Category Archive: 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy

Making fun of migration stereotypes

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week she interviews Arman and Sascha from Austria, who have made a feature film (“Die Migrantigen”), poking fun at migration stereotypes. Omar, a former criminal, and his friends live in the fictional town of Rudolfsgrund. They all eat kebabs and they’re all broke, …

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Where there’s a will, there’s a way

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week she talks to Ola, who’s 20, and fled the war in Aleppo, Syria, with her family a year ago. Since then, Ola has not only learnt German by taking free classes and practicing with friends, she has also set up and run … Continue reading »

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Apocalypse at Bern’s Natural History Museum

The story of the end of the world is man-made fiction, from both ancient and recent times. Now the Natural History Museum in Bern has dedicated an exhibition to the subject. It’s frightening and fascinating in equal measures, and shows how heavily apocalypse features in pop culture and religion. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss …

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Swiss schools offer training for a life on the stage

At the beginning of 2009 a professional qualification for stage dancers was introduced in Switzerland. It’s something that’s been attracting international students to the country, and to this ballet school in Basel. (SRF, swissinfo.ch) The three-year “Federal Certificate of Proficiency” for stage dancers is offered in Switzerland at the Zurich Dance Academy, where it was first introduced; …

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How one Swiss hospital slashed food waste

For a month, Lucerne Cantonal Hospital has weighed all of the food it throws away. The result was a real eye-opener for the hospital, and now the hospital chefs are introducing some drastic changes. (SRF/swissinfo.ch)  — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and …

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Manufacturing returning to Switzerland thanks to automation

Exactly how machines replacing human labour will affect the future job market remains unknown. But manufacturing making a comeback in Switzerland is one unexpected and welcome consequence. (SRF, swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to provide a Swiss perspective on international events. …

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Tamil street food, all chopped up

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week, she meets up with Thileeban, who talks about his difficult start to life here in Switzerland. These days, apart from selling Sri Lankan street food, he’s also involved in film production. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). …

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Why Tama’s role models are all women

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. Her role models are all female: singers, stand-up comedians,YouTubers and Disney characters. Here’s why she thinks they’re heroes. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)  — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to provide a Swiss perspective …

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The grassroots fight for biodiversity

The spread of non-native plant species is one of the greatest threats to Switzerland’s biodiversity. In a pilot project, the Canton of Zurich is coordinating the fight against the 20 most invasive plants over a wide stretch of Reppischtal. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to …

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How Switzerland is affected by female circumcision

What is female circumcision and how much of a problem is it in Switzerland? Nouvo brings you short videos about Switzerland, Swiss current affairs and the wider world. Keep up to date and watch the videos wherever you are, whenever you like. — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its …

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Swiss wind power at a standstill

Following the vote in favour of Energy Strategy 2050, the government announced its target of building up to 800 wind turbines. To reach this goal, twenty new wind turbines would need to go up each year until 2050. Yet not a single wind farm was built this year. What’s behind this lack of progress? (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of …

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Polish economic hub: a threat to Swiss jobs?

Over the past ten years, Wroclaw in Poland has become such an important economic hub that direct flights there are now offered from Zurich. (RTS/swissinfo.ch)  — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to provide a Swiss perspective on international events. For more articles, …

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Hip-Hop: a migrant thing?

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week she talks to Ugi, an ethnic Kurd born in Switzerland, about the links between Hip-Hop and migration. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)  — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to provide a …

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Trans people no longer considered mentally ill

As of 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) list of psychological disorders will no longer include trans people. This adjustment also reflects a changed attitude in society. The Swiss news programme ’10vor10′ met Stefanie Hetjens, who talks about her life as a trans woman. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). …

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What it takes to start a Swiss business

Their mum started it all by using caffeine to fight wrinkles. Then Tom and Amy Derrington came up with the idea of recycling coffee beans to make a body scrub. The British siblings, who live in Bern, explain how they went about launching their brand in Switzerland. (Veronica DeVore, Julie Hunt, swissinfo.ch)  After mixing their first …

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Music lovers shun orchestra’s new digs

The home of the world-class Tonhalle orchestra in Zurich is being renovated, so the musicians have been forced into exile, making some classical music lovers see red. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to provide a Swiss perspective on international …

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Calatrava: pushing architecture to the limit

For over 30 years, Santiago Calatrava has been designing buildings in his office in Zurich which are writing architectural history. The Spanish-Swiss architect is now planning the world’s tallest building: an observation tower in Dubai – and is pushing the limits of what is technically possible. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) The Spanish-Swiss architect Santiago Calatrava lives between New York …

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Doing the math to solve renewable energy problem

Gabriela Hug aims to make a significant contribution to the energy revolution by taking a mathematical approach.  The 38-year-old associate professor at the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich could make a substantial contribution to the shift to renewable energy.  The challenge is to overcome the discontinuity of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, which vary …

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Visiting the federal parliament building in Bern

Tama Vakeesan was born in Switzerland to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week she visits the Swiss federal parliament building in the capital, Bern, and meets up with politicians with migrant backgrounds, including Corrado Pardini and Sibel Arslan. They explain why it’s important to them not to forget their roots. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)  — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the …

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Think twice, before buying that castle…

Living in a castle or even a fort might seem like a dream come true, but the reality can make that dream extremely expensive. Nouvo brings you short videos about Switzerland, Swiss current affairs and the wider world. Keep up to date and watch the videos wherever you are, whenever you like. — swissinfo.ch is … Continue...

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