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Record-breaking sculpture and direct democracy in Tunis

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Here are the stories we're following in the week of May 11, 2015.

Giacometti sculpture could smash record

Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti’s most iconic and evocative masterpiece, “Pointing Man (L’homme au doigt)”, could reach a record price for a sculpture when it goes on sale in New York on Monday for the first time ever. The bronze five feet ten inches figure could fetch $130million (CHF120 million), Christies auction houseExternal link predicts.


Keystone

Ayurveda: Are you serious?

Ayurveda practitioners can soon sit for a federally recognised national exam. That should improve the standing of practitioners who have up to now lacked recognition and credibility. swissinfo.ch will report on the long road practitioners have taken to convince health insurance providers to reimburse patients for Ayurveda treatments.


swissinfo.ch

Foreign banks in Switzerland address banking secrecy

Switzerland has been taking steps to rid itself of its image as a haven for untaxed assets. Last year, it signaled its intention to introduce automatic exchange of tax information with other countries by 2018. This is the model the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) hopes to establish as the global standard for combating tax evasion. How is the foreign banking sector in Switzerland getting to grips with such fundamental changes to banking secrecy? A seminar on Tuesday promises to be quite revealing.


Reuters

Let’s talk direct democracy in Tunis

Democracy experts from around the world will be gathering in Tunisia from May 14-17 at the Global Forum on Modern Direct DemocracyExternal link to discuss the North African state’s transition to democracy. The event is co-chaired by Swiss democracy expert Bruno Kaufmann who works closely with swissinfo.ch. This week we will be providing extensive coverage, including live blogs and in-depth reports.
 

swissinfo.ch

How to live long and prosper in Switzerland

Can higher incomes lead to a longer, better life? Mike Martin, a professor at the University of Zurich, will talk to swissinfo.ch about ageing and the secret to not only living longer but healthier too.




What you may have missed last week

What do the Swiss get up to on a lazy Sunday afternoon? A new photo exhibition gives you an insight from around the country.

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What the Swiss get up to on the day of rest

This content was published on We see children, women, men, with or without dogs, sledging, washing cars, in the forest, mopping, in the allotment – or simply doing nothing at all.

Read more: What the Swiss get up to on the day of rest


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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR