ZÜRICH EDITION · SWADDLE.COM

The Swaddle Daily

A wider world. A closer read.
Wednesday, 28 October 2026Wednesday edition · 15-min core + optional headlinesEst. 2026 · No. 027
Zürich • the lake changes the plan

The wine fair comes ashore

Low water has forced Expovina to reinvent its waterfront. Tomorrow’s opening brings six ships—and a new lakeside pavilion.

Four large vessels normally available to the wine fair cannot be supplied this year. With 60 exhibitors at risk of losing their space, the organisers and the city found a land-based solution: a 1,000-square-metre pavilion near the Schanzengraben, Baur au Lac and Kongresshaus.

The result is a different way to explore the 71st Expovina, running from 29 October to 12 November. The lake remains almost 70 centimetres below its long-term normal level, SRF reports. Before choosing a tasting route, check the organiser’s updated layout: some familiar stands have moved.

Inside today: the Budget before the speech, Israel’s unresolved election, Berlin’s exuberant mural-makers and a packed week of art, improv and wine.

29 OCTExpovina opens tomorrow
Ships + the new Seepavillon

Source: SRF • 27 October • German

International
Israel waits for a coalition

Partial results leave both leading camps short of a clear majority. Arab-led parties could hold the balance.

Art
Colour interrupts the commute

Meet Zebu, the Berlin duo turning ordinary walls into vivid abstractions—and increasingly improvising as they paint.

Appointments
A fresh London L&D opening

A hybrid leadership role in a creative organisation combines strategy, commercial judgement and hands-on delivery.

Local News

Zürich & the region

Expovina’s new geography: six ships and a pavilion

29 October–12 November. The wine fair’s first land-based exhibition space opens tomorrow beside the Schanzengraben. Low lake levels mean the shipping company needs larger vessels for its own services, leaving fewer for the fair. The replacement pavilion saves space for exhibitors who otherwise faced exclusion. For your visit, use the current map rather than last year’s stand numbers. Exhibition hours are 14:00–21:00 Monday–Saturday and 12:00–19:00 Sunday. Expovina: current programme.

Also read: SRF: why the fair is moving partly ashore.

A nursery on the lake bed for Zürich’s threatened char

27 October. ZHAW researchers are testing gravel spawning grounds near Meilen and the Au peninsula to support the Rötel, or Arctic char. Cameras and measuring stations follow conditions about 50 metres underwater. Clean, coarse gravel gives eggs protected gaps with oxygenated water. The installations are an experiment whose success is still being assessed—a different view of the same lake whose low water is reshaping the wine fair. SRF · German.

Aargau’s parliamentary paper mountain raises an AI question

28 October. More than 250 interventions have reached the cantonal parliament this year, a record. Members suspect AI is helping produce longer submissions, adding work for colleagues and administrators. Some acknowledge using it for research and editing. The important uncertainty: estimates based on AI detection do not establish authorship. UZH’s Fabrizio Gilardi distinguishes human collaboration with AI from accepting generated text uncritically—a familiar capability challenge in a public setting. SRF · German.

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The Swaddle Daily · Local NewsDesk 01

National News

Switzerland & the United Kingdom

The Budget arrives today—with household trade-offs already visible

28 October. John Healey’s first Budget is due around 12:30 UK / 13:30 Zürich. The government has announced plans to remove gas standing charges, offset by higher unit prices: lower users could gain while higher users pay more. Details on wages, housing and tax remain to come. If you have UK household costs or income, compare the final measures with your circumstances; the preview is not a statement of enacted policy. BBC News · updated today.

Migros asks its members to surrender regional independence

26 October. The retailer proposes merging ten regional cooperatives into one group cooperative. Its 2.3 million members would vote in mid-2027, with a two-thirds majority needed in each region. National supermarket management would replace much of the current regional structure. Migros promises no reorganisation-related redundancies in the regional cooperatives before at least mid-2028. The proposal raises a concrete question for shoppers: how can a larger system preserve local producers and preferences? SRF · German.

