Swiss Identity

Pyramid project takes shape

This content was published on Feb 21, 2000 A giant pyramid is just about the last thing you would expect to see in the countryside near Lake Neuchatel. But that is what a Geneva foundation wants to build there as a monument to Switzerland’s past and as a way of looking to its future. Rising to a height of 48 metres, the Swiss…

Do you speak Romansch?

This content was published on Feb 21, 2000 The first ever Romansch-English dictionary has just been published. Its compilers hope the dictionary will help English speakers who want to gain an insight into the Romansch language, traditions and culture. The book, ‘A language of Switzerland” is both a dictionary and phrase book and was compiled by Manfred Gross and Daniel Telli from the…

Gypsies charged with Holocaust fund fraud

This content was published on Feb 21, 2000 Three gypsies have been charged by the Polish authorities with embezzling money from a Swiss fund to aid victims of the Holocaust. It follows complaints that Holocaust survivors have been cheated by their own representatives. Under the terms of the fund, some 1,500 Polish gypsies were entitled to federal aid worth SFr1,500 each. However, it…

History

First woman ordained as priest

This content was published on Feb 19, 2000 Switzerland’s Christian Catholic church has ordained its first woman priest. Hundreds of people attended the ordination of Denise Wyss at a service in the Franziskaner church in Solothurn on Saturday. The Christian Catholic church in Switzerland is the fourth church in the Utrecht Union to ordain a women as a priest. It has followed the…

Culture

Swiss regain confidence in authorities

This content was published on Feb 18, 2000 Public confidence in the authorities has increased sharply, according to a new survey. The poll also shows that unemployment remains the single biggest worry for the Swiss, closely followed by the question of refugees. The poll, a barometer of public opinion in 1999, found that 55 per cent of those questioned were satisfied with the…

History

Swiss delegation heads for Chiapas

This content was published on Feb 18, 2000 A Swiss delegation is travelling to Mexico to observe the peace process in the southern state of Chiapas. The team will meet government representatives and Zapatista rebels to try to broaden the dialogue between the two sides and create an atmosphere of trust. They will also meet civilians to try to get a picture of…

Culture

Museum looks to the future

This content was published on Feb 18, 2000 The Museum of Art and History in Geneva currently has an exhibition devoted to…museums. It examines the changing role of museums from the 19th century to the present day and looks ahead to how their function will be shaped by new technologies in the future. “A hundred years ago the main function of a museum…

Schellenursli author dies aged 89

This content was published on Feb 18, 2000 Selina Chönz – author of the popular children’s book, Schellenursli – has died at the age of 89, in Samedan, in canton Graubünden. Chönz wrote in Switzerland’s fourth national language, Romansch, which is only spoken by about 40,000 people. Chönz’s children’s books have been translated into many languages and sold worldwide, from Switzerland to South…

Education

Swiss soldiers start learning lingua franca of international peacekeeping

This content was published on Feb 18, 2000 A Swiss army division has started running English classes for soldiers who may be called upon to serve in peacekeeping missions abroad. Throughout this year, the Fortification Guards Corps will be given lessons to help them overcome linguistic barriers in Kosovo and other troublespots. Multi-national peacekeeping forces face plenty of challenges. One of the most…

Demographics

Commission recommends secret service shake-up

This content was published on Feb 17, 2000 Switzerland’s intelligence service should report directly to the defence ministry and be made more professional. Those are the main recommendations published on Thursday, by a commission headed by the former state secretary, Edouard Brunner. His report also recommends putting the service under civilian control and appointing an independent inspector to strengthen internal control mechanisms. The…

Swiss Identity

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Swiss Identity

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Pyramid project takes shape

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Do you speak Romansch?

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Gypsies charged with Holocaust fund fraud

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First woman ordained as priest

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Swiss regain confidence in authorities

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Swiss delegation heads for Chiapas

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Museum looks to the future

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Schellenursli author dies aged 89

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Swiss soldiers start learning lingua franca of international peacekeeping

More

Commission recommends secret service shake-up

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