations are free and donations optional.
Łukasz Segiet hosts English stand-up at ROBIN’s Coffee, 19:30–21:30; doors 19:00, tickets online, age 16+.
22 September. Near Lodi, third-generation grower Bill Berryhill cannot find buyers for grapes on 200 of his 500 acres and plans to remove 50 acres after harvest. AP’s report follows the human cost of falling wine demand. Growers face an uncomfortable choice between harvesting at a loss, leaving fruit on the vine and replacing vineyards. A good vintage is little comfort when there is no market for it. Associated Press.
Also read: Vinetur · Spanish follow-up, 23 September.
24 September. Sergio Mattarella opened Terra Madre Salone del Gusto in Turin today with a tribute to the networks connecting growers, universities and communities. The gathering marks Slow Food’s fortieth year and remembers founder Carlo Petrini. WineNews’s account moves the conversation beyond tasting notes: biodiversity, food education and the livelihoods behind a meal are part of the same culture. It is an invitation to ask who preserves a flavour, not just whether we enjoy it. WineNews · Italian.
22 September. At Festival Franciacorta, speakers from art history, conservation, agronomy and water management discussed landscape as something people continually shape. The challenge is to protect cultural identity while allowing productive life to continue. One telling comparison was Provence’s landscape being understood through Cézanne’s paintings. For your overlapping wine and art interests, this is a richer regional portrait than a ranking of bottles: the image of a place can influence how it is farmed and protected. WineNews · Italian.
24 September–1 October · remaining sessions and current availability. Times are local.
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Today, Thu 24 · until 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 Today until 18; 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: Italian meal and wines Meal-only CHF105, 15–18. Film-inclusive package sold out; booking required. | Ristorante Vallocaia, Niederdorfstrasse 15, Zürich |
A FranceAgriMer study reports a 22.6% rise in 2025 Prosecco volumes in the measured wholesale channel, against wider wine declines.
Annual volume rose 6% to 306.2 million litres, while export value stayed near NZ$2.1 billion.
The €3.274 billion total covers wine and related products, including must and vermouth, over the year to July.
The scheme can cover up to 80% of eligible spending; detailed implementation and eligibility still matter.
24 September. Roche will pay Atavistik Bio $70 million upfront, with up to $1.9 billion in potential milestones, for a discovery collaboration in cardiovascular, renal and metabolic disease. Atavistik’s platform looks for useful binding pockets on proteins; it leads initial discovery before Roche takes over later work. This is a research partnership, not a ready medicine. The division of responsibilities illustrates how capability and knowledge must travel between a specialist platform company and a large pharmaceutical organisation. Fierce Biotech.
Also read: Atavistik · company release.
24 September. InnoCare’s agreement with Lilly combines $100 million in upfront and near-term payments with as much as $3.25 billion in future milestones, plus royalties. The companies have not disclosed the five targets or their therapeutic areas. The pact adds to the flow of discovery partnerships involving Chinese biotech. For industry readers, the headline ceiling describes possible future success; the nearer-term commitment and the still-undisclosed scientific scope give a more grounded picture of the deal. Fierce Biotech.
Also read: InnoCare · company release.
23 September. A Remuseum report draws on discussions with seven US museums to explore uses from fundraising and communications to visitor services. The Art Newspaper describes staff resistance, copyright concerns and examples built around institutions’ own knowledge. This is a set of proposals and experiences, not proof that AI improves every museum. Its useful enterprise question is familiar: can better access to institutional information give people more time and confidence for the human part of their work? The Art Newspaper.
Its Alzheimer’s psychosis trial missed the phase-two primary endpoint; the company points to other signals supporting further work.
Remigromig met a non-inferiority vision endpoint, while higher rates of some adverse outcomes require further analysis.
Paul Venderley considers transitions, reflection and event boundaries as practical design choices, rather than uninterrupted forward clicking.
Live listing checked 24 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.
24 September. George Russell led both Thursday sessions in Baku, finishing second practice ahead of Kimi Antonelli. Norris was sixth and Piastri eighth while McLaren evaluated new bodywork, sidepods, floor and suspension fairings. Norris did not complete a representative qualifying simulation. Yesterday’s planned upgrade is now a running package, but these times do not yet isolate its benefit. Qualifying follows on Friday; this weekend’s race is on Saturday. GrandPrix.com · practice report.
