A life-changing art project

Tama Vakeesan was bo in Switzerland – to Tamil parents from Sri Lanka. This week, Tama visits the Kidswest Association set up a decade ago in Be, which introduces art to disadvantaged children and can even change their lives, as one former participant explains. (SRF Kulturplatz/swissinfo.ch)

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‘Aa Göldi was like a wild horse, impossible to catch’

(Patrick Lo Giudice/Wikipedia) More than 200 years after her execution, the story of the “last witch in Europe” still fascinates. To this day, the case of Aa Göldi causes discomfort. He thinks long and hard before actually saying it. Walter Hauser knows that his words could sound sensational, or even cynical. After some hesitation, he finally utters: “It’s like a curse. I just can’t let go of this story.” Talking about a curse when referring to Göldi is somehow ironic. She was the last woman to be executed for witchcraft in Europe. Even now, well over 200 years after an executioner fr

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E-voting pilot project seen as a big success

Voting by keyboard (Keystone) A first-time experiment in allowing Swiss citizens to cast their votes online for the Council of the Swiss Abroad has proven to be popular in two countries. Voters were enthusiastic about the pilot project, which relies on an e-voting system from the canton of Geneva to pick delegates to the "parliament of the Fifth Switzerland", a news media term for the councilexteal link because it represents Swiss expatriates' interests before authorities and public opinion in Switzerland. In June, Swiss living in Australia and Mexico could vote electronically for coun

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Pension reform vote looks set for close result

Opposition against the pension reform appears to be stronger in the French- and Italian-speaking parts of the country than in the German-speaking region (Keystone) Most Swiss citizens support reform of the old age pension system and the necessary increase in Value Added Tax (VAT), according to an opinion poll. But there is strong opposition against the plans, which will come to a nationwide vote next month. Supporters of both ideas are 11% and 12% ahead respectively in a survey commissioned by the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation – swissinfo.ch’s parent company – and published on Friday.

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Mistreated horses sold off at auction

Horse fans gathered in Schönbühl near Be for a special auction to find new homes for a number of mistreated horses. The star was stud horse Charlie, a rare Swiss breed. (SRF/swissinfo.ch) In early August, the police in northeaste Switzerland detained a horse dealer suspected of cruelty to animals, and closed down his farm near Lake Constance. About 300 animals, including 90 horses, pigs, cows, sheep, goats and llamas were removed by the Swiss army and taken to a military centre near the city of Be. The army's veterinary service has now sold 80 of the horses at auction. In many cases the

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When you cast your vote far from home

Why do the Swiss abroad vote differently from the Swiss at home? An expert takes a closer look at the political profile of the Swiss diaspora.

Political expert Thomas Milic has researched the political profile of Swiss expats. He's an expert on voting, parliamentary research and political psychology at the research centre Sotomoexteal link. He also regularly works for the Centre for Democracy Aarauexteal link.

In our new series, 'Inside the Democracy Labs', researchers answer all kinds of questions about democracy.

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'Africa does not exist'

Swiss Photography Foundation, Winterthur Dominic Nahr “Africa doesn’t exist.” This sentence is posted next to images exhibited by Swiss photographer Dominic Nahr. It is a quotation from joualist Georg Brunold’s reports from Africa – and relevant to Nahr’s work. His photographic oeuvre is now on show at the Swiss Photography Foundation in Winterthur. The exhibition’s title is “Blind Spots”. The dark spots are South Sudan, Somalia, Mali and the Democratic Republic of the Congo: four African states that can’t provide inhabitants with basic necessities and security. Four countrie

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Vote topics, witches and the Unspuen Festival

The classic Swiss Unspuen Festival retus after a gap of 12 years (Keystone) Here's a selection of the stories we will be bringing you in the upcoming week. (Patrick Lo Giudice/Wikipedia) Monday It’s been more than 200 years since Europe’s “last witch”, Aa Göldi, was executed in Switzerland. She was officially exonerated in 2008 and her name lives on with a new museum in canton Glarus and a musical to remember the injustice she endured. (Keystone) Tuesday-Friday On September 24, Swiss voters will decide on another batch of initiatives, ranging from food security, reform

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Jacqueline Tschumi: "Not much flexibility in daily work life"

Five years ago, she left for Japan on a diplomatic inteship and fell in love with her new home. Now, Jacqueline Tschumi has no desire to retu to Switzerland. But the 32-year-old does miss Swiss efficiency and quick access to the great outdoors. swissinfo.ch: Why did you leave Switzerland? Jacqueline Tschumi: I applied for an inteship at the Swiss embassy in Japan to get some work experience and find out more about life as a diplomat. The initial four months tued into a year, and after a short visit to Switzerland they tued into another three-an

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Monika Tiffany, US

First-time congress attendee Monika Tiffany feels Swiss banks should make banking less of a hassle for Swiss citizens living abroad. She currently lives in Oregon. #WeAreSwissAbroad Dear Swiss living abroad… We’ve set up an Instagram account for you! Please share your pictures using the hashtag #WeAreSwissAbroad. People love to hear about emigrants, ... See in other languages: 5

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Minister praises Swiss expats, values and cliches

Berset's speech was applauded by the nearly 400 participants of the Swiss Abroad Congress. (Adrian Moser/ASO-OSE) Interior Minister Alain Berset has highlighted the experience and expertise of Swiss citizens living around the world and pointed out the truth behind Swiss clichés. “Switzerland doesn’t lose anything if its citizens go and live in another country, on the contrary,” said Berset in his keynote address to the Congress of the Swiss Abroad in Basel on Saturday. Switzerland benefits from its expats and the world benefits from them too, he said in a speech to nearly 400 participant

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We are Swiss abroad

swissinfo.ch brought along a mobile photo booth to the Swiss Abroad Congress in Basel, allowing joualists to capture portraits of people with very different backgrounds. What coected them all: a great love for their homeland, and honest, diverse perspectives on recent developments in Switzerland.

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La bella vita at the Locarno Film Festival

This content was published on August 12, 2017 11:00 AMAug 12, 2017 - 11:00The 70th Locao Film Festival is coming to a close. For ten days, the compact city in Italian-speaking Switzerland has been transformed into a place of pilgrimage for film-lovers, actors and directors. Here are some of the hi