Swiss Identity

Bird man dreams of a flying motorbike

This content was published on Aug 17, 2009 Rossy is the first man to have crossed the English Channel with a wing powered by jet engines attached to his body. “I don’t know what is driving me, but I want to excel myself, to fulfil my wildest dreams,” Rossy confided in an interview with swissinfo.ch in May. He describes his birdman adventures, including…

Education

Day care not key to long-term school success

This content was published on Aug 16, 2009 A team led by Andrea Lanfranchi, a professor at Zurich’s University of Applied Sciences of Special Needs Education, compared children who had spent their first years solely at home with their parents to those who had attended a nursery, play group or had spent time with a child minder. The first part of the study,…

Culture

Festival abuzz despite only getting “leftovers”

This content was published on Aug 15, 2009 The Locarno International Film Festival drew to a close on Saturday after 11 days of exploring cinematic achievements in all forms and languages. The festival’s last remaining world premier, The Two Horses of Genghis Khan, was shown after the main awards were announced to the crowd in the town’s theatrically lit Italianate square. Asian creativity…

Demographics

Federer falls to Tsonga

This content was published on Aug 15, 2009 “It’s disappointing but that’s what Jo does – he doesn’t make a return for an hour and then he puts in a few and then all of a sudden he’s back in the match,” first-seed Federer said. “I should never have allowed it but it happened, so it’s a pity.” Tsonga said he had felt…

Asian cinema finds its zeitgeist

This content was published on Aug 14, 2009 Asian cinema stands out from among this year’s melee, with two key sections of the festival focusing on filmmaking in the East. Manga Impact, a retrospective of Japanese anime, has run as a thread throughout the 11-day event in southern Switzerland, drawing curious interest from festival regulars and fans alike. The presence of a dozen…

Culture

Locarno honours Exorcist director Friedkin

This content was published on Aug 14, 2009 Friedkin, who directed the 1985 film To Live and Die in LA, received a Golden Leopard, Locarno’s highest award, at the 62nd running of the festival. The director was also behind classics including The French Connection and The Exorcist. “Do not call me only a horror director just because I filmed The Exorcist,” he said,…

Demographics

UBS settlement nets first guilty plea

This content was published on Aug 14, 2009 The man, who deposited more than $1 million (SFr1.07 million) into a UBS account, is the first alleged tax dodger to settle with US authorities after the Swiss government agreed on Wednesday to reveal the identities of US customers of the bank. According to court documents, the man funneled the money to a UBS account…

Demographics

Sprunger targets Vancouver for hockey return

This content was published on Aug 14, 2009 Sprunger skated for the first time this week since suffering a serious neck injury in a game against the United States at the world championships in Switzerland in May. The Fribourg-Gotteron player required surgery to graft bone and fix a prosthesis between vertebrae in his neck to protect his spinal cord after he was sent…

Demographics

Federer moves to quarter finals in Rogers Cup

This content was published on Aug 14, 2009 The world’s number one player, Federer, dominated Wawrinka, ranked 18th, who said he had failed to capitalise on crucial points. “I dropped the break too fast,” Wawrinka said. “I played much better against Stan than the first time,” Federer said. Wawrinka beat Federer in the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters tournament in April.…

Demographics

Can the pope save Europe’s largest glacier?

This content was published on Aug 14, 2009 Global warming and the slowly receding ice mass are making them want to reverse their petitions. But for that they need the blessing of the Vatican. “This is no PR stunt. The situation is serious. Over the past three centuries the glacier has retreated 3.5 kilometres and is about 300 metres thinner,” Herbert Volken, the…

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Bird man dreams of a flying motorbike

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Day care not key to long-term school success

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Festival abuzz despite only getting “leftovers”

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Federer falls to Tsonga

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Asian cinema finds its zeitgeist

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Locarno honours Exorcist director Friedkin

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UBS settlement nets first guilty plea

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Sprunger targets Vancouver for hockey return

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Federer moves to quarter finals in Rogers Cup

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Can the pope save Europe’s largest glacier?

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