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Switzerland prepares to host poverty-fighting summit

This content was published on May 12, 2000 This year’s summit, which will be held in Geneva and co-sponsored by the government’s Swiss Development Agency (SDC), will assess progress made, especially in the field of poverty reduction and the creation of employment opportunities as agreed upon at Copenhagen. The Copenhagen Summit set the world community the ambitious target of cutting world poverty by…

Plan for panorama train back on track

This content was published on May 12, 2000 Currently, tourists can board a panorama train in either Montreux on Lake Geneva or in Lucerne in central Switzerland, but then have to change trains twice if they want to continue their journey in scenic style to the other town. The narrow gauge trains of the two panorama railways, the Montreux Oberland Bahnen (MOB) and…

Army chief backs defence spending plans

This content was published on May 12, 2000 He made the statement after a key senate committee on Thursday voted in favour of purchasing 186 Swedish-made CV-9030 armoured personnel carriers at a cost of SFr990 million. An additional SFr188 million of the defence budget will go on mine-clearance and communications systems. The new acquisitions, which still need approval by parliament, are part of…

A flight of fancy

This content was published on May 12, 2000 The metallic, patchwork-like underbody and the fact that the tail rests virtually on the ground give away its age. Boarding from the rear door entails a bit of an uphill struggle. As he heaves himself into his seat, Breitel says “I’m looking forward to seeing the Alps from a different perspective – it’s my 60th…

Petrol price hits record high

This content was published on May 12, 2000 That is slightly higher than during the early 1980s, when petrol prices hit a high of SFr1.39. The oil companies say the latest price rise is due to an increase in prices on the market in Rotterdam. This in turn, is due to growing demand for oil, particularly from the United States. They said the…

Lausanne goes back to nature

This content was published on May 12, 2000 The idea was born in 1995, to coincide with the second European Year of Nature Conservation. Its 40 individual projects, which now form a green corridor running through the city, have been funded by the city of Lausanne, canton Vaud and the Federal Environmental Agency. “The experience is that people prefer a living town,” says…

Interlaken hosts health experts with the mission to offer fairer global health care

This content was published on May 11, 2000 “Clearly the poorer countries have the greatest burden,” says Orvill Adams, the director of the World Health Organisation’s health service delivery body. In poverty-stricken countries, more than one in five children die in their first year. This compares unfavorably with just one in 200 children in the West. Poverty then certainly is an issue, but…

Cabinet paves way for new charity foundation

This content was published on May 11, 2000 After an extraordinary session on Wednesday, it proposed using the remaining 800 tonnes on deficit reduction, educational projects, and to stock up the state pension plan. However, the details have been left open. The cabinet agreed at the meeting that the fund should be limited to 30 years. The finance ministry said it would present…

Swiss insurers to compensate Holocaust victims

This content was published on May 11, 2000 A maximum sum of $50 million has for the first time been put on the table by the negotiators from the Swiss banks UBS and Credit Suisse, who are representing four Swiss insurance companies, including Swiss Re, Baloise, Swiss Life and Helvetia-Patria.· The negotiations in New York are supposed to avert class action lawsuits being…

Strengthening franc spells bad news for Swiss exporters to Europe

This content was published on May 11, 2000 Before then, the franc and the euro had moved to a large extent in parallel, with the euro worth around SFr1.60. However, since the Swiss National Bank’s decision to move Swiss interest rates higher independently of the European Central Bank, the Swiss unit has been gaining ground. At present the euro buys around SFr1.55. About…

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Internal: Archive

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Switzerland prepares to host poverty-fighting summit

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Plan for panorama train back on track

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Army chief backs defence spending plans

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A flight of fancy

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Petrol price hits record high

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Lausanne goes back to nature

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Interlaken hosts health experts with the mission to offer fairer global health care

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Cabinet paves way for new charity foundation

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Swiss insurers to compensate Holocaust victims

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Strengthening franc spells bad news for Swiss exporters to Europe

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