Monday, February 10, 2014
Reaktionen aus EU-Staaten
Deutschland äussert sich zum Abstimmungsresultat
Swiss Nervous after Vote to Limit EU Migrants
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| Preserving national unity is a central pillar of nearly all Swiss political thinking |
In Switzerland itself, one day after the vote, there is a feeling of nervousness.
Nearly all the newspapers are expecting a difficult period in Swiss-EU relations, and many are openly asking what the "far-reaching consequences" predicted by Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga might be.
Ms Sommaruga herself now faces a very tricky task: she will have to try to persuade Brussels that while Switzerland has decided against free movement of people, it still wants various other EU perks, such as access to Europe's single market.
That won't be easy. The EU's Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said in reaction to the Swiss vote: free movement of people, goods, capital and services is not separable. "The single market is not a Swiss cheese - you cannot have a single market with holes in it."
Any limitation of access to the single market could be disastrous for Switzerland's currently booming economy; more than half of all Swiss goods are sold to EU countries. » | Imogen Foulkes, BBC News, Berne | Monday, February 10, 2014
A Land of Money and Fear: The Swiss Vote Against 'Mass Migration'
When a country is doing well, you can usually see it. Take Zurich, Switzerland, for example. The city has changed so much in just a few years that parts of it are almost unrecognizable. Entire new districts have sprung up with chic apartments. Office towers have shot up. Shops, restaurants and bars are full, despite the fact that a beer can be a bit steep at a price of six francs, or five euros. The people have money.
Experts are united in their opinion that this prosperity is the product of Switzerland's networked economy. The country has profited enormously from open borders and from an influx of qualified foreign workers. Indeed, the European Union is its largest trading partner. Despite this, a razor-thin majority of Swiss voted in favor on Sunday of an initiative to reintroduce restrictions to the number of foreigners allowed to live and work in the country. Some 50.3 percent of eligible Swiss voters cast ballots in favor of the initiative introduced by the right-leaning, nationalist Swiss People's Party -- rejecting immigration policies of recent years that have been highly successful. » | A Commentary by David Nauer | Monday, February 10, 2014
Poverty Punished: Low Income New Yorkers Feel Pinch of Government Sequester
Tight 'Yes': Swiss Vote to Limit Immigration from EU
Swiss Vote to Limit Immigration
Final results showed 50.3% voted in favour. The vote invalidates the Swiss-EU agreement on freedom of movement.
Imogen Foulkes reports. » |Sunday, February 09, 2014
Related »
Sunday, February 09, 2014
Swiss Immigration: About 50.5% Back Quotas
About 50.5% voted in favour of measures which would end the Swiss-EU free movement of people agreement.
Fiercely independent Switzerland is not a member of the EU, but has adopted large sections of EU policy.
Brussels has already warned the Swiss that they cannot just choose the aspects they like.
A Yes vote of more than 50% is needed for the referendum to pass. » | Sunday, February 09, 2014
NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: SVP-Abstimmungskrimi: Die Überraschung ist perfekt: Die SVP-Vorlage «Gegen Masseneinwanderung» ist angenommen worden. Zürich lehnte die Initiative als letzter Kanton mit 52,7 Prozent ab. » | Sonntag, 09. Februar 2014
NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Kommentar des Chefredaktors: Eine Zäsur für die Schweiz: Das Verdikt ist deutlich, so einmalig knapp es auch ausfällt. Eine Mehrheit aus Volk und Ständen will in der Schweiz wieder die Steuerung der Einwanderung durch Kontingente. Die Initianten aus dem rechtsbürgerlichen Lager haben sich durchgesetzt; gegen den Bundesrat, gegen eine parlamentarische Mehrheit, gegen alle Regierungsparteien, gegen die Wirtschaft und ihre Verbände, gegen die Arbeitnehmervertreter und gegen die Empfehlungen fast aller Medien, dieses Organ eingeschlossen. » | Markus Spillmann | Sonntag, 09. Februar 2014
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Violence Could Force Out CAR's Muslim Population – HRW
Human Rights Watch emergency director Peter Bouckaert said this could affect the economy, as Muslims control the livestock market and other businesses.
Violence between the Christian majority and Muslims has torn the country apart since a coup last year.
Mr Bouckaert said at least nine people died this weekend in the capital city.
He said he had personally witnessed a Muslim being hacked to death in the capital, Bangui, in retaliation for the reported killing of six people by Muslim fighters.
The French news agency AFP said there was some dispute over the religion of the victim.
Tens of thousands of Muslims have already fled the to neighbouring Cameroon and Chad.
