A portrait of Swiss artist Mona Caron

Mona Caron, a native of Ticino, now works as a muralist in California, creating large-scale paintings on walls. She's the daughter of Swiss theatre and opera set designer Peter Bissegger, and attended the San Francisco Academy of Art in Illustration. Filmmaker Kate Stilley Steiner caught up with the artist in San Francisco. (Kate Stilley Steiner, swissinfo.ch)

Phone technology to reduce ski accidents on Swiss slopes

The Swiss accident insurer, Suva, has launched a free iPhone application, as part of a ski accident prevention campaign. Slope Track allows users to measure their speed, the steepness of the slope, and the distance covered. (TSR/swissinfo.ch)

The River Thur is freed from its straightjacket

Canton Zurich has been carrying out pioneering work, restoring the canalised River Thur to its natural state and reducing the risk of flooding in the area, as well as creating new habitats for wildlife. The project inspired the federal government to change the law. Developers carrying out work affecting Swiss rivers now have to follow canton Zurich's example and try to renaturalise water courses, thus promoting biodiversity. (Julie Hunt,swissinfo.ch)

Stories of deportation: two cases of people who grew up in Switzerland

The Swiss have voted to automatically expel foreigners who commit certain crimes - including welfare fraud and theft – with no right of appeal. Deporting foreign criminals is possible under current laws, but is decided on a case by case basis. Two stories of men who grew up in Switzerland but were forced to leave. One is now in Germany. (TSR Mise au Point – swissinfo.ch)

How to protect your smartphone from beeing hacked

Millions of smart phones have been sold in the world. They can make life easier, but they can also be easy prey for hackers. Private emails and calls can be pirated but even worse: bank accounts are vulnerable. Banks are doing what they can to protect their clients. (TSR-swissinfo.ch)

Toy collector brings old masterpiece back to life

Hanspeter Kyburz is passionate about mechanical toys and musical boxes. At this year’s collector’s fair in Zurich the dealer presented a very special piece: a wooden village that had travelled a long way. (SF/swissinfo.ch)

What the Swiss think about moves to limit access to army weapons

The Swiss are about to vote on a proposal aimed at limiting access to guns. Members of the militia army keep their personal army-issue rifles at home - in many cases even after the completion of mandatory service. But after a series of attacks and family killings involving military weapons, an anti-gun initiative was launched. Swiss TV carried out its own survey to find out how ordinary people will vote. (SF/swissinfo.ch)

Recycling in Indien mit Schweizer Hilfe

Alte Computer, Telefone und Fernsehgeräte erhalten in den Vororten der indischen Hauptstadt Neu Delhi ein zweites Leben. Ein grosser Teil des elektrischen und elektronischen Schrotts (E-Waste) muss aber mit Hilfe von gefährlichen Verfahren rezykliert werden. Mit Hilfe der Schweiz sind lokale Nichtregierungs-Organisationen, wie zum Beispiel Toxicx Link, daran, Lösungen zu finden, die für Mensch und Umwelt weniger gefährlich sind. (Luigi Jorio, swissinfo.ch)

Masked rituals in northwestern Switzerland

Hallwil in northwestern Switzerland celebrates the New Year with a ritual involving masked wild looking characters. The brown group symbolises winter and death, the green one spring and life. The wild men run around the village hugging as many people as they can, especially women. (SF–swissinfo.ch)

Handschrift am Computer - eine Schweizer Erfindung