swissinfo.org - The Swiss Parliament has ended its autumn session in the Grisons resort of Flims, where it debated issues and passed laws while the federal parliament building in Bern undergoes repairs.
Parliament normally meets four times a year for three weeks, adding special sessions if the workload is too great. The next session will be in Bern, 4-20 Decembe (continue reading)→
Tribune de Geneve, Fre - Bernard Corboz, vice-president of the Federal Tribunal (FT), was bypassed yesterday when Parliament voted in a new FT president, Arthur Aeschlimann. The Swiss German's name was proposed by FT judges under new legal rules that replace the old rotation system, breaking with tradition.
Judges cited Aeschlimann's excellent management record but politicians from French-speaking Switzerland and Corboz voiced strong concerns that only Swiss Germans will lead the FT.
The main function of the Federal Tribunal in Lausanne is to hear civil and criminal case appeals. (continue reading)→
[swissinfo report, added 6 October, 9:00]
Tribune de Geneve, Fre - Swiss Police and Justice head Christoph Blocher said in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday that a 1994 Swiss anti-racism law used to condemn Turkey has been used inappropriately. The killings of 1915-17 were a matter for historians to decide. His remarks received praise in Turkey but provoked anger among parliamentarians meeting in Flims, Grisons. (continue reading)→
romandie/asp, Fre - The federal government Friday morning abandoned a project to revise legislation covering rental agreements. In December 2005 Bern announced that renters and landlords would need to come to an agreement when the law was rewritten to that would tie rents into the cost of living index and mortgage rates. The two groups remain too far apart for a compromise to be found, legislators noted in ending their efforts to write new legislation. (continue reading)→
24 heures, Fre - The federal government yesterday approved money for a programme to encourage economic development by region. The move is a change from giving funds and incentives to towns and sections of the country on a list of disadvantaged areas. Under the new plan, strongly supported by canton Vaud, SFr70 million will be made available, although the two houses of Parliament are still debating the time period this will cover. (continue reading)→
