Cluster: Swiss Abroad

Press chokes on “bitter pill” of Libyan apology

This content was published on Aug 21, 2009 Geneva police took Hannibal Gaddafi and his pregnant wife into custody on charges of beating their servants. They were later released on bail, but Tripoli limited trade, stopped flights and held two Swiss nationals. Hannibal talked of dropping a nuclear bomb on the country. The criminal charges were eventually dropped but the matter quickly turned…

Swiss Politics

Switzerland apologises to Libya

This content was published on Aug 20, 2009 Two Swiss businessmen currently detained in Libya would be released “soon”, according to a finance ministry statement. “I express to the Libyan people my apologies for the unjust arrest of Libyan diplomats by Geneva police,” Merz said in English at a joint news conference, according to AFP news agency. Libyan Prime Minister al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi…

Swiss Politics

Government sells UBS shares with healthy profit

This content was published on Aug 20, 2009 A statement said the total sale proceeds for the 332.2 million mandatory convertible notes was SFr7.2 billion ($6.75 billion), resulting in a net profit of SFr1.2 billion. The statement noted that the net profit represented a return of more than 30 per cent over a period of around eight months. The government’s stake was bought…

Swiss Politics

An unpaid occupation

This content was published on Aug 20, 2009

Authorities shoot problem wolf

This content was published on Aug 20, 2009 The animal was killed in the region of Val d’Illiez after getting too close to a herd of sheep, according to cantonal authorities. Pro Natura and the WWF said on Wednesday a decision to kill the wolves, which were believed to be preying on livestock, was one-sided. The country’s wolf management plan was “clearly to…

Swiss Politics

Government sells stake in UBS

This content was published on Aug 20, 2009 The announcement came after the close of the US stock exchange on Wednesday, and after details of the deal had been made known earlier in the day. A consortium of banks has been asked to place the government’s 332.2 million mandatory convertible notes with institutional investors. The sale should be completed on Thursday. UBS shares…

Swiss Politics

Tariq Ramadan sacked over Iran TV connections

This content was published on Aug 19, 2009 In a statement, the municipality of Rotterdam and the Erasmus University Rotterdam said that the Swiss-born theologian’s hosting of a programme on Iran’s Press TV was “irreconcilable” with his position as a guest professor. “Although there is no doubt at all concerning Dr Ramadan’s personal dedication, both boards found this indirect relationship with a repressive…

Swiss Politics

More independents in local politics

This content was published on Aug 17, 2009 Researchers from the Institute of Sociology at Zurich University, the Swiss Graduate School for Public Administration in Lausanne and the Centre of Excellence for Public Management at Bern University also found that in municipalities with fewer than 1,000 people, political party presence in the executive was virtually non-existent. It was the first time a comprehensive…

Swiss Politics

Swiss accused of checking foreigners at borders

This content was published on Aug 16, 2009 In December 2008, Switzerland joined the Schengen Area, a group of 26 European countries that agreed to do away with regular passport controls within the bloc’s borders. The Czech Republic is also a member. A justice ministry spokesperson confirmed a report published on Sunday that said a Czech delegation had complained in June about unfair…

Swiss Politics

Army could be cut by a third

This content was published on Aug 16, 2009 In a break from the Swiss People’s Party traditional platform, Maurer, a member of the rightwing party, also said the defence ministry was prepared to send the army abroad on humanitarian missions. In an interview with the SonntagsZeitung newspaper, Maurer said no reductions would occur for five or six years. Ranks could be culled from…

Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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