Guy Parmelin has announced that he will leave Switzerland’s government at the end of the year, after serving since 2016. The 66-year-old says he wants to make room for new people and that his decision is unrelated to his health. His departure will follow his second year as federal president.
The transition reaches into subjects that matter to you: the US tariff dispute, Switzerland’s relationship with the EU, research and skills policy, housing costs and the response to artificial intelligence. An announcement of retirement does not itself settle any of those questions. Today’s National desk looks at the work awaiting the next head of the economics, education and research department, beyond the speculation over names. SRF’s analysis of the portfolio.
Source: SRF · announcement, 2 October
A Munich exhibition links ecology and art; the Met reconsiders Krasner and Pollock; an estate-sale find sets a record.
Vivi Catena describes taking responsibility for a family vineyard while living abroad. Four local and Swiss tasting dates follow.
The Comedy Wildlife Awards finalists turn awkward animal moments into a rather good Saturday gallery.
2 October. More than 650 Asian hornet sightings have been recorded in canton Zürich this year, almost seven times last year’s figure, SRF reports. The canton says removing every nest is no longer feasible and is concentrating on slowing the spread. The practical advice is to photograph a suspected insect from a safe distance and report it for identification. Yellow leg tips help distinguish it from the larger, protected European hornet. SRF.
2 October. Nine museums, including institutions in Zürich and Winterthur, will investigate the histories of more than 6,300 objects from Cameroon. Federal funding of CHF 100,000 supports the 2027–28 project. The questions include acquisition, ownership and what the objects mean to communities today. The Art Newspaper’s report gives Cameroonian representatives a voice in that work, making this a worthwhile read before your next ethnographic-museum visit. The Art Newspaper.
2 October. The festival’s partnership with TikTok prompts film critic Denise Bucher to ask what happens when access and attention move towards influencers. Her SWI essay argues that criticism supplies context and sustained engagement that promotional clips struggle to provide. This is an explicitly argued viewpoint, rooted in current festival practice. For your interests in culture and media design, it is a useful invitation to compare the red-carpet clip with a proper review. SWI · opinion.
3 October. SRF’s economic correspondent sets out the work behind the succession contest: housing shortages, US tariffs, AI’s effects on education and research, and the security of essential supplies. The department also faces a leadership change at SECO and pressure over the wine sector’s oversupply. These are interconnected policy choices rather than a simple handover. For your capability work, the question is how research investment and national skills priorities develop under the new leadership. SRF · analysis.
3 October. Energy UK is calling for targeted support and help with household debt after the October price-cap increase. A typical dual-fuel bill at current capped rates is equivalent to £1,723 a year; Cornwall Insight forecasts about £1,999 from January. The latter remains a forecast, and individual bills depend on consumption and tariff. If UK energy costs affect you or people you support, the distinction between the current cap and the next forecast matters. BBC News.
2 October. Joshua Kerry, already charged with Ann Widdecombe’s murder, has now been charged with preparing terrorist acts, including against Nigel Farage. Police say the alleged activity spans May 2024 to July 2026; he is due in court on Wednesday. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says the case raises questions about protection for people in public life. The charges are allegations awaiting the court process, and the investigation continues. BBC News.
SRF reviews the Council of States’ EU-package and UBS debates; votes in one chamber are stages in the legislative process.
The conference proposal would use foreign-aid cuts to fund expansion; Labour disputes its credibility.
A specialist interview separates closer cooperation, a customs union and full membership in the debate opened by Burnham.
2 October; updated 3 October. The G7 has agreed a coordinated release of oil and diesel over four months, with a substantial diesel release planned in the first twenty days. Members also commit to avoiding energy-export restrictions between themselves, following the US threat to restrict diesel exports. It is a concrete change from yesterday’s negotiations. The aim is to ease supply pressure; the eventual effect on freight, food and household costs will depend on deliveries and the wider conflict. BBC News.
3 October. Kyiv’s mayor says Saturday’s strike damaged the Northern Bridge’s road surface and trolleybus wires, blocking traffic in one direction. It follows repeated attacks on the Southern Bridge since Thursday. Both connect the capital’s eastern and western banks. The new attack extends the disruption to the city’s transport network, making this more than a repeat of yesterday’s report: the pressure is now spreading across separate crossings. BBC News.
