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Aarau shows how to cope with sprawl

This content was published on Jun 25, 2014 How can cities deal with growing numbers of commuters and the bane of concrete landscapes? The city of Aarau in central Switzerland is setting an example, having won the 2014 Wakker Prize for developing and preserving its residential neighbourhoods.

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European rivers more polluted than thought

This content was published on Jun 16, 2014 In around half of the water analyses, the pollution presented an environmental risk. In 15% of cases, chemical substances risked having acute toxic effects on aquatic organisms. The study, published in the latest edition of the United States scientific journal Proceedings, concludes that it will be difficult for European Union member states to reach their…

Climate solutions

Health office to inspect old watchmaking sites

This content was published on Jun 8, 2014 As the office announced on Sunday, the radioactive material came from radium-based paint that gives watch faces a neon glow. From 1912-1963 some 85 workshops used the radioactive paint – as the SonntagsZeitung newspaper discovered through federal records. Of the 85, only 25 got permits to continue using it after 1963; these were properly decontaminated…

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A trip through Switzerland’s alpine hinterland

This content was published on Jun 7, 2014 The reportage – if that is the right name for such a lengthy labour of love – recently won an award at the 2014 Swiss Press Photo competition. His sensitive images of life and work with animals in the Alps reflect his closeness to the subject and his personal experiences. As he says about his…

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Elephants dive deep at Zurich zoo

This content was published on Jun 4, 2014 Pachyderms at Zurich’s zoological park will now be able to socialise better thanks a new and bigger enclosure presented on Wednesday. The Kaeng Krachan section of the zoo is six times larger than the old enclosure. According to the zoo’s director, Alex Rübel, the animals will be able to move around more freely in conditions…

Climate solutions

From Switzerland to the White House via California

This content was published on Jun 3, 2014 Barack Obama looks left and right around the room for the man he is congratulating. Dressed in his best suit, Larry Stornetta lets out a discreet smile as he stands in the president’s Oval Office. The 60-year-old Californian has just received a special award for “common sense farming” on behalf of his family. On March…

Climate solutions

Swiss increase aid to victims of Balkan floods

This content was published on May 23, 2014 The foreign ministry says a first delivery of technical equipment to purify and distribute drinking water is on its way to the disaster-stricken area. The Humanitarian Aid Unit also decided to boost its expert teams, active in the western Balkans since last Monday. The Swiss government has pledged CHF500,000 in emergency aid. Church charities, the…

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Adventurer leaves poles to explore roof of world

This content was published on May 11, 2014 For the past couple of weeks, the 47-year-old has called the advanced base camp of the 8,463- metre-high peak home. This is where the Swiss-South African adventurer is acclimatising and preparing for a summit ascent, together with Swiss mountain guide, Frederic Roux. Before the climb, he told swissinfo.ch why he’s taken up mountaineering and his…

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The rocky road to changing the law

This content was published on May 8, 2014 Even though the BKW power company has decided to close the plant by 2019, it’s not early enough for the campaigners. The initiative was launched in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in March 2011, after which the government decided to decommission all of Switzerland’s nuclear power plants starting in 2019 and ending by 2034.…

Climate solutions

Winemaker says initiative stops progress

This content was published on May 2, 2014 The area has been preserved in its original state thanks to the acceptance by Swiss voters of two initiatives launched by environmentalist Franz Weber. Now a third Weber initiative is going to the vote, calling for stricter planning regulations to deal with unrestrained property speculation which he says is slowly eating away at the region.…

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Aarau shows how to cope with sprawl

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European rivers more polluted than thought

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Health office to inspect old watchmaking sites

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A trip through Switzerland’s alpine hinterland

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Elephants dive deep at Zurich zoo

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From Switzerland to the White House via California

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Swiss increase aid to victims of Balkan floods

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Adventurer leaves poles to explore roof of world

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The rocky road to changing the law

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Winemaker says initiative stops progress

Popular Stories

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