ZÜRICH EDITION · SWADDLE.COM

The Swaddle Daily

A wider world. A closer read.
Saturday, 24 October 2026Saturday edition · 15-min core + optional headlinesEst. 2026 · No. 025
Swiss science • a different approach to glucose

An electronic implant takes on excess sugar

ETH researchers have tested a way to lower glucose without releasing a drug. The results are early, but the engineering is intriguing.

A team at ETH’s Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering in Basel has developed an electrically powered catalyst that converts glucose into gluconate. A sensor can tell the system when to switch on, linking measurement and action in a small device.

The work has been tested in laboratory solutions and mice. Human effectiveness and safety remain unestablished. It is a research result, not an available alternative to diabetes treatment—but an absorbing example of medicine, materials and electronics meeting.

On demandAn experimental glucose-control loop
Laboratory and mouse studies

Source: ETH Zurich • 22 October

Art
Africa, from street level

A new book brings together 33 photographers, finding everyday theatre from Dakar to Addis Ababa.

Wine & Food
A final harvest at Opus One

Michael Silacci looks back after 26 vintages, in a generous French-language interview.

Sports
McLaren has work to do

Norris and Piastri finish seventh and eighth in Austin’s second practice. Sunday brings Marcus Smith’s 200th Quins appearance.

Local News

Zürich • research, work & public life

Glucose control, built as an electrical circuit

24 October. The experimental implant uses a catalyst rather than insulin to remove glucose from circulation. A glucose sensor can activate it through a phone-controlled system; wireless power drives the reaction. ETH’s Basel team reports laboratory and mouse experiments, with substantial development still needed before any human use. SRF’s new report puts the approach alongside today’s medicines—a useful distinction between an ingenious prototype and a treatment that patients can actually choose. SRF · German.

Also read: ETH: original research report.

Ernst Fehr makes the business case for trust

21 October · weekend interview. In a wide-ranging UZH interview, the economist challenges the idea that self-interest explains all workplace behaviour. Experiments reveal a mixture of fairness, cooperation and personal advantage, with generosity declining as its cost rises. His account of a rejected theoretical paper leading to productive experiments is especially relevant to learning design: test how people respond to the organisation’s actual choices, rather than assuming a tidy model describes them. University of Zurich.

Zürich’s SVP sits out the Federal Council contest

23 October. The largest cantonal section of the party has failed to find a candidate to succeed Guy Parmelin. Natalie Rickli and Thomas Matter considered standing but declined. President Domenik Ledergerber says the party will concentrate on the coming cantonal elections and retains influence in parliament. SRF’s report explores the awkward position of a populous canton without a Federal Council representative, as the national selection process moves forward. SRF · German.

The Swaddle Daily · Local NewsDesk 01

National News

Switzerland & the United Kingdom

A blueberry field makes a case for solar shade

24 October. At Lovatens in Vaud, more than 5,000 solar panels cover 1.8 hectares of blueberries. Farmer Olivier Pichonnat says the shade helped protect this summer’s crop, while the installation also generates electricity. SRF examines why such projects remain difficult to develop in Switzerland. A ZHAW study estimates a huge theoretical national potential; that is a resource estimate, rather than a realistic promise that every suitable field will become a power station. SRF · German.

Fribourg sets rules for becoming officially bilingual

24 October. A new cantonal law allows municipalities to vote on a second official language when the linguistic minority has represented at least 10% of the population over the previous 25 years. Twelve of the canton’s 121 municipalities meet that threshold, according to NZZ. The rules turn a long-standing cultural reality into a formal procedure. For someone learning German in Switzerland, this is a revealing look at how language, local identity and public services interact. NZZ · German.

Britain promises more funding for AI security

24 October. The government plans an additional £120 million for the AI Security Institute and £100 million for a national AI Biosecurity Lab, ahead of the 28 October budget update. The announcement places cyber resilience and biological threats alongside the economic case for AI. For enterprise capability work, it reinforces the need to teach safe use, escalation and human judgement as part of adoption. These are funding commitments, not demonstrated improvements in protection. AFP / The Straits Times.

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The Swaddle Daily · National NewsDesk 02

International News

The world this morning

France braces for another day of demonstrations

24 October. The government plans to deploy 70,000 police officers as students, unions and other groups mobilise again. Restrictions differ between cities: Paris has an authorised route, while some municipalities have imposed wider bans. Macron met student representatives yesterday, but organisers still intend to demonstrate. The practical effects extend beyond the marches, with major Paris museums closed today. The protest movement combines education complaints with wider anger over living costs. BBC.

