Mainstream contemporary art bursts on the scene at the Beyeler, laughter on the brain and we talk to an Australian comedian going for guffaws in Switzerland.

The ’Ndrangheta, a criminal organisation based in Calabria, are at the top of the Swiss judicial authorities list of major concerns. Several experts believe Switzerland is unprepared for the battle against the Italian mafia.

Cocaine use has exploded in recent years. From the foothills of the Andes, the drug is transported to all four corners of the globe. The 'Ndrangheta mafia clan is one of the main players in this illicit trade.

European countries including Switzerland should harmonise anti-mafia laws and introduce decisive measures to freeze and confiscate assets if they are to have any hope of defeating the notorious Italian criminal clans, an expert says.

Switzerland and four other states have withdrawn a draft resolution on reforming the working methods of the United Nations Security Council. The text was intended to make the UN’s most powerful organ more transparent and accountable.

Raising ticket and fuel surcharge prices and reshuffling ground staff are some of the measures being considered by Swiss International Air Lines to stave off tough competition and ever rising costs.

Parts of Switzerland woke up to snow on Thursday morning as some parts of the country experienced the coldest mid-May weather in 30 years. Temperatures dropped to as low as -6.9 degrees Celsius at Samedan in canton Graubünden.

Newly installed in a 19th century mansion in the leafy suburb of Versoix, a short hop from the city centre, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s non-profit environmental group R20 is the latest addition to International Geneva’s burgeoning green hub.

International Geneva is described as a sprawling mansion that needs modernising. But the challenges are daunting: budgetary pressures, fluctuating exchange rates, insecurity, housing and office shortages, and an urgent need for renovation.

Newly installed in a 19th-century mansion in the leafy suburb of Versoix, a short hop from the city centre, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s non-profit environmental group R20 is the latest addition to International Geneva’s burgeoning green hub.

Swiss luxury goods group Richemont reported sales increased 29 per cent to €8.87 billion (SFr10.65billion) for the year 2011-12 ended March 31. Net profit rose 43 per cent to €1.54 billion.

The Swiss cabinet has recommended the rejection of an initiative that would see its seven members elected popularly rather than by parliament as is currently the case, saying such a change would have a negative effect on Swiss democracy.

Ivan Glasenberg, the CEO of Swiss-based commodities giant Glencore, insists his company is doing a lot to help the people in the places where it operates – and that it would be willing to do more.

The Swiss cabinet has given the green light to swissinfo.ch’s mandate for 2013-2016, which has a new editorial focus following the reduction of its budget by a third.

The Swiss cabinet has given the green light to swissinfo.ch’s mandate for 2013-2016, which has a new editorial focus following the reduction of its budget by a third.

Every year, the red carpet is rolled out at the Cannes International Film Festival. The stars celebrate glamour, fashion, beauty and – not least – themselves.

From the dreams of young Swiss revolutionaries in the 1970s to the fantasies of a 50-year-old Lisbon dockworker who wants to run away to Sweden, two very different Swiss films are up for an award in Cannes this year.

Swiss director Nicolas Wadimoff’s Opération Libertad features in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight section. In the film, a revolutionary group tries to uncover a 1970s money laundering operation by a South American dictator in a Swiss bank.

A study of employment rates by the Federal Statistics Office has revealed a larger proportion of Swiss are in the employment market than the European Union average, but also that they are more likely to work part time.

The Federal Migration Office has launched a language training system specifically defined around the integration needs of migrants. The course will be gradually introduced in collaboration with the cantons from the summer.