Swiss Identity

Art and ice meet in Saas-Fee

This content was published on Dec 13, 2001 Participants have about 24 hours to build their sculptures on a given theme, this year the Spirit of Life. The organisers give the artists just three metre-long blocks of ice to express their vision. The sculptors are free to choose their work method, but it must not have an impact on the environment. The artists…

Roche and Amira to develop new tools for diabetics

This content was published on Dec 13, 2001 Compared with the announcement earlier this week that it had spent at least SFr2 billion ($1.21 billion) to take a majority stake in the Chugai Pharmaceutical company of Japan, the Amira deal is small. However, despite only having a staff of 160, Amira, is set to help Roche develop new ways of helping diabetics control…

Demographics

Parliament moves towards legalising cannabis

This content was published on Dec 13, 2001 Pending approval by the House of Representatives, the production and trade in hashish and marijuana could also become legal under certain conditions. The amended law, which was accepted by 25 votes and no opposition in the Senate, is aimed at catching up with present-day reality. More than 700,000 people between the age of 15 and…

Culture

Swiss discover educational television is not child’s play

This content was published on Dec 12, 2001 The 39th Festival on Educational Television and Multimedia, hosted by the German city of Karlsruhe and sponsored by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC), brought together participants from as far away as Japan, Moldavia and Estonia. Robert Ruoff, director of education at SBC and general manager of the festival, told swissinfo that Switzerland has been at…

Demographics

Ambitious in Antwerp

This content was published on Dec 12, 2001 Having won two medals at last year’s short course championships in Valencia, the Swiss say they’re ready to do even better this time around. “We want to surpass our performance from last year,” insists national head coach Pierre-André Weber. Biggest hope Young star Flavia Rigamonti will be the biggest hope among the 17-strong Swiss squad.…

Servette face Spanish giants

This content was published on Dec 12, 2001 As one of eight unseeded teams in the final 16 of the competition, Servette were guaranteed to find themselves up against strong opposition following Wednesday’s draw at UEFA’s Swiss headquarters in Nyon – and this year’s UEFA Cup teams don’t come much stronger than Valencia. Double winners of the UEFA Cup in 1962 and 1963…

Net closing around bin Laden?

This content was published on Dec 12, 2001 Professor Kurt Spillmann, an expert in security studies and conflict research at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, made the comments in an interview with swissinfo. He said reports that bin Laden is “boxed in” in Afghanistan’s Tora Bora mountains suggest that the hunt for the prime suspect in the September 11 attacks may…

Demographics

Canyoning verdict sparks much coverage but little comment

This content was published on Dec 12, 2001 The seven-day trial received extensive coverage in the Swiss media, and in the Australian press because of the large number of Australians among the 21 victims. The 18 tourists and three guides were killed in a flash flood during a Canyoning trip near Interlaken in 1999. Three directors, two managers and a lead guide of…

Demographics

Davos skate ahead

This content was published on Dec 11, 2001 Davos capped off Tuesday evening’s action with their 14th win of the season. The home crowd had to wait almost half an hour though before Sandro Rizzi scored the first goal of the match for Davos. Lugano’s Sandy Jeannin kept up the tension when he levelled the score at 1-1 just three minutes later. Davos…

Judge hands down guilty verdict in Canyoning trial

This content was published on Dec 11, 2001 Judge Thomas Zbinden, who presided without a jury during the seven-day trial watched by victims’ relatives from Australia, Britain and South Africa, found them guilty of allowing a canyoning trip to go ahead in spite of a storm breaking over the area. He said the three directors of the board of Adventure World – Stephan…

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