Washington eases some Canadian tariffs—and adds others

23–24 October. The White House says exemptions covering products including plywood, certain paper goods, machinery and refrigeration equipment will begin on 30 October. The change follows lobbying by Maine senator Susan Collins ahead of the US midterms. Other products face new tariffs, so this is a selective adjustment rather than the end of the dispute. Canada says it is assessing the measures and remains open to an agreement that protects its interests. BBC.

A local truce is agreed for trapped Oleshky residents

23–24 October. Ukraine and Russia confirm an arrangement intended to allow aid and evacuations from the Russian-occupied city. The White House credits Melania Trump with brokering it. Start dates differ in the public accounts: the two sides name 27 October, while the White House names 29 October. Around 6,000 people remain in the area, according to Ukraine. The agreement offers hope, but evacuation and aid delivery have not yet been completed. BBC.

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Your Places

Tyneside • Richmond • Paris

The Metro’s nine-day closure begins today

24 October. Trains will not run between St James and Monkseaton until the morning of Monday 2 November. Replacement buses call at or near affected stations while Nexus renews track, overhead equipment and other infrastructure. The work includes 1,500 metres of rail between Walkergate and Wallsend. For journeys around Tynemouth and the coast, check the replacement route and allow more time: the interruption covers the whole half-term week and both surrounding weekends. ChronicleLive.

Richmond takes its funding challenge to Whitehall

23 October. Richmond, Wandsworth, Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea have formally submitted proposals under the Sustainable Communities Act. Richmond says the proposed settlement would remove £29 million a year by 2028/29—about 58% of its core funding allocation. It wants a rethink, a longer transition and more locally retained income. More than 2,200 residents answered its consultation. These are the council’s projections and demands; the submission does not itself change the settlement. Twickenham Nub News.

Paris’s museum closures spread beyond the art fair

23 October · closures 24 October. The Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Orangerie and Picasso museum are among the institutions closing today as a precaution around demonstrations. Fondation Louis Vuitton and the Maison de Victor Hugo are also affected. This extends yesterday’s early closure of Art Basel Paris and changes the options for a cultural weekend in the city. Anyone with a timed ticket should consult their institution’s arrangements before travelling across town. The Art Newspaper.

Also read: BBC: today’s wider situation.

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The Swaddle Daily · Your PlacesDesk 04

Art

Look beyond the familiar names

Thirty-three photographers turn African streets into a stage

23 October. A new collection edited by Nadine Barth and Azu Nwagbogu ranges from Dakar’s markets to Addis Ababa’s pavements. Street Photography Africa combines musicians, fashion, daily routines and unexpected encounters in hundreds of images. Colossal’s illustrated selection is a particularly good browse: colour and composition do the work before any explanation. For an eye trained on street art, it offers another way of noticing how people transform public space. Colossal.

Brognon and Rollin win the Prix Marcel Duchamp

23 October. The Paris- and Luxembourg-based duo receive the €35,000 winner’s award. Their installation uses fairground coin-pusher machines filled with sobriety tokens, turning a familiar object into a reflection on addiction, time and resistance. This year’s shortlisted artists are showing at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris while the Pompidou is closed. The exhibition runs until 7 February; today’s Paris closures make this a discovery for a future visit. The Art Newspaper.

The Pompidou builds a home for the work behind the exhibitions

23 October. Its new Massy site brings storage, restoration and conservation together with a smaller public exhibition area. The 30,000-square-metre building is holding preview weekends before its planned March inauguration. Around 150,000 works will be consolidated from dispersed stores over two years. The Art Newspaper’s tour makes the normally invisible labour tangible: examining, treating, moving and protecting art are essential parts of what ultimately reaches the gallery wall. The Art Newspaper.

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Events

24–30 October • Zürich first

Tonight’s choice: stand-up at Volkshaus or improv at Ida

24 October. Sara Pascoe, Dan Tiernan and Frankie Monroe share the Comedy Kiss bill at Volkshaus from 20:00. Across town, Theater Ida’s German-language Theatersport Liga starts at 19:30, with four teams responding to challenges and the audience helping decide the winner. One offers an English comedy line-up; the other combines your improv interest with live German listening practice. Both are single-evening opportunities, with the ticket and venue links in the calendar. Comedy Kiss · official listing.

Also read: Theater Ida: tonight’s programme.

