SWI Podcasts

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Channel • 8 Shows

Natural Sciences

Natural Sciences

Updated Jan 27
Politics

Politics

Updated Biweekly
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated 12/23/2025
Society & Culture

Society & Culture

Updated 12/23/2025
Politics

Politics

Updated 06/24/2025
Science

Science

Updated Weekly
Medicine

Medicine

Updated Weekly

FEB 3

The Board of Peace, war and impunity

Send us a text On Inside Geneva this week, we take an in-depth look at US President Donald Trump’s new ‘Board of Peace’. Experts on conflict resolution are sceptical. “The US circulated an invitation to about 60 countries to join a new board of peace that would not just focus on Gaza but would instead be a global conflict prevention organisation, complete with a pre-baked charter that looks a bit like President Trump took the protocols for a golf club in New Jersey,” says Richard Gowan from the International Crisis Group. Still, the new board could be a challenge to the United Nations (UN). “I don’t really think this is a credible international institution that will have the capacities of the UN, but I do think that it is a very worrying signal for the UN,” Gowan says. We also hear about a new report on growing disrespect for international law. “People only have to look around at the conflicts that they’re seeing today, and the extent of devastation both of civilian life and of civilian property, to know that we are in very bleak times. Disregard of international law is not new. What I think is new is the extent to which it’s being flouted,” says Stuart Casey-Maslen from the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law. Are governments swapping international obligations for short-term political gain? “We look at what’s happened in Gaza. We see the destruction of hospitals in Sudan. We see that people do this and are not held to account. We have institutions, we have the International Criminal Court, but even there, there’s an attempt to undermine it. It becomes a political decision rather than simply a legal one: respect for the law,” says Casey-Maslen. Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva to listen to the full episode. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the international Geneva please visit www.swissinfo.ch/ Host: Imogen Foulkes Production assitant: Claire-Marie Germain Distribution: Sara Pasino Marketing: Xin Zhang

Feb 3

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39 min
FEB 3

Bonus Episode - The Trends Shaping the Pharmaceutical Industry in 2026

Send us a text Join host, Jo Fahy, and pharmaceuticals and healthcare reporter, Jessica Davis Pluss, to weigh up the forces shaping pharma in 2026. From AI’s real gains in clinics and labs, to the case for inclusive data, we also discuss the politics of who funds innovation, and why rare diseases and antibiotics deserve our focus. SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland.

Feb 3

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16 min
11/25/2025

How Michael Hall’s TOR Discovery Reframed Longevity Science

Send us a text We trace how a soil-derived drug led to the discovery of mTOR, why growth control sits at the core of aging biology, and where evidence ends for humans. Michael Hall’s quiet breakthroughs explain fasting, autophagy, and rapamycin without the hype. To read more about this topic and for more science stories, visit our website swisinfo.ch. You can help other people to find our podcast by leaving us a five-star review. Journalist: Jessica Davis Plüss Host: Jo Fahy Audio editor/video journalist: Michele Andina Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland.

11/25/2025

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18 min
12/09/2025

Inside Geneva: Are we throwing away international law?

Send us a text On Inside Geneva this week: what does international law mean to you? “When your government is not there to uphold your rights, it’s that safety net – to think that there’s something else out there, other sets of rules that can help right wrongs and bring about some form of justice as well,” says Kasmira Jefford, editor at Geneva Solutions. The Geneva conventions, bans on torture and landmines: global rules that should protect us. And international courts to ensure accountability. “I think there's a different expectation, a different hope for international law today. We now have many rules that are far more ambitious than they used to be,” says Nico Krisch, professor of International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute. But do they work? “All the justices saying X about Gaza, about Netanyahu. All the decisions of the International Criminal Court. Show me the results. Show me when Putin comes to Alaska. Show me when Netanyahu comes to the White House. How many violations can there be before the treaty or the norm becomes invalid? I think we’re seeing a level of violation that is extraordinary,” says analyst Daniel Warner. Do governments even want the laws to work? “I think if somebody proposed today to create an International Criminal Court, they’d be laughed at. This isn’t the diplomatic climate for such ventures,” continues Krisch. “The way certain leaders are acting today is not sustainable. They might get away with cherry-picking parts of treaties they like best for a while, but at some point there will be a reaction. It could be climate change, it could be massive natural disasters forcing us to work together,” adds Jefford. “We have these laws because we made some awful mistakes and committed terrible crimes. What I really hope is that we don’t have to reinvent everything because we made the same mistakes again,” says host Imogen Foulkes. Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the international Geneva please visit www.swissinfo.ch/ Host: Imogen Foulkes Production assitant: Claire-Marie Germain Distribution: Sara Pasino Marketing: Xin Zhang

12/09/2025

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37 min
JAN 27 · BONUS

Bonus Episode - Inside Switzerland’s Quiet Rise as a Longevity Hub

Send us a text How did longevity go from a social media trend to a focus of serious science? In this special bonus episode our host, Jo Fahy, is joined in the studio by pharmaceuticals and healthcare reporter, Jessica Davis Pluss. We trace how Switzerland was uniquely positioned to become a global hub for healthier ageing. We also compare lifespan and health span, examine why access to clinics is so tightly guarded, and discuss why the pharmaceutical industry is moving cautiously in this growing field. SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland.

