Belgium

Switzerland’s troubling record of suicide
Here’s one record the Swiss may not be so enthusiastic about holding: more suicides are committed here using guns per capita than anywhere else in Europe.
The issues of gun suicide and Switzerland’s high rate of weapon ownership came under the spotlight again in January. The police chief overseeing security at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos turned his service revolver against himself a day before the event began.

His case is hardly unique. From 1996 to 2005, 3,410 suicides, or between 24 and 28 per cent of all those in Switzerland, were committed using firearms.

Industrialised countries should do more to cut the pay gap between men and women, the OECD said yesterday in a report which showed that women in rich nations on average earn nearly one-fifth less than men.

While female employment rates have risen in all member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), women still shoulder most of the burden of childcare, weighing heavily on pay prospects, the report said.

“As long as women rather than men take time off work to provide care, there will always be employers who perceive women as less committed to their career than men,” said Monika Queisser, head of the OECD’s Social Policy Division.

The 2009 Legatum Prosperity Index Table Rankings based on various factors:

1 Finland

2 Switzerland

3 Sweden

4 Denmark

5 Norway

6 Australia

7 Canada

8 Netherlands

9 United States

10 New Zealand

11 Ireland

12 United Kingdom

13 Belgium

14 Germany

15 Austria

16 Japan

17 France

18 Hong Kong

19 Spain

20 Slovenia

21 Italy

22 Portugal

23 Singapore

24 Taiwan

25 Czech Republic

26 South Korea

27= Israel

27= Hungary

29 Poland

30 Greece

31 Estonia

32 Costa Rica

33 Uruguay

34 Slovakia

35 Croatia

36 Chile

37 Latvia

38 Argentina

39 Malaysia

40 Trinidad and Tobago

41 Brazil

42 Panama

43 Mexico

44 Thailand

45 India

What a farce. Europe has it's first president and foreign minister..

Hands up if you've ever heard of the. What no one ???

In a stitch-up between the two big blocs of the EU, the Centre Right fell in behind Herman Van Rompuy, the Belgian Prime Minister, to take that job.

The centre-left Socialist leaders backed Baroness Ashton of Upholland, Britain’s Trade Commissioner, to be the first High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, as well as vice-president for external affairs.

The saving grace is that Tony B'Liar didn't get the job..

Top 20 countries on the Human Development Index:

1. Norway

2. Australia

3. Iceland

4. Canada

5. Ireland

6. Netherlands

7. Sweden

8. France

9. Switzerland

10. Japan

11. Luxembourg

12. Finland

13. United States

14. Austria

15. Spain

16. Denmark

17. Belgium

18. Italy

19. Liechtenstein

20. New Zealand

Source: UN Human Development Report 2009

Belgian rights defender, Pakistani philanthropist win UN prize for non-violence

A Belgian human rights defender and a Pakistani philanthropist were today awarded a prestigious United Nations prize that draws its inspiration from the life of Mahatma Gandhi for their work in promoting tolerance and non-violence.

UNITED NATIONS: Abdul Sattar Edhi of Pakistan and a Belgian human rights defender were Tuesday awarded a prestigious United Nations prize for their work in promoting tolerance and non-violence.

Edhi, the philanthropist, and Franois Houtart of Belgium were awarded the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)-Madanjeet Singh Prize on the unanimous recommendation of an international jury to UNESCO Director-General Koochiro Matsuura, according to an announcement in Paris.

They will share the $100,000 prize money and receive the award on November 16, the International Day for Tolerance.