Swiss Politics

Vault containing eight million coins auctioned

This content was published on Dec 5, 2013 The seller is a member of the committee that is forcing a referendum on whether Switzerland should introduce a minimum monthly government stipend of CHF2,500 per person, regardless of age and income. In October, the committee symbolically dumped eight million golden CHF0.05 pieces in front of the parliament building, one each for every one of Switzerland’s…

Swiss Politics

Burkhalter elected president for 2014

This content was published on Dec 4, 2013 Burkhalter received 183 votes out 222 ballots cast by the parliamentarians. The 53-year-old centre-right Radical from canton Neuchâtel will take over from Defence Minister Ueli Maurer on January 1. The Swiss presidency is held by a different member of the seven-person cabinet every calendar year. The choice is based on seniority in the government, which…

Swiss Politics

Switzerland among least corrupt countries

This content was published on Dec 3, 2013 Despite dropping one place in the Corruptions Perceptions Index, Swiss public officials are still the seventh least likely to take bribes, abuse their power or engage in other underhand business. The findings come as a welcome tonic for the Alpine state that has become increasingly embroiled in a long-running international row over tax evasion abuses…

Swiss Politics

Swiss soldiers to stay in Tripoli until 2016

This content was published on Dec 2, 2013 The military unit charged with protecting the embassy has been in place since January 2012, and will remain until January 2016 at the latest. The costs of the operation over the next two years – excluding the salaries of the up to 20 elite soldiers – are estimated at CHF1.95 million ($2.15 million). Foreign Minister…

Swiss Politics

Probe launched into foreign spying

This content was published on Dec 1, 2013 “Various clarifications are under way, and will be later examined,” the office told the Swiss News Agency, confirming reports in two Swiss Sunday newspapers. In particular, article 271 of the penal code, which lists punishable acts by a foreign state, had been broken, according to the office. It would not comment further on other aspects…

Swiss Politics

Preparing for the worst

This content was published on Dec 1, 2013 In the exercise, a fire aboard a TGV train heading to France leads to 19 deaths and 109 injuries. The aim was also to test coordination between services in the neighbouring countries. The session showed up difficulties in gaining an overview of the whole situation – something that had been noted during a train collision…

WEF ‘possibly’ bugged, founder tackles privacy

This content was published on Dec 1, 2013 Speaking to the SonntagsZeitung newspaper just under two months before WEF 2014 begins, Schwab said discussion about the National Security Agency scandal had “opened our eyes to just how important it is to protect ourselves against technological possibilities”. He did not know if he or the WEF itself had been under surveillance, but it was…

Swiss Politics

FINMA chief warns Swiss banks to cooperate

This content was published on Nov 29, 2013 In the Friday edition of the prestigious Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper, Patrick Raaflaub, director of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), said if a bank had any doubt it had run afoul of US law, it should sign up to the scheme and tell FINMA before December 9. Banks have until the end of…

Swiss Politics

More Syrians arrive amid visa U-turn

This content was published on Nov 29, 2013 Seven families of refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict, including nine women and 15 children, arrived in Switzerland on Friday, the justice ministry said in a statement. This is the first group of 500 refugees the alpine nation has agreed to take in over the next three years as part of a pilot project that was…

Swiss Politics

Swiss court agrees bank data transfer to Tunis

This content was published on Nov 28, 2013 In November 2012 the Swiss Federal Prosecutor’s Office decided to hand over to Tunisian investigators documents relating to accounts held by Trabelsi and a dozen companies at the HSBC bank in Geneva. The billionaire and the former Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben-Ali are suspected of having looted funds belonging to the Tunisian state. Since…

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