Swiss Abroad

Deportation flights face renewed difficulties

This content was published on Aug 15, 2010 A spokesman for the office confirmed a newspaper report on Sunday that the first flight since their suspension in March due to the death of a Nigerian took place on July 28. The chartered aircraft first flew from Zurich to Mali where Swiss security personnel handed over one man to the local authorities, said Jonas…

Swiss Politics

More coherent policy needed for Swiss abroad

This content was published on Aug 14, 2010 In a report published earlier this week, the cabinet said one federal ministry should in future deal with all expatriate issues. The findings of the document were in response to a motion put forward in 2004 by senator Filippo Lombardi of the centre-right Christian Democrats, asking the government to assess the importance of the Swiss…

Swiss Politics

Troubled tax haven keeps flag flying

This content was published on Aug 14, 2010 Small Switzerland is a giant compared to lilliputian Liechtenstein, which uses the Swiss franc as its currency and has a customs union with Switzerland, which represents it at embassies all over the world. On August 15, the people of Liechtenstein celebrate their national holiday with a high mass led by the archbishop followed by a…

Swiss Politics

Campaign launched for Asian “fashion victims”

This content was published on Aug 13, 2010 Unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are demanding workers be given an additional ten cents for every T-shirt they make. They are also exerting pressure for a universal wage model. “Despite working 13-hour days, a seamstress earns only 20-60 per cent of what she needs to live on,” according to the Berne Declaration, an umbrella body…

Swiss Politics

Fires prompt calls for transparency in Russia

This content was published on Aug 12, 2010 Greenpeace Switzerland says a more transparent approach by the Russian government is needed so that the general public is better informed and outside experts can help. The fires were sparked by the hottest summer in Russia since records began. Environmentalists and forest experts have warned that radioactive particles in contaminated areas could be thrown into…

Swiss Politics

Swiss to head advisory group in Kyrgyzstan

This content was published on Aug 12, 2010 Markus Müller, who has worked in the Central Asian republic both as director of the Swiss cooperation office and as head of the OSCE mission in the capital, Bishkek, is currently employed by the Swiss foreign ministry, which announced his appointment on Thursday. European foreign ministers decided last month to set up the group after…

Swiss Politics

Swiss stand by Middle East approach

This content was published on Aug 12, 2010 Swiss diplomacy in the Middle East, although modest, is not without its critics who argue the neutral country is too hostile toward Israel and too complacent toward others, like Hamas in the Palestinian Territories and Hezbollah in Lebanon. On August 3, two Lebanese soldiers and an Israeli officer were killed in what was the most…

Swiss Politics

Shanghai Expo highlights Swiss-Sino cooperation

This content was published on Aug 12, 2010 She took part, along with 400 invited guests, in the celebrations for Swiss National Pavilion Day, as well as to mark the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations between Switzerland and China. “We are impressed by the Chinese people’s great enthusiasm for the Swiss Pavilion and glad to see that it is one of the most…

Swiss Politics

Swiss fired up over arrival of mercenary firm

This content was published on Aug 11, 2010 Aegis Defence Services, one of the world’s largest private security contractors, has set up a Swiss holding company for its different operations, effectively moving its headquarters from London to Basel. It employs an estimated 20,000 soldiers, mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of them are on contract to the United States defence department. While Swiss…

Swiss Politics

Poll reveals European mindset among Swiss

This content was published on Aug 11, 2010 Switzerland comes out top in the European Mindset study by the Spanish bank BBVA as the nation with the highest percentage of citizens for whom European and national identities are of equal importance. The Swiss are also among the biggest consumers of European news and have some of the most extensive family and social ties…

Swiss Abroad

Popular Stories

Most Discussed