Swiss Politics

“Fire-safer” cigarette sparks Swiss interest

This content was published on Aug 7, 2008 The European Commission announced plans this week for new cigarette fire safety standards to cut down on the number of related fires and deaths. Insurers and tobacco manufacturers welcomed the move and the Swiss Federal Health Office said such a measure was in their interests. “Should the European Union allow only self-extinguishing cigarettes, it is…

Swiss Politics

ICRC “deplores” improper use of emblem

This content was published on Aug 6, 2008 In a statement, the Geneva-based ICRC referred to “what appears to have been a deliberate misuse of the Red Cross emblem during the operation to free 15 hostages [being held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc)] that was carried out on July 2”. Video footage aired this week on Colombian television revealed that…

Swiss Politics

“Intense” Libya diplomacy yields progress

This content was published on Aug 5, 2008 Nevertheless, Libya continues to demand an apology for the July 15 arrest of Moammar Gaddafi’s son Hannibal and his wife at a Geneva hotel, said foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Philippe Jeannerat. He added that the North African state also wanted a timeline for Swiss authorities to drop legal proceedings against the pair, who were charged with…

Swiss Politics

Swiss acknowledge Vietnam’s potential

This content was published on Aug 5, 2008 He held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Minh Triet, as well as government ministers and members of the ruling Communist Party during his three-day visit to the capital, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City. On Tuesday, Couchepin, who as interior minister is in charge of education and research, witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements…

Swiss Politics

Chinese hold Swiss in high esteem

This content was published on Aug 5, 2008 Harro von Senger also says a lot of Western opinions of China are based on ignorance. He is the author of the best-selling The 36 Stratagems for Business, a set of Chinese aphorisms embodying the essence of the ancient Chinese art of cunning. China’s 1.3 billion inhabitants make up by far the world’s largest nation.…

Swiss Politics

Unions demand more wages to boost economy

This content was published on Aug 4, 2008 The organisation said the rise was needed to balance out record inflation and to boost economic growth by maintaining spending power. Employees are entitled to their share as productivity increased amid a widening gap between salaries of top managers and workers, said Travail Suisse on Monday. The group, representing about 170,000 employees from 11 different…

Swiss Politics

Couchepin begins Asian tour

This content was published on Aug 3, 2008 On August 8, at the invitation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) whose headquarters are in Lausanne, Couchepin will attend the opening of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. In Vietnam, Couchepin will meet his opposite number, Nguyen Minh Triet, and sign cooperation agreements between Vietnamese universities and Geneva University and the Federal Institute of Technology…

Gun suicides among young worst in Switzerland

This content was published on Aug 3, 2008 This is directly connected to liberal Swiss gun laws and the easy availability of weapons, said researchers from the European Alliance Against Depression, whose study is published in the current edition of the Journal of Affective Disorders. Almost half (43.6 per cent) of suicides in Switzerland committed by 15- to 24-year-old men involve guns. This…

Swiss Politics

Swiss warns about new forms of protectionism

This content was published on Aug 1, 2008 Luzius Wasescha told swissinfo that the failure of the nine-day marathon negotiations in Geneva within the Doha Round could spell protectionist dangers if countries rest on their laurels. After the talks at the WTO, several ministers said they wanted dialogue to be resumed as soon as possible. The WTO’s head, Pascal Lamy shared this view,…

Swiss Politics

A year after Ylenia murder, no alarm system yet

This content was published on Jul 31, 2008 Under discussion is a mobile phone photo alarm system but this is unlikely to come into force before 2010. Other proposals to sound the alarm bells have also been put forward. Ylenia, from Appenzell in eastern Switzerland, was reported missing on July 31, 2007, prompting a massive police search. Her body was found in mid-September.…

Swiss Politics

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Swiss Politics

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“Fire-safer” cigarette sparks Swiss interest

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ICRC “deplores” improper use of emblem

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“Intense” Libya diplomacy yields progress

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Swiss acknowledge Vietnam’s potential

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Chinese hold Swiss in high esteem

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Unions demand more wages to boost economy

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Couchepin begins Asian tour

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Gun suicides among young worst in Switzerland

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Swiss warns about new forms of protectionism

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A year after Ylenia murder, no alarm system yet

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