Swiss Abroad

Talks scheduled to end cargo strike

This content was published on Mar 14, 2008 The chief executive of Federal Railways said the discussions would take place on Saturday and there were no conditions attached. The main railway workers union said they were interested in face-to-face meetings. A week ago Federal Railways announced more than 400 job cuts at its cargo unit, prompting a public outcry particularly in the southern…

Swiss Politics

Prosecutor has Darfur masterminds in sights

This content was published on Mar 12, 2008 swissinfo talked to Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who has vowed to target the most senior people behind the violence, ahead of a debate on Darfur held on the sidelines of the International Film Festival on Human Rights in Geneva. In February 2007, the ICC indicted two Sudanese officials for war crimes relating to Darfur – Ahmad Harun,…

Swiss Politics

Raising the voices of war victims

This content was published on Mar 12, 2008 Eighteen years later her younger sister has spoken in the Swiss capital, Bern, of the challenges – and frustrations – she has faced in pursuing justice over the murder of her sister. Shortly before her death, Myrna Mack had been conducting research in politically sensitive areas. Her 1990 publication, which detailed the disposession of indigenous…

Swiss Politics

Stamp of approval for new passports

This content was published on Mar 12, 2008 The passports – which have been in a trial phase since September 2006 – will include a chip that stores two fingerprints and the holder’s facial image. Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said on Wednesday that the cost of obtaining a biometric passport – currently SFr250 ($243) – would be lowered. Citizens not wanting to travel…

Swiss Politics

National register to simplify police inquiry

This content was published on Mar 11, 2008 The move also aims to provide the legal basis for the use of the European security system from July. The Senate on Tuesday unanimously followed the House of Representatives in endorsing the measures. The speaker of the legal affairs committee said the cantonal authorities – which are largely autonomous in police matters – called for…

Swiss Politics

Cargo workers continue action over job cuts

This content was published on Mar 10, 2008 Strikers at the Bellinzona facility on Monday won the support of the regional authorities and the church as they pledged to continue their action in protest at the planned job losses. The 400 workers at the state-run locomotive repair facility in the southern Ticino region vowed to press on with the industrial action which they…

Swiss Politics

Cabinet rejects gag on official information

This content was published on Mar 10, 2008 Interior Minister Pascal Couchepin said it was in the interests of voters and democracy to learn all the facts about an issue at stake. He added that acceptance of the proposal, to come to a nationwide vote on June 1, would mean a reversal of current practice. However, the government approved a plan to grant…

Swiss Politics

Forced marriages are also a Swiss problem

This content was published on Mar 10, 2008 According to Lathan Suntharalingam, a local politician campaigning against such marriages, it is an integration problem which can’t be solved through “multicultural do-gooding”. Forced marriages are those taking place under community or parental pressure, normally among immigrants. In some cases, violence and emotional blackmail is employed both before and after the wedding. There is evidence…

Swiss Politics

Thousands of army guns are lost

This content was published on Mar 9, 2008 The statistics come as calls mount for a ban on military weapons being stored at home by members of Switzerland’s 120,000-member conscript army. Defence ministry spokesman Felix Endrich has confirmed a report that appeared in Sunday’s Le Matin Dimanche newspaper that the guns had been stolen or lost outside military service. In addition, around 260…

Swiss Politics

Swiss and South Africans boost relations

This content was published on Mar 8, 2008 The move followed a meeting between Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey and her South African counterpart Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma in Geneva, said the Swiss Foreign Ministry. It will set the framework for a regular political dialogue and a first meeting is expected to take place in May, said a foreign ministry statement. The ministers also…

Swiss Abroad

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