3 October. The pro-government Tigray Peace Forces says it has retaken Mekelle’s main airport and is moving through the city. Reuters could not independently verify that assertion, and neither the federal government nor the TPLF immediately answered its requests for comment. A confirmed capture would be a significant change in the renewed fighting. The report also describes the risk of the conflict spreading beyond the region. The Straits Times / Reuters.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico seek protection beyond an order expiring on 8 October; the administration argues it controls access.
A judge finds the FACE Act complaint inadequately pleaded and gives the government thirty days to amend it.
The judiciary says Siavash Jamshidi was executed after convictions linked to January’s unrest; AFP reports the official account.
Lula rallies supporters in Rio before Sunday’s vote, framing the contest with Flávio Bolsonaro as a battle for democracy.
The New York Times reports that roughly one-fifth of NSF’s main research budget was withheld; its report is linked here.
Reporting from deprived Paris suburbs centres teacher shortages, damaged buildings and unequal opportunities.
An aviation-security analysis examines competing explanations and the questions investigators still need to resolve.
The latest official bulletin counts cases through 28 September across seven regions, twenty-eight more than the previous week.
Two deaths are reported as severe rain disrupts Crete and Rhodes; weather warnings extend through Sunday.
Forty Comedy Wildlife finalists emerge from over 10,000 entries; winners will be announced in December.
2 October. Councillors have approved the Taylor Wimpey and Persimmon scheme north of Great Park. Plans include 23 affordable homes and more than £1.7 million in local contributions. Objections focused on school capacity, green space and the absence of bungalows for older residents wishing to downsize. The debate offers a specific Tyneside example of a wider question: whether adding homes also provides the types of homes a community needs. Chronicle Live.
29 September · catch-up. The borough’s latest cargo-bike fair combined test rides, accessible cycles, children’s training and bike security marking. This catch-up matters beyond the event itself: the council points residents towards community cargo-bike hire, try-before-you-buy arrangements and parking trials. For your Richmond and Twickenham connections, it is a practical local-transport story about making unfamiliar equipment easy to try before people commit to changing a journey. Twickenham Nub News.
3 October. A new BBC feature reports that 6,596 of Scotland’s 27,191 weddings in 2025 involved two partners who lived elsewhere. Gretna Green accounted for more than half of those visiting couples, while castles, landscape and personal connections shaped other choices. With Edinburgh among your places of interest, this is a cultural read about how destinations acquire meaning through stories and repeated visits, as well as through scenery. BBC News.
Police arrested a 33-year-old on suspicion of communicating false information after a suspicious-item report; the report does not establish guilt.
Brewery Market’s programme runs through 3 October; the local weekend guide links to the organiser’s ticket listing.
2 October. Ancestral Futures at Munich’s Haus der Kunst gathers ecological and collaborative projects from more than two decades. Spider webs, participatory structures and a bicycle-inflated installation make relationships between people, materials and environments tangible. Colossal also follows Saraceno’s collaboration with Indigenous communities in Argentina’s Salinas Grandes, where water and lithium extraction are central concerns. It is art as an encounter with a system, rather than simply an image of one. Colossal.
2 October. The Met’s forthcoming exhibition places more than 120 works and related objects across Lee Krasner’s and Jackson Pollock’s careers side by side. The curators argue that focusing only on their years together misses much of Krasner’s achievement after Pollock’s death. The Art Newspaper’s preview explores mutual support, collage and the labour of sustaining an artistic legacy. It should reward a look beyond the familiar shorthand of the famous husband and overshadowed wife. The Art Newspaper.
2 October. Untitled Art’s second Houston edition brings 98 galleries to the city through Sunday, with roughly a fifth based in Texas. The reporting looks beyond sales to artists’ accounts of affordability, local connections and a willingness to experiment. It is an interesting comparison with more expensive art capitals: the conditions that sustain a working artistic community may matter as much as the visibility of a major fair. The Art Newspaper.
