Topic: Switzerland

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Spurs and Thunder star in NBA’s Western Conference Finals: 10 extra dimensions

The clash of the Spurs and Thunder in the NBA’s Western Conference finals may fly a bit under the national radar when it opens Sunday. Here are 10 factors that make this showdown intriguing.
College rankings: Which countries have the best education systems?

A new higher education ranking focuses on evaluating quality by countries as a whole, rather than specific academic institutions. Here are some of the findings:
Everyday heroes: Seven tales of American heroes

Victor Perez stopped the abduction of an 8-year-old girl. Two teenage boys rescued a couple from a burning car wreck in Florida. New Yorker Kashmir Singh goes the extra mile to help a Swiss couple. Here are seven stories of everyday American heroes who responded to trying circumstances with extraordinary grace or courage.
US tax time: A later deadline and other tax facts

Thanks to a holiday in Washington, D.C., the federal tax-filing deadline this year is April 17, two days later than usual. The extra time provides an opportunity to peruse some random tax-related facts.
World rankings: top 10 universities around the globe

Britain's leading higher education publication, The Times Higher Education, today released its 2012 reputation rankings for universities worldwide. Here is a list of the top 10.

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Global News Blog
Aung San Suu Kyi's 'test run' outside of Myanmar (+video)

On her first international trip since 1988, Aung San Suu Kyi is in Thailand to attend a World Economic Forum summit on Friday. Next month she will travel to Europe, collecting while there the Nobel Peace Prize awarded her in 1991.
Spurs and Thunder star in NBA’s Western Conference Finals: 10 extra dimensions

The clash of the Spurs and Thunder in the NBA’s Western Conference finals may fly a bit under the national radar when it opens Sunday. Here are 10 factors that make this showdown intriguing.
Stefan Karlsson
Europe can strengthen Greece without weakening Germany

Some experts warn that Greece can't reduce its current deficit unless Germany and other better-off nations reduce their surpluses. Here's why they're wrong.
College rankings: Which countries have the best education systems?

A new higher education ranking focuses on evaluating quality by countries as a whole, rather than specific academic institutions. Here are some of the findings:
Change Agent
A quirky, tiny grass-roots effort backs only 'Awesome’ projects

The Awesome Foundation is a loose collection of some three-dozen local groups usually made up of 10 volunteers each, who offer $100 a month toward a simple, no-strings-attached grant, or Awesome Fellowship.
Pakistan's top court convicts prime minister

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's conviction is triggering turmoil in a government already struggling with major economic and security challenges amid tense US relations.
Taiwan set for Chinese invasion - of investors

Taiwan's economy is poised grow significantly this year as the island relaxes barriers to investment from its old rival, mainland China.
The coming rise of Chinese brands

US take heed: China has its sights set on something beyond manufacturing – building Chinese-owned global brands – where the true economic power lies. And though Chinese brands don't currently have a stellar international reputation, history shows they could soon.
Israel bans a textbook promoting Arab rights as 'unbalanced'

Israel's Education Ministry approved the textbook, 'Taking the Civil Road,' just last year but now says it has factual errors. Critics see the ban as part of a broader nationalistic push.
Modern Parenthood
Obama Romney dog wars: cultural lessons for the dinner table

"Obama eats dog!"  "Romney cages dog on car roof!" Wipe away the political rhetoric and the dog wars is a great dinner table topic about different cultures.
Did egg-laying lead to the dinosaurs' demise?

New research suggests that dinosaurs' reproduction through egg-laying may have been a fatal weakness.
Everyday heroes: Seven tales of American heroes

Victor Perez stopped the abduction of an 8-year-old girl. Two teenage boys rescued a couple from a burning car wreck in Florida. New Yorker Kashmir Singh goes the extra mile to help a Swiss couple. Here are seven stories of everyday American heroes who responded to trying circumstances with extraordinary grace or courage.
Israel dismisses 'flytilla' protest, pointing to human rights abuses in Syria, Iran

Israel denied entry and deported several dozen pro-Palestinian activists who flew into Tel Aviv's airport on Sunday, arguing they are missing the bigger regional issues.
Hey SCOTUS, we already have a federal mandate for health care

US law requires emergency rooms to treat patients regardless of their ability to pay. As a hospital CEO, I assure you, we already have a form of universal health care. We simply fund and supply it in an exorbitantly expensive way. Obamacare's individual mandate provides the solution.
US tax time: A later deadline and other tax facts

Thanks to a holiday in Washington, D.C., the federal tax-filing deadline this year is April 17, two days later than usual. The extra time provides an opportunity to peruse some random tax-related facts.
Swiss villages, sitting on a gold mine, refuse to budge

Switzerland's Medel Valley contains gold ore worth an estimated $1.2 billion, but residents soundly rejected a proposal to mine the deposits, despite the community's need for jobs.
Germany tries to convince Swiss banks to play by its rules

Germany and Switzerland signed a treaty today in which Switzerland agreed to impose taxes on Germans' secret accounts in Swiss banks, but the deal still falls short of the transparency Germany wants.
Is Iran's proposal to hold nuke talks in Syria, Iraq, or China brinksmanship?

Iran's suggestions of alternative sites raised the possibility of complications to get talks under way as expected on April 13 between Iran and envoys from the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany.
Stefan Karlsson
Want a job? Learn German.

Unemployment statistics out of Europe show that German-speaking countries far outpace the rest in terms of job growth and low unemployment rates.
Tiny Qatar's outsized role

This week, Iraq takes over the Arab League presidency from Qatar, which has ruffled feathers with its surge in leadership. A Russian official famously told Qatar, 'Go back to your size.'
Difference Maker
Eric Maddox breaks bread – and barriers – one virtual dinner at a time

Eric Maddox created the Virtual Dinner Guest Project to bring people from different cultures together over a meal through a video link.
Retest of neutrino speed suggests Einstein was right, after all (+video)

An attempt to replicate experiments last year in which neutrinos were measured moving faster than light has clocked the ethereal particles traveling within the cosmic speed limit, suggesting that Einstein's special theory of relativity still holds up.
World rankings: top 10 universities around the globe

Britain's leading higher education publication, The Times Higher Education, today released its 2012 reputation rankings for universities worldwide. Here is a list of the top 10.
Swiss bus accident kills 28, mostly Belgian schoolchildren

A group of Belgian students and two adults were among the dead as the result of a bus accident in the Swiss alps late Tuesday.
International Women's Day: Meet the 10 richest women

The day before International Women's Day, Forbes magazine released its annual billionaires list for 2012 headed, predictably, by men. But this year, 14 of the richest 100 were women. In honor of International Women’s Day, here’s a countdown of the Top 10, a list that includes a few mining tycoons, a media mogul, and a pair of Wal-Mart heiresses. Which wealthy woman snagged the top spot?