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+11 +1
Muslim couple denied Swiss citizenship over handshake refusal
The Swiss city of Lausanne has blocked a Muslim couple’s bid to become Swiss nationals over their refusal to shake hands with members of the opposite sex. The municipality said it refused to grant the couple’s citizenship application over their lack of respect for gender equality, Lausanne mayor Gregoire Junod said. He said a municipal commission had questioned the couple several months ago to determine if they met the criteria for citizenship, but had determined in the ruling made public on Friday that they missed the mark on integration.
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+16 +1
It’s so hot in Switzerland that helicopters are airlifting water to thirsty cows
Swiss army helicopters have started airlifting water to thousands of thirsty cows who are suffering in a drought and heatwave that has hit much of Europe. Large red plastic containers hung from the bottom of the Super Puma helicopters carried the water this week to farms in the Jura Mountains and Alpine foothills.
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+19 +1
Twenty people dead in WW2 plane crash
Twenty people have died after a World War Two vintage aircraft crashed into a mountainside in eastern Switzerland, police say. The plane - a Junkers JU-52 HB-HOT - was carrying 17 passengers and three crew on a sightseeing flight when it took off on Saturday afternoon. Operator JU-Air said it was saddened by the news and it had set up a helpline for relatives. It has suspended all flights until further notice.
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+13 +1
Ringtone replaces Swiss church bells
A ringtone temporarily replaces the sound of bells as renovation work at a Lucerne church takes place.
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+1 +1
Ten Swiss Short Films You Must Watch - Sofy.tv - Blog
You might not know it but the short film industry is thriving. Swiss Short films are finding their way to an ever-larger audience thanks to the help of international film...
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+10 +1
Swiss file WTO case against Trump tariffs
Switzerland filed a complaint Monday with the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the United States over the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on steel and aluminum imports. Swiss companies exported about $80 million in steel and aluminum products to the U.S. in 2017, according to a government statement. Switzerland is just the latest country to file a lawsuit against the United States over the tariffs, joining the European Union, among others. Other countries have taken steps to retaliate against U.S. exports, prompting fears of a wider trade war.
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+5 +1
Switzerland returns $1.2bn Nigerian loot
The Swiss government has to repatriated Nigeria’s stolen funds totalling $1.2 billion, official confirmed. Switzerland’s outgoing ambassador to Nigeria Eric Mayoraz said the European state first repatriated $722 million to Nigeria in 2005 and $322 million of the looted assets of former military ruler Sani Abacha. Mr Mayoraz praised Switzerland's contribution to the anti-corruption campaign of President Muhammadu Buhari.
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+7 +1
David Goodall, Australia's oldest scientist, ends his own life at 104
Australia’s oldest scientist, David Goodall, has ended his own life at a clinic in Switzerland, surrounded by family and while listening to Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. The British-born 104-year-old professor was forced to travel on a one-way ticket from his home in Western Australia to Switzerland where liberal assisted dying laws allowed him to end his life legally, in contrast to Australia where it remains forbidden.
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+19 +1
Switzerland’s valley of the cable cars
To the farming families of Switzerland’s Engelberg region, cable cars aren’t built for ski holidays and scenic views. They’re vital to daily life.
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+32 +1
Waterfall drive
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+23 +1
Attenborough and the Empire of the Ants
David Attenborough is in the Swiss Jura Mountains to discover the secrets of a giant. Beneath his feet lies a vast network of tunnels and chambers, home to a huge empire of ants. It is believed to be one of the largest animal societies in the world, where over a billion ants from rival colonies live in peace. Their harmonious existence breaks many of the rules for both ants and evolution, and raises some important questions. Through winter, spring and into summer, David turns detective to find the answers.
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+15 +1
Swiss voters ponder axing TV licence
Households pay 451 francs ($480; £348) a year but a referendum could end that, writes Imogen Foulkes.
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+24 +1
What can the Swiss teach the US about guns?
As an American living in Zurich, I’ve watched news cycle after news cycle reporting mass shootings, domestic violence-related homicides, and accidental gun deaths in the United States. While the issue of gun violence has impacted every American in some way, I have had a more close-up view than most.
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+1 +1
At least 10 people hit by Swiss avalanche
Two people have been hurt in an avalanche in Switzerland, according to local police in the Valais canton. A spokesperson said it was initially thought eight others had been in the path of the snowfall too, but they were found to be safe shortly afterwards. The injured pair in the Col de Fenestral area are not seriously hurt, authorities said.
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+25 +1
Macaroni cheese’s mysterious origins
Americans especially love to claim macaroni cheese as their own, but a trail of clues points to the Swiss Alps.
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+2 +1
Heavy Snowfall Leaves Thousands Stranded in the Alps
Thousands of people have been stranded by heavy snowfall at ski resorts in the Alps, with many unable to return home following skiing holidays. Train lines and roads to Zermatt in Switzerland and St Anton in Austria have been blocked off, and authorities are asking people to remain in their accommodation for safety reasons.
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+1 +1
Cryptocurrency mining to restore Alpine village’s goldrush fever
A new kind of mine is providing hope for a Swiss mountain village that has seen its share of misfortune over the years. Gondo, with 40 inhabitants, is no longer mining for gold, but for cryptocurrencies. On the face of it, Gondo - an isolated community on the Swiss-Italian border - is hardly the most likely location for such a cutting-edge, disruptive and divisive technology. It has nevertheless been chosen as the venue for a cryptocurrency mine by start-up Alpine Mining.
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+23 +1
Youngest Swiss president in 84 years takes office
At 45, Alain Berset is the youngest politician to become Swiss president since 1934. He holds the rotating post for 2018. In an interview with swissinfo.ch, Berset remains cautious about a change in Swiss-EU relations and talks about whether Switzerland is experiencing its own ballot box protests.
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+14 +1
Around 6,000 Swiss VW owners seek damages in emissions scandal
Swiss consumer protection organization SKS has filed a claim on behalf of some 6,000 car owners seeking damages from Volkswagen AG and Swiss car dealer AMAG related to the "Dieselgate" emissions scandal.
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+24 +1
World's steepest funicular railway starts chugging up Swiss mountainside
Funicular railways are cable-based train lines that shuttle carriages up steep inclines, and they don't come any steeper than the Stoosbahn that has just opened in Switzerland that connects the mountain village of Stoos to the valley below.
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