New Swiss nuclear power would be a decades-long decision

28 October. A TA-Swiss study says a new nuclear plant could help domestic supply if voters support it, but planning and construction would take at least 20 years. Renewables, storage and flexibility would still need expansion meanwhile. The study warns against allowing one option to stall the others. It is an assessment of possible choices, costs and timing—not an approved building programme or a promise of cheaper electricity. SRF · German.

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The Swaddle Daily · National NewsDesk 02

International News

The turning points—and ten wider perspectives

Israel’s vote leaves the route to government unresolved

28 October · partial results. Likud has emerged ahead in partial results, but Benjamin Netanyahu’s existing bloc appears short of a parliamentary majority. Gadi Eisenkot also faces difficult coalition arithmetic, potentially involving Arab-led parties that many opposition politicians ruled out during campaigning. Turnout exceeded 77%. Absentee ballots remain important and the count is unfinished: a strong party result is not yet a governing coalition. Negotiations could last weeks or months. BBC News.

Also read: SRF: what the first results mean.

At least 30 killed in Spain’s high-speed rail collision

28 October · developing. Two trains collided near Urda in Toledo province this morning, suspending the Madrid–Andalusia high-speed line. Officials say at least 30 people have died and warn the toll could rise; carriages fell down an embankment. The cause remains unclear. This is a developing emergency, with rescue work continuing. Anyone planning that rail corridor should follow their operator’s current service information rather than assuming the normal timetable applies. ABC News / Reuters / AP.

Also read: SRF: rescue operation and disruption.

Serbia’s student movement moves from victory to government

28 October. After Sunday’s election victory, the student-backed list must choose who will turn protest into administration. Reuters profiles candidates including former central-bank governor Dejan Šoškić and cardiologist Ilija Srđanović. Their backgrounds highlight the breadth of a movement built around institutional reform. The next test is practical: assembling a government and reconciling competing priorities. Candidate profiles should not be read as announcements that ministerial appointments have already been made. Reuters via The Straits Times.

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The Swaddle Daily · International NewsDesk 03

Your Places

Twickenham • Sydney • London • Tyneside

A view of Strawberry Hill finds a permanent home

27 October. Supporters have raised £85,000 to acquire Johann Heinrich Müntz’s eighteenth-century view of Strawberry Hill House. Painted for Horace Walpole around 1755–58, it shows the villa before several familiar additions. It will anchor a planned orientation space, letting visitors compare the painted building with the one around them. A satisfying piece of Twickenham’s story—and a reminder that an artwork can change how you read a place you know. Twickenham Nub News.

Sydney’s streets become a theatre of accidental comedy

28 October. The Guardian’s new picture essay spans four decades of street photography, from New York and the Berlin Wall to contemporary Australian streets. The associated Metropolis exhibition runs at Sydney’s Photographic Gallery until 17 November. Look for the geometry, odd encounters and small performances that appear when strangers share public space. It brings your street-art and improv interests together without requiring a journey: the photographs are the story. The Guardian · picture essay.

The Yard’s new home makes a virtue of reuse

27 October. Oliver Wainwright visits the £4 million reinvention of the Hackney Wick theatre that began as a temporary occupation of a printworks. A reused crane tower doubles as a glowing ventilation shaft; economical materials carry unexpected theatrical flair. His review is an engaging counterpoint to the expensive developments surrounding the Olympic site. For an improviser or designer, the appeal is the same: constraints can create character rather than merely limit ambition. The Guardian · architecture review.

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The Swaddle Daily · Your PlacesDesk 04

Art

Street colour, strange creatures & landscapes with a cost

Meet Zebu: the mural-makers learning to improvise

27 October. Berlin artists Lynn Lehmann and Dennis Gärtner transform walls with bold geometry and playful abstraction. Colossal’s new profile follows a shift from meticulous planning towards more intuitive painting. Their aim is to interrupt an ordinary day with visual surprise. If Felipe Pantone’s colour and spatial experiments appeal, this is a rewarding new pair to follow—and their willingness to leave room for the unexpected should resonate with your improv interests. Colossal.