The CAR, one of Africa's poorest nations, has been in chaos for more than a year since Muslim Seleka rebels seized power.
Coup leader Michel Djotodia, who became the CAR's first Muslim leader, resigned as interim president last month as part of a regional peace process.
However, violence, largely perpetrated by either Christian anti-Balaka militias or Seleka members, has continued despite interventions by thousands of peacekeepers from the African Union and the former colonial power, France. » | Sunday, February 09, 2014
Swiss Immigration Vote Very Close, Early Projections Say
If approved, the measures will end Switzerland's free movement of people agreement with the European Union.
Fiercely independent Switzerland is not a member of the EU, but has adopted large sections of EU policy.
Brussels has already warned the Swiss that they cannot just choose the aspects they like.
The vote comes amid increasing debate across Europe about migration and the impact of free movement of people.
Analysts had expected a tight race, but the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Switzerland says it appears to be incredibly close. » | Sunday, February 9, 2014
Related »
Europe Watches Swiss Immigration Vote
The proposal, from the right-wing Swiss People's Party, calls on Switzerland to abandon its free movement of people treaty with the European Union and introduce strict quotas on immigration.
Switzerland is not a member of the EU, but has adopted large sections of EU policy, including free movement and the Schengen open-borders agreement, in order to have access to Europe's single market.
Brussels has always insisted that the Swiss will not be allowed to cherry-pick only the aspects of EU policy they like.
But its successful economy, and soaring unemployment in many eurozone countries, make Switzerland a very attractive destination. » | Imogen Foulkes, BBC News, Geneva | Saturday, February 08, 2014
Related video »
Spain's Princess Cristina Arrives at Court in Mallorca
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| Princess Cristina of Spain |
It is the first time in history that a member of Spain's royal family has appeared in court as the subject of a criminal investigation.
Her husband Inaki Urdangarin is alleged to have defrauded regional governments of millions of Euros of public money.
Rebecca Jones spoke with BBC correspondent Tom Burridge, who reports live from outside the courthouse in Mallorca. (+ BBC video) » | Saturday, February 08, 2014
Related »
Record Snowfall Turns Italian Village White
Villagers in Madesimo had to dig their way out of their properties after several days of wintery weather.
Rebecca Donovan reports. (+ BBC video) » | Friday, February 07, 2014
Saturday, February 08, 2014
Istanbul Clashes Over Turkey's New Internet Laws
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| Taksim Square, Istanbul |
Demonstrators threw fireworks and stones at police cordoning off Taksim Square, the city's main square.
The president is under pressure not to ratify the legislation.
It includes powers allowing authorities to block websites for privacy violations without a court decision.
The opposition says it is part of a government attempt to stifle a corruption scandal.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has denied accusations of censorship, saying the legislation would make the internet "more safe and free". (+ BBC video) » | Saturday, February 08, 2014
Skiers Warned of Terrain Traps in Scotland's Mountains
A terrain trap is a hollow or flat area of land where avalanched snow accumulates, raising the risk of further snow slides.
The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) said many people were unaware of the term and the threat.
It has advised mountaineers and skier to avoid such areas. » | Saturday, February 08, 2014
Holder Says Justice Department Will Aggressively Defend Same-sex Marriage
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| Eric Holder |
In an assertion of same-sex marriage rights the US attorney general, Eric Holder, will announce on Saturday that he will apply a landmark supreme court ruling to the Justice Department.
In prepared remarks to be delivered in New York to the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group which works on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, Holder said same-sex spouses could not now be compelled to testify against each other, should be eligible to file for bankruptcy jointly and are entitled to the same rights and privileges as federal prison inmates in opposite-sex marriages.
The Justice Department runs a number of benefits programmes, and Holder said same-sex couples will now qualify for them. They include the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund and benefits to surviving spouses of public safety officers who suffer catastrophic or fatal injuries in the line of duty.
“In every courthouse, in every proceeding and in every place where a member of the Department of Justice stands on behalf of the United States, they will strive to ensure that same-sex marriages receive the same privileges, protections and rights as opposite-sex marriages under federal law,” Holder said.
Just as in the civil rights struggles of the 1960s, Holder said, the stakes in the current generation over same-sex marriage rights “could not be higher”. Read on and comment » | Associated Press in Washington | Saturday, February 08, 2014
Japan Snowfall Disrupts Air, Rail and Road Transport
Correspondents say it is the first such warning for the city in 13 years.
Hundreds of flights have been cancelled, roads closed and some train services suspended. (+ BBC video) » | Saturday, February 08, 2014
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