Mittwoch, März 30, 2011

Hounds trained to help the deaf.

For hundreds of years, dogs have been indispensible helpers for the blind. Now they're being trained to help deaf people as well. Leika is about to become one of the nation's first ever 'signal dogs'. Swiss TV filmed her taking her final exams. (SF/swissinfo)

Samstag, März 26, 2011

Open-air museum Ballenberg shows Switzerland as it used to be

In mid-April the open-air museum of Ballenberg near Brienz will open its doors to the public for the 34th time. But before visitors can dive into rural life as it used to be, the staff still have a lot of work to do. In order to make the travel back in time perfect, the old houses have to be refurbished, traditional gardens planted and indigenous cattle trained for farm work. (Michele Andina, swissinfo.ch)

Freitag, März 25, 2011

Building Switzerland: The Temporary Chapel

An amazing modern building has appeared at the foot of the Jura hills in canton Vaud, in the heart of a religious community where time seems to have stood still. The St Loup wooden chapel is a revolutionary design, inspired by the Japanese art of origami. This audacious building, in a region steeped in tradition, has a very simple history.

Donnerstag, März 24, 2011

Building Switzerland: The High-Tech Hut

The new Monte Rosa Hut is located at 2,883 metres above sea level in a barren wasteland of rock and ice, facing one of Switzerland’s most famous mountains, the Matterhorn. A joint effort by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) and the Swiss Alpine Club, it is a shining example of hands-on teaching with the lofty goal of being sustainable.

Dienstag, März 22, 2011

Safe clean drinking water for Kosovo, thanks to the Swiss



To mark World Water Day (March 22), a special report from Kosovo on how the Swiss are helping to provide safe clean drinking water and new sewage systems to homes all over the state. It's thanks to a major investment programme by the Swiss Cooperation Office in Pristina. (Julie Hunt in Kosovo, swissinfo.ch)

Sonntag, März 20, 2011

New questions raised about Switzerland’s energy strategy



Switzerland has three nuclear power plants that are showing their age. Following the nuclear accident in Japan, experts have been given about a year to come up with a new risk analysis, that will be used as the basis for political decisions on the future of nuclear energy. (SF/swissinfoch)

Mittwoch, März 16, 2011

Urban climbing - Going up the wall in Geneva



Three years ago a group of young men introduced urban climbing to the city of Geneva. Now they’ve released the first film on this trend sport, showing them conquering their favourite monuments. (TSR/swissinfo.ch)

Montag, März 14, 2011

Ground beans and Swiss machines



Two products in the coffee-maker business are experiencing the biggest growth: capsule makers and fully automatic machines with fresh ground beans. A success the Swiss are very happy to be a part of. (Raffaella Rossello, swissinfo.ch)

Mittwoch, März 09, 2011

Bern University provides new hope for liver cancer patients



Patients suffering from liver cancer have a better chance of survival, thanks to a new tool developed by Bern University and MeVis Fraunhofer in Bremen, Germany. The system combines navigation technology with a 3D surgery plan, computed from tomography images, allowing surgeons to accurately locate and remove abnormal tissue or lesions in the liver. (Julie Hunt/Michele Andina, swissinfo.ch)

Depuis presque 50 ans, Bruno Spoerri triture les sons électroniques



Saxophoniste, jazzman, compositeur de musiques de films et de jingles pour la pub ou la télévision, Bruno Spoerri est tout cela à la fois. Dès 1965, le Bâlois a été l’un premiers en Suisse à produire de la musique avec des appareils électriques. Ce pionnier, connu pour son perfectionnisme, a reçu swissinfo.ch dans son studio de Zurich. Il y évoque ses 50 ans d’expérience.

Montag, März 07, 2011

The best sommelier



To be a master of anything, even wine tasting, you have to work hard, no matter how much talent you’ve got. To keep his nose and his taste buds as finely tuned as possible, the Swiss sommelier trains constantly, and also leads a very healthy lifestyle. (SF-swissinfo.ch

Samstag, März 05, 2011

Race-winning electric motorbike at Geneva motor show



Electric cars have pride of place at this year’s Geneva motor show, with 24 world premieres and 11 European premieres. But the prize winning two-seater electric motorbike, the Zerotracer, stands out, having just won the world’s toughest ever environmental road race. Julie Hunt reports from the motor show. (Julie Hunt in Geneva, swissinfo.ch)