Also read: Zebu: artists’ projects.

Izumi Kato’s figures drift between human and aquatic worlds

27 October · exhibition opens today. Kato’s new Perrotin exhibition opens in New York today, continuing to 19 December. Painted figures, tiny wooden bodies and apparently heavy stones made from lightweight aluminium create a world of unstable appearances. Marine creatures reflect the artist’s love of fishing; stacked canvases suggest bodies assembled from different times. Colossal’s illustrated profile rewards slow looking: identify what seems familiar, then notice the detail that makes it strange. Colossal.

The green transition, photographed from above

27 October. Tom Hegen’s new book The Mineral Age gathers 247 images made over six years, tracing the landscapes altered by mineral extraction. Lithium ponds and mine pits can look seductively abstract from the air, while the accompanying story asks who bears their environmental and social costs. The project does not reject decarbonisation; it makes its material requirements visible. A useful bridge between visual pleasure, industrial systems and the consequences hidden behind everyday technologies. Colossal.

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The Swaddle Daily · ArtDesk 05

Events

28 October–3 November • short windows & one-off visits

Five days to catch Zwischenreich

29 October–2 November. Djuna and Christoph Bertschinger’s exhibition opens at Galerie 111 tomorrow and closes on Monday 2 November. The opening runs 17:00–21:00, making it a possible first stop before an evening elsewhere. This is exactly the sort of small, brief show that can disappear between museum visits: put the closing date in the diary as well as the opening. The gallery’s original listing carries the invitation. Galerie 111.

Hear Sabine Marcelis introduce Light and Color

29 October. Tomorrow’s free opening at Toni-Areal runs 19:00–22:00, with the exhibition accessible from 19:30. Marcelis and curator Damian Fopp introduce the work, with German and English in the programme. The exhibition will remain for months, but this opportunity to meet the ideas through their maker lasts one evening. If you prefer a guided visit, Sunday’s 11:00 tour offers another way in. Museum für Gestaltung.

Friday offers a choice of English comedy and improvised theatre

30–31 October. Jack Barry headlines Comedy Kiss at Comedyhaus from 20:00, joined by Teddy Hall and Martina Hulme. At Theater Ida, the English Theatersport League starts at 19:30, with audience suggestions shaping the competition. Saturday brings an improvised Halloween horror double bill at Ida. These overlap with other tempting events, so choose the mood: a crafted stand-up set, competitive improvisation or a stranger, darker theatrical experiment. Comedy Kiss: original listing.

Also read: Theater Ida: Friday in English · Theater Ida: Halloween show.

