Swiss Politics

Swiss say much to be done before racism conference

This content was published on Aug 10, 2001 The Swiss Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, François Nordmann, told swissinfo that “significant progress” had been made, but that “more still needs to be done”. “Fifty per cent of the texts are still in brackets, and time is running out. It is a concern,” he said, as the deadline for the end of the…

Swiss Politics

Number of Swiss abroad on the increase

This content was published on Aug 7, 2001 The majority of Swiss expatriates live in Europe. More than a quarter of them live in France with a large number scattered across Germany, Italy, Britain, Spain and Austria. But some have ventured further afield with 68,821 living in the United States and 19,536 resident in Australia. Over the past 10 years, there has also…

Swiss Politics

Record numbers seek asylum in Switzerland in July

This content was published on Aug 3, 2001 July’s total was more than 50 per cent higher than the number of people who applied in 2000, and exceeded the number of applicants in the preceding month by 300. The refugee office predicts that by the end of the year, the number of applicants in Switzerland could reach 20,000. The largest group of asylum-seekers…

Swiss Politics

World Economic Forum to stay in Davos

This content was published on Aug 2, 2001 In a statement issued following reports in the Swiss press, the WEF said that there was “no doubt that the meeting will be held at the resort”, but confirmed that other cities had put forward applications to host the meeting. “It is true that as an internationally recognised organisation, the WEF regularly receives offers from…

Swiss Politics

Swiss embassies celebrate National Day

This content was published on Aug 1, 2001 Swiss National Day celebrations for August 1 are not only taking place in Switzerland but all over the world. One of the biggest social occasions is being held in Berlin, where Borer is throwing a party for 1,400 guests, including celebrities and politicians. Following last year’s success, Borer decided to ignore the Swiss government’s plea…

Swiss Politics

Negligence proves costly to army

This content was published on Jul 31, 2001 According to the Federal Office for Land Forces, last year SFr1.6 million worth of military equipment had to be replaced after it was either lost or damaged. Clothing and inexpensive kitchen utensils were the items most frequently replaced, but around 80 pieces of equipment costing more than SFr500 each also went missing during the course…

Swiss Politics

Geneva refugee convention marks 50 years

This content was published on Jul 30, 2001 In a statement to mark the anniversary of the signing of the Convention on July 28, 1951, the Council said it had lost none of its significance over the years and had made it possible for countless numbers of persecuted people to begin a new life in a safe environment. But it said the Convention…

Swiss Politics

Poll reveals progression of Swiss Radical Party

This content was published on Jul 29, 2001 The poll, carried out for the paper by the Isopublic research institute, asked interviewees who they would vote for if parliamentary elections were to take place on the following Sunday. The results, based on 581 valid questionnaires, showed that 24.2 per cent of people would vote for the Radical Party. This represented a 2.2 per…

Swiss Politics

Deadlock continues over Switzerland’s use of German airspace

This content was published on Jul 26, 2001 As a result, the remaining controversial issues must now be re-examined by Switzerland’s transport minister, Moritz Leuenberger, and his German counterpart, Kurt Bodewig. During the latest negotiations, Germany insisted that once the number of flights was reduced, there should be no means of turning back. However, Swiss negotiators rejected this demand. They argued that Zurich…

Swiss Politics

Swiss “worried” by US refusal to ban germ warfare

This content was published on Jul 25, 2001 Thomas Faessler, the Swiss representative at the UN meeting, said the US position threw into doubt its “desire to shoulder their share of responsibility when it comes to multilateral cooperation”. The US announced on Wednesday that it was turning down a compromise plan to enforce a 30-year ban on these weapons. “In our assessment, the…

Swiss Politics

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