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Swiss Politics

Dual Swiss/Austrian Euro 2008 visa agreed

This content was published on Jun 21, 2007 The co-hosts have agreed that Austria will issue special Schengen visas for the event on behalf of both countries as Switzerland will by then not yet be part of the borderless travel zone. The visas would apply to up to ten countries currently attempting to qualify for the final stages of the tournament. The other…

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Swiss court rejects appeal from Turkish politician

This content was published on Jun 21, 2007 Perinçek, leader of the Turkish Workers’ Party, is to lodge a further appeal at Switzerland’s highest instance, the Federal Court, his lawyer said on Wednesday. A court in Lausanne convicted Perinçek in March and ordered him to pay a fine of SFr3,000 ($2,424.6). He was also handed a suspended fine of SFr9,000 and ordered to…

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Parliament gets tough in weapons debate

This content was published on Jun 20, 2007 The chamber, which represents Switzerland’s cantons, followed the example of the House of Representatives. A ban on keeping military weapons at home was rejected. Anonymous sales of guns over the internet or by advertisement are to be banned, but there are exceptions for hunters and members of Switzerland’s numerous shooting clubs, who can continue to…

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Expats seek bigger role on political stage

This content was published on Jun 20, 2007 The swift introduction of electronic voting is crucial to boost their participation in votes and elections, according to the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA). The figures for registered expatriates voters are impressive. They soared from 12,000 to more than 110,000 over the past 15 years and there are no signs of a slowdown. “The…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss accept trade-off at Human Rights Council

This content was published on Jun 19, 2007 The UN watchdog formally adopted a series of reforms to its future work, including how and when to launch investigations into some of the world’s worst rights offenders. “The final document is a balanced text and is the result of concessions made by all of us,” commented Blaise Godet, Switzerland’s ambassador to the UN in…

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Swiss Politics

Funding for eastern Europe remains intact

This content was published on Jun 19, 2007 The Senate joined the House of Representatives in agreeing not to make cuts in existing aid programmes to eastern Europe to finance the contribution. During the final week of summer session, parliament also agreed a separate SFr730 million credit – an increase of SFr80 million – for projects in eastern European countries for the period…

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Swiss Politics

Human Rights Council reaches compromise

This content was published on Jun 19, 2007 The Geneva-based watchdog – the result of a Swiss initiative – said that the new parameters were a compromise; China, in particular, had unsuccessfully battled to limit the body’s censure powers. The proposal was formally approved on Tuesday with 46 votes, only Canada came out against. The council also decided to drop Cuba and Belarus…

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Swiss Politics

Iraqis seek a safe home in Switzerland

This content was published on Jun 18, 2007 More than 6,000 Iraqis are living in Switzerland. Some 2,500 have been granted refugee status and 2,690 have the provisional right to remain. A further 1,000 people are still going through the asylum process. They are part of the mass exodus of Iraqis since the war began. An estimated two million people have fled Iraq,…

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Swiss Politics

Voters decide to cut benefits for the disabled

This content was published on Jun 17, 2007 The result was widely expected and comes as parliament considers plans to shore up the financing of the beleaguered insurance scheme. Nearly 60 per cent of voters came out in favour of annual spending cuts of about SFr500 million ($402 million) and a reduction by 20 per cent in the number of new beneficiaries each…

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Swiss call for peaceful end to Gaza conflict

This content was published on Jun 17, 2007 In a statement on Sunday, the foreign ministry recognized the formation of a new emergency government sworn in by Abbas after Hamas seized control of Gaza last week following heavy factional fighting. The violence left Gaza increasingly isolated, a situation worsened on Sunday when an Israeli fuel company cut off deliveries to gas stations in…

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