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Swiss Politics

Former minister Graber dies aged 94

This content was published on Jul 21, 2003 The Social Democrat was Switzerland’s foreign minister between 1970 and 1978, and held the rotating post of president in 1975. In a statement released on Monday, the Swiss government said that Graber suffered a stroke in Lausanne on Saturday afternoon after being admitted to hospital on Friday night. A lawyer by trade, Graber had a…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss youth drawn to extremist politics

This content was published on Jul 19, 2003 Experts say the trend is linked to growing frustration among youngsters who feel excluded from mainstream politics and society. This year has seen a series of pitched street battles between left- and right-wing extremists, as well as violent demonstrations targeted at the G-8 summit on Lake Geneva in June; and February’s World Economic Forum (WEF)…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss set up disaster relief centre in Georgia

This content was published on Jul 18, 2003 The base will also eventually serve as a centre for disaster relief operations in other Caucasian states. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) is funding the project to the tune of SFr690,000 ($502,000). “Georgia desperately requires trained rescue personnel and good equipment,” David Tchtinadze, who is working on the project, told swissinfo. Tchtinadze…

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Swiss Politics

Rightwing boosts lead in polls

This content was published on Jul 12, 2003 The number one political issue as far as the Swiss are concerned is pension reform. The results of the latest poll, carried out by the Bern-based GfS research institute at the end of June, give the People’s Party a 26 per cent share of the vote. Just over 23 per cent of those polled said…

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Swiss Politics

Switzerland sees technology as key to democracy

This content was published on Jul 8, 2003 Speaking at a conference on e-Government, Communications Minister Moritz Leuenberger said modern technology was an important tool for democracy. “Information technology should be actively used to promote the development of democracy. It does not belong to a museum,” Leuenberger told the European Union’s Ministerial Conference in northern Italy. Speaking to 1,000 delegates from 47 countries,…

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Swiss Politics

Left targets Centre as election battle commences

This content was published on Jul 7, 2003 The centre-left party started a billboard campaign on Monday, accusing the economics minister, Joseph Deiss, of not doing enough for the unemployed. In a move possibly unprecedented in Swiss politics, the Social Democrats lashed out at Christian Democrat Deiss with a poster campaign aimed at forcing him out of the cabinet. Their suggested aim is…

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Swiss Politics

Zurich calls for solidarity over airport

This content was published on Jul 4, 2003 In a faxed letter to the media, Zurich’s government accused papers of displaying “malignant joy” in recent coverage of the noise pollution row at Zurich airport. The airport is involved in a long-running dispute with Germany, which wants to sharply reduce the number of planes flying into Zurich via German airspace. But it seems not…

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Swiss Politics

Non-EU citizens face travel obstacles

This content was published on Jul 3, 2003 A Swiss delegation is heading to Brussels on Tuesday to demand that the requirement be lifted. Under the Schengen accord, many non-EU citizens will require a visa to enter any of the 15 signatory countries. The restrictions do not apply to nationals of countries which already have visa-free access to the Schengen bloc, such as…

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Swiss Politics

Ministers pack their bags for the Valais

This content was published on Jul 3, 2003 On Thursday the seven-strong team set off on their annual trip, hosted this year in canton Valais by Pascal Couchepin. Every year the incumbent president invites cabinet colleagues on a two-day break to his or her home region. This year it was the turn of Couchepin, and the five wise men and two equally wise…

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Swiss Politics

Fraud poses obstacle for Schengen deal

This content was published on Jul 1, 2003 But both parties have still to agree on a common policy for tackling tax fraud, which the Swiss fear could threaten banking secrecy. The negotiations, which began in July 2002, are aimed at giving Switzerland access to the Schengen and Dublin agreements. The two accords are designed to reinforce security within the Union and its…

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