Swiss Abroad

US security snooping scandal unnerves Swiss

This content was published on Jun 10, 2013 Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, while admitting that the latest reports would not make relations with the US any easier, told Swiss public radio on Monday evening that it was important to “keep calm”. Relations between the two countries are already strained over an on-going tax evasion row. Switzerland is faced with a US ultimatum…

Swiss Politics

Post-vote, Swiss media weigh in on next steps

This content was published on Jun 10, 2013 As the Tribune de Genève put it, there was “no apparent shadow of the Röstigraben” – the imaginary trench that divides the German and French-speaking parts of the country. The loud “yes” to asylum reform, with 78.5 per cent of the vote, is “also a vote of confidence for (Justice Minister) Simonetta Sommaruga” said the…

Swiss Politics

Minister pushes for more asylum reforms

This content was published on Jun 9, 2013 Three out of four voters came out in favour of keeping in place restrictive measures implemented last September and valid for three years. The new rules include the scrapping of asylum requests at Swiss embassies abroad and of refusing in principle a safe haven in Switzerland to conscientious objectors. As part of the revised legislation,…

Swiss Politics

Stricter rules will stay

This content was published on Jun 9, 2013 More than 78 per cent of voters supported the change to the asylum laws. The legislation was introduced in September 2012 thanks to a fast-track parliamentary procedure, since the new package of measures was considered urgent due in part to an increasing number of asylum requests. There has also been growing public concern about crime…

More stringent asylum rules set to be confirmed

This content was published on Jun 8, 2013 Already in force since last autumn following a fast-track parliamentary procedure, the amendment to the asylum law gives the government increased powers over the country’s 26 cantonal authorities to house asylum seekers and to set up special centres for those considered troublemakers. The change scraps asylum requests at Swiss embassies abroad and rules out providing…

Swiss Politics

Swiss approve extra funds for Syria

This content was published on Jun 7, 2013 The additional funding will in part be used to support United Nations partners and the Swiss-run International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which reach many affected people throughout Syria and the region, according to a statement. Also benefitting are projects carried out by Swiss Humanitarian Aid supporting families and communities in northern Lebanon which…

Swiss Politics

Guatemala embassy saved, Chicago consulate shut

This content was published on Jun 6, 2013 Following a short debate on Thursday, the Senate unanimously decided to snub plans by the foreign ministry to close the Swiss representation to Guatemala City and move all its services to Costa Rica’s capital, San José. The other chamber, the House of Representatives, had voted on the issue in March. Committee speaker Anne Seydoux-Christe stressed…

Swiss Politics

House seals airport deal despite local buzz

This content was published on Jun 6, 2013 Despite concerns expressed at the local level, the deal passed with 110 votes in favour and 66 against. Critics complained that it was a bad deal that yielded too much to Germany. The agreement, hammered out last summer by Transport Minister Doris Leuthard and her German counterpart, now awaits ratification by Germany’s parliament. It passed…

Swiss Politics

Police chase Swiss diplomat through Paris

This content was published on Jun 5, 2013 When police tried to stop the Swiss representative at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) who was speeding through the streets of Paris’s fifth arrondissement in a Mercedes, the diplomat carried on driving, prompting officers to shoot out one of the car’s tyres. The man was eventually stopped driving the wrong way down the Boulevard St.Germain. The…

Swiss Politics

Swiss wine to flow freely in ambassador role

This content was published on Jun 4, 2013 Diplomats will be able to order from a wide selection of labels from all of Switzerland’s wine regions, with the ministry footing the bill in advance. The new wine supply procedure, which came into force this month, was developed in response to parliamentary motions dating back to December 2011 calling for clear guidelines to ensure…

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