Gertrude Abercrombie’s small painting sets an auction record; the reported sale total includes fees.
The third edition examines a growing scene shaped by working conditions and strong local networks.
A new report visits the renovated museum and its Panorama exhibition, following the September reopening.
Conservators describe the threat that heavy rain poses to vulnerable earthen sites.
3–4 October; further dates 9–11 October. Tonight’s 20:00 programme combines Little Library of Forgotten Books and The Solo Show SHOW. On Sunday, the student showcase and Joy and Fear Jam start at 18:00. Anděl Sudik and Rebecca MacMillan’s residencies continue on 9–11 October, including an evening about how stories are made. It is a good weekend to choose between watching experienced performers and seeing the learning process become part of the show. Theater Ida / Eventfrog.
3–4 October · weekend diary. Traces at Kabinett Visarte has its final afternoon today, 15:00–19:00. Seelenland at Galerie 111 continues through Sunday, and Männedorf’s Schwarz & Weiss closes with a free finissage tomorrow afternoon. This morning’s Ulrike Ottinger talk at the Kunsthaus runs 11:00–12:00. The calendar keeps the precise places and original listings together, so you can build a short outing around whichever encounter appeals most. Kabinett Visarte · Traces.
Advance pick · Saturday 24 October. Comedy Kiss’s triple bill on 24 October brings Sara Pascoe, Larry Dean and character comedian Frankie Monroe to the Weisser Saal. The advertised show is 20:00–22:30, with doors at 19:00. This is an advance booking pick rather than a next-week event: three different comic styles in one English-language evening make it a particularly close match to your comedy and improv interests. Comedy Kiss · original ticket listing.
Short exhibitions and one-off encounters · 3–9 October · times local
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 3–4 Oct | Seelenland · Viviane Lüdi Final weekend of the five-day exhibition; opening hours in the host listing. | Galerie 111, Zweierstrasse 111, Zürich |
| Sat 3 Oct · 15:00–19:00 | Traces · photography Final afternoon of the three-day photography exhibition. | Kabinett Visarte, Schoffelgasse 10, Zürich |
| Sat 3 Oct | Ulrike Ottinger · artist talk Saturday 11:00–12:00. Artist talk; CHF 15 regular admission. Booking via the listing. | Kunsthaus Zürich, Moser building |
| Sun 4 Oct | Schwarz & Weiss · closing event Sunday 14:00–17:00; free closing event. This is a one-off finissage within a longer exhibition. | Kulturschüür, Männedorf |
The 9–11 October programme includes The Large Library of Forgotten Books and a transdisciplinary evening about making stories.
2 October. Vivi Catena first worked on labels and presentation for her father’s Ricominciare winery. After his death, she chose to retain the 33-hectare Finca San Vicente in La Consulta while living outside Argentina. Vinetur’s interview follows the practical consequences: trusted colleagues, renewed irrigation during Mendoza’s water emergency and winemaker Flavia Mastig at the new cellar. It is a profile about responsibility, continuity and the people behind a wine’s identity. Vinetur · Spanish interview.
2 October. The appellation marked the end of its earliest harvest with 43.55 million kilograms of grapes, although late-harvest varieties remain to be collected. Summer heat accelerated ripening and made parcel-by-parcel timing especially important. The regional body reports good grape health and is optimistic about quality; finished wines will provide the eventual test. For a region associated with Garnacha and rosado, the story is how growers adapt their decisions to a faster season. Vinetur · Spanish.
1 October; updated 2 October. Crémant de Bourgogne sales rose 6.5% in the twelve months to July, according to regional industry figures reported by WineNews. Red wines fell 4.9%, while whites held up better. The difference makes this more interesting than a blanket story about Burgundy’s fortunes: styles and price points are moving differently. It also gives you a useful tasting prompt—explore the region’s sparkling wines alongside its more celebrated still bottles. WineNews · Italian.
