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Swiss Politics

French support for Swiss over tax row

This content was published on Nov 28, 2008 But Fillon, currently on an official visit to Switzerland, said that the country should work towards more transparency in fiscal matters. “Switzerland is not a tax paradise. It is not considered as such by the Organisation for Cooperation and Economic Development and it is not considered as such by France,” said Fillon at a joint…

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Congo atrocities test UN human rights body

This content was published on Nov 28, 2008 Diplomats at the Geneva-based council on Friday held an emergency meeting to examine allegations of mass killings, rape and torture committed by DRC government soldiers and rebels, as described in a new UN report. The report, published last week by the office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said members of the Congolese army and national…

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Swiss Politics

Free heroin scheme faces nationwide vote

This content was published on Nov 28, 2008 As the trial period comes to end, psychiatrist Christoph Bürki – who has worked for 14 years in the Bern heroin-dispensing centre (Koda) and is now the senior doctor there – gives swissinfo his perspective on the practice. The temporary legal provisions that allow this form of therapy are set to become enshrined in a…

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Maurer joins Blocher in race for cabinet seat

This content was published on Nov 27, 2008 The party’s parliamentary group announced his candidature on Thursday, a day after the party leadership had nominated Christoph Blocher, the former justice minister. A vote of the Federal Assembly – a joint session of the House of Representatives and Senate – will decide on December 10 who will succeed the outgoing defence minister, Samuel Schmid.…

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Swiss Politics

Bern condemns series of attacks in Mumbai

This content was published on Nov 27, 2008 A statement from the foreign ministry in Bern described the attacks as “absolutely unjustifiable”. The people and authorities of Switzerland extend their condolences to the Indian authorities and their deep sympathies to the families of the victims, it added. The ministry warned Swiss travelling to India of the risk of further attacks in the country.…

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Swiss Politics

Swiss are healthy but challenges remain

This content was published on Nov 27, 2008 But the study, compiled by the Swiss Health Observatory, also finds that there are shortcomings and challenges. One of these is the uneven distribution of health across the population, which, the report notes, is mainly attributable to the level of education and income. It finds that another challenge is the increase in the number of…

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Swiss Politics

EU approves Swiss membership of Schengen

This content was published on Nov 27, 2008 As of December 12 systematic checks on individuals will be abolished and cooperation will be increased in the fight against cross-border crime. EU interior ministers meeting in Brussels unanimously approved the treaty with Switzerland on Thursday, according to the EU presidency. While terrestrial borders will no longer have passport control points, goods traffic will still…

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Swiss Politics

No end to Middle East “three-sided poker game”

This content was published on Nov 26, 2008 In an address to the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday night, ambassador Peter Maurer also mentioned signs of hope: positive political developments in Lebanon and indirect peace talks between Syria and Israel. Maurer’s statement marked the third time since the beginning of November that the government has broached the conflict. But Middle…

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Swiss Politics

Smoking set to become more expensive

This content was published on Nov 26, 2008 The finance ministry said the 30-centime hike, to come into effect in March, was part of health prevention efforts and was aimed at generating more tax revenue. Experts say the gradual increase in cigarette prices since 2001 has led to a marked drop in sales and has helped reduce the number of smokers by 150,000.…

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Cabinet backs Swiss Spanish Civil War fighters

This content was published on Nov 26, 2008 Backing a motion from a parliamentary legal commission, the cabinet said the punishments handed down to the volunteers when they returned home no longer corresponded to contemporary sense of justice. It added that history had shown that those fighting for democracy between 1936 and 1939 deserved recognition. Civil war broke out in Spain after an…

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