Swiss Politics

Giving dead commuter towns the kiss of life

This content was published on Mar 6, 2014 There was a time when old farmhouses with a wooden bench out in the front dotted the landscape in Suberg, a village west of the capital Bern. In the evenings, tired farmers would retreat to their bench and neighbours would drop in for a chat. But those days are long gone. Most of the farms…

Swiss Politics

Training for Russian soldiers put on ice

This content was published on Mar 5, 2014 This year, 42 members of the Russian armed forces were set to attend the army’s advanced training centre in Andermatt, canton Uri, and benefit from Swiss mountain know-how, according to defence ministry spokesman Reto Kalbermatten. Confirming reports in the Aargauer Zeitung and Südostschweiz, he said Switzerland had “diplomatically” made contact with the Russian defence ministry…

Swiss Politics

Ethiopian expats divided on co-pilot’s motives

This content was published on Mar 5, 2014 For Switzerland’s 2,000-strong Ethiopian community – like many other expat communities divided by politics back home – finding common ground or agreeing on the reason for the hijacking on February 17 is nearly impossible. United by their homeland, Ethiopians living in Geneva regroup separately according to their political convictions, meeting at distinct venues, including the…

Swiss Politics

Activists break into Swiss nuclear plant

This content was published on Mar 5, 2014 The activists, from Switzerland and other European countries, entered the site early on Wednesday morning using ladders to scale exterior fences. Several people climbed one of the buildings on the site, which went into operation 45 years ago, and attached banners declaring “The End”. The local police are currently negotiating with the demonstrators. In a…

Swiss Politics

Tracking down Ukraine’s illicit asset trail

This content was published on Mar 4, 2014 The exiled former President of Ukraine and his minions stole $70 billion (CHF61.5 billion) from state coffers, says new Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. The question remains: how much of those assets currently lies in Swiss banks? The Swiss government has taken no chances by blocking the accounts of Yanukovych and 19 of his associates on February…

Swiss Politics

Swiss push OSCE ‘contact group’ to defuse crisis

This content was published on Mar 3, 2014 Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday, Burkhalter said the contact group would support Ukraine during its transition and coordinate aid; it could also discuss sending observers to monitor the rights of national minorities. “Recent events unfolding before our eyes in Ukraine have shown us that peace, security and human rights…

Swiss Politics

Swiss in the EU? What has the vote meant for you?

This content was published on Mar 3, 2014 More generally, what sorts of comments do you hear about the Swiss vote? Do you think this decision permanently changed the image of Switzerland abroad?

Swiss Politics

Putin’s power unchecked in Ukraine

This content was published on Mar 3, 2014 An analysis in the Tages-Anzeiger newspaper begins with a nod to Putin’s “victory” with the recent Winter Olympics in Sochi, and compares it with his “victory” in Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula: “There was no speech to the nation, no declaration of war to the world. The head of the Kremlin doesn’t need any of that because…

Swiss Politics

Victims slam Church’s response to sex abuse

This content was published on Mar 3, 2014 “Where are all the Swiss priests who have been accused?” demands Gérard Falcioni, a ski guide and herdsman from the village of Bramois in canton Valais. Falcioni was himself a victim of abuse by a local priest from the age of five. Since 2002 he has been one of the few people in Switzerland to…

Swiss Politics

Crowd shows solidarity ‘for an open Switzerland’

This content was published on Mar 1, 2014 Almost 60 parties and organisations, including the Greens, the Social Democrats, unions and foreigner associations, had called for people to attend. They warned that following the recent vote to limit immigration, the rights of the more than 1.8 million foreigners in Switzerland could seriously deteriorate. “At the same time, [foreigners] have significantly contributed to our shared prosperity, quality…

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