http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/index.html en Thu, 24 May 2012 13:27:11 GMT Copyright2012, swissinfo. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Amnesty_slams_Swiss_asylum_policy.html?cid=32761022&rss=true Thu, 24 May 2012 10:35:00 GMT Switzerland is facing criticism about its asylum policy in Amnesty International’s annual round-up by of human rights abuses worldwide. The organisation targets the practice of forced deportations. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Bilaterals_what_next.html?cid=32749328&rss=true Thu, 24 May 2012 09:00:09 GMT Since 1992, when the Swiss electorate narrowly voted against joining the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland has signed a series of bilateral accords with the European Union (EU). But this path is becoming increasingly stony. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/foreign_affairs/EU_relations_remain_a_hot_potato.html?cid=32747224&rss=true Thu, 24 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT The European Union has already announced it will only sign new bilateral agreements with Switzerland under strict conditions, but cabinet has yet to decide how far it is prepared to bend and how far it wants to defend national sovereignty. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/foreign_affairs/System_of_bilateral_accords_hits_roadblock_.html?cid=32746580&rss=true Thu, 24 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT The system of bilateral accords governing relations between Switzerland and the European Union seems to have reached the limit of its possibilities, but Bern and Brussels are far from being on same page about how to resolve the impasse. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/Bank_Wegelin_shirks_second_court_hearing.html?cid=32759430&rss=true Thu, 24 May 2012 08:20:55 GMT Swiss Bank Wegelin has again failed to appear for a hearing in a District Court in New York. As in February, neither a bank employee nor a legal representative showed up for Wednesday’s hearings. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Single_health_insurance_reform_takes_step_closer.html?cid=32757408&rss=true Wed, 23 May 2012 19:09:00 GMT Campaigners calling for the introduction of a single health insurance scheme have handed in the necessary signatures to force a nationwide vote. Unlike a similar initiative rejected in 2007, they will not demand premiums be based on income. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Cabinet_seeks_support_for_compromise.html?cid=32755298&rss=true Wed, 23 May 2012 16:37:00 GMT Plans to implement a controversial constitutional amendment on deporting foreign criminals are inching forward. The cabinet has put forward two options for consideration by political parties and organisations. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/science_technology/Massive_Zurich_building_completes_19-hour_trip.html?cid=32745688&rss=true Wed, 23 May 2012 14:16:21 GMT In the largest undertaking of its kind in Europe, a 6,200-tonne building has successfully shifted in one piece 60 metres westward after a 19-hour journey. The old management building of the former machine factory Oerlikon in Zurich had to make way for some new railway tracks. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/foreign_affairs/Aid_workers_kidnapped_in_Afghanistan.html?cid=32755230&rss=true Wed, 23 May 2012 13:30:00 GMT Four aid workers with the Swiss-based humanitarian group Medair – two foreign female doctors and two male Afghan colleagues – have been kidnapped in a remote part of north-eastern Afghanistan. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/foreign_affairs/Post-Mubarak_Egypt_faces_democratic_test_.html?cid=32745256&rss=true Wed, 23 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT Egypt, which is holding its first free presidential election since coming under dictatorship 60 years ago, is inching forward between an army concerned about losing its privileges and an Islamist movement undergoing fundamental changes. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Preparing_for_a_seismic_disaster_.html?cid=32725420&rss=true Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:43 GMT Swiss disaster response teams have rehearsed for a scenario in which a major earthquake hits northwestern Switzerland, leaving up to 6,000 people dead, 30,000 missing and over 60,000 injured. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Expats_veer_left_and_vote_for_change.html?cid=32734620&rss=true Tue, 22 May 2012 06:56:00 GMT Here’s scientific evidence: Many Swiss expatriates tend to vote left-green and tend to favour liberal ideas. Two separate reports confirm a political profile marked by openness towards the outside world and towards change. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/culture/Finally_I_can_say_I_ve_climbed_Everest.html?cid=32740214&rss=true Mon, 21 May 2012 17:07:00 GMT Climbing Mount Everest may seem like child’s play for a man known for his speed ascents up some of the world’s most challenging mountain faces, but for Ueli Steck it was an achievement to accomplish the feat without supplementary oxygen. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Politics_remain_on_young_adults_agenda.html?cid=32724146&rss=true Mon, 21 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT Despite a marked disinterest in popular votes, Swiss youth do not lack imagination when it comes to getting involved in a political cause. But even when boosted by the internet, activism is often doomed to a fleeting existence. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/culture/Koons_and_Hirst_lose_value_despite_major_shows.html?cid=32715256&rss=true Sun, 20 May 2012 09:01:00 GMT Attention from major art institutions usually increases an artist’s value, but simultaneous shows of Jeff Koons in Basel and Damien Hirst in London are having the opposite effect. Alarmists believe a subprime crisis is in the making. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/The_doctor_will_see_you_now.html?cid=32690796&rss=true Sat, 19 May 2012 09:00:20 GMT Bern's veterinary hospital doesn't just treat sick cats and dogs. It also has a section for wild animals, where wolves, lynx and their prey come for treatment. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/culture/Faster,_Higher,_Stronger,_Swisser!.html?cid=32724916&rss=true Sat, 19 May 2012 08:11:00 GMT The Olympic Games begin in London at the end of July and the House of Switzerland, a cultural centre set up in the capital to push all things Swiss, is hoping to attract 250,000 people. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/business/Swiss_businesses_catch_up_with_social_media_.html?cid=32711576&rss=true Fri, 18 May 2012 15:12:00 GMT As Facebook, the world’s largest online social network, goes public, swissinfo.ch looks at whether Swiss companies are maximising the potential of social media and whether Facebook’s massive dominance should be cause for concern. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/multimedia/audios_podcast/Fun_art_from_Jeff_Koons_and_what_makes_you_laugh_.html?cid=32720534&autoPlay=y&view=podcastDetail &rss=true Fri, 18 May 2012 10:19:00 GMT Mainstream contemporary art bursts on the scene at the Beyeler, laughter on the brain and we talk to an Australian comedian going for guffaws in Switzerland. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss_news/Authorities_brace_for_fight_against_mafia.html?cid=32671592&rss=true Fri, 18 May 2012 09:00:17 GMT The ’Ndrangheta, a criminal organisation based in Calabria, are at the top of the Swiss judicial authorities list of major concerns. Several experts believe Switzerland is unprepared for the battle against the Italian mafia. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/politics/foreign_affairs/Transforming_Geneva_into_an_environmental_hub.html?cid=32681150&rss=true Thu, 17 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT Newly installed in a 19th century mansion in the leafy suburb of Versoix, a short hop from the city centre, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s non-profit environmental group R20 is the latest addition to International Geneva’s burgeoning green hub. 60