Swiss Politics

Swiss leads UN efforts against illegal arms trade

This content was published on Jan 16, 2004 The body’s main aim is to curb the spread of small arms, which are responsible for one death per minute worldwide. Anton Thalmann, currently Swiss ambassador to Canada, was nominated for the post of president of the Group of Governmental Experts on Tracing Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons on Thursday in New York. He…

Swiss Politics

Alternative world gathers in Asia

This content was published on Jan 15, 2004 Switzerland will be represented by a delegation of about 50 people, including parliamentarians, trade unionists and members of non-governmental organisations. The first three World Social Forums (WSF) were held in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre. Now it is the turn of Mumbai to host this annual gathering of organisations and movements opposed to “neo-liberal…

Swiss Politics

Refugee office director gets new job

This content was published on Jan 14, 2004 Jean-Daniel Gerber stressed that he had applied for the job before the election of Christoph Blocher as Swiss justice minister. Gerber has been in charge of the office for over six years and his move to Seco is no surprise, given that he has a strong background in economics. He had been widely tipped for…

Swiss Politics

Asylum requests fall by a fifth

This content was published on Jan 7, 2004 According to Federal Refugee Office figures, 20,806 people applied for asylum last year – down 20 per cent on 2002. But officials said there had been a significant increase in the number of people arriving from eastern Europe, especially Georgia and Russia, many of whom were unable to give credible reasons for seeking asylum. The…

Swiss Politics

Status quo wobbles under rightwing assault

This content was published on Jan 3, 2004 Most attention will be focused on the rightwing Swiss People’s Party, which now has two cabinet ministers and is the largest party in parliament. With its charismatic driving force, Christoph Blocher, joining party colleague Samuel Schmid in the seven-strong cabinet, the People’s Party has “lost” its most outspoken critic of government policy. That is because…

Swiss Politics

Switzerland helps Bhutan on the path to modernity

This content was published on Dec 30, 2003 Switzerland’s federal system is proving a useful reference tool for the country’s steps toward a modern democracy. Bhutan, a small, remote country of just over 2.1 million people, has remained virtually cut off from the outside world for centuries. But in recent years it has tentatively begun to modernise and open its borders. Bhutan is…

Swiss Politics

Swiss chalet keeps an eye on the arms race

This content was published on Dec 30, 2003 Known as Davox, the station was opened in October to assist the international community in detecting secret atomic tests, as well as natural disasters. Davox is one of 321 monitoring stations around the world, whose job it is to detect vibrations, changes in pressure and radioactive particles – all potential signs of illicit nuclear experiments.…

Swiss Politics

Baghdad correspondent tells of life after Saddam

This content was published on Dec 29, 2003 The veteran Middle East correspondent witnessed the fall of Saddam and narrowly escaped death when his hotel was fired on by coalition forces. Tilgner heads up the German television channel ZDF’s bureau in the Iranian capital, Tehran, but has spent most of the past 12 months reporting for German and Swiss viewers from neighbouring Iraq.…

Swiss Politics

Enhancing Switzerland’s image in the US

This content was published on Dec 27, 2003 The Presence Switzerland project, sponsored by the government to promote Switzerland in the United States, is now drawing to a close. A vast network of contacts has been set up, and the alumni party in Washington has evolved into a major late-summer event attended by hundreds of people. Although the project is ending, the US…

Swiss Politics

Political upheaval marks Switzerland’s year

This content was published on Dec 25, 2003 The year was topped off with a cliffhanger cabinet election. The rightwing Swiss People’s Party stamped its authority on the political landscape in 2003 by becoming the biggest party in parliament after October’s elections, and winning a second seat in the seven-strong government in December’s cabinet vote. And it was the party’s populist driving force,…

Swiss Politics

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Swiss Politics

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Swiss leads UN efforts against illegal arms trade

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Alternative world gathers in Asia

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Refugee office director gets new job

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Asylum requests fall by a fifth

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Status quo wobbles under rightwing assault

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Switzerland helps Bhutan on the path to modernity

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Swiss chalet keeps an eye on the arms race

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Baghdad correspondent tells of life after Saddam

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Enhancing Switzerland’s image in the US

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Political upheaval marks Switzerland’s year

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