Expertise: politics, (direct) democracy, foreign affairs, culture. Initials: dos
Originally from Ireland, Domhnall worked in research and writing in a couple of European countries before joining swissinfo.ch in 2017. He covers direct democracy and politics and is usually in Bern.
Seven ways the ECHR has shaped Swiss law over the years
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From surname rules to asbestos claims, the European Court on Human Rights has rapped Switzerland’s knuckles some 140 times since 1974.
Happy anniversary? Switzerland marks 50 years at the ECHR
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Half a century after Swiss ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights, the treaty is under pressure across the continent.
How much protest should a democratic state accept?
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Attention-grabbing stunts by climate activists have tested the limits of legitimate action in Switzerland and elsewhere. How should judges react?
AI on trial – who’s responsible when the algorithms mess up?
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What happens when public prosecutors bring charges directly against artificial intelligence itself? A mock trial in Geneva recently found out.
Democracy promotion: latest US efforts spark Swiss enthusiasm
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Since 2022, Washington has been funding nations it judges to be democratic “bright spots”. Switzerland is also getting involved.
Milo Rau: democracy is an ’agora open to everyone who isn’t a criminal’
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On the International Day of Democracy, Switzerland’s most controversial theatre director talks about the “ritual” of public votes and the global state of political participation.
Insults and threats are everyday features of Swiss local politics, study shows
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Aggressive incidents are far from the exception for Swiss politicians, even at the most face-to-face local level – but physical attacks remain rare.
Swiss government rebuffs ECHR climate ruling: next stop Strasbourg
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Five months after human rights judges took Switzerland to task, the government has hit back – Swiss policies are not inadequate, it says.
Swiss direct democracy is Eurovision’s latest challenge
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As the country gets closer to naming the city to host next year’s Eurovision, political and financial wrangles have entered the fray.
Swiss job market: cooling down, but labour shortages remain
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After several years of acute labour shortages, is the Swiss job market on its way towards a reprieve? Not quite, say analysts.
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Ex-Interior Minister Alain Berset is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the historic Strasbourg organisation. Who is Berset, and what’s in store for his five-year term?
Swiss climate activists continue to protest, but change ‘is not easy’
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On Friday activists gather in Swiss cities for the latest “global climate strike”. As numbers on the streets dwindle, is the movement still influential?
Swiss salaries: high, stable, yet not enough for many
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How far does almost CHF7,000 ($7,850) go in Switzerland? New statistics make the median salary sound mouth-watering, but there are big variations across sectors and incomes.
Swiss wine gets boost to fend off foreign competitors
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Swiss-made wine has for years seen its dominance of the domestic market erode. Can it claw back some ground from imported rivals?
Debates about deportation and image follow Zurich anti-Semitic attack
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The stabbing of an Orthodox Jewish man comes amid growing concerns about anti-Semitism in Switzerland. Some politicians now want a harsh response.
How two years of war in Ukraine have marked Switzerland
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Switzerland, a country which has long managed to side-step conflicts, has not been left unruffled by two years of war in Europe.
Bern becomes a ‘safe harbour’ for migrants – what does this mean?
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The Swiss capital has joined a network of cities declaring themselves “safe harbours” for refugees and migrants – flying in the face of national policy.
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