Your seven-day arts & events calendar

DateEventLocation
29 Oct–2 Nov; opening Thu 17:00–21:00Zwischenreich — Djuna & Christoph Bertschinger
Five-day exhibition; see gallery invitation for other opening hours.
Galerie 111, Zweierstrasse 111, Zürich
Thu 29 Oct, 18:00; English tour 19:30Sound Bar & Tinguely Shortcut
Free; English tour 20 minutes, first come, first served, 25 places.
Museum Tinguely, Basel
Thu 29 Oct, 19:00–22:00Sabine Marcelis: Light and Color — opening
Free; German/English; one-off opening of a longer exhibition.
Toni-Areal, Pfingstweidstrasse 96, Zürich
Thu 29 Oct, 19:00–21:00Improvolution: being in the moment
German workshop; CHF5.
Theater Ida, Aargauerstrasse 80, Zürich
Fri 30 Oct, 16:00–18:00Roche ’n’ Jazz: Tyn Wybenga Brainteaser Orchestra
Concert included with museum admission.
Museum Tinguely, Basel
Fri 30 Oct, 19:30–21:30Ida Theatersport League — English
CHF10–20; audience-inspired improvisation.
Theater Ida, Aargauerstrasse 80, Zürich
Fri 30 Oct, 20:00–22:00The Big Comedy Kiss with Jack Barry
English; doors 19:00; ticket link and availability at source.
Comedyhaus, Zürich
Fri 30 Oct, 20:30–21:30Daudi Matsiko — voice & guitar
CHF10 plus admission; registration recommended.
Pavillon Le Corbusier, Höschgasse 8, Zürich
Sat 31 Oct, 20:00–22:00ANGST / Train of Strange — improvised horror
Halloween double bill; German listing.
Theater Ida, Aargauerstrasse 80, Zürich
Sun 1 Nov, 11:00–12:00Avantgarde — graphic design tour
German; one-off tour within a longer exhibition.
Museum für Gestaltung, Ausstellungsstrasse 60, Zürich
Sun 1 Nov, 15:00–16:00Tour du Pavillon — French tour
French; included with admission; registration recommended.
Pavillon Le Corbusier, Höschgasse 8, Zürich
Mon 2 Nov, 20:00Mauricio Kagel: Spielplan — experimental sound
CHF10 regular / CHF20 supporter; students free; box office.
Museum Tinguely, Basel
The Swaddle Daily · EventsDesk 06

Wine & Food

France • Italy • South Africa

Benoît Laly’s third attempt wins France’s caviste title

28 October. The Autun wine merchant has won the 2026 competition after taking second place in 2024. Vitisphere’s profile follows a family business founded by his grandfather and a professional journey that began with the difficulty of earning credibility while still young. The contest tests more than tasting: knowledge, speed and realistic shop situations all count. A useful reminder before Expovina that the best wine conversation starts with listening, not reciting prestige labels. Vitisphere · French; subscription.

Champagne pauses a boundary rethink begun in 2003

26 October. The growers’ syndicate has backed stopping the general revision of the appellation area, arguing that climate, markets and drinking habits have changed the assumptions behind it. WineNews examines the decision and the tension between protecting an established territory and planning for a different future. This concerns the revision process, not the sudden disappearance of current Champagne vineyards. It is a substantial story to take into conversations with producers this autumn. WineNews · Italian.

What can wine learn from a rugby crowd?

26 October. Christian Eedes draws a deliberately imperfect comparison between the Stormers’ lively audiences and quieter Test-cricket stands. His argument is that wine, too, must offer belonging and an enjoyable social experience, rather than expect tradition alone to bring people through the door. This is opinion, not a controlled marketing study. For your mix of rugby, wine and community-building interests, it is an unusually well-aimed provocation. Winemag · South Africa; editorial.

Wine & food diary

DateEventLocation
Until Sun 1 Nov; Wed/Thu 16:00–21:00Weinfestival Basel
Fri/Sat 15:00–21:00; Sun 13:00–19:00; listed entry CHF20.
Messe Basel, Hall 2.1, Messeplatz 1
Today, 28 Oct, 16:00–19:00Harvest after-work apéro
Free; no registration for parties up to six.
Mövenpick Wein, Brunnenstrasse 14, Volketswil
29 Oct–12 Nov; Mon–Sat 14:00–21:00Expovina: ships & Seepavillon
Sun 12:00–19:00; final day closes 20:00; updated map at source.
Bürkliplatz / Schanzengraben, Zürich
Thu 29 Oct, 17:30–22:00Wine & Dine with Tenuta di Biserno
Dinner 18:15; CHF165 / vegetarian CHF150; reservation.
Gerberstube Osteria, Bachstrasse 8, Schaffhausen
Thu 29 Oct, 18:00–c.22:00Italian wine dinner with Bindella
CHF195 including menu, wine, water and coffee; elegant evening dress.
Club Baur au Lac, Claridenstrasse 10, Zürich
Thu 29 Oct, apéro 18:15; dinner 18:45Champagne & Dine
CHF179; five-course menu and Champagne; ticket link at source.
Casino Theater, Stadthausstrasse 119, Winterthur
Thu 29 Oct, from 19:00Fremdgehen — literature walk & apéro
Free, limited places; registration required. Listing gives differing end times.
Fertigs Weine, Poststrasse 24, Bülach
Fri 30 Oct, 18:00–22:00Wine & Dine at Leib & Seele
CHF119; five courses, wines, water and coffee; reservation.
Amalie-Widmer-Strasse 11, Horgen
Sun 1 Nov, 16:30–20:30Champagne & Friends
CHF200 including flying dinner; about 60 rosé Champagnes plus selected Burgundy.
George Bar & Grill, Gessnerallee 5, Zürich

