A Swiss who Converted To Islam And Discovered An Ancient City
A Real-Life Indiana Jones Who Converted To Islam And Discovered An Ancient City BASEL – Johann Ludwig Burckhardt’s bust can be seen at the foot of the monumental staircase of […]
Switzerland: Good offices: Adjusting to the changing face of conflicts
by Thomas Stephens, swissinfo.ch Jan 25, 2013 – 11:00 Good offices continue to play a significant role in Swiss peace policy, according to the foreign ministry. However, the number of protecting power mandates is dwindling. Whether it’s acting as a messenger between two non-speaking states or trying to actively mediate […]
ICRC fears spread of Mali conflict
by Matthew Allen, in Davos, swissinfo.ch Jan 24, 2013 – 07:38 The current fighting in Mali could spark conflicts in neighbouring countries, as refugees flooding across the borders heighten existing […]
Bern (Switzerland) plans to ban mercenary companies
The Swiss government says it aims to ban any companies offering mercenary services in conflict areas, in a bid to preserve Switzerland’s cherished neutrality and ensure it respects international law. […]
Mea culpa: Nuns admit to past mistakes in children’s homes
by Clare O’Dea in Brunnen, swissinfo.ch An independent investigation into allegations of abuse at children’s homes run by the Swiss Ingenbohl Sisters of Mercy has found serious failings by the […]
Leaders without followers
Source: The Economist: AS THE movers and shakers head to the Swiss mountain resort of Davos this week for the annual World Economic Forum, their credentials as global leaders look anything but resilient. Their official theme will be “resilient dynamism”, whatever that means, but what they ought to be talking […]
Food for Thought: Swiss given poor marks for diet
Jan 22, 2013 – 20:42 The Swiss eat too much fatty food, too few vegetables and don’t move enough. These are the conclusions of the government’s sixth Swiss Nutrition Report, published on Tuesday. People aren’t adequately aware of the importance of a balanced diet, according to the report, which is […]
Mountain Summit: Inertia reigns as elite return to Davos
by Matthew Allen, swissinfo.ch Some of the world’s most influential leaders will be faced with a familiar set of unsolved problems during the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting in […]
Refuge in Switzerland – Asylum applications and rejections rise in 2012
January 22, 2013 – 13:38 The number of overall asylum applications increased in 2012, reaching the highest number since 1999. At the same time, Switzerland rejected more requests as the country tries to speed up the evaluation process. In 2012, 28,631 applications were filed, most of them from Eritrea, followed […]
Swiss promise millions in aid to Egypt
21, 2013 – 17:17 Switzerland has pledged yearly aid of SFr30 million ($32.2 million) to Egypt under a three-year agreement to bring about democratic change in the post-Arab Spring era. The funding is primarily earmarked for infrastructure and job projects. According to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), some […]
Swiss diplomacy – Switzerland continues to support mediation in Mali
Switzerland continues to support mediation between the Mali government and rebel Tuareg groups despite an escalation of the conflict following the French military intervention, Swiss diplomats told Sunday newspapers. “The mediation continues. Switzerland is staying on the ground in Mali with its own people and supports mediation efforts,” said Yves […]
Measuring integration – Birthplace plays a role in success
Factors such as income, education and family structure vary greatly among Swiss people, Swiss-born foreigners and those born outside the country, according to new figures aimed at measuring the integration […]
One in ten Swiss lives abroad (and two in ten living in Switzerland are foreigners)
Jan 18, 2013 – 15:53 SWISSINFO.CH Almost 716,000 Swiss citizens live outside Switzerland. The trend observed for several years continued in 2012, according to figures released by the foreign ministry […]
Criminal complaint – Malaysia campaigners tackle Swiss banks
by Clare O’Dea, swissinfo.ch Jan 15, 2013 – 18:29 The rainforest advocacy group Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) has filed a complaint to the Swiss attorney general’s office against four banks […]
Swiss ask for Syrian war crimes prosecution
by Rita Emch in New York, swissinfo.ch and agencies Jan 15, 2013 – 11:06 More than 50 countries led by Switzerland have called on the United Nations Security Council to refer the Syria crisis to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which prosecutes genocide and war crimes. “We are firmly of […]
Petra – The desert marvel
January 12, 2013 Basel’s museum of antiquities is currently presenting the latest results of archeological research at the ancient site of Petra in Jordan. Some 150 relics are on view, […]
Switzerland: Dubai firm to open 162-million-franc school
The location, in an industrial subdivision overlooking the Geneva-Lausanne highway, may not be the most promising for a school appealing to the international set. But investors from Emirates are counting […]
Eternal light – Swiss Court releases man from 655-year church debt
8, 2013 – 16:54 The cantonal court of Glarus in eastern Switzerland has released a farmer from the obligation, dating back 655 years, to finance an “eternal lamp” in the […]
Returning Home: Swiss to aid Chadian refugees from Libya
Switzerland is to provide $2.9 million (SFr3.1 million) to help resettle Chadians who had been working for many years in Libya, and returned home during and after the uprising that […]
French cops eye Swiss killer over Alps murders
French police investigating the murder of a British-Iraqi family in the Alps have asked to question a Swiss gunman who killed three women in his home village, police in Geneva said on Friday. Police in the neighbouring French region of Haute-Savoie made the request to their colleagues in the Swiss […]