Newsletter
April 2010
The swissworld.org team would like to wish all our readers a great start to spring! The focus of our work this year will be improving our online content and intensifying collaboration with our partners in order to offer you a more complete and varied website experience.
Swiss Pavilion, Expo 2010 in Shanghai
Construction nears completion
Building work on the Swiss Pavilion for Expo 2010 in Shanghai is accomplished according to plan. The solar cells have already been fitted on the interactive façade and the chair-lift – a highlight of the Swiss Pavilion - has been set up as well. Once the construction work has finished, planting will begin on the roof garden, which will offer visitors a relaxing green oasis. The events programme is also starting to take shape, the highlights of which will be the official Expo opening ceremony on 1 May, Swiss National Day celebrations on 1 August, and Swiss Pavilion Day on 12 August.
To find out more, check out the official website: www.swisspavilion.ch.
Economy
Swiss financial centre
Most people automatically associate Switzerland with mountains cheese and, of course, banks. Recently, certain Swiss banks have been making the headlines across the world, which has led to a certain degree of misunderstanding surrounding Switzerland’s famous “banking secrecy”. What does this term actually mean and how did it come about? Make your own mind up on the subject by taking a look at our new chapter on the Swiss financial centre, which separates fact from fiction.
Environment
Biodiversity
The United Nations General Assembly declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity. This is an opportunity to take stock of the state of biodiversity today and the challenges we face in trying to safeguard it. Although progress has been made – for example, the diversity of flora and fauna found in Switzerland has remained stable over the last ten years - the battle is far from over. To find out more, visit our chapter about Biodiversity in Switzerland.
House of Switzerland in Canada
Another winning performance by Switzerland
The final results from the 2010 Winter Olympics are in... The House of Switzerland in Vancouver and Whistler have been a great success! 60,000 guests visited the two sites between the opening ceremony on 5 February and the closing ceremony on 28 February. 1,700 fans registered on the Facebook account, and four tonnes of Swiss cheese and two tonnes of Swiss chocolate were consumed. The House of Switzerland once again proved to be a social hub for the Swiss Olympic team, its sponsors and partners, as well as a popular meeting point for fans. Check out the House of Switzerland gallery, which includes photos of the various medal celebrations. Simply click on: www.houseofswitzerland.org.
swissinfo Specials
swissworld.org is intensifying its collaboration with swissinfo.ch, a news and information platform targeted at Swiss people living overseas. Our website now features a selection of swissinfo Specials, which offer a more in-depth look at the topics making the news here in Switzerland and abroad.