Swiss Identity

En garde! French language faces substitution

This content was published on Sep 29, 2010 In practice, however, English has become essential. Ahead of the summit of French-speaking nations, held in Montreux in October, swissinfo.ch looks at whether this is welcome pragmatism or a regrettable lack of diversity. Since the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, a prominent French-speaker has been assigned to observe the role of French during the Olympic…

Demographics

Basel lose again in Champions League

This content was published on Sep 29, 2010 Bastian Schweinsteiger scored the winning goal at St Jakob’s Park, Basel, in the 89th minute. After leading the game in the first half, with a well-worked goal by Alex Frei in the 18th minute, Basel were overpowered in the second half in front of 37,500 fans. Schweinsteiger’s first was from the penalty spot in the…

Demographics

Fan trouble flares ahead of Basel game

This content was published on Sep 28, 2010 Trouble flared in the centre of town during the afternoon, when a group of around 15 Basel fans, looking for trouble, attacked Munich supporters, the Basel prosecutor’s office said. The police say they arrested about 50 German fans as a result of the ensuing brawl, while the Swiss made use of their local knowledge to…

Demographics

Rape victims seek help in exile

This content was published on Sep 28, 2010 Sexual violence against women shatters victims’ relationships with their families and society. Many seek refuge abroad, including in Switzerland. The UN report is published on October 1 and details abuses during the ten year period to 2003. More recently, a senior UN official has spoken of mass rape in the east of the country in…

Culture

Looking back at Warhol’s seminal years

This content was published on Sep 27, 2010 Indeed, the Andy Warhol: The Early Sixties exhibition sets out to show visitors that the pop art icon went through his own rupturing “before and after” period of creativity in the second half of the 1900s. Apart from the fact that Warhol had his own nose reshaped, his “Before and After” series can be seen…

Culture

Bern culture centre saved again

This content was published on Sep 26, 2010 Voters on Sunday rejected an initiative by the local section of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party calling for the Reitschule to be sold to the highest bidder. The initiative was rejected by 68.4 per cent of those who voted. Bern mayor Alexander Tschäppät, a member of the centre-left Social Democratic Party, said he was “more…

Demographics

New Miss Switzerland crowned

This content was published on Sep 26, 2010 Kerstin Cook, who has both Swiss and English origins, was chosen for the title on Saturday night in a contest shown once a year on the three national television channels. Cook has been modeling since the age of 15 and has been in a relationship with Lucerne Football Club defender Silvan Büchli for three years.…

Village recalls record flight on flimsy wings

This content was published on Sep 25, 2010 On September 23, 1910, Geo Chavez, a 23-year-old Peruvian born and raised in Paris, became the first person to fly across the Alps. “The challenge is to get it airborne and back again,” says Mikael Carlson about the Bleriot XI. The Swedish commercial pilot is one of the few people in the world today who…

History

Crowds gather for bishop’s funeral

This content was published on Sep 25, 2010 The Roman Catholic bishop of Lausanne, Geneva and Fribourg died on September 21 at the age of 68, after fighting lung cancer. The cathedral was filled and many mourners stood outside in the rain, watching the service on a big screen. Genoud was ordained a bishop in 1999 and served on the presidium of the…

Demographics

On the trail of Mark Twain in Lucerne

This content was published on Sep 25, 2010 A century after his death, Mark Twain is still leaving tracks in Switzerland. Both a nature trail and a city tour are dedicated to him.

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