Swiss Identity

Tschopp wins penultimate stage of Giro

This content was published on May 29, 2010 Tschopp finished the 178 kilometres from Bormio to Ponte di Legno-Tonale in 5 hours, 26 minutes, 47 seconds. Cadel Evans was second and Ivan Basso squeezed ahead of Michele Scarponi for third, extended his overall lead by 24 seconds to 1 minute, 15 seconds. Tschopp took control of the race on the descent from the…

History

Swiss minaret ban “feeds mistrust”

This content was published on May 29, 2010 Their comments come six months after the ban on the construction of minarets was voted in by 57.5 per cent of the electorate. “The minaret initiative was the first in the history of Swiss democracy to be discussed more after the vote than before,” says parliamentarian Andreas Gross in his introduction to the new book…

Culture

Online petition launched to save swissinfo.ch

This content was published on May 29, 2010 Among the 1,500 people to have backed the petition so far are Walter Kälin, the United Nations representative for internally displaced persons, and Alfred Defago, Switzerland’s former ambassador to the United States. The petition (see link) calls on the government and the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) to continue to contribute 50 per cent each to…

Culture

Montreux summit to “pioneer” global governance

This content was published on May 28, 2010 The Swiss city of Montreux on Lake Geneva will host the 13th Francophonie Summit from October 22-24, which will focus on issues of global governance and democracy, sustainable development and cultural diversity. Some 70 heads of state, 3,000 delegates and 600 journalists are expected to attend the get-together, representing one-third of all United Nations General…

Demographics

Federer and Wawrinka prepare for tennis battle

This content was published on May 28, 2010 Top-ranked Federer on Friday defeated qualifier Julian Reister of Germany 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 in the Roland Garros stadium. In the next round of the clay tournament, Federer will on Sunday play fellow Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka who beat Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-3, 6-4, 6-1. Federer didn’t face a single break point against Reister and had…

Demographics

Nude hiker acquitted

This content was published on May 28, 2010 The cantonal court ruled that the charge was baseless and lifted the SFr100 ($87) fine that he had refused to pay. The state will cover the legal fees amounting to around SFr870. The 46 year old was reported to police by a woman who saw him walking naked in the mountains in October. He is…

Experts mull foreign impact of minaret ban

This content was published on May 28, 2010 Swiss voters’ decision to ban the construction of minarets on November 29, 2009 sparked worldwide criticism from Muslim groups, governments, the United Nations and the Council of Europe – and praise from the European right wing. After the initial wave of international condemnation, the Swiss vote has continued to come in for official criticism –…

Culture

Swiss hopes dashed at Eurovision – again

This content was published on May 28, 2010 The performer from St Gallen sang his own composition, Il pleut de l’or, (It’s raining gold) at the semifinal in Oslo. Von der Heide was up against favourites like Azerbaijan, Armenia, Israel, Ireland, Denmark and Turkey. Performers from Georgia, Romania and two surprises – Cyprus and Ukraine – made the finals. Those singers will compete…

Demographics

Amnesty highlights “racist” Swiss public debate

This content was published on May 27, 2010 While Switzerland’s marks were good in the wider picture – at least 111 countries were accused of torture – there was still room for improvement. In particular, Amnesty criticised the November vote to ban the construction of minarets as well as the campaign leading up to it. “That vote was a bad example – it’s…

Demographics

Birkenfeld rails against “gross” injustice

This content was published on May 27, 2010 In an exclusive interview with swissinfo.ch, Birkenfeld talks about why he ended up behind bars, and denounces the corruption, which he says characterises relations between the banks and political circles. The former UBS banker has been in jail in the United States since January 8. He is sitting out a 40-month sentence for conspiracy to…

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Tschopp wins penultimate stage of Giro

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Swiss minaret ban “feeds mistrust”

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Online petition launched to save swissinfo.ch

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Montreux summit to “pioneer” global governance

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Federer and Wawrinka prepare for tennis battle

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Nude hiker acquitted

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Experts mull foreign impact of minaret ban

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Swiss hopes dashed at Eurovision – again

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Amnesty highlights “racist” Swiss public debate

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Birkenfeld rails against “gross” injustice

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