Also read: McLaren · technical briefing.
24 September. Marcus Smith’s hand injury and George Furbank’s absence leave Connor Slevin at fly-half and Tyrone Green at full-back against Bath. Smith is to be assessed week by week; Fin Baxter also remains unavailable. Bath welcomes prop Will Stuart back after a lengthy absence. The opener is Friday at 19:45 BST, or 20:45 in Zürich. For a match prediction, today’s confirmed selection is a more useful input than simply carrying last season’s team strength forward. Ruck · team news.
Also read: BBC Sport via Yahoo · both teams.
24 September. A club-and-supporter working group is exploring ways to improve the matchday atmosphere, Bees United reports. Initial concerns include singing supporters being dispersed, chants not travelling around the stadium and a lack of early energy. The group has met Keith Andrews and Kevin O’Connor for the players’ perspective. It is a fresh angle on performance that also fits your community-building interests: participation depends partly on whether people know how and when to join in. Bees United · supporter perspective.
She starts against Scotland at the Hive on Saturday, 16:10 Edinburgh time / 17:10 Zürich; the Australian listing is Sunday 01:10 AEST.
Rugby Australia announces packages of match-day or training equipment as part of its World Cup legacy work.
Fresh Honda power-unit components send Alonso and Stroll towards the back; both had difficult Thursday running.
23 September. Westminster’s council leader has written to DWP Secretary of State Pat McFadden supporting a proposed HMRC–National Fraud Initiative data-sharing arrangement. Swaddle argues that matching addresses and income information could help identify unlawful short-term letting, including misuse of social housing, and improve planning enforcement. The letter asks for government support and a meeting; it does not announce that the arrangement is already operating. This is the Westminster councillor you asked to follow. Westminster City Council · original letter.
24 September. The actor and theatre-maker receives the Swiss Grand Prix for Performing Arts / Hans Reinhart Ring, worth CHF100,000. SRF’s portrait describes a career joining performance, movement, humour and fragile, eccentric characters treated with affection. Her training at Teatro Dimitri and collaborative work make her a particularly good discovery alongside your interest in improv. The award brings a performer well known in French-speaking theatre to a wider Swiss audience. SRF Kultur.
23 September. The Brazilian artist, who died on 21 September aged 85, began painting after retiring from teaching at 53. The Art Newspaper’s obituary follows how Rio’s rooftops, cables and vegetation became dense, fragmented canvases built through layering and erasure. Her first gallery show came at 65. Beyond the encouraging chronology, the work itself is the reason to look: a familiar view from a window repeatedly rearranged into something unexpected. The Art Newspaper · obituary.
Action box. Tonight: ART de SUISSE’s opening at Kronen Galerie runs until 22:00. Friday: WILD HeART opens at WOW Museum at 16:30; Mövenpick Enge’s free tasting runs 17:00–19:00; Quins kick off at 20:45 Zürich time. Saturday: the F1 race starts at 13:00 Zürich time (15:00 Baku), and Musée Bolo stays open until midnight. Sunday: several short exhibitions close. German for the diary: Die Ausstellung endet am Sonntag — “The exhibition ends on Sunday.”
One design experiment. Choose one transition in a learning session where people move from a worked example to a new topic. Before moving on, ask them to name the decision they just saw, explain why it mattered and say when they would use it. Then compare later recall or application with your usual version. Paul Venderley’s article on strategic pauses supplies the prompt; the small comparison is your own test of whether this change helps this audience. Learning Guild · reading behind the idea.
Original puzzle · spatial reasoning. Sketch a three-by-three gallery plan.
Top row: A · B · C
Middle row: D · CLOSED · E
Bottom row: F · G · H
Doors connect rooms sharing an edge; there are no diagonal doors. Enter at A, visit every open room exactly once, and finish at H. The curator insists this route exists. Is the curator right? If not, which two rooms could serve as the exit without changing any doors? The checked answer is below.
The proposed A-to-H route is impossible. The eight open rooms form a ring: A–B–C–E–H–G–F–D–A. Starting at A and visiting every room exactly once forces you around that ring in one direction. Your final room must therefore be D or B. One valid route is A–B–C–E–H–G–F–D; the other is its reverse direction, A–D–F–G–H–E–C–B. H cannot be the exit unless you revisit a room or change the layout.