Saturday 25.05.2013  
 
 
 

Quest for identity

Artist creates his own Japan in Switzerland

My name is David "Takashi" Favrod. I was born on July 2, 1982, in Kobe, Japan, to a Japanese mother and a Swiss father. When I was six months old, my parents decided to come and live in Vionnaz, a small village in the lower Valais.  [...]

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Swiss politics

The big bad foreigner in poster art

There are many Swiss political posters bedeviling foreigners

First it was Bolsheviks and Jews. Then it was migrant workers from Southern Europe. Now it’s more exotic newcomers such as Muslims. There have been many Swiss political posters bedeviling foreigners, as displayed in an open-air exhibition in Neuchâtel.  [...]

Old instruments made new

The bassoon's revenge

Lyndon Watts

With help from Swiss experts, world-renowned musician Lyndon Watts sought to feature his instrument and resurrect one of the greatest models ever made: the legendary Savary bassoon, once considered the “Stradivarius of bassoons”.  [...]

New lives

Resettling the vulnerable who cannot go home

An Iraqi refugee family at an UNHCR reception area in Beirut

Resettlement in the West for the most vulnerable of the more than 1.5 million people who have fled Syria is as good as winning the lottery. For its part, Switzerland has only taken a handful and there are obstacles to opening the door wider.  [...]

Keeping company

Labour agreement faces social test

The Trade Union Federation wants collective bargaining agreements for all sales staff in shoe shops

As support for the free movement of workers accord with the European Union is waning, Swiss employers and unions are agreed on combating labour market abuses and tightening controls. But they are at loggerheads over the issue of minimum wages.  [...]

Neither war nor peace

Battle begins against drones and killer robots

The Taranis, named after the Celtic god of thunder, is a British military drone prototype

The intensive use of drones by the Obama administration is feeding a wave of protest and criticism which reaches Geneva next week when a coalition of NGOs will call for a halt to the race to build technology for autonomous killing robots.  [...]

Gymnastics coach

'It’s a great feeling to fly, to twist, to rotate'

Reto Marthaler

Although his profession is teaching business, Reto Marthaler’s passion is gymnastics. He spends hundreds of hours per year organising local and regional boys’ programmes. The sport is on his mind “every day, every hour, every second”.  [...]

Appenzell electro dulcimer

Instrument unites traditional and techno

Appenzell electro dulcimer

The hammered dulcimer, the Hackbrett, is the heart and soul of Appenzell folk music. Traditionally it's played in a string ensemble. But it's not limited to folk.  [...]

Formula for success

Chinese parents drive baby milk powder boom

The volume of imported milk formulas in China quadrupled between 2008 and 2012

Mistrust in China after the death of several babies, along with an expanding population and growing middle class, has led to surging demand for Western baby milk formula, presenting both an opportunity and a challenge to Swiss manufacturers.  [...]

Religious cymbals

Composer continues to attract musical believers

Atheist philosopher Alain de Botton tries to convince other atheists that religion has its uses, and worshippers of Richard Wagner flock to Lucerne for a sensory experience.  [...]

Swiss accord

Chinese leader holds out promise of more deals

Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang says a free trade accord with Switzerland should serve as an example for closer relations with other European countries. He believes a deal with the Swiss finance industry will also boost the economy in Switzerland.  [...]

Towel thrown

Top Swiss negotiator resigns

Michael Ambühl, Switzerland’s top diplomat in ongoing tax and banking negotiations with both the United States and countries in Europe, will step down at the end of August, it has been announced.  [...]

Human rights report

Amnesty flags Swiss asylum law

Construction halted

Court ruling on holiday homes sparks controversy

Illegal money

Cabinet drafts unique law on dictators’ assets

Crash report

Driver error likely cause of fatal bus crash

Harmful correlation

Alcohol abuse linked to domestic violence

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Last updated: 18:23