Swiss Politics

Israel holds the diplomatic cards, experts say

This content was published on Jan 6, 2009 Fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian gunmen continued on Tuesday as Israel attempted to end militant rocket fire. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) meanwhile said the Gaza Strip faced “a full-blown humanitarian crisis”. The military offensive against Palestinian rocket squads launched by Israel on December 27 has left over 600 Palestinians dead…

Swiss Politics

Female medical careers need booster

This content was published on Jan 6, 2009 Proposals have been put forward to increase the number of part-time posts to enable female doctors – and male ones as well – to better combine work and family life. Researchers writing in the latest bulletin of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences reported that women made up 57 per cent of medical students in…

Swiss Politics

ICRC warns of critical situation in Gaza

This content was published on Jan 5, 2009 The Swiss-run ICRC, guardian of the Geneva Conventions on humanitarian law, said late on Monday that as the number of casualties continued to rise, it was focusing on arranging safe passage for Palestine Red Crescent ambulances, which collect the wounded and transport them to hospitals. The ICRC said ambulance movements were coordinated with the Israeli…

Swiss Politics

Illegal immigrants win reprieve in Zurich

This content was published on Jan 5, 2009 Around 150 rejected asylum seekers occupied a church last month claiming that Zurich was more draconian than other cantons. The authorities have accepted the new advisory body but have given no sign that rules will be relaxed. The compromise solution was hammered out on Monday during talks between representatives of the immigrants, the cantonal authorities…

Swiss Politics

ICRC medical team allowed to enter Gaza Strip

This content was published on Jan 5, 2009 The Geneva-based ICRC said the specialist team, including a surgeon, had been allowed to enter Gaza at the Erez crossing on Monday. It will help staff at the Shifa hospital carry out complicated operations on Palestinians that have been wounded in the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants. The team took with it vaccines against…

Swiss Politics

“Only wealthy” should support poor relatives

This content was published on Jan 5, 2009 On Monday the Swiss Conference of Social Institutions presented new guidelines in which the minimum income before the authorities can request you to support your next of kin doubled. For individuals the minimum goes from SFr60,000 ($54,470) to SFr120,000 and from SFr80,000 to SFr180,000 for multiple-income families. The guidelines are directed at the cantonal and…

Swiss Politics

Gloomy outlook forecast for the climate

This content was published on Jan 3, 2009 However much they might like to look on the bright side, three Swiss experts who spoke to swissinfo about their hopes and fears, are concerned that action on climate change is not being taken quickly enough. Professor Martin Beniston, a climate expert at Geneva University, hopes that the economic crisis will be over soon, before…

Swiss Politics

Swiss youth believe in politics

This content was published on Jan 3, 2009 swissinfo spoke to four Swiss teenagers about their fears, anxieties and hopes for Switzerland and the world at large. “I’m a little anxious about the future,” says Simone Woodtli, a 17-year-old high school student who lives in Trüllikon in canton Zurich. Besides the financial crisis, she is also worried about youth violence: “We can’t continue…

Swiss Politics

New year, new laws come into effect

This content was published on Jan 2, 2009 As a direct result of the global economic crisis, people with savings in Swiss banks will benefit from a tripling of account holder protection from the current SFr30,000 limit to SFr100,000 ($28,180 – $93,950). Three public agencies, the Federal Office of Private Insurance, the Swiss Federal Banking Commission and the Anti-Money Laundering Control Authority, have…

Swiss Politics

Hundreds take part in anti-Israel rally

This content was published on Jan 2, 2009 The demonstrators, including many families, held signs equating the Jewish state with Nazi Germany, while others accused Israel of being a “terrorist” state. The march, organised by pro-Palestinian groups in Switzerland, ended near the Israeli embassy which was sealed off by dozens of policemen. Participants in the rally also waved Palestinian flags and called for…

Swiss Politics

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Israel holds the diplomatic cards, experts say

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Female medical careers need booster

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ICRC warns of critical situation in Gaza

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Illegal immigrants win reprieve in Zurich

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ICRC medical team allowed to enter Gaza Strip

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“Only wealthy” should support poor relatives

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Gloomy outlook forecast for the climate

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Swiss youth believe in politics

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New year, new laws come into effect

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Hundreds take part in anti-Israel rally

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