Last chance for Dunkelfeld; one more day for artESB

24–25 October. Kornelia Reichart’s eleven-day Basel exhibition ends today with a 15:00–17:00 finissage. Painting and language meet in a world of bodies, animals and unsettling transformations. In Liestal, artESB’s ten-day exhibition remains open this weekend, closing tomorrow with a 15:30 prize-giving. It brings together selected artists with and without support needs. These are short viewing windows, useful reasons to make a specific trip rather than simply add another museum to a wish list. Organiser listing / Eventfrog.

Also read: artESB: exhibition and closing programme.

Next Friday: a jazz orchestra inside Museum Tinguely

30 October. Tyn Wybenga’s Brainteaser Orchestra plays the museum’s Roche ’n’ Jazz series on 30 October, from 16:00 to 18:00, in collaboration with the bird’s eye jazz club. Admission is included with museum entry. It makes a strong late-afternoon anchor for a Basel art trip, with the museum’s current exhibitions around it. Thursday’s free Sound Bar and short English tour offer a separate option if that evening suits better. Museum Tinguely.

The art & performance calendar

Short exhibitions and individual visits • all times Zürich local

DateEventLocation
24–25 Oct, 12:00–16:00artESB 2026
Full ten-day run: 16–25 Oct; finissage Sun 25 at 15:30.
ESB, Liestal
Today, 11:00–17:00; finissage 15:00–17:00Kornelia Reichart: Dunkelfeld
Full run 14–24 Oct; Wed–Fri 15–18:30, Sat 11–17.
SGBK Kunst Raum, Spalenvorstadt 18, Basel
Until Tue 27 OctUrs Jaermann & Florian Fuchs: Back Bone
Full six-day run: 22–27 October.
Galerie 111, Zweierstrasse 111, Zürich
Sat 24 Oct, 14:00–17:00Ask and Talk • German & English
Free drop-in; no registration.
Migros Museum, Limmatstrasse 270, Zürich
Sat 24 Oct, 19:30–21:30Ida Theatersport Liga • German
CHF10–20; audience helps decide the winner.
Theater Ida, Aargauerstrasse 80, Zürich
Sat 24 Oct, 20:00–22:30Sara Pascoe, Dan Tiernan & Frankie Monroe
English; doors 19:00; ticket page has availability.
Weisser Saal, Volkshaus, Zürich
Sun 25 Oct, 11:30–17:00Labouring Bodies: family Sunday
Drop-in workshops; museum admission; exhibition tour at 11:30 in German, limited places.
Museum Tinguely, Paul Sacher-Anlage 1, Basel
29 Oct–2 Nov; opening Thu 17:00–21:00Djuna & Christoph Bertschinger: Zwischenreich
Five-day exhibition.
Galerie 111, Zweierstrasse 111, Zürich
Thu 29 Oct, from 18:00; English tour 19:30Sound Bar & Tinguely Shortcut
Free; German tour 19:00; English 19:30; each 20 minutes, maximum 25 people.
Museum Tinguely, Paul Sacher-Anlage 1, Basel
Fri 30 Oct, 16:00–18:00Roche ’n’ Jazz: Tyn Wybenga Brainteaser Orchestra
Included with museum admission.
Museum Tinguely, Paul Sacher-Anlage 1, Basel
The Swaddle Daily · EventsDesk 06

Wine & Food

People, places & the bottle in between

Michael Silacci’s last harvest at Opus One

22 October · weekend interview. After 26 vintages, Silacci is retiring from the Napa estate, with his successor due to be announced early next year. In Terre de Vins he describes a difficult final growing season, lower yields and decisions made by tasting rather than a fixed timetable. His path through Bordeaux, Oregon and California makes the interview more than a farewell: it is a thoughtful account of working between wine cultures while concentrating on one estate. Terre de Vins · French.

Brittany’s new vineyards attract a supporting industry

23 October. The first Breton wine-sector day in Auray drew around thirty suppliers on 21 October, with more reportedly turned away for lack of space. Vitisphere meets businesses taking an early position in equipment, maintenance, nursery stock and bottle reuse. Growers’ willingness to consider different grape varieties is part of the attraction. The profile captures a young region building its practical foundations, while suppliers’ hopes for future returns remain expectations rather than proven success. Vitisphere · French; subscription.

Spain’s menú del día is changing, not disappearing

24 October. Sam Jones explores the daily set lunch through food journalist Lakshmi Aguirre’s new book. Born from a tourism policy under Franco, the meal became a familiar institution for workers, but changing habits and restaurant economics are putting it under pressure. Some four million are still served on weekdays, the report says. It is a satisfying food-history read that asks what is lost when an ordinary, affordable shared ritual becomes harder to sustain. The Guardian.

