Switzerland

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October 2008
- Fraud Case Breaches Venerable Swiss Secrecy
  
  New York Times | Oct 1, 08 10:50 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Swiss authorities are cooperating with an American investigation into a tax fraud scandal, dealing a major blow to the nation's tradition of banking secrecy. Swiss bank UBS is alleged to have helped up to 20,000 American clients evade taxes by stashing their fortunes—collectively worth $20 billion—in undeclared accounts. Now, after initial resistance, Switzerland has agreed to hand over confidential data to the Justice Department, reports the New York Times . More »
September 2008
- Alps Artifacts Offer Clues to Climate Change
  
  AFP | Sep 6, 08 10:48 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A melting glacier in the Swiss Alps has revealed hundreds of ancient artifacts, providing valuable information about both history and climate change through the ages, AFP reports. The area was walkable only during warm periods when the glacier receded. “The site itself is the most important find because we have this correlation between climate change and archaeological objects,” says a researcher. More »
August 2008
- Swiss Pardon Europe's Last Executed Witch
  
  Independent (UK) | Aug 28, 08 4:56 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - It's 226 years too late to restore her head to her body but the Swiss have decided to restore the good name of convicted witch Anna Goeldi, the Independent reports. Goeldi, the last person in Europe to be executed for witchcraft, was tortured and killed after being accused of casting spells to make a young girl convulse and spit pins. More »
June 2008
- Art Basel: Brisk Sales, but No Frenzy
  
  New York Times | Jun 5, 08 9:55 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Art Basel, the world's most prestigious (and most expensive) art fair, opened Tuesday in Switzerland amid grumbles that works for sale were of middling quality and overpriced. "Now there are just too many art fairs," said a director of PaceWildenstein, one of New York's biggest galleries. As the New York Times writes, this year's Art Basel is loaded with well-known names at the expense of new discoveries. More »
April 2008
- Credit Suisse Posts $2.1B Loss
  
  Financial Times (UK) | Apr 24, 08 4:39 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Credit Suisse has announced it lost a mammoth $2.1 billion in the first quarter, reports the Financial Times. The Swiss banking group, which until recently appeared to have escaped the worst of the credit crunch, continued to post strong earnings from its private banking sector—but that wasn't enough to outweigh writedowns of $5.2 billion. More »
February 2008
- Musharraf Pushes Swiss to Prosecute Foe
  
  Guardian (UK) | Feb 21, 08 10:37 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - As the battle to control Pakistan heats up, President Pervez Musharraf's lawyers have asked the Swiss government to prosecute Asif Ali Zardari over decade-old corruption charges. Zardari, the widower of Benazir Bhutto and leader of the victorious Pakistan People's Party, is charged with hiding $55 million in kickbacks in a Swiss bank account. Bhutto herself faced similar charges in Switzerland before her assassination. More »
- Stolen Art Found in Parking Lot
  
  Guardian (UK) | Feb 19, 08 6:55 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The four 19th-century paintings stolen from a Swiss museum have reportedly been found in an unlocked car parked outside a Zurich psychiatric hospital. Although police have not yet confirmed the find, Swiss media are reporting that the $168 million worth of loot—one work each by Cézanne, Degas, Monet, and van Gogh—has been recovered. The paintings were stolen by masked gunmen on February 10. More »
- Thieves Snag 2 Picassos
  
  Guardian (UK) | Feb 8, 08 2:28 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Thieves stole two Picasso paintings that belong to a German museum from a Swiss art gallery where they had been on display, the Guardian reports. The pilfered works, Tete de Cheval and Verre et Pichet, were on loan from the Sprengel Museum. Combined, they're worth $4.5 million, AFP reports. More »
January 2008
- Davos Summit: a Moral Sham?
  
