Swiss Abroad

Swiss grill Libya over human rights

This content was published on Nov 9, 2010 Dante Martinelli, Swiss ambassador to the United Nations, recommended that Tripoli nullify laws that criminalise freedom of expression. He also noted that “hundreds” of people are in “administrative detention” even though they have been acquitted or served their sentences. A coalition of 30 NGOs led by UN Watch denounced the Libyan report before the UN…

Swiss Politics

Security firms sign code of conduct

This content was published on Nov 9, 2010 The initiative for the code, which is the first of its kind, was launched jointly by Switzerland and industry associations with the support of main governmental clients, humanitarian organisations and civil society. It took 14 months to create. “In conflicts, non-state actors like private security-service providers are of increasing importance,” commented Peter Maurer, state secretary…

Swiss Politics

Left rallies to defy anti-crime policy

This content was published on Nov 9, 2010 Leftwing groups staged street events in cities and towns across the country over the weekend as a senior Green Party politician challenged the figurehead of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party at a podium in Zurich. So far, supporters of a rightwing initiative to automatically deport foreign criminals clearly have the upper hand in the battle…

Swiss Politics

Visa requirement lifted for two Balkan states

This content was published on Nov 8, 2010 Interior ministers from across the continent met in Brussels on Monday and agreed to waive visas for entering a bloc of 25 countries, the so-called Schengen Zone. Switzerland will also adopt the measures as a Schengen member state. However, some EU countries like the Netherlands and France want to monitor the programme closely to watch…

Swiss Politics

Swiss regret Myanmar election conditions

This content was published on Nov 8, 2010 On Sunday, the people of Myanmar returned to the polls 20 years after the first “democratic” elections won by the party of the Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi – a victory annulled by the junta. Thirty-seven political parties and 82 independent candidates took part. In the run-up to the election, the Swiss…

Swiss Politics

Migrants gain experience in direct democracy

This content was published on Nov 8, 2010 Voting on November 28 should be of particular interest to immigrants – one of the issues the Swiss will decide on is whether to accept an initiative launched by the rightwing Swiss People’s Party that calls for the deportation of foreigners who are convicted of crime. The voting is part of a project called Baloti…

Swiss Politics

Proposal says firms must hire disabled or pay

This content was published on Nov 8, 2010 On Monday, Travail Suisse, a federation of unions, presented its model for the programme, which would require businesses with ten or more employees to reserve at least 2.5 per cent of the hours worked by their total workforce for those with disabilities. That means a firm with 200 employees would be required to have five…

Swiss Politics

People want smaller army

This content was published on Nov 7, 2010 The survey was commissioned by the Swiss Business Federation, economiesuisse, and published in the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. Sixty per cent of the 1,006 people who took part in the questionnaire said they wanted to see pay cuts for government staff, while 59 per cent would prefer less money spent on taking care of asylum seekers. More…

Integration should become mandatory

This content was published on Nov 7, 2010 In an interview with the SonntagsZeitung newspaper, the recently-elected cabinet minister from the centre-left Social Democratic Party said the approval or extension of residency permits should be closely linked to the efforts immigrants make to integrate themselves. “Compulsory schooling must be respected. Children should attend all courses and exceptions made on religious or other grounds,…

Swiss Politics

Call for energy tax to replace VAT

This content was published on Nov 7, 2010 At a party meeting on Saturday, delegates of the LGP – founded five years ago – said the energy tax would be an incentive for people to reduce oil and gas consumption while giving renewable energy sources a competitive advantage. The party said this would free around 320,000 companies from the enormous administrative burden placed…

Swiss Abroad

Popular Stories

Most Discussed