Swiss Identity

Heller issues wake-up call to sleepy Switzerland

This content was published on Dec 7, 2003 In an interview with swissinfo, Martin Heller insisted fundamental failings had been ignored in the run-up to next week’s cabinet elections. Wednesday’s elections – in which Christoph Blocher of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party is gunning for a cabinet seat – have been the subject of much discussion and speculation. Some fear a Blocher victory…

Culture

Pop wannabes reach for the stars

This content was published on Dec 6, 2003 The 24 hopefuls, who were making their first televised appearance in the competition, put their destinies in the hands of the viewing public. A spate of similar shows has taken Europe by storm over the past couple of years, producing instant stars who, for the most part, have remained world famous only in their own…

An employee of Swiss ski manufacturer Stoeckli Ski AG at work in Malters, Lucerne.

Demographics

The last Swiss ski maker

This content was published on Dec 6, 2003 Established in 1935, the family-run Stöckli company in canton Lucerne is content to remain a small-scale business. While their foreign counterparts flourish, Swiss ski makers are falling by the wayside. When people flock to the Alps to glide down the slopes this winter, they are likely to be using Austrian, French, German, Slovenian or American…

Red Cross sounds alarm over humanitarian law

This content was published on Dec 5, 2003 The conference, which takes place every four years, brings together the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Federation. The 191 States parties to the Geneva Conventions are represented too. In his opening address to the conference the president of the ICRC, Jakob Kellenberger, warned that the war on terror risked undermining international…

Culture

Art Basel returns to the beach

This content was published on Dec 5, 2003 Art Basel Miami Beach showcases contemporary and modern art from more than 1,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, drawing collectors from around the world. Around 30,000 people attended last year’s event, and organisers are hoping this year’s 175 galleries featuring paintings, sculpture, photographs and video art will prove an equal draw. Prices for…

Demographics

Bin Laden linked to Swiss bank accounts

This content was published on Dec 4, 2003 The discovery is the result of ongoing investigations into whether terrorist attacks have been funded or organised from within Switzerland. Andrea Sadecky, a spokeswoman for the Swiss Federal Prosecutor’s Office, confirmed a report in Thursday’s “Le Temps” newspaper that bin Laden was the beneficiary of an account at a Zurich branch of Switzerland’s largest bank,…