The wine diary

Meet the makers • dates, places and original listings

DateEventLocation
24–25 Oct; Sat 15–22, Sun 13–18Vinifera wine fair
Sat 15–22, Sun 13–18; ask the exhibitor about complimentary tickets.
Swiss Tennis Arena, Tennisweg 1, Biel
Sat 24 Oct, 11:00–17:00The Bündner Herrschaft comes to Zürich
Free; meet Giani Boner and Thomas Studach; walk-ins welcome.
Baur au Lac Vins, Börsenstrasse 27, Zürich
Sat 24 Oct, 12:00–17:00Meet the Winemaker
Free; seven producers including Cornulus, La Négly and Colomé.
Mövenpick, Seestrasse 13, Zollikon
Sat 24 Oct, 14:00–20:00Art & Wine: Wegeler Riesling and live painting
CHF140; seven food stations; Rekha Hofmann paints at 16:00 and 18:00.
Kulinarikhof Fahr, Chlosterstrasse, Kloster Fahr
Opens Thu 29 Oct, 14:00–21:00Expovina Weinschiffe
Full wine fair: 29 Oct–12 Nov.
Bürkliplatz & lakefront pavilions, Zürich
Fri 30 Oct, 18:00–22:00Wine & Dine at Leib & Seele
CHF119: five courses, paired wines, water and coffee; reservation required.
Leib & Seele, Amalie Widmerstrasse 11, Horgen

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The Swaddle Daily · Wine & FoodDesk 07

Work & Business

Capability • AI • Swiss enterprise

Sunrise confirms 358 job cuts after consultation

23 October. The telecoms company has reduced its planned cuts from as many as 450 after proposals from employee representatives and Syndicom. It says support for older affected staff has been improved and voluntary departures will be offered in selected areas. An earlier round removed 147 posts this year. The outcome is a concrete reminder that organisational redesign includes negotiation, transition support and retained knowledge—not just a new operating-model diagram. SRF / Keystone-SDA · German.

Europe’s drug-pricing debate outlasts the original tariff threat

21 October; updated 23 October. SWI examines why pharmaceutical companies continue pressing for higher European prices as exemptions and conditions narrow parts of the US most-favoured-nation policy. Roche expects exemptions under its agreement, while confidential deals leave important terms unclear. The industry argues that higher prices support innovation; that claim deserves scrutiny alongside access and public budgets. For Swiss households, the possible channel is future medicine spending and availability, not an immediate forecast for your own premiums. SWI swissinfo.

PHP’s security crisis exposes a funding problem

24 October. The foundation’s director says it has one full-time staff member and fourteen mostly part-time contractors despite the language’s widespread use. After this week’s serious vulnerabilities, she describes AI as both a help in finding flaws and a source of additional review work. Proposed code changes have nearly doubled without a matching increase in contributors. For AI adoption, the lesson is practical: faster production still needs funded, experienced people to review and maintain the output. Reuters / The Straits Times.

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The Swaddle Daily · Work & BusinessDesk 08

Appointments

Two continuing opportunities • checked today

ICRC: Head of Learning & Development

Deadline reminder · 24 October. Applications close tomorrow, Sunday 25 October. The Geneva role leads the learning and capability agenda and reports to the Chief People Officer. It asks for 12–15 years of relevant experience, strategic execution and senior advisory ability. English is required; French and ICRC field experience are assets. The original advert specifies a 100% open-ended contract, required six-year rotation and a planned January 2027 start. The deadline makes this the weekend’s priority to assess. Original ICRC advert.

Zurich: Skills Strategy & AI Capability Lead, 80–100%

Open listing · rechecked 24 October. This Zürich role connects workforce planning, skills frameworks and practical learning for AI-enabled systems in Life, Health & Bank Distribution. Simulations, personalised pathways and measurable business outcomes feature prominently, making it a close match to your enterprise capability interests. The advert remains open, with no closing date stated and no remote-working option. It is a continuing opportunity, so the useful next step is a fit review against its scope and requirements. Original Zurich advert.

The Swaddle Daily · AppointmentsDesk 09

Sports

McLaren • Harlequins • the wider game

Norris finds pace harder to extract than to see

24 October. McLaren finished Austin’s second practice with Norris seventh and Piastri eighth, separated by just 0.014 seconds. Norris was 1.082 seconds off Charles Leclerc’s leading time. He says the car can show pace but is difficult to drive consistently enough to deliver it. Small set-up changes are the immediate hope. Practice times are not a race forecast, but Friday leaves the team with clear work to do before qualifying. Formula 1.

