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(Keystone) On April 16, 1943, Albert Hofmann suddenly saw “an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures, extraordinary shapes with intense, kaleidoscopic play of colours”. Hofmann, then a scientist at Basel-based pharmaceutical company Sandoz, had accidentally experienced the first LSD trip after touchin, ...ادامه مطلب

... Print comment Reuse article  See in other languages: 3 See in other languages: 3  Languages: 3 Keeping animals in small cages for fur production is banned in Switzerland.(Sylvain Cordier/Biosphoto/AFP) In Switzerland, if something fails in parliament, all is not lost because there is still direct democracy. A No from parliament does not mean a No from the people. By launching a popular initiative, you can thumb your nose at parliament with support from the electorate.That is what happened recently with the proposed import ban on products involving cruelty to animals, which are banned from production in Switzerland:+ Animal rights groups seek to ban foie gras, other impo, ...ادامه مطلب

... Print comment Reuse article  See in another language: 1 See in another language: 1  Languages: 1 laura g 1 Laura Gibilras swissinfo.ch: You were bo in Italy as a Swiss abroad. Does someone in your family come from Switzerland?Laura Gibilras: I was a Swiss abroad because my mother was bo and grew up in Switzerland. She met my father on a trip to Italy and they fell in love. I know – very romantic!swissinfo.ch: What relationship do you have with Switzerland?L.G.: I’ve always had a special relationship with Switzerland. When I was still living in Italy, I used to spend two holidays a year at my grandparents’ home in Switzerland. From the age of 12, I visited the youth camps for, ...ادامه مطلب

The constitution calls for every effort to be made to care for and integrate people with disabilities into society, like this group of girls.(Keystone) People with disabilities and placed under f, ...ادامه مطلب

There is always plenty of debate in Switzerland, with sometimes surprising results. (Keystone) In Switzerland, voters determine how much should be paid in taxes, and how those taxes should be used. Isn’t this asking for trouble? Switzerland is a strange nation. The people are handed the chance to increase their annual leave to six weeks on a silver platter, and what do they do? They decline!, ...ادامه مطلب

Inteational Alert works with young people in neighbourhoods near Tunis to promote local govement participation and workforce development (swissinfo.ch) Urban working-class areas around the Tunisian capital, Tunis, have a reputation as breeding grounds for crime and religious extremism. Swi, ...ادامه مطلب

May 20, 2017 - 11:00Michael Rüegsegger, an auctioneer, gazes into his computer screen. The compressors of the high-pressure cleaners puff up, a group of brown cattle stands wet in the spray mist, while another truck drives forward and the last group of cattle prepares to unload. "I'm Michael," he sa, ...ادامه مطلب

Swiss Parliament has just increased the retirement age for women to 65 years, up from 64. This may be just a first step, since parliament has for several years mentioned the possibility of raising retirement age to 67 years for both sexes. For some, the increase in life expectancy justifies these in, ...ادامه مطلب

Workers lay reinforcement steel in a tunnel between Bellinzona and Lugano.(Keystone)From baker to banker, Swiss workers ea salaries that must be put into perspective.Like anywhere in the world, salaries in Switzerland vary depending on factors like education, experience and location. Each year, ca, ...ادامه مطلب

The proportion of under-25s getting their licence in Geneva has fallen from 75% 15 years ago to 65%, according to mobility specialist Vincent Kaufmann(Keystone)Geneva attracts global attention for its motor show currently underway, but fewer and fewer young adults in Geneva itself are showing an int, ...ادامه مطلب

Campaigners celebrate the rejection in 2016 of a controversial initiative to deport foreigners who commit certain crimes(Keystone)The more options people are given to participate politically, the happier they are, according to scientific research. So shouldn’t every country introduce Swiss-style dir, ...ادامه مطلب

Hadzhi Toshko Yordanov: "We want more democracy and less corruption" (Slavi’s Show) Bulgarians will vote for the first time on three electoral initiatives on November 6. Years of collaboration with Switzerland helped pave the way for this democratic precedent. The hideous grey complex I enter in downtown Sofia was built in 1981 in honour of Lyudmila Zhivkova, daughter of Todor Zhivkov, a dictator who reigned over the country for 30 years. The ghosts of this communist dinosaur still loom today, particularly in the dark, never-ending corridors where I take shelter from the rainy autumn day outside. Suddenly a heavy wooden door opens and a short man with long, curly hair appears in the corridor. “Welcome to the Slavi show,” Hadzhi Toshko Yordanov says, inviting me into his office. “This is where we organised the biggest collection of signatures in the history of Bulgaria,” he adds grandly.The Slavi show is a Bulgarian take-off of American late night talk shows. Launched at t, ...ادامه مطلب

Assad has said that taking the city of Aleppo from rebel forces would act as a springboard to 'push terrorists back to Turkey’ (AFP) Syria's President Bashar al-Assad told Swiss public television, SRF, that fighting ‘terrorists’ in Aleppo was the only way of ‘protecting civilians’. He denied govement forces bombed hospitals indiscriminately and dismissed allegations of the army’s use of chemical weapons. “According to the constitution, according to the law, we have to protect people, we have to get rid of those terrorists from Aleppo. This is where we can protect the civilians,” Assad told SRF in the interview broadcast on Wednesday. "How can you protect them while they are under the control of terrorists? They've been killed by them, and they've been controlled fully by the terrorists. Is it our role to sit aside and watch, if that's how we can protect the Syrian people? We need to attack the terrorists, that's self-evident." The Syrian military said on Thursday , ...ادامه مطلب

We often get asked who our audience is at swissinfo.ch. Well, we’re aimed at an inteational community who are interested in Switzerland, and Swiss citizens living abroad. To know our readers better, we asked our fans on Facebook to tell us who they are and what their connection to Switzerland is. Here’s three people who shared their stories of their interest in Switzerland and why swissinfo.ch matters to them. David, Mexico: "Leaing to ski changed my life!" (Courtesy of David Martinez ) “I was bo in Mexico City in 1958. Actually I live in Monterrey, the third largest city of Mexico, located 200 km away from the US Border. I am married and I have three sons: David Alejandro, 24; Daniel Andrés, 20 and finally María Insony, 18. My wife's name is Laura and she is from Acapulco.I currently work as a language Teacher in two Primary Schools, teaching French, as well as in a Junior High School. I speak Spanish, French, English and a bit of GermanWhy my interest in Switzerlan,meet the peeples,meet the peeples cast,meet the peeples movie,meet the peeples full movie,meet the peoples session,meet the peoples session tampines ...ادامه مطلب

Battle of the generations? Actually political ideology seems to be more important when deciding whether to increase pension payments (Keystone) Why would you vote against something from which you would benefit – or vote in favour of something that you would have to pay for but not benefit from? An upcoming people’s initiative on raising pension payments by 10% has raised questions about the role of personal and national interests in direct democracy. There have been several initiatives and referendums over the years in which the Swiss appear to vote against their own interests, rejecting for example a lower retirement age, an unconditional basic income and extra holiday. Incredulous foreign media reported on the holiday result as though turkeys had just voted for Christmas. ​The initiative on September 25 to raise pension payments looks like being another example of voters rejecting an idea that, at first glance, would appear to benefit them, according to the latest polls. I,why do some pokemon have a blue background,why do some pokestops have hearts,why do some pokemon escape,why do some people have dimples,why do some people not dream,why do some ants have wings,why do some pimples hurt,why do some pokemon have blue,why do some pokemon have blue around them,why do some snapchat conversations stay ...ادامه مطلب