Swiss Politics

Cabinet “disappointed” by Libya’s conduct

This content was published on Oct 22, 2009 On Wednesday a 60-day deadline for normalising relations ran out with no word on the fate of two Swiss businessmen detained in Libya for over a year. At a news conference on Thursday, cabinet members declined to say what measures would be taken towards Libya. “Switzerland sticks to its agreements and promises to all states,…

Swiss Politics

Fighter jets purchase runs out of steam

This content was published on Oct 21, 2009 According to Hans-Ulrich Ernst, a former top defence ministry official, the clamour for more jets is about the Swiss air force serving its own interests rather than being based on any realistic requirements for national security. It’s a rerun of the controversy of 1993 when the pacifist organisation Group for Switzerland without an Army (GSoA)…

Swiss Politics

A group of Japanese women learns about Swiss farming

This content was published on Oct 21, 2009

Swiss Politics

Army officer found guilty in rafting deaths

This content was published on Oct 21, 2009 The 30-year-old man, who cannot be identified under Swiss privacy laws, was given an 18-month suspended sentence and a SFr100 ($98) fine. He was discharged from the army in the military tribunal ruling in Thun on Wednesday. The soldiers lost their lives when two rubber boats capsized on the River Kander in the Bernese Oberland…

Swiss Politics

Guidelines for new passports set

This content was published on Oct 21, 2009 Requests for the new passports, which will have two digital fingerprints and a photo of the holder embedded in a microchip, can be filed after February 24. The procedure has changed somewhat for obtaining the new version. A citizen must go in person to the authorities, typically at the municipal level, to submit his or…

Swiss Politics

Libya deadline runs out

This content was published on Oct 20, 2009 Experts say Switzerland needs to carefully analyse its next steps in the Libya dispute, which arose after Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi’s son was arrested in Geneva last year. A Swiss delegation, led by a high-ranking foreign ministry official, arrived back from Tripoli on Monday evening. It was not accompanied by the two Swiss businessmen, who…

Couchepin takes parting shot at hospitals

This content was published on Oct 20, 2009 In an interview published ten days before his retirement at the end of October, Couchepin said there were too many hospitals in the country. “But to close them calls for courage. All the politicians who have attempted to cut hospitals have not been re-elected,” he told Bilan magazine, adding that the issue was complicated by…

Swiss Politics

Kander river rafting trial begins

This content was published on Oct 20, 2009 Five soldiers lost their lives when two rubber boats capsized on the river in the Bernese Oberland on June 12, 2008. The commanding officer and four others survived. One victim’s body has never been found. The military investigation into the fatal rafting accident found that the trip was poorly planned and that the troops involved,…

Swiss Politics

Delegation returns empty-handed from Tripoli

This content was published on Oct 20, 2009 The delegation was not accompanied by the two Swiss businessmen, who have been held in Libya for more than one year. Authorities said the trip was part of an agreement to normalise relations between Bern and Tripoli. It was led by the state secretary at the Swiss foreign ministry, Michael Ambühl, and included officials from…

Swiss Politics

Merz welcomes Azeri president

This content was published on Oct 19, 2009 Merz was accompanied by Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey and by Moritz Leuenberger, who holds the environment, transport and energy portfolios. The delegation, which included Azerbaijan’s foreign affairs, energy and culture ministers, then met for a working lunch also attended by Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf. Switzerland’s foreign ministry called the Caucasian country a “stable partner”. It…

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Cabinet “disappointed” by Libya’s conduct

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Fighter jets purchase runs out of steam

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A group of Japanese women learns about Swiss farming

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Army officer found guilty in rafting deaths

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Guidelines for new passports set

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Libya deadline runs out

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Couchepin takes parting shot at hospitals

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Kander river rafting trial begins

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Delegation returns empty-handed from Tripoli

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Merz welcomes Azeri president

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