Timely: from train punctuality to luxury watch sales
Here are the stories we’ll be following the week of March 19:
Monday
This week, Switzerland officially takes over the leadership of the UN-sponsored Conference on Nuclear Disarmament, which has been stuck in a deadlock for two decades even as nuclear tensions build worldwide. Our piece on Monday will examine how non-nuclear Switzerland might be able to find a way forward.
Tuesday
On this morning, the Swiss Federal Railways will hold its annual press conference, in which they will communicate the past year’s round-up of facts and figures for punctuality and quality of service. We’ll find out if the Swiss can still set their watches to the departure or arrival of Swiss trains.
Wednesday
On the eve of the 2018 Baselworld event – the world’s biggest watch and jewellery fair – we investigate how the luxury watch industry is approaching internet sales. swissinfo.ch interviews representatives from four different brands to see how they’ve handled the transition from showroom to online orders.
Thursday
Researchers at Lucerne University have found that local parliamentary candidates with non-Swiss-sounding names are more likely to be crossed off a ballot list by voters, and therefore “incur a significant electoral penalty”. What do these findings mean for direct democracy in Switzerland?
Friday
We visit five villages to get a sense of Switzerland’s bottom up approach to democracy. Town hall meetings are held regularly in the lion’s share of Swiss communities and are therefore key to giving Swiss citizens a voice in local politics.
In case you missed it:
More
Brexit – the view from Switzerland
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