The announcement was made at Monday’s international donor conference in Brussels, where a total of €1.15 billion was pledged. The European Union member states and the European Commission together contributed around €400 million; Turkey alone pledged over €46 million.
Albania was hit by an earthquake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale on November 26. The epicenter was 10km from the second largest city, Durres, and the natural disaster claimed 51 lives. Up to 17,000 people were displaced from their homes and over 10,000 houses are in need of repair. Total damage is estimated at around CHF900 million and reconstruction costs could amount to some CHF1.15 billion.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, Swiss Humanitarian Aid sent an emergency response team and provided relief supplies of 100 winter tents, 400 beds and 1,200 blankets as well as tarpaulins to be distributed in rural areas. According to the Swiss authorities, around 5,200 Albanians benefited from the Swiss intervention.
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Swiss rescue team sent to Albanian earthquake disaster
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“The approximately 15 specialists of the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit (SHA) will support the Albanian emergency forces in the search for and rescue of buried victims, checking the structural statics of the buildings affected and clarifying humanitarian needs,” read a Swiss statementExternal link. “The team will also prepare further aid support and initiate concrete emergency…
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
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‘Pressure will increase on Switzerland to invest more in defence’
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Markus Mäder, Switzerland's state secretary for security policy, believes that more cooperation is needed in order to strengthen defence in Europe.
Just one in five Swiss attend a religious service at Easter
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Only one in five people in Switzerland attend a religious service during the Easter period or give up meat or alcohol for at least one day of fasting. Around 25% of those polled see Easter primarily as a family holiday, according to the survey.
Major road disruptions continue after heavy snowfall in parts of Switzerland
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The snowfall has ended in the southern Swiss canton of Valais, the cantonal emergency services said on Friday. Several roads, however, remain closed.
Swiss businessman gets prison term for asbestos deaths
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Stephan Schmidheiny has been sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison by the Turin Court of Appeal in a case against the former Eternit executive over deaths linked to asbestos exposure in Italy.
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Swiss imports and exports reached new heights in the first quarter, driven by the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sectors. Shipments to the US rose sharply.
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Albanian PM opens bank account for Swiss players’ FIFA fines
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Albanian leader opens an account to enable people to contribute towards the FIFA fines to two Swiss football players of Albanian heritage.
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Lushnja, home to around 50,000 people, is located about 100 kilometres southwest of the Albanian capital, Tirana, in an important agricultural area. The vocational school is on the outskirts of town: a three-storey building where about 700 apprentices train as car mechanics, electricians, plumbers and heating engineers. The Swisscontact development organisation is heavily involved in…
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