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Swiss Politics

“An artist has to pay the price”

This content was published on Mar 26, 2005 swissinfo met Hirschhorn before his first public appearance in Switzerland since the wrangle over his provocative Paris exhibition broke out late last year. Entitled Swiss-Swiss Democracy, the show took aim at the Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, including an attack on the justice minister and rightwing People’s Party figurehead, Christoph Blocher. One of the more…

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Expo 2005 is officially inaugurated

This content was published on Mar 24, 2005 Switzerland has spent SFr15 million ($12.7 million) on its participation at the global event, which opened to the public on Friday. More than 15 million people are expected to visit the 173-hectare Expo site just outside the city of Nagoya. Security was tight at the opening ceremony and will remain so throughout the six-month run…

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Swiss Politics

Study reveals illegal ties to apartheid regime

This content was published on Mar 22, 2005 It also found that links between the Swiss secret service and its South African counterpart were long-standing and included the arms trade. The study, carried out by Bern University historian Peter Hug for the Swiss National Science Foundation, focused on military, arms industry and nuclear relations between the two countries. Although the report has not…

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Swiss Politics

Social Democrats say “yes” to Europe accords

This content was published on Mar 19, 2005 It is the third of the country’s four parties represented in government to say “yes” to the Schengen and Dublin accords, in an effort to sway the electorate ahead of a possible nationwide vote in June. There was not a single “no” vote and only four abstentions at the party meeting in La Chaux-de-Fonds on…

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Swiss Politics

Parliament ditches army procurement plan

This content was published on Mar 17, 2005 At the centre of the debate was the acquisition of two air transporters – a move opposed by the House of Representatives. On Thursday the House of Representatives threw out the proposal by 97 votes to 82. In doing so, it went against the Senate and a parliamentary conciliation committee, which recommended buying the aircraft.…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss-Israeli arms deals to restart

This content was published on Mar 16, 2005 The announcement came after talks on Wednesday between Swiss president and defence minister, Samuel Schmid, and the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon. A defence ministry spokesman said Schmid informed Sharon during their meeting in Jerusalem that the Swiss government wanted to normalise trade relations with Israel. Last month, the ministry expressed its interest in buying…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss aim for solidarity on women’s day

This content was published on Mar 8, 2005 In Bern, 7,000 postcards calling for more action on violence against women were sent to the government from organisations across the country. The postcards, sent by non-governmental organisations and women’s groups, demanded the proper application of United Nations Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. They also called on Bern to stop exporting arms to…

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Thérèse Meyer elected speaker of the House

This content was published on Mar 8, 2005 Tuesday’s election of Meyer, a Christian Democrat from canton Fribourg, coincides with International Women’s Day. Elected by an overwhelming majority to what is considered to be the highest office in the country, Meyer succeeds party colleague Jean-Philippe Maitre. Maitre, who is suffering from a brain tumour, stepped down from office last week to a standing…

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Swiss Politics

Women soldiers battle for equality

This content was published on Mar 8, 2005 In the past seven years, the number of female applicants for military service has doubled, bringing the total to 1,400 in active service. Women have to undergo the same physical and psychological tests as men before admission to recruitment school, where both sexes undertake 18 weeks of basic training. As with male conscripts, they are…

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Swiss Politics

Immigration boosts population growth

This content was published on Mar 7, 2005 The total population now stands at 7.42 million, with Italians making up the largest foreign community. The number of foreign residents in Switzerland rose by 54,200 people in 2004, according to official figures published on Monday. The Germans were the fastest growing foreign community, with their numbers increasing by 11,228 to 114,864. But the Italians…

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