Swiss Abroad

“Things will get worse in Syria”

This content was published on Aug 8, 2011 The warning came as international pressure for an end to the violence intensified on Monday, with Bahrain and Kuwait joining Saudi Arabia in recalling their ambassadors to Syria. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by telephone on Saturday that he was alarmed by the escalating violence in Syria and demanded that…

Swiss Politics

Strong franc will cost jobs in the autumn

This content was published on Aug 7, 2011 “If the exchange rate stays at this level, we have to expect a large amount of production relocated abroad and redundancies, particularly in the machine industry,” said Serge Gaillard in an interview with the newspaper NZZ am Sonntag. “Negative effects will also be seen in tourism and the banks – in all sectors exposed to…

Swiss Politics

Confrontation puts consensus at risk

This content was published on Aug 5, 2011 Shifting from moderate pluralism over the past two decades Switzerland has now the most adversarial party political system in Europe, according to a comparative study of 30 countries. (See box: Resemblance and Differences) “Switzerland basks in the illusion of consensus, while in reality we find ourselves in a conflict-laden political system,” says Pascal Sciarini, professor…

Swiss Politics

Case over Gaddafi poster in Geneva abandoned

This content was published on Aug 5, 2011 The inquiry into Eric Stauffer, leader of the Mouvement Citoyens Genevois group was launched last November following a request by the cantonal and federal authorities. The rightwing group had used an image of Gaddafi in a campaign ahead of a nationwide on the deportation of foreign criminals. Stauffer claimed the poster is a matter of…

Swiss Politics

Jones to replace Reiterer as EU ambassador

This content was published on Aug 5, 2011 Included in the changes are British diplomat Richard Jones, who is to take over from the first EU ambassador to Switzerland, Michael Reiterer of Austria. These appointments are part of the 2011 rotation of heads of delegation and include 16 candidates from member states diplomatic services, seven from the European External Action Service and two…

Swiss Politics

Police hit back at deportation flight criticism

This content was published on Aug 5, 2011 In a vitriolic letter sent to the Federal Migration Office, the Swiss Police Federation accused it of failing to assure the physical security of police in its organisation of deportation flights. The letter, a copy of which was obtained by Le Temps newspaper, comes in the wake of damaging television footage showing police officers clubbing…

Swiss Politics

Border clash “diverts from real Kosovo issues”

This content was published on Aug 5, 2011 Andreas Ernst, a journalist with the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper, believes a more durable and far-reaching solution is needed than the one for Serbia to remove roadblocks in Kosovo’s Serb-run north . The deal was brokered by Nato on Wednesday in a bid to end over a week of clashes and heightened tension. The reopening…

Swiss Politics

Swiss visit raises issue of aid to East Africa

This content was published on Aug 4, 2011 Interviewed by swissinfo.ch, François Nordmann, a policy advisor and retired Swiss diplomat, dismisses critics who accuse Calmy-Rey of staging the event for the media. During her three-day trip to Kenya, Calmy-Rey visited the Daddab refugee camp, which houses an estimated 400,000 people, some 100 kilometres from the Somali border. On Thursday she met Kenyan President…

Swiss Politics

Campaign group Marche Blanche to end

This content was published on Aug 4, 2011 Its president, Christine Bussat, confirmed the move, which comes after ten years, to Swiss public radio on Thursday. She will, however, see through the initiatives already launched. White March, a non-political association set up by a group of parents, said in April that it had collected enough signatures to call a popular vote on whether convicted…

Swiss Politics

ICRC calls for more funds for Somalia

This content was published on Aug 4, 2011 It said on Thursday that the additional funding would help an additional 1.1 million people in the central and southern parts of the country, which have been hit by drought and conflict. “The move comes in response to a situation that is becoming ever more desperate,” said Jakob Kellenberger, the ICRC president, in a statement.…

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Swiss Abroad

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“Things will get worse in Syria”

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Strong franc will cost jobs in the autumn

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Confrontation puts consensus at risk

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Case over Gaddafi poster in Geneva abandoned

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Jones to replace Reiterer as EU ambassador

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Police hit back at deportation flight criticism

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Border clash “diverts from real Kosovo issues”

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Swiss visit raises issue of aid to East Africa

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Campaign group Marche Blanche to end

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ICRC calls for more funds for Somalia

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