This weekend and the week ahead · Zürich, Zollikon and Andermatt
| Date | Event | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Sat 3 Oct · 16:00–18:00 | Vespa-Bar aperitivo Only in fine weather; check the host listing before heading out. | Vallocaia, Niederdorfstrasse 15, Zürich |
| Sat 3 Oct | Magnum tasting Free tasting during shop opening hours. | Mövenpick Wein, Seestrasse 13, Zollikon |
| 7–11 Oct | Festa del vino Starts Wednesday. Dinner, wine and live music; individual places from CHF 117. Reserve through the host. | Restaurant terrasse, Limmatquai 3, Zürich |
| Thu 8 Oct · 17:00–18:00 | Cos d’Estournel with Elio Gastaldello CHF 90; six wines, including three vintages of the grand vin. A Swiss excursion. | chez Smith, Ritomgasse 10, Andermatt |
The industry body cites a 2.3% year-on-year retail-price decline in September against dearer energy, glass and transport.
Analyst AWM estimates an 8.3% volume fall and a 5.2% decline in value, with average prices cushioning the loss.
Spanish imports rose 65.2% by volume in the first half, led by bulk shipments; France retained the lead by value.
The newly reported registration protects the recognised name for beers meeting the specification.
A scholarly symposium connects the writer and physician with Tuscan wine, language, history and art.
2 October. Novartis will pay $575 million upfront for rights to ABO2203 and options on further programmes, with about $7.2 billion in potential milestones if the conditions are met. The approach uses mRNA to produce T-cell engagers inside the body for autoimmune-disease research. For your pharma background, it is a significant platform partnership with implications for cross-company development and knowledge transfer. Clinical promise and maximum deal value remain conditional. Abogen · original announcement.
Also read: BioSpace · independent reporting.
28 September · weekend catch-up. Maggie Sass’s Learning Guild article distinguishes friction within a person, between people and in organisational systems. A manager may understand feedback techniques yet become defensive because of pressures the course never addressed. The useful application for your work is diagnostic: before commissioning more training, examine the conditions that obstruct the desired behaviour. This is a practitioner’s framework for inquiry, rather than proof that every conflict has the same solution. The Learning Guild · practitioner essay.
1 October; updated 2 October. The Swiss gas industry points to low storage levels in Germany and the Netherlands and reduced LNG availability amid the Middle East conflict. Its emergency planning includes the possibility of exchanging supplies with Italy using the transit pipeline through Switzerland. The measures are contingency arrangements, not a current declaration of shortage. For businesses—and households heated with gas—the eventual exposure depends on winter weather, supply and their contracts. SWI / SRF.
Research discussed by SWI links men’s working-time choices to occupational cultures and expectations.
A Learning Guild essay uses event boundaries to think about reflection and transitions in learning materials.
Deadline Sunday 4 October · continuing lead. The original brief still gives 4 October as the deadline for a learning-and-development consultant, or pair. Deliverables include a needs assessment, two Didask courses, a management toolkit, coaching guidance and a change plan. Your design experience fits the work; substantial humanitarian/INGO experience and leadership coaching remain important checks. Fluent English is required. The application includes a short proposal, a work example and your daily rate in CHF. IMPACT · original advert.
Deadline Sunday 4 October · portal maintenance. MSF’s Head of Learning & Development advert lists a 4 October deadline, but its Workday portal is showing planned maintenance this morning, so current application availability cannot be reconfirmed. The Geneva role requires professional French and English; the published annual salary is CHF 119,964–134,604. If you meet those requirements, have the two-page CV and one-page letter ready and check the original portal again before the deadline. MSF · original advert.
Live 3 October · continuing lead. The Skills Strategy & AI Capability Lead advert remains live, at 80–100%, based at Quai Zurich Campus. It asks for a practical skills framework, clear capability gaps, effective learning pathways and measurable improvements in proficiency and mobility. This continuing lead remains particularly close to your enterprise-capability interests. A useful application example would show how you moved from a business problem through a skills decision to observable change. No deadline or salary is published. Zurich Insurance · original advert.
3 October. Kimi Antonelli led FP3 at Sepang in 1:36.302, ahead of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar. Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri finished seventh and eighth. On Friday, McLaren said the unexpectedly rough, low-grip surface had made the opening session difficult, before changes improved the car. These practice results set the scene for qualifying; fuel loads and tyre choices complicate direct comparisons. Follow the live session for the developing grid. Formula 1 · final-practice report.
