Cluster: Swiss Identity

Stay silent, or head home? Au pairs stuck in limbo

This content was published on Mar 31, 2014 Working gruelling 13 to 15-hour days doing housework, chores and childcare, plus having to get up in the middle of the night to care for the small children: that’s the story Jenny* told swissinfo.ch. Jenny is an au pair from the Philippines – the nationality making up the largest single group of au pairs in…

Demographics

English books in Switzerland: a new chapter?

This content was published on Mar 29, 2014 “The US market is difficult but huge – if you can sell to one in 10,000 people, you’ve got a bestseller on your hands. In Switzerland, authors work hard to sell books in German or French, let alone English,” says American-Swiss author Richard Harvell, commissioning editor of Basel-based Bergli Books, whose publications “help newcomers feel…

Demographics

Criticism mounts over ‘dirty gold’ imports

This content was published on Mar 27, 2014 The detailed study, by the Swiss branch of the non-governmental organisation the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), showed that some international refiners continued to import gold from producers responsible for environmental pollution and human rights abuses. “Gold that has been processed for many of the products on display [at the fair] is suspected to include…

Culture

Tamedia building architect gets Pritzker prize

This content was published on Mar 26, 2014 The Tamedia building, of timber and glass – housing one of Switzerland’s leading newspaper publishers – opened in 2013. Ban has also designed the new headquarters for the Swatch Group in the western Swiss town of Biel. Building is due to start on it this year. He is also responsible for the Swatch building in Tokyo.…

Demographics

Court sets bar for marital residency claims

This content was published on Mar 25, 2014 The court turned down the appeals of two men, a Kosovar and a Bengali. Both had received a resident permit during their first marriage, then divorced, before remarrying and going through a second divorce. Both men had been married to a Swiss citizen for a total of more than three years. But the majority…

Demographics

Swiss trains carry record number of passengers

This content was published on Mar 25, 2014 The number of passenger kilometres was up 1.3% on the previous year, reaching 17.8 billion the company announced on Tuesday. The company attributed the increase to greater demand during rush hour, which had been met by providing more trains. Railways head Andreas Meyer told a media conference that punctuality dropped slightly to 87.5%. Many of…

Culture

Book prices in Switzerland

This content was published on Mar 25, 2014 Richard Harvell from Bergli Books explains the book pricing system in Switzerland – and why visitors or expats might be shocked by a trip to a bookshop. Book prices in Switzerland

Crime in Switzerland down 3%, survey shows

This content was published on Mar 24, 2014 The total number of crimes recorded in the annual Police Crime Statistics by the Federal Statistics Office declined to 725,687 in 2013 – a drop of 3% compared to the previous year. Statistics experts say the decline is the result of efforts by the country’s 26 cantonal police authorities. However, the Association of Swiss Police…

Demographics

Swiss probe Yanukovych associates

This content was published on Mar 24, 2014 A spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office told Reuters on Sunday that the formal investigations were opened on Thursday after confirmation from the federal police unit responsible with liaising with Swiss banks in cases of suspected money laundering. “The state public prosecutor can only open an investigation when there is a reasonable suspicion of possible punishable…

Culture

Drama ʻDer Goalie bin igʼ wins top awards

This content was published on Mar 22, 2014 Dimitri Stapfer won a trophy for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in the drama film Left Foot Right Foot, which also received the Quartz trophy for Best Cinematography. The Best Actress award went to Ursina Lardi for her performance in the feature film Traumland, while Marcus Signer who played the eponymous “Goalie” got the…

Cluster: Swiss Identity

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Cluster: Swiss Identity

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Stay silent, or head home? Au pairs stuck in limbo

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English books in Switzerland: a new chapter?

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Criticism mounts over ‘dirty gold’ imports

More

Tamedia building architect gets Pritzker prize

More

Court sets bar for marital residency claims

More

Swiss trains carry record number of passengers

More

Book prices in Switzerland

More

Crime in Switzerland down 3%, survey shows

More

Swiss probe Yanukovych associates

More

Drama ʻDer Goalie bin igʼ wins top awards

Popular Stories

Most Discussed