BECOMING SWISS: Naturalisations continue to fall
July 18, 2013 – 21:41 The number of people who became Swiss citizens in 2012 dropped seven per cent over the previous year, according to the latest numbers from the […]
Switzerland: MYSTERIOUS DECLINE: Asylum demands drop away
July 16, 2013 – 22:08 Asylum requests in Switzerland fell by almost by a third during the first six months of the year when compared with figures for the same period of 2012. Officials are at a loss to explain why, but do not expect the trend to continue. Between […]
Empty coffers? Church tax issue divides Swiss Catholics
by Terence MacNamee, swissinfo.ch July 17, 2013 – 11:00 Campaigns to abolish church tax on companies have triggered a wide-ranging debate on state support for religion in Switzerland. The future […]
DEGROWTH ACTIVIST: ‘Live simply to let others simply live’
by Samuel Jaberg, swissinfo.ch July 14, 2013 – 11:00 Mirko Locatelli is a hardline critic of consumerism and the Western ideology of growth. The native Italian speaker, who lives in […]
SALARY STUDY: Swiss teachers among highest paid worldwide
July 7, 2013 – 16:56 swissinfo.ch Teachers in Switzerland earn more than teachers in 34 other countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to results of an OECD study published Sunday in the newspaper Schweiz am Sonntag. They also have fewer students, but work more hours, […]
NO DRAIN? ‘Immigration leads to a healthier state’
by Scott Capper, swissinfo.ch July 2, 2013 – 21:59 Contrary to common perceptions, immigrants to Switzerland are net contributors to the country’s tax coffers rather than a drain, according to […]
The service that wasn‘t – Catholic priests withdraw from joint mass
Two Roman Catholic priests withdrew at the last moment from taking part in a celebration of the Eucharist, which was supposed to have been conducted by clergy from a range […]
OIL KING: Controversial commodity trader Marc Rich dies
by Matthew Allen in Zurich, swissinfo.ch June 26, 2013 – 11:38 Marc Rich, the billionaire oil trader who set up Swiss commodities giant Glencore Xstrata, has died at the age […]
Another view: First mosque in Switzerland celebrates its 50th anniversary
The Mahmood Mosque in the city’s Forchstrasse is celebrating its 50th anniversary this week and on Saturday it opened its doors to the public with guided tours on offer. Indeed the mosque was the first ever to be built in Switzerland. The mosque was actually built at the instigation of […]
Do you know your history? Muslim colonies in France, Italy and Switzerland in Middle ages
The extracts below are abridged quotes from Reinaud’s French work entitled ‘Invasions des sarrazinz en france, et de france en savoie en piedmont et en suisse’ published in 1836, cited in a book entitled “Muslim Colonies in France, Northern Italy and Switzerland” by Haroon Khan Sherwani. ——- “And now the whole of Switzerland […]
MIGRATION COOPERATION – Swiss and Nigerians approve migration plan
June 20, 2013 – Swissinfo.ch Nigeria has accepted an action plan proposed by Switzerland to prevent “irregular migration” and deal with other migration-related issues, the Swiss government announced on Thursday […]
Kerry: Both sides should come to the table
Speaking at the ‘Friends of Syria’ meeting in Doha, US Foreign Minister John Kerry signaled the need for talks between the regime and the opposition. “Both sides should be able to compromise. Both sides should come to the table,” he said. Kerry also said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad “internationalized […]
“Most beautiful gem”: 50 years Mahmud Mosque in Zurich
Friday 21 June 2013 The founder of the oldest mosque in Switzerland was actually sent out to build a mosque in Germany. However, due to the complicated entry procedures in […]
Switzerland’s First Mosque celebrates 50 years in Zurich
50 years ago, the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations, Pakistan’s Sir Muhammad Zafrullah Khan, inaugurated the mosque in the residential district of Balgrist in Zurich. https://themuslimtimes.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/mahmud-moschee.jpeg?resize=334%2C334 […]
BANK DEAL DEAD: Swiss parliament kills divisive US tax bill
by Urs Geiser, swissinfo.ch June 19, 2013 – 17:42 Parliament has thrown out a draft law enabling Swiss banks to hand over confidential data to the United States for cracking down on suspected tax cheats. However, it called on the cabinet to find legal means to resolve the standoff. For […]
Fight against desertification : Halting a desert with the ‘Great Green Wall’
Swissinfo.ch June 17, 2013 Advancing deserts are not unstoppable. By planting trees, it is possible to redevelop the soil and create an ecosystem that is more favourable for agriculture. The Swiss association Sylla Caap is convinced of this and in the savannah of Senegal has started building a Great Green […]
POST-LEAK FALLOUT: Swiss president calls for foreign spy inquiries
June 16, 2013 – 12:32 In response to an American whistleblower’s revelations of US spies operating in Geneva, Swiss president Ueli Maurer has called for a broadening of legislation to allow for investigations into foreign spy activity in Switzerland. “We have known for a long time that foreign information-gathering activities […]
Switzerland: FAST TRACK Quicker decisions expected for asylum seekers
June 14, 2013 – 16:40 The Swiss authorities have presented their latest proposed revision of the country’s asylum legislation, aimed notably at cutting the time needed to process requests from 1,400 days today to just 140 in most cases. Speaking in Bern on Friday, Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said the […]
Saudi Arabia: Islamic scholars, legal experts and aid workers exchange views
Saudi Arabia: Islamic scholars, legal experts and aid workers exchange views 12-06-2013 News Release 13/105 Kuwait (ICRC) – A three-day workshop on the rights and obligations of humanitarian workers within the scope of international humanitarian law and Islamic jurisprudence concluded in Jeddah today. Approximately 75 aid workers, representatives of non-governmental […]
SEEKING JUSTICE: The long road from Guantanamo to Switzerland
by Stefania Summermatter and Peter Siegenthaler, swissinfo.ch June 11, 2013 – 11:00 Illegally imprisoned for eight years, three former inmates of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp have found refuge in […]