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Swiss Politics

Pope welcomes former Swiss Vatican Guards

This content was published on May 4, 2006 The guards, the oldest a 76-year-old, were re-enacting a march completed by the first members of the papal protectors 500 years ago. Pope Benedict praised the troops of the “world’s smallest army” for offering their lives to defend the Vatican City, the world’s smallest state. Today there are 110 Guards. The marchers had received warm…

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Aid tops agenda in Calmy-Rey Pakistan visit

This content was published on May 4, 2006 Relations between Switzerland and the South Asian nation may have been clouded by the recent visa fraud cases at Bern’s embassy in Islamabad, but Calmy-Rey could clear the air. The minister’s agenda includes visiting areas stricken by the October 2005 earthquake to view SDC-sponsored projects and meeting central and provincial government officials. According to the…

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May Day marked by violent clashes

This content was published on May 1, 2006 Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at rock-throwing demonstrators, and another group of militants disrupted a speech by President Moritz Leuenberger, who was forced to flee for his safety. The extremists caused damage to buildings, including at least one branch of a Swiss bank and a clothing store. Police arrested about 50 people, and…

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Calmy-Rey attacks tough foreigner and asylum laws

This content was published on Apr 30, 2006 Speaking in Geneva on Saturday, Micheline Calmy-Rey also defended the country’s “active neutrality” which came under fire last week after the Swiss president criticised a boycott of the Hamas-led Palestinian government. During a wide-ranging speech at the Museum of the Swiss Abroad, Calmy-Rey cautioned that the country’s standing abroad was in danger of being damaged…

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Swiss Politics

Swisscom sell-off faces increasing opposition

This content was published on Apr 29, 2006 Ahead of a special session of parliament next month, the Christian Democratic Party has reaffirmed its opposition to a government proposal to sell its majority stake in the company. Delegates of Switzerland’s fourth-biggest party on Saturday called on the government to withdraw its plan to sell its 62.5 per cent stake in Swisscom. They also…

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Swiss Politics

Taxation tops Swiss-Bangladeshi talks

This content was published on Apr 28, 2006 The talks between Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey and her Bangladeshi counterpart, Morshed Khan, were the first of their kind in six years. A government statement said the meeting was a sign of “expanding relations” between the two countries. Bangladesh has recorded strong economic growth in recent years, averaging around five per cent, which has benefited…

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Foreign affairs hold fonder memories for Deiss

This content was published on Apr 28, 2006 For it was at the foreign ministry from 1999-2003 that Deiss achieved his biggest successes, gaining a seat on the world body and forging closer ties with the European Union. Having suffered recent setbacks on a free-trade deal with the United States and controversial plans for a ban on Pitbulls, Deiss did not dwell on…

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Deiss legacy divides press

This content was published on Apr 28, 2006 But most editorialists agreed that his departure could give his centre-right Christian Democratic Party a boost and open the door to its president, Doris Leuthard. Usually when a government minister chooses to step down, the Swiss media are not very critical. The French-speaking press was no exception. For the Tribune de Genève, the centre-right Christian…

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Swiss Politics

Why Deiss’s resignation wasn’t so unexpected

This content was published on Apr 27, 2006 Plomb, a veteran observer of federal politics, puts the economics minister’s decision down to political isolation and consideration of next autumn’s federal elections. Hardly anyone involved in Swiss politics saw Deiss’s decision coming. Nothing had leaked out prior to his announcement to the media on Thursday morning. But Plomb, who was a parliamentary correspondent for…

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Swiss Politics

Economics minister announces surprise departure

This content was published on Apr 27, 2006 The announcement he was standing down to make way for new blood took the government and many in the country by surprise. The 60-year-old Christian Democrat said on Thursday that seven years as a cabinet minister and a quarter of a century in politics was enough. He said he was stepping down of his own…

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