Swiss Abroad

Smoothing Rwanda’s rocky road to reconciliation

This content was published on Dec 16, 2012 Excitement spreads through the small village of Cyendajuru, on top of one of the countless hills in south-western Rwanda. In a few hours, the local fete will take place, marking the 25th anniversary of the foundation of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, the political party that has ruled the country since the end of the genocide…

Swiss Politics

Cabinet seeks tighter rules on foreign money

This content was published on Dec 14, 2012 Swiss Finance Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said on Friday that financial institutions could however decide to demand such a declaration from their customers. This would be part of a series of enhanced due diligence requirements planned by the authorities. The requirements would be similar to those already in place to combat the financing of terrorism and…

Swiss Politics

Anti-terrorism measures agreed upon in Abu Dhabi

This content was published on Dec 14, 2012 Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, representing Switzerland at the Forum’s third meeting on Friday in the United Arab Emirates, said the memorandum on preventing kidnapping for ransom by terrorists was “highly significant” and welcomed its adoption. Switzerland is committed to not paying ransom to kidnappers, he said. In a highly publicised case in 2011, a Swiss…

Swiss Politics

Plastic shopping bags get the boot in parliament

This content was published on Dec 13, 2012 Environment Minister Doris Leuthard said a ban was unnecessary, as the Swiss system of garbage disposal currently works well. However, those in favour of the new law noted that plastic shopping bags require considerable petroleum and energy to produce. In addition, it takes hundreds of years for a plastic bag to decompose out in the…

Swiss Politics

Political battles overshadow Arab Spring gains

This content was published on Dec 13, 2012 “Every time society feels its hard-won gains are in danger, civil society groups go out on the streets to protest alongside political parties to make their voices heard, and defend freedoms and the rule of law,” said Rachid Khechana, head of the North Africa section at the satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera. In Tunisia, a compromise…

Swiss Politics

Swiss medicine under the knife again

This content was published on Dec 12, 2012 Superficially, Switzerland seems to be in an enviable position. With a density of 3.8 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants, it ranks ninth in the world for access to medical care, according to an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) study from 2009. But although Switzerland holds up well in international comparisons, a closer look shows a…

Swiss Politics

“It is a dark period for human rights”

This content was published on Dec 10, 2012 Speaking to swissinfo.ch on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, Andrew Clapham says however that progress has been made in recent years, notably with the creation of peer reviews in the Human Rights Council. Clapham says the United Nations body is still experiencing growing pains though. swissinfo.ch: Are human rights given the place they…

Swiss Politics

Helvetas director forced to leave Laos

This content was published on Dec 9, 2012 Anne-Sophie Gindroz, the NGO’s country director, was given on Friday 48 hours’ notice by the authorities to leave. According to Helvetas spokesman Matthias Herfeldt, who confirmed reports in the Sunday papers the Sonntagszeitung and the NZZ am Sonntag, she arrived on Sunday in Bangkok, while her husband and children are still in the Laotian capital…

Swiss Politics

Illegal residents to get vocational training

This content was published on Dec 7, 2012 The change to the legislation on foreigners working in Switzerland, announced by the cabinet on Friday, comes in response to a 2010 parliamentary decision. Both chambers accepted a proposal to let these youngsters gain access to the job market and clear up what many people consider an unfair situation. While illegal residents are allowed to…

Swiss Politics

Clouds gather on soaring aviation’s horizon

This content was published on Dec 7, 2012 Despite the uncertain economic climate and strong Swiss franc, these are high times for Switzerland’s three international airports – Zurich, Geneva and Basel. An economic impact study published in May 2011 by the Civil Aviation Office showed that the three international and four regional airports had a combined economic effect of at least SFr9.7 billion…

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Swiss Abroad

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Swiss Abroad

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Smoothing Rwanda’s rocky road to reconciliation

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Cabinet seeks tighter rules on foreign money

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Anti-terrorism measures agreed upon in Abu Dhabi

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Plastic shopping bags get the boot in parliament

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Political battles overshadow Arab Spring gains

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Swiss medicine under the knife again

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“It is a dark period for human rights”

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Helvetas director forced to leave Laos

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Illegal residents to get vocational training

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Clouds gather on soaring aviation’s horizon

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