IOM – International Organization for Migration – Press Briefing Note Friday 26 August 2011 Spokesperson: Jemini Pandya Second IOM-Chartered Boat Leaves for Tripoli as First Group of Migrants Are Safely Evacuated – A second IOM-chartered boat is today leaving the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi for Tripoli where it will […]
by Pierre-Francois Besson, swissinfo.ch Gold, a safe haven just like the Swiss franc, is breaking records and should continue on its upwards spiral, expert Frédéric Panizzutti tells swissinfo.ch. Panizzutti, vice president at Geneva-based gold trading group MKS Finance, says gold’s advantage is that it can be exchanged all over the […]
by Frédéric Burnand in Geneva, swissinfo.ch In the first in-depth report of its kind, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has looked at the dangers facing medical staff in conflict zones. The report’s lead author, Robin Coupland, has spent seven years working as a war surgeon, and tells […]
by Clare O’Dea, swissinfo.ch Some of the most vulnerable members of society, frail and dependent old people, suffer physical and emotional abuse in their own homes – and the problem is growing. As life expectancy continues to rise, so do the numbers of people needing daily care and at risk […]
by Mohamed Cherif, swissinfo.ch Libyan Human Rights Solidarity, which is based in Geneva, is working in conflict-torn Libya to promote human rights and rebuild institutions. The non-governmental organisation’s secretary general, Khaled Saleh, spoke to swissinfo.ch shortly after his return from the rebel-held eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, where he also […]
by Simon Bradley, swissinfo.ch Pressure by the international community can have a moral, supportive role but external factors cannot bring about change to the Syrian crisis, says a Swiss expert. Mohammad Reza-Djalili, a political scientist who specialises in the Middle East, says the five-month crisis has entered a crucial new […]
I could have added it to my earlier article about the Swiss boy’s journey to Islam, as it was a short journey onward to Ahmadiyyat: the True Islam. The first issue of the Holy Quran in German translation that I read was from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Switzerland. The address […]
I was asked to tell my story how I became a Muslim at the age of 15. Actually from my point of view it is quite a simple story, but let me try to be a bit specific. I was born into a Christian Protestant family. My father liked to attend the […]
by Simon Bradley, swissinfo.ch Geneva needs to diversify its tourism offer to compensate for an over-reliance on holidaymakers from the Gulf states, say tourism experts. Some 1.8 million people attended the Fêtes de Genève festival that ended on Sunday, but the figures were down from two million last year, most […]
Source: Swissinfo Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said on Friday she is optimistic about finding additional temporary accommodation for asylum seekers. “There is agreement and goodwill both from the federal authorities and the cantons to achieve solutions. But we need time,” she told journalists. She added that it is not always […]
Six percent of the 15- to 25-year old attend a weekly religious service. Young persons in Switzerland remain faithful to the country’s churches, but seldom actually attend a church. 58 percent of the Youth of Switzerland belief in a higher power. Although 73 percent officially belong to a Christian religious […]
TAGESANZEIGER, Zurich. Muslim parents, who did not send their daughters to swimming lessons, have to pay a fine of 1400 Swiss Francs. According to the Basel court swimming lessons are in the public interest. Parents who refuse participation of their children in the mandatory swimming lessons at school have been […]
The Taliban in Pakistan have clearly demonstrated they are currently detaining two Swiss citizens kidnapped in July, say specialists. According to the Geneva Center for Training and Analysis of Terrorism, pictures taken of the hostages’ passports and broadcast by the Al Arabyia television network earlier this week are formal proof. […]
Neue Zuercher Zeitung. Advocacy of separation of church and state in national elections With its own list for the first time an explicitly secular group from the Canton Zurich joins the national elections of 23 October. She is committed to the values of the Enlightenment, as they announced in a […]
by Luigi Jorio, swissinfo.ch More and more Afghan women are breaking with tradition in their male-dominated society, taking jobs and participating in public affairs. They include 1,300 or so who have joined the police force who, despite facing discrimination, make an “immense” contribution to improving the welfare of other women, […]
The Local, Switzerland The number of overnight stays last year at Swiss B&Bs increased by 9.3 per cent compared to 2009, exceeding expectations, said the Bed and Breakfast Switzerland association. The increase is mainly due to Swiss guests, but also on the rise were visits from German tourists. “More and […]
by Etienne Strebel, swissinfo.ch A Swiss expert on the Balkans tells swissinfo.ch that an agreement to put an end to a border dispute between Serbia and Kosovo is shaky. Andreas Ernst, a journalist with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper, believes a more durable and far-reaching solution is needed than the […]
On Lake Brienz Enjoy a wonderful evening cruise on lake brienz and be inspired of the breathtaking surrounding. taste a delicious halal barbeque, supplemented with several meals out of the arabian countries – an experience out of 1001 nights. Departure 19:45 hrs, Interlaken Ost boat landing (return back at 21:30 […]
by Frédéric Burnand in Geneva, swissinfo.ch This week’s visit by Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey to famine-hit East Africa sends a strong signal to other countries and the public, in a senior expert’s view. Interviewed by swissinfo.ch, François Nordmann, a policy advisor and retired Swiss diplomat, dismisses critics who accuse Calmy-Rey […]
by Susan Vogel-Misicka, swissinfo.ch Switzerland has a long tradition of hosting boarding schools. Today they attract mainly foreign students whose families appreciate this elite form of education. There are some 100,000 students enrolled in private Swiss schools, according to the Swiss Federation of Private Schools (SFPS). They come from all […]