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The Swaddle Daily · Wine & FoodDesk 07

Work & Business

Learning operations • finance • AI investment

AI makes content abundant; ownership becomes the scarce resource

28 October. Tiffany Baltazar’s new Learning Guild essay asks whether learning operations can manage the volume generative AI enables. Her focus is duplication, conflicting guidance, maintenance and the need to know what already exists before building more. For your regulated-learning experience, the practical connection is immediate: every new resource needs a purpose, an owner and a review path. Faster production is useful only if people can still find and trust the right answer. The Learning Guild.

UBS earns $2.69 billion as integration reaches its final stages

28 October. Third-quarter net profit rose 8%, while global wealth management attracted $55.1 billion in net new money. UBS says Credit Suisse integration remains on track for completion this year; staffing continues to fall. The capital-regulation debate remains unresolved. For work around finance and organisational change, this is both a business result and a reminder that integration involves systems, responsibilities and people long after a transaction’s headline moment. SRF · German.

Also read: NZZ: results and the capital debate.

Microsoft offers voluntary exits to 60,000 eligible staff

26 October. The offer covers eligible employees in Canada, India, the UK and the US, with Microsoft expecting only a small proportion to accept. It comes as the company seeks room for heavy AI-infrastructure spending. Eligibility is not the same as 60,000 confirmed job losses. For capability leaders, the story sharpens the distinction between investment in technology and investment in the workforce needed to use it effectively. SRF / Reuters · German.

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The Swaddle Daily · Work & BusinessDesk 08

Appointments

One fresh, credible match

Head of Learning & Development — London, hybrid

Posted 26 October · checked today. Handle Recruitment’s original advert, posted 26 October, seeks a senior leader for an unnamed creative organisation. The permanent role combines leadership development, a small team, budget ownership, succession planning and evidence of business impact. Sector experience is open, making your cross-industry learning background relevant. Salary is negotiable and the advert expires 23 November. The main fit question is whether London-based hybrid work suits you; it is not advertised as a Switzerland-based remote role. Handle Recruitment: original advert.

The Swaddle Daily · AppointmentsDesk 09

Sports

McLaren • Quins • Brentford • GC rugby

McLaren recovers points in Austin; Mexico comes next

25 October · result catch-up. Lando Norris climbed from eighth to fifth and Oscar Piastri finished seventh in Sunday’s US Grand Prix. McLaren credits strategy, teamwork and its upgrades; Piastri kept George Russell behind late in the race. Kimi Antonelli won, moving closer to the title without clinching it. The next test is Mexico City: qualifying is Saturday at 22:00 Zürich, and Sunday’s race begins at 21:00 Zürich. McLaren: race report.

Also read: Formula 1: Jolyon Palmer’s race analysis · Formula 1: Mexico schedule.

Smith’s 200th appearance ends in a 33–15 derby win

25 October · result catch-up. Harlequins beat Saracens at The Stoop for their first league win of the season. Marcus Smith scored 11 points, with Quins securing a bonus point before half-time and Will Porter adding the second-half try that put the game away. Fin Baxter returned after ten months out. After Sunday’s preview, the result is worth savouring: a milestone performance, a returning forward and a London derby won convincingly. Harlequins: match report.

Also read: BBC Sport: match report.

