Cluster: Swiss Abroad

The week in Switzerland

This content was published on Dec 2, 2000 The right-wing parliamentary group put forward the canton Thurgau politician, Roland Eberle, as well as the Zurich parliamentarian, Rita Fuhrer, who is seen as representing the party’s hardline faction. But the party decided not to back the two other candidates on the short-list – Samuel Schmid from canton Bern and Christoffel Brändli from canton Graubünden.…

Switzerland to host international conference on relief for Afghanistan

This content was published on Dec 1, 2000 The meeting in Montreux is due to set next year’s priorities for the Afghanistan Support Group (ASG). The organisers said they expected about 90 people to attend the two-day conference. The ASG, set up in 1996, is made up of 16 donor countries, as well as United Nations organisations and non-governmental groups. It seeks to…

Swiss Politics

Ambassador told to keep a lower profile

This content was published on Dec 1, 2000 Deiss summoned Borer to Bern on Friday, and told him he should not do anything which could damage the excellent bilateral relations between Switzerland and Germany. Borer and his wife, the former Texan beauty queen, Shawne Fielding, have featured on the front pages of the tabloid press in Switzerland for several months. Initially, the interest…

Swiss Politics

Switzerland and Bosnia sign repatriation and transport agreements

This content was published on Dec 1, 2000 The justice minister, Ruth Metzler, signed the repatriation document earlier in the week, paving the way for the forcible return of citizens with no right of residence in either Switzerland or Bosnia. Switzerland has similar agreements with Bosnia’s neighbours, the Yugoslav Federation and Croatia. The justice ministry said it hoped the accord would put an…

Swiss Politics

Vietnam opens first Bern embassy

This content was published on Nov 29, 2000 Vietnamese interests in Switzerland have up to now been represented by the country’s embassy in Germany. But the country’s new chargé d’affaires Nguyen Danh Sao said that the transfer to Bern showed Hanoi wanted to strengthen links with Switzerland. At the height of the Vietnam War in 1972, Switzerland opened an embassy in Hanoi. Most…

Swiss Politics

Right-wing party names two candidates for cabinet post

This content was published on Nov 28, 2000 The party’s parliamentary faction met on Tuesday to select from a short-list of four candidates. The federal parliament will elect a successor to Ogi – a member of the People’s Party – on December 6. Fuhrer, who heads canton Zurich’s police department, has the higher profile of the two candidates, and received most votes from…

Swiss Politics

Cabinet election tops parliamentary agenda

This content was published on Nov 27, 2000 The three-week winter session kicks off on Monday, but most of the attention will be focused on December 6, when both houses of parliament are holding a joint session to elect a successor to Ogi, who steps down at the end of the year. Under an informal agreement, the right-wing Swiss People’s Party is entitled…

Swiss Politics

Parliament elects new speakers

This content was published on Nov 27, 2000 The decisions on Monday came at the start of parliament’s three-week winter session. Hess, a Christian Democrat from canton Zug, holds what is nominally the highest position in Swiss politics for the next 12 months. He takes over from Hanspeter Seiler of the People’s Party. Hess was elected to the rotating post with 155 votes…

Swiss Politics

Zurich cools towards Chinese sister city

This content was published on Nov 26, 2000 The vote was called by two members of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party. They came out against a move by the city parliament to cut Zurich’s annual credit to Kunming from SFr2.4 million to SFr.1.3 million next year, saying funding should be stopped altogether. Since the sister city agreement was reached in 1982, Zurich has…

Swiss Politics

Swiss votes reveal deep cultural divisions between regions

This content was published on Nov 26, 2000 With all results counted, voters clearly turned down a proposal to cut army spending, and two initiatives to introduce a more flexible retirement age. The results on the defence issue indicated a division between German-speaking cantons and most French-speaking cantons, which came out in favour of slashing spending. There were also considerable differences over the…

Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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Cluster: Swiss Abroad

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The week in Switzerland

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Switzerland to host international conference on relief for Afghanistan

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Ambassador told to keep a lower profile

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Switzerland and Bosnia sign repatriation and transport agreements

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Vietnam opens first Bern embassy

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Right-wing party names two candidates for cabinet post

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Cabinet election tops parliamentary agenda

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Parliament elects new speakers

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Zurich cools towards Chinese sister city

More

Swiss votes reveal deep cultural divisions between regions

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