Mourad Laachraoui was left ‘devastated’ by his brother’s actions. Photo: Emmanual Dunand/AFP Published: 20 May 2016 15:28 GMT+02:00 Belgian Mourad Laachraoui, the younger brother of one of the Brussels airport bombers, has won gold in the European Taekwondo Championships and will compete in this summer’s Olympics. Switzerland condemns Brussels attacks […]
FACT CHECK By Geraldine Wong Sak Hoi with input from Duc-Quang Nguyen and Stefania Summermatter MAY 25, 2016 – 11:00 (Keystone) As voters prepare to vote on reforms to Switzerland’s asylum law on June 5, the conservative right Swiss People’s Party has insisted that most applicants arriving in the country […]
By swissinfo.ch and agencies MAY 25, 2016 – 12:20 Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga at the traditional New Year’s reception of the diplomatic corps. Basel’s education body says shaking hands is important for one’s future career (Keystone) Students in canton Basel Country can no longer refuse to shake a teacher’s hand on religious […]
HUMANITARIAN AID MAY 23, 2016 – 14:12 Currently a record 125 million people worldwide need help to survive, according to UN figures. (Keystone) Switzerland is not doing enough to combat suffering in the world, says Swiss foreign minister Didier Burkhalter. The country would have liked to host the UN’s first World […]
IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTIVITY High score for Swiss university system … MAY 24, 2016 – 01:01 Various rankings look at different aspects of higher education, helping students to make important decisions about their future (Keystone) Switzerland has come out high in another international ranking of universities. The Universitas 21 analysis puts […]
FAST-TRACK ASYLUM Is this the future of handling asylum requests? By Isobel Leybold-Johnson, Zurich MAY 22, 2016 – Staff at the test centre take on the roles during a “hearing” of an asylum seeker during the tour for journalists (Keystone) Voters will shortly decide on whether to speed up asylum […]
By Julia Crawford, JusticeInfo.net MAY 23, 2016 – 17:00 An ICRC humanitarian convoy delivering aid to the residents of a suburb of Damascus held by rebels and under siege from government forces since 2013 (Reuters) The Geneva Conventions form the heart of International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which is supposed to […]
PRISONER TESTIMONIES Stories of torture in Syria shock Swiss students By Islah Bakhat, Bern MAY 18, 2016 – http://www.swissino.ch In Bern, some 170 pupils under the age of 20 came to hear the activists’ testimony. (swissinfo.ch) Two Syrian refugees have described to Swiss students the brutal torture they suffered while in […]
REDISTRIBUTION PROGRAMME MAY 13, 2016 – 15:32 The group is made up of asylum seekers who reached Italy via the Mediterranean (Keystone) A group of 10 asylum seekers from Italy has arrived in Switzerland under the European Union’s refugee relocation programme. They are part of a pilot group of 30 […]
NO STATUS see video report: http://tp.srgssr.ch/p/inline?urn=urn:swi:video:42046214 EMBED CODE APR 4, 2016 – 15:45 Sometimes asylum seekers go underground, as they have no hope of getting official refugee status. They’re known as “sans papiers” (without papers). (SRF/swissinfo.ch) Asylum is only granted to those who face persecution or imprisonment in their country […]
Family trusts US tax havens – the new Switzerland? By Kara Scannell and Vanessa Houlder May 9, 2016 – 09:14 What would the former US presidents have made of South Dakota’s status as a booming tax haven? (Keystone) After pursuing Swiss banks for helping Americans hide money, the United States […]
Published: 09 May 2016 http://www.thelocal.ch A ‘beard society’ in the Gruyère region of Switzerland marked its 75th anniversary on the weekend with a mini festival celebrating Swiss folk traditions. Yodelling, alphorn and artisan crafts were on the programme at the festival in Vuadens, in the canton of Fribourg, from […]
Despite the strong showing, ETH Zurich was down four places on last years result. Photo: Ed Seymour ETH Zurich rides high in key uni reputation poll Published: 06 May 2016 11:51 GMT+02:00 Swiss federal technology institute ETH Zurich is the highest rated university in continental Europe, a prestigious new survey […]
Australian model Mecca Laalaa in a tight-fitting Islamic swimsuit, or burqini. File photo: AFP Anger as Basel pool bans ‘maxi burqinis’ Published: 29 Apr 2016 12:23 GMT+02:00 Updated: 29 Apr 2016 14:00 GMT+02:00 A swimming pool in Basel which is popular with Muslims has banned certain types of burqinis as […]
Intelligence report May 2, 2016 – 16:02 Markus Seiler, head of the Federal Intelligence Service, presented his department’s latest report on Monday. (Keystone) In its latest report, the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) has said it is monitoring the social media activity of about 400 potential jihadis. However, no individuals have […]
Helping hands (and feet) When humanitarian assistance turns hi-tech By Isobel Leybold-Johnson May 2, 2016 – 14:45 In 2014, the ICRC helped 300,000 people via its physical rehabilitation services and prostheses (cicr) An affordable prosthetic foot for war amputees is the Lausanne-based Humanitarian Tech Hub’s first project. The research and […]
This letter needs no explanation. Albert Einstein Today the word “Einstein” is synonymous with genius, but young Albert didn’t speak fluently until he was nine-years-old, causing teachers to think he was slow. He was expelled from school for his rebellious nature and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School. […]
ALPINE RESEARCH Iron Age man was a fan of Swiss cheese APR 26, 2016 – 19:25 Dominique Yersin produces Etivaz cheese on the Le Grin alpine pasture at Chateau d’Oex […]
Photo: Josh Edelson/AFP Published: 25 Apr 2016 12:33 GMT+02:00 Solar Impulse 2, the Swiss-based plane attempting to be the first aircraft to circumnavigate the globe on solar power, has landed in California after crossing the Pacific from Hawaii. Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard completed the 62-hour leg of the journey on […]
APR 25, 2016 – 14:24 Many of the clandestine immigrants from Europe work in seasonal agricultural jobs (Keystone) According to a report released by the State Secretariat for Migration on Monday, the number of clandestine immigrants residing in Switzerland is estimated to have decreased over the last decade. The authorities […]