Swiss Abroad

Hardship fund created for care system victims

This content was published on Apr 15, 2014 On Monday, a victims’ representative and the Swiss Solidarity Fund agreed on the official creation of a fund to which victims of the now-condemned practices can apply from June. The first payments are set to be made in September. In April, 2013, Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga apologised on behalf of the cabinet for the harm suffered…

Swiss Politics

Burkhalter seeks to defuse Ukrainian crisis

This content was published on Apr 14, 2014 Burkhalter, who is Swiss president and foreign minister, said the number of OSCE observers could be boosted to up to 300 people. There are currently 121 OSCE representatives, including 85 observers, deployed in about ten cities in Ukraine. The situation in eastern cities of Ukraine remains tense and volatile, but the observer missions in the…

Swiss Politics

Swiss president backs vote for 16-year-olds

This content was published on Apr 13, 2014 Burkhalter told the Schweiz am Sonntag” newspaper that lowering the voting age from 18 to 16 would “reinforce young people’s sense of responsibility and their integration in our community”. But this idea should be studied at the communal and cantonal levels, he added. At present out of the 26 cantons only Graubünden allows people to…

Swiss Politics

Palestinians join Geneva Conventions

This content was published on Apr 11, 2014 Also on Thursday, Palestinian applications to join 13 other conventions were accepted by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Among these were conventions governing diplomatic relations, children’s rights, corruption and prohibition of torture. Switzerland is the caretaker of the Geneva Conventions and their protocols, which form the basis for international humanitarian law. Among other things…

Swiss Politics

First SBC opinion poll

This content was published on Apr 11, 2014

Minimum wage fails to seduce Swiss

This content was published on Apr 11, 2014 Political scientist Claude Longchamp says the trade unions have little chance of winning a majority for their initiative to set a CHF22 ($25) minimum wage per hour. A first survey by the leading GfS Bern research and polling institute, published on Friday, gives the proposal just a 40% backing against 52% for the opponents. (Detailed…

Swiss Politics

Swiss unfreeze $40 million of Tunisian assets

This content was published on Apr 11, 2014 “The decision is the result of good collaboration with the Tunisian authorities,” Federal Prosecutor Michael Lauber told Swiss public radio, SRF, on Friday. The Tunisian authorities were able to provide enough evidence to allow the monies, which were linked to Tunisia’s former autocrat Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, to be returned prematurely. However, the decision is…

Swiss Politics

Envoy reports stability in Ukraine

This content was published on Apr 10, 2014 During a news conference in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, on Wednesday Guldimann reported that situation in the regions he visited is “stable” but that people there tend not to trust state authority, especially on issues including policing and the use of force. He added that local areas could fall victim to the slow process of…

Swiss Politics

Cabinet moots ban on laser pointers

This content was published on Apr 9, 2014 A new law is to define the correct use as well as the trade in products which emit so called non-ionising radiation, according to the Federal Health Office. The sale of strong hand-held laser pointers is banned in Switzerland, but there is concern that they are imported from abroad via the internet circumventing customs controls.…

Swiss Politics

Sweden’s approach to prostitution commended

This content was published on Apr 8, 2014 The Strasbourg-based assembly on Tuesday stopped short of calling for a ban, but it proposed following the example of Sweden where prostitutes are protected but their clients are prosecuted. A council report said known cases of human trafficking of sex slaves had decreased in Sweden, following a tightening of the law in 1999. It made…

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Hardship fund created for care system victims

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Burkhalter seeks to defuse Ukrainian crisis

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Swiss president backs vote for 16-year-olds

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Palestinians join Geneva Conventions

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First SBC opinion poll

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Minimum wage fails to seduce Swiss

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Swiss unfreeze $40 million of Tunisian assets

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Envoy reports stability in Ukraine

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Cabinet moots ban on laser pointers

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Sweden’s approach to prostitution commended

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