Swiss architect Renata von Tscharner has devoted over two decades to improving the public spaces along the Charles River in Massachusetts. She even hopes to get people swimming in Boston's so-called "dirty water" on a regular basis. We met her at the Rhine River in her native Basel.

In this episode host Susan Misicka introduces our sister podcast, Inside Geneva. Nuclear weapons were banned by international treaty at the start of 2021. But the treaty doesn’t apply to any of the nuclear powers, since none of them signed it. So are nukes really banned? Inside Geneva host Imogen Foulkes talks to Cordula Droege, Chief Legal Officer of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Beatrice Fihn of the International Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons, and Elaine Whyte Gomez, the...

The success of Swiss chocolate depends on cocoa beans harvested far away, often with the help of minors. In this episode we discuss whether it's OK for children to work, and how to figure out if kids helped make your candy bar.

 What does soil sound like, and what do those sounds mean? We find out from the world’s first scientist to use acoustics to research the soil and underground biodiversity. Also, we explore some of Zurich's greenspaces with a conservation biologist.

Switzerland missed its target to reduce its carbon footprint in 2020. But there are still some promising developments when it comes to electric mobility in Switzerland – on the roads and up in the air. In this episode we take a ride in an electric plane and kick the tires on the Swiss electric car revolution.

In this follow-up to "The Dirt on Digging for Gold" we hear about some measures to make the gold trade more sustainable. Swiss anti-corruption champion Mark Pieth provides insight into the social problems sparked by gold mining. And members of the Swiss Better Gold Association share their experiences in Latin America.

The past year has been a strange time for all of us. It can be even harder if you’re an expat. One in ten Swiss people lives outside of Switzerland. In this episode, we hear from a few Swiss citizens who are living in the United States. They tell us how...

Switzerland is the home of some of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies. But when it comes to coronavirus vaccines, the Swiss pharma giants are not part of the discussion. How did they miss out? Or did they? And what does it mean for the next...

The case of a Swiss couple abusing Indian children –  and getting away with it –  shows the limits of the international police network.

Multiple spy agencies, secret documents, international intrigue, and a Swiss company's encryption machines are at the heart of this episode. But does anybody really know the whole story?

Switzerland is celebrating a rather awkward anniversary this year. It was only 50 years ago that women got the right to vote at the federal level. What was the hold-up? And what’s still holding women back today?

Sometimes changing names and continents is the best way to cope in a pandemic. Swiss country music singer-songwriter Florian Fox tells us why he's in the right place at the right time.

Switzerland is the world’s leading gold refiner. But in spite of efforts to make the supply chain more transparent, there are still some big questions about the origins of all this gold, and how it's extracted from the earth. In this episode we travel...

Part three of a three-part series about the connection between nostalgia and homesickness.  If a friend abandoned you in a foreign country, how angry would you be? And how healthy is it to dwell on the past?

Part two of a three-part series about the connection between nostalgia and homesickness.  We "meet" a medical student who attended Basel University in the 17th century, and we try to retrace the steps of the Swiss mercenaries who inspired him.

Part one of a three-part series to learn about the connection between nostalgia and homesickness.  For this we travel back in time to join two backpackers exploring Europe in the 1980s, and we find out how they’re connected to Swiss mercenaries hitting...

In 2020, getting the kind of schooling you want for your kids sometimes meant moving halfway across the world, at the drop of a hat. Meet a Swiss woman in California who did just that.

When you first see her with her sleek bob and glossy fingernails, it’s kind of surprising to learn that Gabriela Martina was raised on a farm. But it’s memories of her rural upbringing that power some of her music.Over a decade ago, she left her home in...

In this episode of Inside Geneva, we take a look at the ongoing conflict in Syria. Shouldn’t it be over by now? Could humanitarian groups be doing more? Host Imogen Foulkes is joined by Jan Egeland, who served for several years as chair of the UN’s humanitarian task force for Syria, and Fabrizio Carboni, now the ICRC’s director of operations for the Middle East. Subscribe to this podcast, for example on Apple Podcasts, PlayerFM or Spotify, to ensure that you don’t miss the next episode.

In this episode of Inside Geneva, we take a look at the ongoing conflict in Syria.Shouldn’t it be over by now? Could humanitarian groups be doing more?Host Imogen Foulkes is joined by Jan Egeland, who served for several years as chair of the UN’s humanitarian task force for Syria, and Fabrizio Carboni, now the ICRC’s director of operations for the Middle East.Subscribe to this podcast, for example on Apple Podcasts, PlayerFM or Spotify, to ensure that you don’t miss the next episode.

In this episode of Inside Geneva we take a look at the shifting influences in the United Nations – especially with regard to China.  As the United States slowly withdraws from the multilateral system and focuses on its ‘America First’ policy, China appears to be filling the political vacuum. In this edition of our Inside Geneva series, host Imogen Foulkes is joined by analyst Daniel Warner, China watcher Meg Davis from the Graduate Institute, and Sarah Brooks from the International Service...

In this episode of Inside Geneva we take a look at the shifting influences in the United Nations – especially with regard to China. As the United States slowly withdraws from the multilateral system and focuses on its ‘America First’ policy, China appears to be filling the political vacuum.In this edition of our Inside Geneva series, host Imogen Foulkes is joined by analyst Daniel Warner, China watcher Meg Davis from the Graduate Institute, and Sarah Brooks from the International Service for...

By day, Florian Roth is a lawyer and Jessica Wezel is a medical insurance specialist; by night, they are Flo & Jessie, two young stars of Switzerland's lively country music scene.  In this podcast they explain how they got the country bug, why they think country music is so popular in Switzerland – and the secret of a successful duo.  We also hear some of the tracks from their debut album, an EP of six original songs which will be launched on April 4. I’ve Gone My Way was recorded with...

By day, Florian Roth is a lawyer and Jessica Wezel is a medical insurance specialist; by night, they are Flo & Jessie, two young stars of Switzerland's lively country music scene. In this podcast they explain how they got the country bug, why they think country music is so popular in Switzerland – and the secret of a successful duo. We also hear some of the tracks from their debut album, an EP of six original songs which will be launched on April 4. I’ve Gone My Way was recorded with The...

In this episode of Inside Geneva, we go behind the scenes at the world's most important gathering on human rights, now underway in Geneva. It's the UN Human Rights Council, where Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, is a crucial voice. He's been criticised for not doing enough about human rights violations, so people were eager to hear his keynote speech to the council. In this edition of our Inside Geneva series, host Imogen Foulkes welcomes Hilary Power of...