Jan 27 · Bonus

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26 min
JAN 6

Looking back at 2025, and looking forward to 2026

Send us a text This week on Inside Geneva, we discuss the key stories of 2025 that we know will continue to make the news in 2026. “The top story of 2025 has been the cuts to the humanitarian aid sector. We knew that, with Donald Trump returning to the White House, cuts were likely, but we did not expect them to be so brutal,” says Swissinfo journalist Dorian Burkhalter. “I wanted to talk about Gaza, which has been one of the main issues I’ve been writing about for the past two years. It has been, in the words of many humanitarians, the most horrific humanitarian crisis they have seen in their careers,” adds Reuters journalist Emma Farge. “My story of 2025 is climate change. The village of Blatten was completely wiped off the map by a combination of a weak glacier and an unstable mountainside,” says Inside Geneva host Imogen Foulkes. “Ukraine. Peace talks have taken place here in Geneva quite recently. All the talk of peace has eclipsed the humanitarian toll of the conflict: the large numbers of Ukrainians hunted down by drones,” says Nick Cumming-Bruce, contributor for The New York Times: What do you think will be the key challenges for 2026? Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the international Geneva please visit www.swissinfo.ch/ Host: Imogen Foulkes Production assitant: Claire-Marie Germain Distribution: Sara Pasino Marketing: Xin Zhang

Jan 6

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41 min
11/25/2025

Inside Geneva: is climate change the forgotten crisis?

Send us a text COP30 has ended without a firm commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Inside Geneva talks to some campaigners who remain surprisingly optimistic. “I’m actually quite hopeful, and I think that the answer is probably coming from the countries and the communities that have the most to lose,” says Candy Ofime, from the Climate Justice Team at Amnesty International. Indigenous peoples made their voices heard at COP30. They have deep knowledge of land use and forest preservation, which can help us tackle global warming. “The answer is us and that was part of the campaign that we had as indigenous peoples. [We said] ‘pay attention to the world.’ Basically the solution that many of us are looking for has already been happening in the indigenous local communities,” says Deborah Sanchez, from the Community Land Rights and Climate Initiative (Clarifi). Some now suggest global warming is a hoax…but the scientific evidence proves otherwise. It is damaging our planet and our health. “These are clever people who want what’s best for you and can read a temperature graph, and they know that there are concrete actions that you can take which are good for your health, as well as good for the planet,” says Diarmid Campbell Lendrum, from the climate change and health unit at the World Health Organization (WHO). So does it matter that the world’s super power, and biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, stayed away from COP30? “The US is usually a blocker, and sometimes having the biggest polluters not in the room allows for consensus to be reached. And so in this forum, decisions have to be made, and they will be made with or without the United States,” says Ofime. Can the world tackle climate change without the US? Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the international Geneva please visit www.swissinfo.ch/ Host: Imogen Foulkes Production assitant: Claire-Marie Germain Distribution: Sara Pasino Marketing: Xin Zhang

11/25/2025

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31 min
12/02/2025

Rethinking Aging: Science, Society, And The Stories We Tell

Send us a text Want a longer life that still feels like yours? We sit down with psychologist Christina Röcke of the University of Zurich’s Healthy Longevity Center to unpack what actually fuels healthy aging—and what’s just marketing noise. From blue-zone myths to AI-driven biohacking, we trace why the longevity boom exploded and where the evidence really points: consistent movement, quality relationships, realistic stress strategies, and communities that make healthy choices simple. Join Swissinfo for a debate on this topic or read more of our science stories, by visiting our website swisinfo.ch. You can help other people to find our podcast by leaving us a five-star review. Journalist: Jessica Davis Plüss Host: Jo Fahy Audio editor/video journalist: Michele Andina Distribution and Marketing: Xin Zhang SWI swissinfo.ch is a public service media company based in Bern, Switzerland.

12/02/2025

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20 min
06/24/2025

Let's talk: «C’est une honte que des retraités suisses doivent compter chaque centime»

Faut-il verser une rente supplémentaire de l’assurance vieillesse aux Suisses ou les faire travailler un an de plus? Les deux invités de notre débat filmé Let’s Talk ont débattu de l’avenir des retraites, au cœur des votations fédérales du 3 mars 2024. swissinfo.ch/fre

06/24/2025

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45 min
JAN 20

Can a science and diplomacy partnership save the world?

Send us a text On Inside Geneva this week: world leaders are gathering in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos, but do they have any answers? “I think we are at an amazing moment in history. We have in our hands the opportunity to do well, to save our own environment, the planet, to take the right decisions to bring humanity onto a good path,” says Marilyne Andersen, Director General of the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator (GESDA). But will they take that path? Technology is racing ahead. “Human rights, like every other field, are very much under the influence now of what’s happening in technology and science. It’s one of the destabilising factors right now,” says Jürg Lauber, Swiss ambassador to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva. “I was absolutely sure that a robot can kill a human. We are living in a situation where we don’t even have these AI ethics,” says Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva. “If we just do things when they have already happened, then it’s too late and technology has already evolved to the next stage,” says Sylvie Briand, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization (WHO). International law is being abandoned. “War is a terrible thing, but at some stage in the past, human beings decided to write the Geneva Conventions to at least reduce a little bit the horror of war,” adds Sami Kanaan, former mayor of Geneva. In Geneva, a group is pushing for partnerships between science and politics, so we’re ready for the challenges ahead. “Let’s take advantage of knowing what is coming to act on it now and not be in reactive mode, not in catch‑up mode,” says Andersen. Join host Imogen Foulkes on Inside Geneva. Get in touch! Email us at insidegeneva@swissinfo.ch Twitter: @ImogenFoulkes and @swissinfo_en Thank you for listening! If you like what we do, please leave a review or subscribe to our newsletter. For more stories on the international Geneva please visit www.swissinfo.ch/ Host: Imogen Foulkes Production assitant: Claire-Marie Germain Distribution: Sara Pasino Marketing: Xin Zhang

Jan 20

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31 min

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