Swiss Abroad

Ouattara faces tough “new era of hope”

This content was published on Apr 12, 2011 But he faces a huge task in reuniting a country which has been shattered by civil war and where the humanitarian situation remains critical, especially in western regions and the commercial capital Abidjan. Gbagbo, who had refused to step down after ten years in power, was detained on Monday in Abidjan by pro-Ouattara forces, backed…

Swiss Politics

Asylum claims on the rise

This content was published on Apr 12, 2011 From January through to the end of March, 4,371 people lodged claims for asylum in Switzerland. In March alone 1,874 claims were lodged – 612 more claims than in March 2010, the FMO said in a statement on Tuesday. The FMO said the fine weather in March and events in North Africa were responsible for…

Swiss call for restraint in Ivory Coast

This content was published on Apr 12, 2011 In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry called for restraint from all sides involved in recent fighting in Ivory Coast. It said the civilian population must be protected and human rights and international law must be respected. In response to the arrest of former leader Laurent Gbagbo in Abidjan on Monday, the ministry said Switzerland…

Swiss Politics

Koran and Bible-burning trio acquitted

This content was published on Apr 12, 2011 The book burnings never took place but the three, two Indians and a Swiss, were charged with violating laws on freedom of faith and religious practice. The judge ruled that the men could not be prosecuted for simply announcing their intention to burn the religious texts. However the three were asked to pay half of…

Swiss Politics

Court urged to order new vote on tax breaks

This content was published on Apr 12, 2011 Margret Kiener Nellen, a parliamentarian of the centre-left Social Democratic Party, filed a complaint with the supreme court arguing the vote was irregular as the authorities gave incomplete and misleading information on the expected shortfall in revenue and the main beneficiaries of the reform. She said two cantons had also called on the government to…

Swiss Politics

ICRC to open an office in Tripoli

This content was published on Apr 11, 2011 The ICRC is already present in the east of the war-stricken country which is controlled by anti-government forces. A spokesman for the ICRC said the organisation planned to send a team to besieged Misrata as soon as possible. “The prime minister (of Libya) has agreed that the ICRC open an office in Tripoli,” the spokesman…

Swiss Politics

Fukushima fallout spreads to Swiss politics

This content was published on Apr 11, 2011 But political scientist Georg Lutz at Lausanne University says the accident in the wake of a powerful earthquake in mid-March will change the campaign ahead of October’s elections to the federal parliament. Results from four recent elections to cantonal parliaments show the Liberal Greens among the clear winners. The group currently has five seats in…

Swiss Politics

Justice minister criticises Italy visa policy

This content was published on Apr 11, 2011 At a heated meeting of Schengen zone justice and interior ministers in Luxembourg on Monday, France, Germany and Austria proposed closing their borders to Tunisians in possession of the Italian visa, which allows them to cross into other Schengen countries. More than 25,000 Tunisian migrants have arrived on Italian shores since the beginning of the…

Swiss Politics

Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo surrenders

This content was published on Apr 11, 2011 The move comes after a week of heavy fighting in Abidjan, initiated by Ouattara following Gbagbo’s consistent refusals to relinquish power after losing national elections last November. The surrender and subsequent arrest came after French special forces using tanks surrounded the compound where Gbagbo has been holed up since fighting began. French officials denied initial…

Swiss Politics

Parliament meets for special session

This content was published on Apr 11, 2011 The other parliamentary chamber, the Senate, is not sitting. Among the main issues tabled are a proposal to give voters a greater say in international treaties. A committee by conservative isolationist politicians collected enough signatures to force a nationwide vote on the issue. The initiative by the Campaign for an Independent and Neutral Switzerland was…

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