Also read: BBC Sport: Friday’s session report.

Smith reaches 200 as Baxter returns for the derby

23 October · match 25 October. Marcus Smith is set for his 200th Harlequins appearance against Saracens tomorrow. Fin Baxter returns from a ten-month foot-injury absence and starts at loosehead, while Chandler Cunningham-South misses out with an ankle problem. Lucas Schmid starts at number eight and Cadan Murley captains the side. Kick-off is 16:00 Zürich time. Planned railway works around Twickenham add a practical complication for supporters heading to The Stoop. Harlequins team announcement.

Also read: Harlequins: match and travel preview · Nub News: railway disruption.

Canada beat England again, this time 31–22

24 October. Sophie de Goede’s hat-trick helped Canada complete a 2–0 series win in Ottawa, following the result that ended England’s 41-match unbeaten run. The Red Roses scored three tries but could not match the hosts’ five. Coach John Mitchell says England need a fresh stimulus and acknowledges that they may have become predictable. Their next meeting is with the United States on Friday, with the challenge now to halt an unfamiliar losing sequence. BBC Sport.

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People

Interviews worth spending time with

Petra Volpe asks what care means inside a prison

24 October. In Frank & Louis, younger prisoners care for older inmates living with Alzheimer’s disease. Volpe’s new SRF interview describes research with men convicted of serious crimes who nevertheless showed tenderness and responsibility towards others. She wants viewers to consider dignity without erasing victims’ suffering. The Swiss-Italian filmmaker, who studied art and design in Zürich, offers a demanding cultural read about judgement, punishment and the complicated ways people can change. SRF interview · German.

Siobhán McSweeney brings her appetite to Comfort Eating

24 October. The Derry Girls actor is taking over the Guardian’s food podcast from Grace Dent. Her new interview moves between comedy, body image and the delight of eating what she enjoys, beginning with an eccentric combination of crisps, chocolate and Guinness. It is an appealing meeting of two of your interests: a performer with formidable comic timing talking about food as memory, pleasure and a way of refusing other people’s expectations. The Guardian.

Thomas Oetterli on the value of leaving familiar ground

23 October. The Rieter leader and UZH alumnus looks back on work in China and explains why students need practical experience alongside their studies. He argues that exposure to another culture—even within Switzerland—can build independence and broaden judgement. The interview also explores how financial understanding supports wider leadership. Treat it as an experienced executive’s perspective on development, rather than a universal recipe for a career; the questions are useful for capability conversations. University of Zurich.

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The Back Page

Act • experiment • play

A useful weekend checklist

24–25 October. Today: the free winemaker tastings at Baur au Lac and Zollikon finish at 17:00; both are in the wine diary. Dunkelfeld’s finissage in Basel also ends at 17:00.

Tomorrow: ICRC applications close. Harlequins kick off at 16:00 Zürich time. Clocks go back overnight: in Switzerland, 03:00 becomes 02:00. The paper’s regular delivery remains 08:00 local time after the change. ICRC: application details.

Design idea: measure the work that AI creates downstream

Original design exercise. Choose one small task your team has accelerated with AI. For a week, record not only drafting time but also checking, correction and handover time. Ask reviewers which errors recur and which decisions still demand their expertise. Then redesign the task or support those reviewers before scaling it. The PHP Foundation’s experience is a useful prompt: more output can simply move the bottleneck unless the whole process becomes easier to complete. Inspiration: Reuters’ PHP interview.

Three ways to play with words

Original puzzle • wordplay. A small introduction to cryptic clues. Each has a definition and a piece of wordplay; the number gives the answer’s length.

  1. Pay attention to silent disturbance (6)
  2. Drink hidden in show in evening (4)
  3. Turn stressed around for sweet courses (8)

Try them unaided first. Three hints, if needed: the first rearranges letters; the second hides its answer across word boundaries; the third reverses a word. Allow three minutes. For an extra challenge, write a clue of your own using one of those techniques.

The Swaddle Daily · The Back PageDesk 12
Puzzle solution — open when ready

1. LISTEN: “Pay attention” is the definition; “disturbance” signals an anagram of SILENT. 2. WINE: the drink is hidden across shoW IN Evening. 3. DESSERTS: sweet courses; reverse STRESSED. A clue’s surface can lead your thoughts one way while its mechanics work another.