Swiss Stories

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Drug checking – the Swiss response to the risks of drug use

Society
People have a fundamental responsibility for their own lifestyle and behaviour. The Swiss National Strategy on Addiction is based on this principle. So is the innovative Swiss approach known as 'drug checking'. Its aim is to promote health literacy among drug users by providing them with information on the composition of the drug(s) they take and increasing their awareness of the risks and consequences of their consumption of illegal substances. Although not all drug use can be prevented and many people choose to consume drugs despite the risks, Swiss drug-checking services strive to minimise risks and prevent harmful consequences such as overdosing.

by Infodrog - Swiss Office for the Coordination of Addiction Facilities

Swiss Alps © Dylan Nicolier

@mountains_rocks' Instagram

Society
Switzerland still has landscapes untouched by human activity, where the animal world prevails and a golden silence endures. It is one of the things we all love about Switzerland, and it is what inspired Dylan Nicolier to populate his Instagram account @mountains_rocks with images that prove that photographed from any angle Switzerland's beauty never fails to stop you in your tracks.
Nico Hischier

The American dream of Swiss sports stars

Society
“A flurry of goals in tonight’s NHL”, “a prolific evening for the Swiss”: these headlines from America are so commonplace that we are almost used to them. However, it took decades for Swiss sporting prowess to make its mark on the other side of the Atlantic.
Julien Gremaud

by Julien Gremaud

François Giovanola

The sound of Switzerland

Society
You may have already heard bells reverberating through Swiss pastures, in the mountains or maybe on a farm. Unless there is a church nearby, the sound of bells in Switzerland signals the presence of animals grazing. Bells, as symbols of traditional folklore, serve as shorthand for Swissness.

by Lea Huszno

Slalom

A clear run for Swiss slalom

Society
After years on the sidelines, the slalom is finally reclaiming the spotlight in Swiss competitive skiing – thanks largely to the success of two rising stars, Ramon Zenhäusern and Daniel Yule. A profile of two extraordinary champions making their mark both on and off the piste.

by Bertrand Monnard

KT Gorique

KT Gorique: the Swiss artist taking the world of hip-hop by storm

Society
Swiss artist KT Gorique is fast securing her place in the temple of hip-hop as a force to be reckoned with. From street dance to the power of words, she has found her creative identity and is not about to let go. Her music reaches from Switzerland to West Africa, resonating in Italy, Germany and France as well as the US and Canada.
Geraldine Maras au World Chocolate Master

The Queen of Swiss Chocolate

Society
For Géraldine Mueller-Maras, it's all a matter of taste: a taste for the finer things, a taste for travel and a taste for pushing the limits. And she needed all these qualities and more to be crowned Swiss Chocolate Master in 2015 and the highest-ranking woman at the 2015 World Chocolate Masters in Paris.