Also read: Formula 1 · McLaren’s explanation · Qualifying · live coverage.
Saturday 3 October · matchday. Quins are at Kingsholm for Gloucester’s first home league fixture of the season. Kick-off is 17:30 in Britain, 18:30 in Zürich. The official fixture announcement confirms the timing, making this a useful fixed point for your Saturday plans. If you are combining rugby with a gallery visit or tasting, there is room for the afternoon outing before the match; check your chosen broadcaster’s coverage separately. Gloucester Rugby · official fixture.
2 October. BBC Sport traces the roughly £1.2 billion City spent on players during 2009–18 after the financial-rules verdict and the club’s announced appeal. Transfer fees circulated through other clubs, agents and associated services, but that does not by itself settle whether the overall competitive effect was beneficial. For a Brentford supporter, the analysis offers a wider league perspective on how financial advantage moves through the football economy. BBC Sport · analysis.
The firsts face Avusy at Athenaz at 16:30, the seconds at 14:30; the Valkyries play at Vessy at 15:00.
The Guardian examines the Russell–Antonelli contest and the team’s approach to keeping the championship challenge together.
Follow the official live report for the latest grid developments; practice order is not the starting order.
2 October. Colossal’s new profile follows Gaia Alari’s animations, built from thousands of handmade paper drawings. Oil pastel and charcoal marks move through bodies, plants and birds in fluid loops. For your interest in visual culture, watch for how the texture survives the transition into movement. The linked films offer a welcome reminder of how much personality can sit in a mark that never looks perfectly uniform. Colossal · artist profile.
3 October. At Zürich Airport, document specialist Dave Squindo works with cases that make border officers pause. SRF’s profile, published as the autumn-holiday rush begins, looks at the accumulated expertise behind rapid judgements and at the surprising visual design of passports from different countries. It is an engaging intersection of security, pattern recognition and tacit knowledge—subjects familiar from your work with learning in regulated organisations. SRF · profile.
3 October. Urs Betschart expected perhaps five or ten namesakes at his gathering in Schwyz; more than thirty came. Inspired by two women’s Rita gathering, he brought them together for the name day on 30 September. SRF’s new report turns the apparently simple joke into a small story about belonging and the changing popularity of names. Saturday’s useful German word is Namensvetter: someone who shares your name. SRF · community feature.
A new BBC feature examines how online clips change the experience of a supposedly unexpected live moment.
Action & deadlines. Today: Traces has its final viewing from 15:00–19:00; the Zollikon magnum tasting runs during shop hours; Harlequins kick off at 18:30 Zürich time; Theater Ida starts at 20:00. Sunday: the Männedorf finissage is 14:00–17:00, Ida’s jam begins at 18:00, and the IMPACT and MSF adverts reach their stated deadlines. Next week: the Festa del vino starts Wednesday; the Andermatt Bordeaux masterclass is Thursday at 17:00.
Try this week. Choose a task where people repeatedly struggle. Ask one person to show you the actual work, including the moment where it slows down. Separate missing knowledge from unclear authority, awkward tools, incentives and emotional pressure. Then propose the smallest change that could remove that obstacle, and decide what improvement would be observable a week later. This gives you a compact research exercise and a concrete capability-design example for interviews. The Learning Guild · starting point.
Today’s puzzle · probability. Four identical envelopes each contain three counters. Their contents are RRR, RRB, RBB and BBB, where R is red and B is blue. You select an envelope uniformly at random, then draw two counters at random without replacement. Both are red. What is the probability that the remaining counter is also red? Is it one-half, two-thirds, three-quarters—or something else? Explain why the two envelopes still possible after the draw are not equally likely.
Three-quarters. Before the draw, RRR and RRB were equally likely choices. But drawing two reds is certain from RRR and has probability one-third from RRB. The observation therefore favours RRR by 3 to 1, giving a 3/4 chance that the remaining counter is red. Equivalently, enumerate the six ordered draws of distinct counters from each envelope: six red-red outcomes leave a red, and two leave a blue.