  Guardian (UK) | Jan 25, 08 9:28 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Davos summit, an annual retreat “where money comes to find morality and politics comes to meet money,” is the capital of capitalism—yet the world's economic crisis is only spoken of in whispers there, writes Julian Glover in the Guardian . Instead, moguls press the flesh with Middle East oil magnates and Chinese or Russian officials—anyone who can buoy the West's wobbly economy with a nod or a phone call. More »
- Power Brokers Return to Davos
  
  Independent (UK) | Jan 22, 08 12:00 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - The Swiss ski resort of Davos turns into a giant think tank tomorrow as politicians, financiers, and other masters of the universe gather for the World Economic Forum. This year's summit will eschew some of the Hollywood glamor of sessions past, the Independent reports: Emma Thompson will put in an appearance, but the current pessimistic financial mood means Davos 2008 is going back to its roots. More »
December 2007
- Swiss in Turmoil as Power Sharing Collapses
  
  Reuters | Dec 13, 07 11:09 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - After 49 years, Switzerland’s cozy form of consensus government collapsed today, when the right-wing People’s Party went into opposition, angered by the ejection of one of its members from the cabinet. “You have forced us to go into opposition, destroyed our treasured system of government and sacrificed your sworn interest in concordance, collegiality and tolerance,” the party’s head raged. More »
- Swiss MPs Eject Populist Leader
  
  Bloomberg | Dec 12, 07 10:59 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Cristoph Blocher, the controversial head of Switzerland's People's Party, has been ejected from cabinet in an unexpected move that could end 50 years of consensus politics. The populist leader was slated for reelection as justice minister, Bloomberg reports, but a surprise deal by the three other parties voted in another People's Party member who didn't seek nomination. MPs broke into applause after the vote. More »
- It's All Downhill From Here
  
  Conde Nast Traveler | Dec 2, 07 1:08 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Make your holiday ski trip one to remember by visiting one of these renowned ski locales around the globe. Courtesy of Conde Nast Traveler : Courchevel 1850, France Verbier, Switzerland Mount Ruapehu, New Zealand More »
- Europe Tops Booziest List
  
  Forbes | Dec 1, 07 10:55 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - European countries take the honors as the hardest-drinking nations, taking 14 of the 15 top slots in a Forbes ranking of the world's countries by per capita consumption of pure alcohol in a year. Luxembourg France Ireland Hungary More »
November 2007
- New Swiss Ad: Come Here and Suffer
  
  Independent (UK) | Nov 29, 07 8:10 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - While most countries promote tourism or business opportunities, new Swiss TV spots airing in Nigeria and Cameroon make the nation look blatantly unfriendly, writes the Independent . The ads roll up the red carpet by depicting a destitute African immigrant begging, being chased by police, living under a bridge, and calling home to pretend everything's fine. The tagline: "Fleeing does not mean starting a new life." More »
- World's Best Green Hotels
  
  Travel Leisure | Nov 5, 07 10:15 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Solar-heated pools, energy-conserving lights, composted food scraps . . . hotels aren't all bastions of consumption and waste. Travel+Leisure teamed up with Conservation International to assemble a list of 20 eco-friendly hotels: Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada Soneva Fushi Resort & Six Senses Spa, Maldives Heritance Kandalama, Sri Lanka More »
October 2007
- Far-Right Wins in Swiss Election Create Tension
  
  Times (UK) | Oct 23, 07 11:10 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Swiss voters delivered a new parliament on Sunday, giving the right-wing Swiss People's Party a consolidated grip on power. But they also gave a seat to the country's first black MP, who told the Times of London that he is fearful of the xenophobia that characterized the recent election, despite his pride at being "a symbol" of a non-racist Switzerland. More »

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Stories

Fraud Case Breaches Venerable Swiss Secrecy

Alps Artifacts Offer Clues to Climate Change

Swiss Pardon Europe's Last Executed Witch

Art Basel: Brisk Sales, but No Frenzy

Credit Suisse Posts $2.1B Loss

Musharraf Pushes Swiss to Prosecute Foe

Stolen Art Found in Parking Lot

Thieves Snag 2 Picassos

Davos Summit: a Moral Sham?

Power Brokers Return to Davos

Swiss in Turmoil as Power Sharing Collapses

Swiss MPs Eject Populist Leader

It's All Downhill From Here

Europe Tops Booziest List

New Swiss Ad: Come Here and Suffer

World's Best Green Hotels

Far-Right Wins in Swiss Election Create Tension