Easter customs have deep roots
by Julia Slater, swissinfo.ch The Easter story lies at the heart of the Christian religion, but many people nowadays associate Easter rather with hunting for eggs and taking a few […]
Cinema confronts fear of Islam
by Stefania Summermatter in Fribourg, swissinfo.ch The Toulouse killings have reignited the debate on integration of Muslims in Europe. The issue is also being tackled by contemporary film-makers. A dagger-toting, double-crossing villain with a moustache, a Middle-Eastern accent and an evil look in his eye: whether in literature or in […]
Swiss team to assist at Pakistan avalanche site
A team from the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit has been flown to Pakistan to assist in rescue efforts following an avalanche in a Himalayan region that buried 135 people. The […]
Church looks to a future with fewer priests
by Morven McLean, swissinfo.ch A light-filled chapel forms the heart of the seminary in Villars-sur-Glâne near Fribourg. Built 30 years ago to hold 40 young men, it currently houses five. […]
Swiss treks across Japan to boot radiation fears
A Swiss man who walked from Hokkaido to Kagoshima Prefecture on foot in five months to dispel fears of radiation in the country among people overseas is receiving worldwide attention. Thomas Kohler, 44, worked at a travel agency in Zurich before the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power […]
Germany Outraged over Swiss Arrest Warrants
Credit: Spiegel Gemany. REUTERS Credit Suisse headquarters in Zurich. Many German politicians and tax collectors are furious about Switzerland’s decision to issue arrest warrants against three German officials who bought a stolen CD with tax data. The move has gone down well in Switzerland, where politicians have praised the country’s […]
Making sense of the language confusion
by Julia Slater, swissinfo.ch It’s astonishing that the Swiss can understand each other. Not only do they have four languages, but well over half of them speak one way and write another. Switzerland is at the intersection of three major European cultures – German, French and Italian – and the […]
Child beggars “should be seen as victims”
by Thomas Stephens, swissinfo.ch Roma children who beg and steal in Switzerland are not offenders but rather victims of human trafficking who need better protection, says a report. Putting these […]
Swiss want to “democratise” UN Security Council
by Rita Emch in New York, swissinfo.ch Switzerland and four other states have submitted a draft resolution with proposals for improving the working methods of the United Nations’ most powerful organ. The aim of the reforms submitted to the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday by the “Small […]
Switzerland: Swimming lessons also for Muslims
Lausanne, Switzerland. The federal court as expected upheld its decision of 3 years ago that Muslim children should not be given permission to skip the obligatory mixed-gender swimming lessons in […]
Antibiotic crisis – Modern farming and its risks for human health.
Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization warns that resistance to antibiotics could bring “the end of modern medicine as we know it”. Already a scratch on the leg of a child could have fatal consequences. The problem is also caused by modern agriculture, where feeding antibiotics to cattle […]
First all-diamond, 150-carat ring worth $70 million crafted
By REUTERS ARABNEWS BERNE: Switzerland’s Shawish Jewelry has created the world’s first diamond ring. Not impressed? Well, consider that the entire ring is carved from a diamond, whereas most other […]
Swiss open embassy in “rising” power Qatar
by Rachid Khechana in Doha, swissinfo.ch Switzerland is preparing to open an embassy in Qatar, a country it sees as an increasingly important player in the region. Ambassador Martin Aeschbacher tells swissinfo.ch that the small Gulf kingdom “is on the rise” economically. Aeschbacher says relations with Gulf states are growing […]
Swiss played “crucial” role in Evian talks
by Samuel Jaberg, swissinfo.ch Fifty years ago French and Algerian representatives signed a series of peace accords in the French town of Evian, ending Algeria’s brutal eight-year war of independence. By offering its good offices under a policy of active neutrality, which helped resolve the conflict, historian Marc Perrenoud tells […]
Switzerland: Muslims advise fellow believers how to integrate
A group of Swiss Muslims has published recommendations for integration in response to a nationwide vote which banned the construction of minarets in Switzerland. The 2009 initiative to ban construction […]
Africans in Switzerland find a common voice
by Stefania Summermatter, swissinfo.ch Some fled from a country torn by war. Others were following the dream of a better future: a job, a home, a family. At the end […]
Switzerland: Twenty eight dead in Valais coach crash
A coach crash in Valais, southern Switzerland, on Tuesday night has left 28 people dead – 22 of them children. The dead and injured were among a Belgian school group […]
Bishop defends hard line on divorce
The Roman Catholic bishop of Chur, Vitus Huonder, has defended a pastoral letter in which he reminded church-goers that divorced Catholics who remarry cannot receive communion. “The ten commandments were […]
UN says readying food stocks for 1.5 mln in Syria
By ASSOCIATED PRESS ARABNEWS GENEVA: The United Nations said on Thursday that it was readying food stocks for 1.5 million people in Syria as part of a 90-day emergency contingency plan to help civilians deprived of basic supplies after nearly a year of conflict. “More needs to be done,” John […]
Switzerland: Naturalisation vote raises emotions
by Thomas Stephens, swissinfo.ch Life for aspiring Swiss in Zurich could get harder on March 11, when voters decide on whether to accept a new – and tightened – naturalisation […]