Cluster: Swiss Abroad

Parliament rejects tougher gun laws

This content was published on Jun 18, 2010 The initiative will now go to the Senate, ahead of a national vote in February 2011. New figures show that Switzerland’s militia soldiers seem to prefer to keep their military guns at home rather than deposit them free at local army bases. Launched in February 2009 by the centre-left Social Democratic Party and a number…

Swiss Politics

UBS deal generally welcomed

This content was published on Jun 18, 2010 On Thursday, parliament sealed the deal allowing the United States access to confidential UBS data on bank clients suspected of tax evasion. “Reason has prevailed after all,” is how the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) put it, saying that Switzerland now has a chance to demonstrate its reliability as a partner for the US. Fribourg’s La…

Parliament split over UBS referendum

This content was published on Jun 17, 2010 The House of Representatives on Wednesday insisted on the possibility of a referendum, while the Senate again came out against. Most members of the centre-left Social Democrats and the Greens as well as many representatives of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party continued to call for a nationwide vote. The centre-right stood by its rejection of…

Swiss Politics

UBS deal sealed by parliament

This content was published on Jun 17, 2010 Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf welcomed the agreement, which came after several rounds of debate in both chambers of parliament during the current summer session. The House of Representatives fell into line with the Senate on Thursday to approve the treaty, concluded by the government last August. At the same time both chambers threw out a…

Swiss Politics

Ethnic problems blamed for Kyrgyzstan violence

This content was published on Jun 15, 2010 Stephen Aris from the Centre for Security Studies at Zurich’s Federal Institute of Technology also explains why socio-economic factors – as well as ethnic ones – play a central role. Rioting in the southern part of the impoverished Central Asian nation has left the country’s second-largest city, Osh, in ruins and sent tens of thousands…

Swiss Politics

Arbitration decision will be wholly “binding”

This content was published on Jun 15, 2010 Switzerland must abide by any decision the tribunal reaches, but there may be application problems, Marcelo Kohen, a professor of international law at the Geneva Graduate Institute, tells swissinfo.ch. Hannibal, a son of the Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi, was detained in July 2008 on charges of mistreating two servants. The tribunal is part of a…

Swiss Politics

No commission of enquiry over UBS affair

This content was published on Jun 14, 2010 As expected, the Senate voted on Monday against establishing such a commission, burying the idea definitively. The House of Representatives had voted on Wednesday in favour of the commission. Its task would have been to examine the behaviour of the government and administration which led to the handing over of data about clients of the…

Swiss Politics

Questions remain after Göldi’s return

This content was published on Jun 14, 2010 Speaking to journalists in Bern only 13 hours after his return to Swiss soil, he said he was “tired but happy”. “I spent the past 23 months in a state of great uncertainty and fear,” he said. He added that he would need some time to get back to normal life, and his family have…

Swiss Politics

Press ponder fallout from Göldi drama

This content was published on Jun 14, 2010 Göldi, a businessman, returned in the early hours of Monday morning. He arrived at Zurich airport with Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey after Bern and Tripoli signed an accord to end their diplomatic dispute. “Finally,” read the online headline of the tabloid Blick early on Monday morning, summing up the relief felt by the nation. “Max…

Swiss Politics

Göldi returns to Switzerland

This content was published on Jun 14, 2010 Göldi had been caught in the middle of a row between Switzerland and Libya since July 2008. A deal to normalise relations has now been signed – the second such accord since the dispute began. Göldi returned in the early hours of Monday morning, arriving at Zurich airport. He was accompanied by Swiss Foreign Minister…

Read more: Göldi returns to Switzerland

Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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Parliament rejects tougher gun laws

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UBS deal generally welcomed

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Parliament split over UBS referendum

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UBS deal sealed by parliament

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Ethnic problems blamed for Kyrgyzstan violence

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Arbitration decision will be wholly “binding”

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No commission of enquiry over UBS affair

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Questions remain after Göldi’s return

More

Press ponder fallout from Göldi drama

More

Göldi returns to Switzerland

Popular Stories

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