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Just the ticket
Keeping a printing tradition alive
More and more train tickets are printed by computers; the traditional card ticket is today rarely used. The Aeschbacher company in Worb near Bern still cuts these and prints them with lead type. [...]
Corporate taxes
Swiss set to tackle divisive fiscal reform
Murder questions
Papers rue failings of house arrest system
Corporate taxes
Swiss set to tackle divisive fiscal reform
Under pressure from the European Union the Swiss government has outlined plans to scrap controversial tax privileges for international firms. But the reform risks undermining the complex federal fiscal system and leading to a major drop in revenue. [...]
Chinese readers react
Profit at the expense of moral values
Safe and sound
Red Cross hostages freed in Yemen
Changes at the top
Surprise shake-up marks Glencore Xstrata meeting
There have been surprise personnel changes at the top of the newly merged Glencore Xstrata commodities giant during its first annual general meeting in Zug on Thursday. [...]
Formula for success
Chinese parents drive baby milk powder boom
Brussels talks
EU moves to close tax loopholes
New trends
Folk musicians seek inspiration beyond the norm
It’s crowded in the dressing room. And no wonder. A folk trio, a jazz singer and a classically-trained violinist are all relaxing before a joint show. Such genre-bending is common in Swiss folk music today - as is a back-to-roots shift. [...]
Nadja Räss
Breaking the mould as a Swiss yodeller
Rocks on a roll
Huge colourless diamond goes for record
Cancer discovery
New imaging gives insight into tumours’ travels
Through a high-resolution imaging system which makes lymph nodes highly visible, researchers from Zurich’s Federal Institute of Technology have come one step closer to understanding how cancer forms and travels through the body. [...]
No easy path
Orbit remains expensive and difficult goal
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In depth
Travel deal
Swiss retain visa-free travel to the US
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Which passport can travel visa-free to the US? (swissinfo)
Swiss nationals will continue to benefit from visa-free entry to the United States for stays of up to 90 days after the two countries initialled an agreement on the issue on Wednesday.
The US had posed two conditions to countries wishing to remain in the visa-waiver programme. On the one hand, it wanted an exchange of finger prints and DNA data in order to prevent and combat serious crime (PCSC); on the other, it wanted an exchange of data on known or suspected terrorists.
Under the new PCSC agreement, the exchange of data will be limited to serious crimes included on a list annexed to the agreement and to other crimes punishable by imprisonment of more than three years.
To meet data protection requirements, the two sides have undertaken to correct, block or delete personal data if one of the parties to the agreement so requests.
The United States has also agreed that the number of requests should not exceed a mutually agreed limit.
The agreement meets the conditions set by the Swiss government and the expectations of the Foreign Affairs Committees and of the Conference of Cantonal Justice and Police Directors (CCJPD), a statement by the Federal Police Office said.
The government is due to formally approve the deal at one of its upcoming sessions. The PCSC agreement still has to be approved by parliament, and could be the subject of a referendum.
“Greater security”
The second element of the agreement, on the other hand, is a memorandum of understanding about improving the exchange of data on terrorism. It does not create any new rights or obligations and can be implemented under existing law.
The US embassy in Bern issued a statement saying that the US regards Switzerland as a close partner, with which it shares the same basic aims in pursuing crime and fighting terrorism.
It said the agreement would lead to greater security in international travel and better protection of the public.
Switzerland has been one of the 36 countries in the visa-waiver programme since 1986. However, only holders of machine-readable or biometric passports are eligible, and they have to register online for travel authorisation. Precise details can be found on the website of the US embassy.
Swiss join in criticism of US entry fee
A decision announced by the United States to charge some foreign visitors for the right to enter the country has provoked anger in Switzerland and Europe. [...]
Bern seeks to smooth biometric passport concerns
The authorities are hoping to dispel concerns among Swiss expatriates over the sometimes difficult process of applying for new biometric passports. [...]
Fingerprint expert rules out the perfect crime
The director of the School of Criminal Justice at Lausanne University – the oldest in the world – tells swissinfo.ch about getting innocent people off the hook. [...]
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