Swiss Identity

Swiss government says animal rights do not belong in the constitution

This content was published on Apr 25, 2001 The two initiatives, supported by vets and animal rights activists, called for a constitutional amendment recognising that animals are not objects, and for an improved legal status for animals. Both initiatives received well over the 100,000 signatures required to force a nationwide vote. At the moment there are both federal and cantonal laws protecting animals…

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Swiss gypsies suffer discrimination

This content was published on Apr 25, 2001 The report, on the legal and social situation of minorities in Switzerland, was endorsed by the government on Wednesday, after being carried out on behalf of the Council of Europe. It followed Switzerland’s ratification of a European convention on the protection of minorities in 1998. In a statement, the government highlighted the report’s findings that…

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Swiss drug smugglers submit new appeal in Guatemala

This content was published on Apr 25, 2001 The two men’s lawyers are expected to argue that the previous appeal was compromised by procedural errors. At the time, the Swiss ambassador in Guatemala, Christian Hauswirth, said he thought the defendants would have little chance of bringing the case to court again. The new appeal is the latest twist in a long-running legal saga,…

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Swiss success in the fight against malaria

This content was published on Apr 25, 2001 The project, which is funded by the Swiss Development Agency, concerns the use of mosquito nets treated with an insecticide. It has reduced child mortality rates from the disease by 27 per cent. The programme began in 1996 in the remote Kilombero and Ulanga districts in southwestern Tanzania, has now been expanded into a national…

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Sulzer Medica sees no basis for punitive damages

This content was published on Apr 25, 2001 In a statement, the company said it had inspected the devices and withdrawn them from the market as soon as the fault was detected. “Clearly, punitive damages are not appropriate in the Sulzer litigation,” said the statement. Sulzer Medica is faced with lawsuits in the US for allegedly failing to warn thousands of patients about…

Culture

Woodcarving museum allows visitors to wield their own chisels

This content was published on Apr 25, 2001 The cottage industry of woodcarving developed in the Bernese Oberland town of Brienz in the first half of the 19th century to take advantage of the increasing number of tourists travelling to the area. The Jobin Company, founded in 1835, was one of the first on the scene, producing exquisitely detailed woodcarvings of alpine fauna,…

Culture

New migration museum aims to combat prejudice

This content was published on Apr 25, 2001 Behind the project are officials responsible for combating racism and experts on migration and intercultural relations. Its head is historian Thomas Buomberger, who says the theme’s relevance will grow during the next few decades in Western Europe for both demographic and economic reasons. “Lower birth rates and longer life expectancy will create a bigger need…

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Drug firms play down fears of clash with Brazil

This content was published on Apr 24, 2001 Thomas Cueni, director of Interpharma, the association of Swiss pharmaceutical industries, told swissinfo that the relationship with Brazil was “exemplary”. His comments came after 52 countries on the 53-member UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva backed a Brazilian resolution calling on states to ensure people with HIV and AIDS have access to essential medicines. Playing…

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Pavoni to miss world championships?

This content was published on Apr 24, 2001 The Kloten goalie is expected to be out of action for at least seven days, ruling him out of Wednesday’s warm-up match against the United States as well as Switzerland’s three preliminary matches at the championships in Germany. Martin Gerber is expected to take Pavoni’s place against the US on Wednesday for the Swiss team’s…

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Rare wins for Kratochvil and Rosset

This content was published on Apr 24, 2001 Rosset won his first tennis match in more than two months after coming from behind to beat Croatia’s Ivan Ljubicic 5-7, 7-6, 6-3. Kratochvil, meanwhile, ended a similar run of defeats with a straight sets victory over Argentina’s Gaston Gaudio. The Argentinian world number 36 was seeded 12th for the one million dollar Spanish tournament,…

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Swiss government says animal rights do not belong in the constitution

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Swiss gypsies suffer discrimination

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Swiss drug smugglers submit new appeal in Guatemala

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Swiss success in the fight against malaria

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Sulzer Medica sees no basis for punitive damages

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Woodcarving museum allows visitors to wield their own chisels

More

New migration museum aims to combat prejudice

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Drug firms play down fears of clash with Brazil

More

Pavoni to miss world championships?

More

Rare wins for Kratochvil and Rosset

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