Swiss Abroad

Swiss army loses its bearings

This content was published on Dec 12, 2010 The lack of clarity about the future of the army is currently casting its shadow on parliamentary debates about the basically uncontroversial 2010 armaments programme, which envisages a partial renewal of the aged air fleet. Defence Minister Ueli Maurer of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party said in spring 2009 that he wanted to make the…

Swiss Politics

Hacker attacks on PostFinance are no joke

This content was published on Dec 11, 2010 “I have never seen an attack being organised so quickly,” Pascal Lamia, head of the Reporting and Analysis Centre for Information Assurance MELANI, told the Bund and Tages-Anzeiger newspapers in an interview published on Saturday. He described as “particularly worrying” the fact that anyone can join in, even if they know nothing about information technology.…

Swiss Politics

Beefing up defence against cyber attacks

This content was published on Dec 10, 2010 Defence Minister Ueli Maurer said a taskforce would examine possible technical and legal measures to avert attacks on vital computer systems. He said the cabinet agreed that the protection in place could be improved, particularly cooperation between the different ministries as well with the private sector. Maurer added that cooperation with other countries was also…

Swiss Politics

Swiss sign latest human rights convention

This content was published on Dec 10, 2010 The foreign ministry on Friday said Switzerland would have to adapt several of its laws to meet the treaty’s requirements, but it already satisfied the central point of the convention: zero tolerance towards cases of enforced disappearance. The move follows pressure from parliament and non-governmental organisations demanding immediate accession to the latest central United Nations…

Swiss Politics

Access to civilian service to be complicated

This content was published on Dec 10, 2010 The cabinet on Friday approved a series of measures in an effort to reduce the number of applications for civilian service, which rose sharply in the wake of last year’s reform. The measures include a personal discussion with applicants to motivate them for army duty. The defence ministry added it will not reintroduce a vetting…

Swiss Politics

Nobel Prize awarded to ’empty seat’

This content was published on Dec 10, 2010 On Friday, Chinese dissidents in exile, diplomats and the king and queen of Norway gathered around an empty chair to honour Liu, who is being held in prison in China. The literature professor was sentenced last Christmas to 11 years in jail for “inciting subversion of state power” by calling for an end to one-party…

Swiss Politics

EU flexes its muscles against tax fraudsters

This content was published on Dec 9, 2010 The EU’s Economic and Financial Affairs Council, meeting in Brussels, reached agreement on a draft directive aimed at strengthening administrative cooperation in the field of direct taxation so as to enable EU members to better combat tax evasion and tax fraud. It’s a political accord that comes after months of wrangling over the sensitive issue because…

Swiss Politics

One in four people paid bribes in 2010

This content was published on Dec 9, 2010 Transparency International said on Thursday that its survey of more than 91,000 people in 86 countries and territories shows a quarter say they paid bribes to institutions – the police being the most frequent recipient. According to the survey, more than 20 countries report significantly more bribery than when asked in 2006. Views on corruption…

Swiss Politics

People’s Party “sets pace” for general election

This content was published on Dec 9, 2010 Georg Lutz of Lausanne University told swissinfo.ch that the party is “setting the pace” and is ahead of all other parties. Unwelcome on Saturday in the city of Lausanne for security reasons, the People’s Party knew once again how to hit the headlines by holding a delegates’ conference in an open field in wintry conditions…

Swiss Politics

Swiss president calls for climate cooperation

This content was published on Dec 8, 2010 She pointed out that while doing something costs money, doing nothing costs far more. She cited poverty, hunger and violence as potential consequences of failing to take action. Leuthard called on every nation to cooperate, pointing out that climate policies must not cease at national borders. The Swiss president suggested that a price be put on…

Swiss Abroad

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Swiss Abroad

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Swiss army loses its bearings

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Hacker attacks on PostFinance are no joke

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Beefing up defence against cyber attacks

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Swiss sign latest human rights convention

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Access to civilian service to be complicated

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Nobel Prize awarded to ’empty seat’

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EU flexes its muscles against tax fraudsters

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One in four people paid bribes in 2010

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People’s Party “sets pace” for general election

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Swiss president calls for climate cooperation

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