Swiss Identity

Rise in HIV blamed on complacency

This content was published on Nov 21, 2002 At the end of October, the number of new cases of HIV infection – about 630 – was the same as for the whole of last year. “It’s a disturbing trend and shows that the work of prevention has not yet been accomplished,” Christoph Schlatter, spokesman for the Swiss Aids Federation, told swissinfo. “After 15…

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Asylum debate “forgets” those in need

This content was published on Nov 21, 2002 Switzerland’s debate over whether to tighten up its laws on asylum has managed to confuse asylum seekers, illegal immigrants, and the country’s permanent foreign community, it is claimed. The initiative from the Swiss People’s Party proposes that asylum seekers who have passed through another safe country before arriving at the Swiss border should not be…

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Swiss fund US death penalty campaigners

This content was published on Nov 20, 2002 A key aim of the International Justice Project is to highlight death sentences passed on minors and the mentally handicapped. The organisation works alongside police, lawyers, and judges to raise awareness of international conventions governing capital punishment. Set up three years ago, the project is financed jointly by Switzerland and Britain. This year the foreign…

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Minorities live in fear in Kosovo

This content was published on Nov 20, 2002 The province is awash with arms from the conflict and is a popular base for smugglers and other criminal gangs. Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica told the United Nations General Assembly in September that Kosovo – now under UN rule – was a centre for “organised criminal networks that transit our region and stretch from central…

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Return to Kosovo

This content was published on Nov 20, 2002 In the second of a three-part series, Julie Hunt accompanies refugee Zoran Stojanovic to his village in Kosovo. Zoran Stojanovic looks nervous as the plane touches down at Pristina Airport. He has taken the bold decision to relinquish his claim for refugee status in Switzerland and is on his way home to Kosovo under the…

Children in distress call 147

This content was published on Nov 20, 2002 SOS-Enfants in Geneva is one of the centres that mans the helpline, receiving around 3,500 calls a year. Nine regional centres monitor the 147 number, including SOS-Enfants. The single three-digit code provides anonymous access to specialists for children and teenagers. Youngsters have put the helpline number to good use. “Since we have been connected nationwide,…

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Children have nothing to celebrate

This content was published on Nov 20, 2002 November 20, Universal Children’s Day, is intended to remind the world of the need to apply the Convention. In 1989, the UN General Assembly approved the Convention. Its aims are to protect children against persecution, abuse and exploitation. Terre des Hommes, the Swiss-based charity, says children’s rights around the world have improved since then, giving…

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Couch potatoes brace for fitness drive

This content was published on Nov 19, 2002 The Federal Office for Sport said it wanted to clamp down on spiralling health costs, as well as to help young athletes fulfil their sporting potential. “We have two major problems with sports in Switzerland,” Heinz Keller, the director of the Federal Office for Sport, told swissinfo. “Two in five of all Swiss do no…

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One-way ticket to Kosovo

This content was published on Nov 18, 2002 In the first of a three-part series, Julie Hunt finds out what brought refugee Zoran Stojanovic to Switzerland. Thirty-eight-year-old Zoran is probably one of the last ethnic Serbs to return to Kosovo under the Swiss government’s voluntary repatriation programme. The programme was launched in 1999 and has since led to the voluntary return of some…

Tourism picks up five years after Luxor tragedy

This content was published on Nov 17, 2002 Sunday marked the fifth anniversary of the attack, which occurred when Islamic militants fired on a crowd of tourists visiting an ancient temple. “The Luxor attack had an impact on our business [in Egypt] for years,” said Ive Baumann, spokeswoman for the Swiss tour operator, Kuoni. But tourism officials say the number of Swiss holidaymakers…

Swiss Identity

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Swiss Identity

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Rise in HIV blamed on complacency

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Asylum debate “forgets” those in need

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Swiss fund US death penalty campaigners

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Minorities live in fear in Kosovo

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Return to Kosovo

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Children in distress call 147

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Children have nothing to celebrate

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Couch potatoes brace for fitness drive

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One-way ticket to Kosovo

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Tourism picks up five years after Luxor tragedy

Popular Stories

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