Category Archive: 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy

Filter archive by: Show All Show only Articles Show only Videos

A dark chapter in Swiss history

2017-02-15

by

Up until the 1980s tens of thousands of people in Switzerland, like the homeless and prostitutes, were locked away for ‘reeducation’, without appearing before a court. That’s according to the interim report of a commission of experts. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report …

Read More »

Marriage across cultures

2017-02-15

by

One in three marriages in Switzerland is binational, according to federal statistics. Swiss public television asked couples from two different cultures about their lives together, the unexpected surprises and the challenges. (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 …

Read More »

Fighting for film funding

2017-02-03

by

No one gets rich from making films in Switzerland. While the number of filmmakers applying for funding has tripled in recent years, the money available has stayed the same. The result is fierce competition. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) This year’s “Prix de Soleure”, the main award of the Solothurn Film Festival, was presented on January 26 to the …

Read More »

Predicting the weather using ants

2017-02-01

by

Martin Horat is one of six so-called “weather prophets” in canton Schwyz who base their forecasts on observations of a number of natural phenomena, including the thickness of ants’ thighs. (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 …

Read More »

Controversial modernism in the Alps

2017-01-26

by

A look back at how two brothers introduced American-styled architecture to a remote Swiss village in the 1950s. (SRF, swissinfo.ch) The Guscetti brothers, one an engineer and one an architect, built houses inspired by American modernism in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino. Houses in the village of Ambri built by the duo contrasted starkly …

Read More »

Finding your roots after adoption

2017-01-21

by

Mischa Steiner is adopted. For a long time the 44-year-old from Basel didn’t want to know about his South Korean roots and biological family. The film “Reset Restart” documents how he began his quest to find out more about his identity and discover a new homeland later in life. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international …

Read More »

How dry conditions are damaging forests

2017-01-20

by

The second half of the year in Switzerland has been exceptionally dry. The trees are suffering as a result, as an ailing forest is more susceptible to fungi and beetles. (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 …

Read More »

Schools try to smooth waves in Muslim swimming controversy

2017-01-17

by

How do schools cope with Muslim families who want to prevent their daughters from attending swimming lessons? Swiss public television, SRF, talked to school principals and an imam about the controversy. (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 …

Read More »

Holiday homes going out of fashion

2017-01-13

by

For a year now, laws have been in force preventing new holiday homes from being built in most tourist areas. After the rules were tightened, it was thought prices would rise as supply fell. But this has not been the case.(SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role …

Read More »

Swiss technology in smartphones

2017-01-11

by

It’s a decade since the iPhone was launched and at least four Swiss companies have reason to celebrate the success that changed the mobile phone landscape. (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. …

Read More »

Who cares if cuckoo clocks are not a Swiss invention?

2017-01-05

by

Contrary to popular belief, cuckoo clocks did not originate in Switzerland. They were first made in Germans, who continue to dominate the market for high quality wooden clocks. (Julie Hunt, 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 …

Read More »

The Alpine movie that didn’t need a script

2016-12-28

by

The film “Alpzyt” is the most successful Swiss documentary of the year. Equipped with a camera and a drone, director Thomas Rickenmann heads for the mountains without a script and just starts filming. His work is something viewers find soothing. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) — swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role …

Read More »

Saving documents in digital form for the future

2016-12-04

by

The Swiss National Library as been asking global experts how to preserve knowledge in digital form for the long term. (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. For more articles, interviews and videos …

Read More »

New lease of life for historic radio transmitter

2016-12-01

by

Many older Swiss still remember the Beromünster national transmitter from the golden days of radio. Those days are gone, but the iconic structure is experiencing a new lease of life. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) Of the two transmitters above Beromünster in canton Lucerne, only one remains today and is under cultural heritage protection. The 220 metre steel tower …

Read More »

The US military plane crash that led to better rescues

2016-12-01

by

In November 1946 an American military airplane made an emergency landing on the Gauli glacier in the Bernese Alps. All 12 people on board were rescued in a spectacular mission that marked the birth of the Swiss air rescue service REGA. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) On its way from Munich to Marseille a Douglas DC-3 Dakota US military …

Read More »

Terminating a nuclear power plant

2016-12-01

by

This is how the Mühleberg nuclear power station near Bern will be taken off the grid in 2019. (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. For more articles, interviews and videos visit swissinfo.ch …

Read More »

Canton Geneva’s treasure box

2016-12-01

by

A letter from Voltaire, Rousseau’s apprenticeship contract and the police files for Benito Mussolini are among the treasures stored in Geneva’s ancient safe. (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. For more articles, …

Read More »

Foro Global sobre Democracia Directa Moderna | DÍA 3

2016-11-19

by

Ciudadanía activa y gobiernos participativos son características esenciales de toda democracia moderna. A la hora de abordar importantes desafíos globales – desde educación a bienestar, emigración a cambio climático – los movimientos sociales y los gobiernos locales sirven de equipos prácticos de rescate de derechos y libertades fundamentales recogidos en el concepto de gobierno abierto …

Read More »

Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy | DAY 3

2016-11-19

by

The 6th world conference on active citizenship and participatory democracy is a timely event indeed. Just days after perhaps the most suprising election result in modern history, and after a US presidential campaign full of lies, accusations and stupidities, we are gathering in this beautiful spot of the Basque Country for four days of sharing, …

Read More »

Breaking through media echo chambers

2016-11-19

by

Stefan Klauser, the lead strategist of the ETH Zurich’s Digital Society initiative, offers his thoughts on how digital media consumers can break out of polarizing bubbles for better democracy. ___ 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 …

Read More »