Terror attacks abroad, rightwing policies and a biased media are all reasons why Muslims increasingly seem to have a bad image in Switzerland, a report has found. In particular the debate surrounding the national minaret vote of 2009 – in which the building of minarets was banned – was revealed […]
Mosques are a part of the Swiss landscape: there are over 100 dotted around the country. There are four minarets in Switzerland – in Geneva, Zurich, Wangen and Winterthur.
At some point markets will recognize that a rapidly-shrinking pool of workers and customers in parts of Europe cannot generate profits. Why would anyone buy a 30-year bond from any of these countries when by 2041 there won’t be enough taxpayers left to pay the coupons. Read More http://blog.atimes.net/?p=1845
Despite the myriad problems currently facing the European Union, democratization is not the answer. Rather, the EU’s elites need to improve — and power has to be taken away from the periphery. More: http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,773071,00.html
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has threatened to attack Europe in revenge for Nato’s operations in Libya. Col Gaddafi said Libya would target European “homes, offices, families” unless Nato stopped its campaign. He spoke via an audio message broadcast to tens of thousands of supporters gathered in a central Tripoli square. […]
The Church of England is to review its policy towards same-sex relationships and consider allowing gay clergy to be ordained as bishops. It comes after a rise in the number of clergy entering civil partnerships. There is also pressure on the Church to conform to laws guaranteeing equal treatment to […]
by Urs Geiser, swissinfo.ch The government will not introduce specific regulations on organised assisted suicide, but will extend measures to boost palliative care and suicide prevention. The decision is the latest step in a drawn-out public controversy over current regulations on the right to die and so-called ‘suicide tourism’ – […]
Following the massive Yes vote in the referendum, a strong bout of Catholic atheism is definitively on the rise, though it has not yet reached the stage of an epidemic. As the words ‘Catholic’ and ‘atheism’ do not normally stand together an explanation is due. There are at least three […]
Professors at the University of Zurich are contemplating how the Islamic family law could be integrated in Switzerland. It would not be necessary to go to the Civil marriage registrar, instead polygamy could come. Swiss Universities are working on a concept to integrate the Islamic family law into the Swiss […]
As if what happened in the Arabia in the seventh century and spread to most of the known world in the next three centuries was a phantom, Wall Street Journal reports some strange developments in Germany: MÜNSTER, Germany — Muhammad Sven Kalisch, a Muslim convert and Germany’s first professor of Islamic theology, […]
By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News, Paris The announcement will be made at the Paris Air Show on Wednesday. It will come from European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani, who has overall responsibility in Brussels for the flagship EU space project. He is using the event at Le Bourget […]
German cities are among the greenest in Europe, according to a new survey ranking urban centres around the world depending upon their environmental footprint. Read More…
Life on earth has always been a challenge for mankind, surviving between problems, material as well as spiritual. At different times, there were different problems; there were always hurdles to be overcome and threatening dangers to be conquered. One of the distinctive characteristics of the times we live in is […]
Airbus had a few setbacks over the weekend, but it whipped up much excitement with talk of a supersonic “commercial rocket plane” ahead of the Paris Air Show, which opened on Monday. The aircraft is meant to be a greener replacement for the retired Concorde. Airbus has a new dream, […]
A UNHCR report released today reveals deep imbalance in international support for the world’s forcibly displaced, with a full four-fifths of the world’s refugees being hosted by developing countries – and at a time of rising anti-refugee sentiment in many industrialized ones. UNHCR’s 2010 Global Trends report released on World Refugee Day […]
UNHCR goodwill ambassador and Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie visited asylum seekers held in detention and open centres in Malta yesterday morning. During an unannounced visit, Ms Jolie spoke with migrants held at Lyster Barracks and then visited the Ħal-Far Hangar Open centre where families are housed in tents. The Oscar-winning […]
Wide divergences in how member states process claims for asylum must be significantly reduced, says EU Commissioner responsible for migration issues Cecilia Malmström. European Commissioner for home affairs Cecilia Malmström today inaugurated the European Asylum Support office (EASO), a new European Union agency based in Malta. The documents of establishment were […]
France’s Energy Minister Eric Besson is urging the European Commission to tackle the knock-on effects of Germany’s decision to abandon nuclear power, fearing energy supplies problems, in a letter seen Friday. “Our national decisions can have a substantial impact on the balance between electricity demand and supply in other European […]
by Dale Bechtel, swissinfo.ch The authorities have placed strict conditions on an agreement governing the independent monitoring of forced deportations of rejected asylum seekers. Monitors deployed by the Federation of Protestant Churches in a six-month trial period starting in July will not be allowed to go public with their reports. […]
A string of attacks on European IKEA stores have left company officials and police baffled. The latest scare occurred in the German city Kiel on Wednesday, just five days after the minor explosion of an incendiary device at one of the Swedish retailer’s stores in Dresden. For most IKEA shoppers, the largest […]