Swiss Abroad

Government rejects anti-gun move

This content was published on Dec 6, 2010 Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga said on Monday that the current gun law was sufficient to protect against misuse and that the initiative would be difficult to put into practice. The people’s initiative, launched by the centre-left Social Democratic Party – Sommaruga’s own party – as well as pacifist and doctors’ organisations, will be put to…

Swiss Politics

Swiss-born foreigners face passport hurdles

This content was published on Dec 6, 2010 Switzerland has 350,000 foreign residents born in the country, children or grandchildren of immigrants, the so-called “secondos”. Many regard themselves as Swiss, but do not have a Swiss passport. When the new initiative becomes law, if they commit a crime no difference will be made between such long-term residents and recent arrivals. So why don’t…

Swiss Politics

Teddy bear to trigger emotions in gun law vote

This content was published on Dec 5, 2010 The people’s initiative, launched by the centre-left Social Democratic Party, pacifist and medical organisations, will be put to a nationwide vote on February 13. The initiative committee presented its website and slogan, “Protect families – vote yes to prevent gun violence” on Sunday. Pictured is a teddy bear with blood dripping from a bullet hole…

Swiss Politics

Ivory Coast travel advisory issued

This content was published on Dec 5, 2010 On December 2, the army closed all border crossings, the Swiss foreign ministry said on its website. Unrest is feared in the country after the presidential candidates, the incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, and his opponent Alassane Ouattara, both declared themselves victorious in a run-off election. Ouattara was initially announced as the winner but the result was…

Swiss Politics

Pressure mounts on WikiLeaks and Assange

This content was published on Dec 5, 2010 A spokesman for the office told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper that the Post was checking to confirm whether Assange has a Swiss residence as he claimed when he opened the account last month. The Post’s Marc Andrey told the newspaper that a foreigner holding a Postfinance account must either reside in Switzerland, near the…

Swiss Politics

Neuchâtel church tax goes up in smoke

This content was published on Dec 5, 2010 In Switzerland churches of the state-recognised faiths – mainly Catholic and Protestant – receive SFr1.9 billion ($1.9 billion) annually from the cantons via taxes on individuals and companies. But amounts and tax regimes vary hugely by region. “This chapter is over; it finished badly,” Gabriel Bader, president of Neuchâtel’s protestant church synod council, told swissinfo.ch.…

Swiss Politics

“It depends on the behaviour of governments”

This content was published on Dec 4, 2010 Christine Egerszegi, vice-president of the Swiss parliament’s OSCE delegation, tells swissinfo.ch what the body can achieve, and what not. The first summit in 11 years of the 56-member body failed to sign on to the action plan after two days of talks in the Kazakhstan capital, Astana, which ended on Thursday. Instead, the government representatives…

Swiss Politics

People’s Party to target Schengen membership

This content was published on Dec 4, 2010 One week after voters approved the party’s initiative to expel foreign criminals, delegates at an open-air meeting in canton Vaud agreed that the party should push for Switzerland’s withdrawal from Europe’s Schengen Area and the introduction of restrictions on development aid. More than 40 motions were approved. Delegates unanimously voted in favour of demanding that…

Swiss Politics

WikiLeaks Swiss domain online again

This content was published on Dec 4, 2010 The Swiss Pirate Party, which supports freedoms on the internet, successfully migrated entries to new servers. Party chairman Denis Simonet told a media conference on Friday that they had registered the address so that any Swiss who wanted to access WikiLeaks by typing “.ch ” could do so. WikiLeaks had been informed by mail of…

Swiss Politics

Readers mostly back expulsion vote

This content was published on Dec 4, 2010 It was a black day for some while for others it was a day of glory. Those who provided feedback to swissinfo.ch on the initiative, launched by the centre-right Swiss People’s Party, were in no mood for arguing. Supporters and opponents took part in the debate with very clear positions and, depending on the language…

Swiss Abroad

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