Cluster: Swiss Abroad

Maurer ends controversial visit to Israel

This content was published on Oct 11, 2010 During his three-day trip Maurer met Israeli President Shimon Peres and Defence Minister Ehud Barak, who invited him. He also visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, and military bases on the Israel-Lebanon border and in Tel Aviv. Following his meeting on Monday with Barak and other top officials, Maurer told reporters in Tel…

Swiss Politics

Swiss ship to join Gaza-bound flotilla

This content was published on Oct 11, 2010 Nathan Finkelstein, a spokesman with the Geneva-based Collectif Urgence Palestine, said about 45 people could be aboard the ship as part of a flotilla with vessels from 17 countries. It could set sail as early as February. Exactly who might be on that ship is not yet clear, but the group said a third could…

Swiss Politics

Swiss boost bilateral relations with Russia

This content was published on Oct 11, 2010 She and her Russian counterpart, Alexander Konovalov, signed on Monday a renewed cooperation agreement, including a programme for experts on penal systems, according to a statement by the Swiss justice ministry. The meeting also focused on a justice reforms in Russia and at the European Courts of Human Rights in Strasbourg. During her three-day visit…

Swiss Politics

NGOs urge more funds to preserve biodiversity

This content was published on Oct 11, 2010 The appeal was launched ahead of a United Nations summit on biodiversity in Nagoya, Japan, next week. The non-governmental organisations, Berne Declaration, Pro Natura and Bird Life, warned that the meeting was doomed if the government failed to increase significantly the Swiss contribution to developing nations in the field of biodiversity. They added that not…

Swiss Politics

Maurer defends Israel trip

This content was published on Oct 10, 2010 On Sunday he met Israeli President Shimon Peres and visited the holocaust memorial of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. On Monday he is due to meet his Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak. The visit has caused protests back in Switzerland – most recently in Zurich airport as the minister left for his visit – from organisations arguing…

Aid helps Laos move away from bombing legacy

This content was published on Oct 10, 2010 Timothy Schaffter, head of Unicef Laos, tells swissinfo.ch that funding from countries like Switzerland is essential in curbing the accidents that still occur daily, three decades after the end of the Vietnam War. Schaffter was in Zurich for a meeting with Unicef Switzerland, one of the biggest financial supporters for Unicef educational programmes about unexploded…

Swiss Politics

Rightwing groups protest against minaret

This content was published on Oct 9, 2010 Canton Bern has confirmed that a minaret may be built in the town, although legislation now exists that bans their construction throughout Switzerland. In last year’s nationwide vote 57 per cent of voters backed a ban on building new minarets in what was seen as a controversial move. Police were out in force in Langenthal,…

Swiss Politics

Swiss defend their IMF seat

This content was published on Oct 9, 2010 Emerging countries and the United States want a wider distribution of seats, saying Europe has too many. Swiss Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz has defended Switzerland’s position. At a press conference in Washington on Friday – when the two-day Annual Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank started with a joint G20 finance ministers and…

Provocative Berlusconi soap goes on show

This content was published on Oct 8, 2010 It is part of an exhibition at the Migros museum of contemporary art, whose news release explains that the fat was removed when Berlusconi underwent liposuction at a clinic in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino in 2004. An employee of the clinic is said to have given it to the Geneva-based artist, Gianni Motti.…

Swiss Politics

Chinese dissident gets Nobel Peace Prize

This content was published on Oct 8, 2010 The Nobel committee chose Liu, who is currently in prison, “for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China”. The prize puts China’s human rights in the spotlight at a time when Beijing is seeking to play a bigger role on the global stage. Liu, who was sentenced in China last Christmas…

Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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Maurer ends controversial visit to Israel

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Swiss ship to join Gaza-bound flotilla

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Swiss boost bilateral relations with Russia

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NGOs urge more funds to preserve biodiversity

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Maurer defends Israel trip

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Aid helps Laos move away from bombing legacy

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Rightwing groups protest against minaret

More

Swiss defend their IMF seat

More

Provocative Berlusconi soap goes on show

More

Chinese dissident gets Nobel Peace Prize

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