Tonight: Brentford’s cup test at Sunderland

27 October · match tonight. The Bees travel to the Stadium of Light for a 19:45 UK / 20:45 Zürich kick-off. Rico Henry is expected to miss several weeks with a hip and quad injury; Mikkel Damsgaard is available after managing foot pain. Keith Andrews says the cup matters as much as the surrounding league fixtures. Victory would send Brentford into another quarter-final, but Sunderland stands between that ambition and the next round. Brentford: team news.

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The Swaddle Daily · SportsDesk 10

People

Ideas, leadership & lives that shape places

Kevin Keegan is proposed for Newcastle’s highest civic honour

27 October. Councillors will be asked on 4 November to approve a posthumous Freedom of the City for the former Newcastle player and manager. The council had intended to honour him before his death in July. ChronicleLive’s report explores a legacy that extended beyond results: confidence, identity and the feeling of a city being noticed again. It is a Tyneside story even for people whose football loyalties lie elsewhere. ChronicleLive · Local Democracy Reporting.

Regina Surber asks a difficult question about training

27 October. The UZH philosopher’s new profile shifts attention from whether a war can be justified to whether it is permissible to train people to kill. Her inquiry concerns the moral responsibility of institutions that reshape behaviour and inhibition. The military context is far removed from enterprise learning, but the larger question travels: what obligations follow when a programme changes what someone is willing to do? Read it as an ethical argument, not a settled scientific verdict. University of Zurich · researcher profile.

Jean Engelbrecht takes the chair at Stellenbosch Wine Routes

26 October. The Rust en Vrede producer succeeds Mike Ratcliffe after nine years, with the change announced at the organisation’s 21 October AGM. New board members include Frans Smit and Bruwer Raats. The organisation represents producers across five sub-routes, so its work involves making a region legible and welcoming as well as promoting individual bottles. A useful name to follow as you widen your reading beyond British wine coverage. Winemag · South Africa.

The Swaddle Daily · PeopleDesk 11

The Back Page

Act • experiment • play

Your next few days, at a glance

28 October–1 November. Today: the UK Budget is due at 13:30 Zürich; Volketswil’s free harvest apéro runs 16:00–19:00; Brentford kicks off at 20:45. Thursday: Zwischenreich opens at 17:00, Marcelis at 19:00, and Expovina begins its fortnight. Friday: choose between English improv, Jack Barry and Daudi Matsiko. German minute: SRF’s newly selected youth expression würd mi abbreviates das würde mich nerven—“that would annoy me.” SRF: the Swiss youth expression.

A design experiment: retire before you create

Try this week. Take one frequent learning request. First ask three users to find the answer in what already exists, without your help. Record which item they choose and where they lose confidence. Then improve one resource and remove or redirect one duplicate before commissioning anything new. Compare time-to-answer and confidence a week later. Today’s Learning Guild essay supplies the prompt; your small observation supplies evidence about what your own organisation needs. The Learning Guild: starting point.

Twenty-one counters: can you force a win?

Original strategy puzzle + credited game. Place 21 counters on a table. Two players alternate, removing exactly 1, 3 or 4 counters each turn, without taking more than remain. Whoever takes the last counter loses. You go first. Which opening move guarantees victory against perfect play, and how do you know? Bonus: would you want to go first with 15 counters? For a different visual challenge afterwards, try Loopy, Simon Tatham’s interactive loop puzzle, at the link. Play Loopy · Simon Tatham.

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

Take four, leaving 17. Work backwards: with one counter the player to move loses; with two they leave one and win; with three every legal move loses. Continuing gives losing positions 1, 3, 8, 10, 15 and 17 up to 21. Every legal move from 17 hands you a winning position; thereafter always leave your opponent one of the losing positions. Taking one or three from 21 instead hands over a winning position, so four is the only winning opening. With 15, prefer to go second: 15 is a losing position for the player to move. All legal states from 1 to 21 were checked by backward induction.