Swiss Abroad

Gun suicides among young worst in Switzerland

This content was published on Aug 3, 2008 This is directly connected to liberal Swiss gun laws and the easy availability of weapons, said researchers from the European Alliance Against Depression, whose study is published in the current edition of the Journal of Affective Disorders. Almost half (43.6 per cent) of suicides in Switzerland committed by 15- to 24-year-old men involve guns. This…

Swiss Politics

Swiss warns about new forms of protectionism

This content was published on Aug 1, 2008 Luzius Wasescha told swissinfo that the failure of the nine-day marathon negotiations in Geneva within the Doha Round could spell protectionist dangers if countries rest on their laurels. After the talks at the WTO, several ministers said they wanted dialogue to be resumed as soon as possible. The WTO’s head, Pascal Lamy shared this view,…

Swiss Politics

A year after Ylenia murder, no alarm system yet

This content was published on Jul 31, 2008 Under discussion is a mobile phone photo alarm system but this is unlikely to come into force before 2010. Other proposals to sound the alarm bells have also been put forward. Ylenia, from Appenzell in eastern Switzerland, was reported missing on July 31, 2007, prompting a massive police search. Her body was found in mid-September.…

Swiss Politics

Tensions with Libya ease but talks continue

This content was published on Jul 30, 2008 On Tuesday two Swiss citizens jailed for alleged immigration violations were released on bail. But no Swiss nationals are allowed to leave Libya. Foreign ministry spokesman Jean-Philippe Jeannerat said moves were underway to restore normal relations between the two countries. Tensions began when one of the sons of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi was temporarily arrested…

Swiss Politics

Swiss press berate WTO failure

This content was published on Jul 30, 2008 Headlines ranged from “Everyone loses, no one wins” to “Fiasco” and “Infernal machine”. The Geneva newspaper Le Temps described the failure of the Doha Round under the auspices of the World Trade Organization as a “tragedy”. “In the short term, this failure will give comfort to those who felt themselves the most threatened, with the…

Swiss Politics

Olympics body to examine censorship claims

This content was published on Jul 29, 2008 Amnesty International has condemned China’s human rights record and censorship of the media in the run up to the Games. A report, published by Amnesty on Tuesday, found that human rights have continued to deteriorate in the country instead of improving, as promised by the Olympics hosts. However, the Chinese foreign ministry rejected the claims,…

Swiss Politics

Swiss law expert named to UN rights committee

This content was published on Jul 29, 2008 The Swiss foreign ministry said it was pleased that Keller was named to succeed Walter Kälin who stepped down in April. Keller, who teaches European and international law at Zurich University, has a mandate until the end of 2010. The Human Rights Committee consists of 18 independent experts and oversees the implementation of the International…

Swiss Politics

Bern wants UN to coordinate better on terrorism

This content was published on Jul 29, 2008 The Swiss ambassador to the UN, Peter Maurer, and representatives of Costa Rica, Japan, Slovakia and Turkey have put forward proposals about how the global strategy against terrorism agreed in the General Assembly in 2006 can be better coordinated. “The fight against terror on its own is not enough. It needs possible solutions how we…

Swiss Politics

Young Tibetan protestors get media savvy

This content was published on Jul 28, 2008 The image of Pema Dolkar, who in March covered her face in ketchup and threw herself in front of a runner holding the Olympic torch in Athens, yelling “Stop Killing Tibet!”, was broadcast around the world. The sight of the hysterically angry Yangzom Brauen being dragged away by police in Moscow in 2001 when China…

Swiss Politics

Swiss-US tensions to stay in post-Bush era

This content was published on Jul 28, 2008 In the run up to the US presidential elections in November, nothing seems to suggest that these differences will be resolved by Bush’s successor, experts say. At the heart of the Bush administration, in Congress or in think tanks which often develop American foreign policy, the general feeling is that relations between the US and…

Swiss Abroad

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

Swiss Abroad

More

Gun suicides among young worst in Switzerland

More

Swiss warns about new forms of protectionism

More

A year after Ylenia murder, no alarm system yet

More

Tensions with Libya ease but talks continue

More

Swiss press berate WTO failure

More

Olympics body to examine censorship claims

More

Swiss law expert named to UN rights committee

More

Bern wants UN to coordinate better on terrorism

More

Young Tibetan protestors get media savvy

More

Swiss-US tensions to stay in post-Bush era

Popular Stories

Most Discussed