Mediating for peace, comics, and a Swiss architect abroad

Here are some of the stories we’ll be following the week of April 9:

                                   Tuesday

Keystone

The deliberate destruction of cultural heritage – religious, architectural and historical gems of value to all humankind – has become a worrying phenomenon of recent conflicts, notably in Iraq, Syria and northern Mali. We look at a recent agreement between Geneva and a number of cities around the world, including Mosul and Timbuktu, on forming an alliance to protect cultural heritage. 

Wednesday

PLACEHOLDER

Although the Swiss claim that comics were invented in their country, the Alpine nation has never really been home to its own comic book scene. Could that all be changing? 

Thursday

SRF

This week’s edition of the “True Talk” video series focuses on anorexia. Rosanna, who used to be anorexic, talks about why the disease can last for years. She says that many people don’t take anorexia seriously and think it can be cured by simply eating “normally”. But this, she says, shows how little people understand a disorder that kills ten percent of its victims. 

Friday

ZVG

Largely out of the public eye, Swiss mediator Julian Hottinger has been travelling around the world for years on behalf of peace. He lives out of a suitcase and negotiates for days – with the devil if necessary. What makes a peace mediator, and what kind of lives do they live? Hottinger, an expert on peace-building for the Swiss foreign affairs ministry, gives swissinfo.ch some insights into a lonely profession. 

Sunday

swissinfo.ch/Helen James

Swiss architect Thomas Amsler, who has been living in the United States for over 50 years, says he loves New England, but misses Swiss sausages. But Amsler, 81, also says he has never felt homesick since arriving in the United States in 1964. On a recent visit to Switzerland, he dropped by swissinfo.ch to talk about his life and his architecture.  

What you may have missed last week: