Swiss Politics

Ex-diplomat takes foreign policy to task

This content was published on Aug 27, 2007 In an interview with swissinfo, Jagmetti, who stepped down ten years ago amid controversy over dormant Holocaust assets in Swiss banks, considers Switzerland’s image abroad. His comments came as Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey on Monday opened this year’s ambassadors’ conference in the capital, Bern – a gathering of senior representatives from Switzerland’s diplomatic service and…

Swiss Politics

Cheese smells of international incident

This content was published on Aug 24, 2007 The new Tilsit in the eastern canton of Thurgau is the home of the Wartmann family which has been closely tied to the cheese variety since 1893. That was when Otto Wartmann brought the recipe back from the original Tilsit in the former East Prussia. Earlier this month, the Holzhof farmstead officially became Tilsit. The…

Swiss Politics

Parties battle it out for centre stage

This content was published on Aug 21, 2007 The rightwing Swiss People’s Party and the centre-right Christian Democratic Party took advantage of the summer lull to try to appeal to the public using methods that were poles apart. On August 1, the People’s Party inundated the nation’s letter boxes with an initiative calling for foreigners who have committed a crime to be thrown…

Swiss Politics

Expats enter long-distance election race

This content was published on Aug 20, 2007 The motives could not be more different, as swissinfo learned from three members of the Swiss Abroad community at a congress last weekend in Geneva. In his polo shirt, and with his white shock of hair and distinctive Swiss-German dialect of Schaffhausen, Edgar Studer is somehow a typical Swiss if appearances are anything to go…

Swiss Politics

Some religions are more welcome than others

This content was published on Aug 20, 2007 For while some non-native religions have proved easy bedfellows for the Swiss, others – notably Islam – have found it more difficult to be accepted. So much so in the case of Islam that Swiss Muslims currently face the prospect of seeing the construction of minarets put to a nationwide vote. The rightwing campaign to…

Swiss Politics

Thousands displaced by crisis in Afghanistan

This content was published on Aug 20, 2007 Walter Kälin, the United Nations representative for the human rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), says the dangerous security situation in the country means it is almost impossible to get help to those in need. “Humanitarian access is a huge problem and is very limited. Humanitarian workers have been killed, have been attacked and right…

Swiss Politics

Swiss ambassador hails Chinese Olympics

This content was published on Aug 19, 2007 Martinelli said that China would be able to address delicate issues such as human rights and the environment. He also hopes that Switzerland can boost its image in the country. The ambassador, who has been in the post since 2004, has been hosting a delegation from Swiss Olympic, Switzerland’s national Olympic committee. Officials were in…

Swiss Politics

Expatriates provide link with rest of world

This content was published on Aug 18, 2007 Speaking in Geneva on Saturday at the annual congress of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), she promised to look more closely at the needs of citizens living outside the country. “You chose to live abroad and yet remain Swiss,” said Calmy-Rey. She pointed out that citizens living abroad provided a valuable “social, cultural,…

Swiss Politics

Political pressure builds on Swiss Abroad

This content was published on Aug 17, 2007 Jacques-Simon Eggly, elected on Friday as president of the OSA, which is currently in congress in Geneva, acknowledges the organisation has an influence on Swiss politics but is wary of it turning into a “political battleground”. Switzerland’s main political parties appear to be waking up to the potential of voters who live abroad. At present,…

Swiss Politics

Aid efforts get underway after Peru quake

This content was published on Aug 16, 2007 The Geneva-based International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies sent emergency supplies, while Swiss experts evaluate the situation and help coordinate aid in the devastated region. A first team of local aid specialists travelled to the central coastal region of Peru immediately after the tremor struck on Wednesday night local time, said the…

Swiss Politics

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Swiss Politics

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Ex-diplomat takes foreign policy to task

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Cheese smells of international incident

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Parties battle it out for centre stage

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Expats enter long-distance election race

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Some religions are more welcome than others

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Thousands displaced by crisis in Afghanistan

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Swiss ambassador hails Chinese Olympics

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Expatriates provide link with rest of world

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Political pressure builds on Swiss Abroad

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Aid efforts get underway after Peru quake

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