Swiss Politics

Final ICRC hostage is free

This content was published on Jul 12, 2009 Eugenio Vagni, an Italian, was released by Muslim rebels in the early hours of July 12 local time, the ICRC said. Fellow abductees Mary Jean Lacaba and the Swiss Andreas Notter regained their freedom in April. “The ICRC is relieved and happy that Mr Vagni will soon be back with his family and friends, who…

Libya case reveals flaws in Swiss diplomacy

This content was published on Jul 10, 2009 Though some progress has been made to heal Swiss-Libyan ties in recent months, the Gaddafi affair has brought Switzerland into direct conflict with another government – unprecedented for a neutral country that champions diplomacy. “Switzerland excels in mediation, but it has hardly ever been directly involved in a crisis with another state,” said Hasni Abidi,…

Swiss Politics

“Stop Nespressure” campaign targets Nestlé

This content was published on Jul 10, 2009 Union representatives say the problem is largely at Nespresso factories in Asia. On Friday they introduced an awareness campaign called “Stop Nespressure” to highlight their grievances. In Indonesia, workers who campaigned for the right to negotiate wages were subject to intense pressure from Nestlé management to abandon the cause, IUF said. Similar cases were reported…

Swiss Politics

Conflict over nuclear files intensifies

This content was published on Jul 10, 2009 At the centre of the showdown is a dossier that contains roughly 100 pages of documents so sensitive that the government wants them destroyed. The original files were indeed shredded secretly in November 2007 but copies surfaced last December. On Thursday investigators and cantonal police stormed into federal security offices in Bern and seized a…

Swiss Politics

Agreement to regulate assisted suicide

This content was published on Jul 10, 2009 This is the first time an assisted suicide group has signed such an agreement with government authorities. The text, which was announced on Friday but reached last week, will regulate the particulars of assisted suicide, including the use of deadly sodium pentobarbital and compensation for those who help others kill themselves. The basis comes from…

Swiss Politics

Pressure grows for six weeks’ vacation

This content was published on Jul 9, 2009 Citing stress and the need to be on a par with other European countries, the trade union umbrella organisation Travail Suisse is putting the case for more time off. It has backed up its argument with an initiative signed by 108,000 people. After the signatures have been checked by the Federal Chancellery in Bern, the…

Swiss Politics

Sri Lanka tells ICRC to scale down activities

This content was published on Jul 9, 2009 The move follows the cessation of hostilities between Sri Lankan forces and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The government declared victory over the Tamil Tigers in May. An ICRC statement on Thursday said the Geneva-based organisation was reviewing its setup and operational priorities in Sri Lanka. “As a first step, it will close…

Swiss Politics

First candidate to succeed Couchepin named

This content was published on Jul 8, 2009 The executive of Neuchâtel’s centre-right Radical Party nominated Burkhalter on Wednesday evening. The 49-year-old economist has been a member of parliament since 2003, first in the House of Representatives and since 2007 in the Senate. Couchepin, one of two Radical Party representatives in the seven-member cabinet, announced his resignation last month. Parliament will choose his…

Swiss Politics

Assault by Swiss students provokes outrage

This content was published on Jul 8, 2009 Many people, angered by what they perceive as “soft justice” and “mollycoddling” in Switzerland, want the perpetrators to be made to pay for their crimes in Germany. On June 30 the 16-year-old students from Küsnacht, canton Zurich, attacked five people – one of whom was disabled – within the space of half an hour. One…

Swiss Politics

Seven acquitted in cigarette smuggling case

This content was published on Jul 8, 2009 The alleged members of an international cigarette smuggling ring, all Swiss residents, had faced charges of supporting Italian criminal organisations and money laundering. On Wednesday, the court in Bellinzona found two Italians guilty on the first charges. One received a jail sentence of two years and nine months with the two years suspended while the…

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Final ICRC hostage is free

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Libya case reveals flaws in Swiss diplomacy

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“Stop Nespressure” campaign targets Nestlé

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Conflict over nuclear files intensifies

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Agreement to regulate assisted suicide

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Pressure grows for six weeks’ vacation

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Sri Lanka tells ICRC to scale down activities

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First candidate to succeed Couchepin named

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Assault by Swiss students provokes outrage

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Seven acquitted in cigarette smuggling case

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