Swiss Identity

A Brazilian boot camp in Basel

This content was published on May 31, 2014 Dias began playing football when he was ten in Santos, a district of São Paulo. During his career he played in many countries, including Switzerland. But a football school doesn’t appear overnight. First of all he was legally obliged to form an amateur club for adults and to take part in a local league, starting…

Culture

Friends bid farewell to HR Giger

This content was published on May 30, 2014 Tom Gabriel Fischer, a close friend and musician, said those people who refuse to take HR Giger’s works seriously are missing out on “infinitely much”. Other guests at the assembly at the Fraumünster – one of Zurich’s main churches – described Giger’s work as “so dark, but also so beautiful” and the artist as “a…

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Could FIFA have picked worse World Cup hosts?

This content was published on May 30, 2014 The association has admitted it made a mistake by planning to hold the 2022 tournament in the scorching summer months in Qatar. At the same time, Russia’s annexation of Crimea and involvement in eastern Ukraine has led to condemnation and sanctions from Western powers. The timing could not have been worse for FIFA executives, led…

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US fake art scandal reaches Switzerland

This content was published on May 29, 2014 In 2008, a lawyer’s office on Lake Zurich drew up a purchase agreement for a painting by the American artist Mark Rothko. The artwork entitled “Orange, Red and Blue” was sold for $7.2 million (CHF6.4 million) to casino tycoon Frank Fertitta. Except it was a fake. The deal was arranged by Oliver Wick, a former…

Culture

It’s the law: Hitler salute is not always a crime

This content was published on May 28, 2014 According to criminal lawyer Marcel Niggli, the April 28 ruling reflects the correct interpretation of the 20-year-old anti-racism law. As the professor of criminal law and legal philosophy at the University of Fribourg told swissinfo.ch, the law should only apply to cases of extreme violation – as petty offences are more likely to lower the…

Demographics

Phone app counts carbs with a shutter click

This content was published on May 28, 2014 By interfacing with a smartphone’s built-in camera, the application sorts and recognises various foods such as meats, vegetables and pasta and reconstructs them in a three-dimensional form. Then, using that reconstruction, it estimates the volume of each food item. Using a database of nutritional values for various foods, the app then estimates how many grams…

Demographics

Cocaine use above European average

This content was published on May 27, 2014 For a one-week period in April 2012 and in March 2013, the sewage of 1.4 million people in five Swiss cities – Basel, Geneva, St Gallen, Zurich and Bern – was tested for cocaine, amphetamines, crystal meth and ecstasy, said the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology on Tuesday. Switzerland’s largest city came highest,…

Demographics

Police target money laundering and hooligans

This content was published on May 27, 2014 It highlights cases of economic crime in connection with the privatisation of a Czech energy company, Mostecka Uhelna Spolecnost, and in connection with Italian mafia groups. In its annual report the office says the authorities are taking seriously the fight against cross-border crime despite complex procedures and language hurdles. “Switzerland shows its commitment to vigorously…

Culture

A taste of Gerhard Richter’s 60-year career

This content was published on May 27, 2014 The exhibition, on until September 2014, encompasses major periods in his career, including recent works not yet seen in public. In a career spanning 60 years, Richter’s work has ranged from photo-based paintings to abstract works, the latter of which feature colour to monochrome fields and digitally generated compositions. Architectural context is important when it…

Culture

Behind the curtain at Gerhard Richter’s new show

This content was published on May 27, 2014 Only a handful of contemporary artists command the world attention and delirious prices of the 82-year-old German artist. Richter repeatedly breaks the record of auction prices for a living artist and clocks up the highest number of lifetime exhibitions. Trim and compact, with clear-framed glasses, Richter sauntered into the Beyeler with a look of cool…

Swiss Identity

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Swiss Identity

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A Brazilian boot camp in Basel

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Friends bid farewell to HR Giger

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Could FIFA have picked worse World Cup hosts?

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US fake art scandal reaches Switzerland

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It’s the law: Hitler salute is not always a crime

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Phone app counts carbs with a shutter click

More

Cocaine use above European average

More

Police target money laundering and hooligans

More

A taste of Gerhard Richter’s 60-year career

More

Behind the curtain at Gerhard Richter’s new show

Popular Stories

Most Discussed