Swiss Abroad

Denmark found to be most democratic

This content was published on Jan 27, 2011 Switzerland ranked only 14th in the study which compared 30 established democracies over a ten-year period – between 1995 and 2005. The rankings are found in the “democracy barometer”, a new instrument used to measure the quality of democracy. It was developed at Zurich University and the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB). The authors…

Swiss Politics

Swiss set eyes on new set of EU treaties

This content was published on Jan 26, 2011 “The government believes such an approach would be most promising,” a foreign ministry statement said on Wednesday. No further details were revealed. However, Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann on Monday proposed linking electricity with agriculture and tax issues. Over the past decade Switzerland and the EU have concluded two packages of bilateral treaties covering 16 different…

Swiss Politics

Cypriot leaders meet in Geneva

This content was published on Jan 26, 2011 Ban said the rival leaders, Demetris Christofias and Dervis Eroglu, had agreed to step up negotiations aimed at ending the conflict on the divided island, and would hold more talks in the coming weeks. However, he described the negotiating process as “very sensitive”. He did not take questions from journalists, and news conferences with the…

Swiss Politics

Swiss freeze assets of toppled Tunisian president

This content was published on Jan 26, 2011 A government spokesman said funds worth tens of millions of Swiss francs had been frozen but he refused to give details, saying the situation was constantly changing. The new Tunisian authorities filed an official request for legal assistance on Tuesday with Switzerland he said. The cases being investigated include a plane which seems to belong to…

Swiss Politics

Dictator assets law could be short-lived

This content was published on Jan 26, 2011 The law comes into force on February 1, and although applicable to assets stashed away by all autocrats, it was tailor-made to deal with the ongoing freeze of assets deposited in Switzerland by former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier. After it was announced in September, Mark Vlasic, the international legal advisor to a team acting to…

Swiss Politics

Swiss halt asylum returns to Greece

This content was published on Jan 26, 2011 The Swiss authorities said “the situation in Greece makes it necessary to modify the application of the Dublin procedure”, under which asylum seekers are routinely returned to their first country of entry in Europe. The European Human Rights Court in Strasbourg on Friday ruled against Belgium for returning an asylum-seeker to Greece, despite the appalling…

Swiss Politics

Policing the skies over Davos

This content was published on Jan 26, 2011 swissinfo.ch took a ride in a “hostile” Cessna private jet into the protected airspace over the alpine resort as part of a Swiss air force training exercise ahead of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting. This year Switzerland is deploying 4,000 soldiers, including 2,500 from the Swiss air force, as well as fighter jets…

Swiss Politics

Swiss seek Davos boost for China trade talks

This content was published on Jan 26, 2011 Swiss Economics Minister Johann Schneider-Ammann said he will meet China’s trade minister, Chen Deming, on Friday as Switzerland seeks to beat the European Union to a lucrative deal with the fastest growing world economy. “The chances are good that we can conclude a free trade agreement with China before the EU,” Schneider-Ammann said. “This would…

Swiss Politics

Council adopts Dick Marty’s Kosovo report

This content was published on Jan 25, 2011 In addition to adopting Marty’s report in Strasbourg on Tuesday, the Council approved a resolution calling on Albanian and Kosovan authorities to investigate organ-trafficking allegations – with 169 votes in favour, eight against and 14 abstentions. Filed in December, Marty’s report implicated high ranking members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in the murder of…

Swiss Politics

Parties denounce assault on politician

This content was published on Jan 25, 2011 Fehr, who was beaten as he was making his way to the traditional annual party meeting in Zurich, filed charges on Monday against persons unknown. He suffered bruised ribs and grazes in the incident and was taken to hospital. A statement from the People’s Party, the centre-left Social Democratic Party, as well as the centre-right…

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Swiss Abroad

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Denmark found to be most democratic

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Swiss set eyes on new set of EU treaties

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Cypriot leaders meet in Geneva

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Swiss freeze assets of toppled Tunisian president

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Dictator assets law could be short-lived

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Swiss halt asylum returns to Greece

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Policing the skies over Davos

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Swiss seek Davos boost for China trade talks

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Council adopts Dick Marty’s Kosovo report

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Parties denounce assault on politician

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