EFTA is a Really European Alternative

07/10/2026

07/10/2026

One of Ukraine’s most elegant cultural landmarks has been welcoming audiences since the 19th century. 🇺🇦

The Odesa Opera House opened in 1887 and was designed by architects Ferdinand Fellner and Hermann Helmer. Its richly decorated Neo-Baroque exterior and grand theatrical interior made it one of Odesa’s defining architectural symbols.

Which detail catches your attention first—the curved façade or its setting near the Black Sea?

📍 Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, Odesa, Ukraine


[UKR|C01.01|F01|H10|S05|V01]

07/10/2026

07/10/2026

Switzerland ranks first in the Global Innovation Index for the 16th consecutive year! 🇨🇭

The GII 2026, published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), compares 139 economies. Switzerland ranks 2nd overall for innovation inputs and 1st for outputs, generating an output score around 11 points above what its level of inputs would predict.

Its strength lies in the breadth and balance of its innovation ecosystem. Switzerland ranks highly across multiple dimensions and leads the world in creative outputs, innovation linkages and knowledge creation.

This year’s report focuses on entrepreneurs at the frontier of science: the start-ups and university spin-offs turning research in fields such as life sciences, semiconductors, robotics and advanced materials into new companies. WIPO identifies 719 deep science start-ups and spin-offs in Switzerland between 2010 and 2025, while Zürich rises to 13th globally for innovation intensity, relative to population.

Sixteen years at the top reflect a system in which strong research, business, institutions and knowledge transfer work together to turn ideas into innovation.

07/10/2026

Think the post office is just about letters and stamps? Think again 📮🇨🇭

When modern Switzerland was founded in 1848, the new federal state quickly unified the mail. On 1 January 1849, Swiss Post replaced the cantons' separate postal services with a single national one. Since 1939, its colour has been yellow, from post boxes to stamp machines.

Today, Swiss Post is 100% owned by the Confederation and does far more than deliver mail. It runs PostFinance, one of Switzerland's largest financial institutions, and PostBus, the country's biggest public road transport operator. In 2025, it delivered around 1.5 billion letters and 186.6 million parcels, and PostBus carried a record 189 million passengers. Around 44,000 people keep it all moving.

It also has a legal duty to stay close to everyone: 90% of residents must be able to reach a post office or postal agency within 20 minutes on foot or by public transport, and basic postal prices can't depend on distance. The last horse-drawn post ran in 1961; since April 2026, the digital letter is part of the basic postal service.

What's the most surprising thing your national post office does? 👇

08/09/2026

З Днем Незалежності та ювілеєм, Македоніє!🇲🇰🇲🇰🇲🇰🇲🇰🇲🇰