Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein women used their newly won right to vote today and promptly rejected two motions calling for sexual equality to be spelled out in detail in the constitution. Both proposals were rejected in a referendum by 74% to 26%. Liechtenstein, the size of Washington, has a population of 26,530. Women voters outnumber men by 55% to 45%.

The tiny principality of Liechtenstein on Tuesday marked the 50th anniversary of the coming to power of Prince Franz Josef II, Europe's longest-reigning head of state. Parliament held a special session in honor of the 81-year-old monarch, and a portrait of the prince etched onto Liechtenstein marble was unveiled in the government building in the capital, Vaduz.

Prince Franz Josef II of Liechtenstein, head of that tiny, bucolic principality during the half-century that saw it become one of the world's richest nations, has died at age 83, the government said Tuesday. He was the world's longest-reigning monarch when he died late Monday after a long illness and less than a month after his wife, Princess Gina, died at age 67. The prince had been so frail that he was unable to attend her funeral Oct. 24.

Liechtenstein will host a free commemorative philatelic exhibition featuring 75 years of Liechtenstein stamps as well as international contributions in the rooms of the Vaduzer Saal, Vaduz, Aug. 6 to 9. Ever since the principality issued its first collector's stamp in 1912, the nation has been known for its stamps. The exhibit marking the 75-year jubilee will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This tiny principality said Friday it plans to seek full membership in the United Nations next year. Liechtenstein, which on many maps is not much bigger than the famous postage stamps it exports, comprises 63 square miles. If accepted, it would replace the 100-square-mile Caribbean nation of St. Kitts-Nevis as the smallest in the United Nations. Nestled in a mountain valley between Switzerland and Austria, Liechtenstein is known as a tax haven and skier's paradise.

Liechtenstein on Friday became the first country in Europe to offer free mass transit in a bid to discourage private commuting and combat pollution. For a one-year trial period, buses to and from the capital and the 10 other villages of Liechtenstein can be used free of charge. Parliament made the decision after surveys indicated pollution was taking a serious toll. Among pine trees, the damage was up to 82%, according to a survey published last week.

Liechtenstein's Andreas Wenzel won a World Cup men's slalom ski race with a time of 1 minute 33.58 seconds over the icy slopes of the Pyranees in La Mongie, France Sunday. Sweden's Jonas Nilsson finished second in 1:33.81, followed by Liechtenstein's Paul Frommelt in 1:34.04. Italy's Paolo de Chiesa finished fourth, ahead of Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark, who was seeking his 80th World Cup victory. The first World Cup event ever held in the Pyranees proved unusually difficult.

The Parliament of the principality of Liechtenstein voted unanimously to have its wealthy but tiny nation bid for membership in the United Nations. All 25 legislators backed a government proposal to send a formal application to U.N. Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar in the spring. Hans Brunhart, the chief of government, said the vote in Vaduz was a "historic step" in Liechtenstein's foreign policy. If the U.N.

The Alpine principality of Liechtenstein Tuesday became the 160th and smallest member of the United Nations. The 61.7 square mile nation, squeezed between Switzerland and Austria, was so impoverished after World War I that the reigning prince had to dip into his personal fortune to buy food for a population reduced to less than half the 28,000 of today. The Liechtenstein family could afford it--they are second only to the British royal family in the possession of priceless art works.

The crown prince of Liechtenstein is a partner in a Texas farm larger than his own principality--and collects king-size subsidies from the U.S. government. Subsidies of $2.2 million, the largest support payment to any farm in Texas this year, went to Farms of Texas Co., a $70-million farming partnership owned by Crown Prince Hans Adam of Liechtenstein and International Paper Co., headquartered in New York, according to the Agriculture Department.