Swiss Identity

New nature parks given green light

This content was published on Aug 23, 2012 The Beverin, Pfyn-Finges as well as the Doubs and Jura Vaudois parks are to be established next year. The new reserves of 1,417 square metres are spread over 71 communes and in eastern, as well as northwestern and southwestern Switzerland and have more than 120,000 inhabitants, according to the environment office. However, in some cases…

Education

Apprenticeships offer valued workplace training

This content was published on Aug 23, 2012 Three days a week, Zwahlen boards the train at 6am to go from his hometown of Münsingen to nearby Thun, where he is in his first month of an apprenticeship programme at Studer AG, the world’s leading manufacturer of round grinding machines used in the auto industry. Zwahlen’s experiences are shared by 74 other apprentices…

Culture

“Working full-time is a conversation stopper”

This content was published on Aug 22, 2012 The norm for mothers of young children is to work part-time, mostly less than 50 per cent. Fewer than one in ten fathers work part-time (see sidebar). It is rare for women to ramp up to full-time again when their children are older and reap the career benefits. swissinfo.ch spoke to four mothers in four different situations. Natalia…

Demographics

Is having it all a realistic goal for either sex?

This content was published on Aug 22, 2012 The demands of a growing family are not going to change so something has to give. What has your experience taught you about combining parenthood and professional success?

Demographics

Asylum decisions to be made within 48 hours

This content was published on Aug 21, 2012 Gattiker told the media in Basel on Tuesday that the migration office was reacting to the significant increase in asylum seekers from the Balkans, predominantly Roma from Macedonia, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Since 2010, these countries have enjoyed visa-free status. He said that in July alone, applications from Macedonia had increased 83 per cent…

Culture

Alpine idylls meet urban expectations

This content was published on Aug 21, 2012 Mouth-watering smells waft into the dining area from the kitchen, where the young “hut helpers” are juggling piles of plates. Guests can fortify themselves with hearty dishes such as rösti, plates of local cheese or dried meat, or bowls of fruit-laden muesli. Barbara Wäfler brings vegetable soup with pork sausages, which hit the spot after…

Demographics

Alpine huts face paradoxical water shortage

This content was published on Aug 21, 2012 Many hut managers can only dream of the cliché of copious amounts of fresh, cool water gushing forth from picturesque alpine rocks. Reality provides a very different picture, with managers often struggling to save drinking water. “Water scarcity is on the rise,” says Hans Rudolf Keusen, a geologist and natural hazards specialist. “A lasting solution…

Demographics

On the 50th anniversary of the death of Hermann Hesse – exclusive images at swissinfo.ch

This content was published on Aug 21, 2012 A short film from swissinfo.ch – in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Arabic and English – includes personal images of Hermann Hesse from his years in Ticino. Hermann Karl Hesse, the German-Swiss poet, author and painter, spent more than 40 years in Montagnola, Switzerland on Lake Lugano. There, he lived in seclusion and wrote his most well-known…

Culture

Wartime radio archives come to light

This content was published on Aug 20, 2012 The archives of the Short Wave Service (SWS), founded in 1935, have been digitalised and are now available online (See link). SWS was the forerunner to Swiss Radio International (SRI) which later became swissinfo.ch. The manuscripts of news bulletins from this dark time in Europe reveal Swiss thinking on events both out of its control…

Culture

Swiss Short Wave Service comes into its own

This content was published on Aug 20, 2012 Swiss Short Wave Service comes into its own

Swiss Identity

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Swiss Identity

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New nature parks given green light

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Apprenticeships offer valued workplace training

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“Working full-time is a conversation stopper”

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Is having it all a realistic goal for either sex?

More

Asylum decisions to be made within 48 hours

More

Alpine idylls meet urban expectations

More

Alpine huts face paradoxical water shortage

More

On the 50th anniversary of the death of Hermann Hesse – exclusive images at swissinfo.ch

More

Wartime radio archives come to light

More

Swiss Short Wave Service comes into its own

Popular Stories

Most Discussed