Switzerland

One Last Option for Securing Iranian Enriched Uranium

Bruno Pellaud | Posted 10.28.2009 | World


Bruno Pellaud

Iran's refusal and counter-proposal to shipping low-enriched uranium to Russia is unacceptable. But before slamming the door on talks, two alternative arrangements still deserve consideration.

Polanski's victim says she wants to be left alone

AP | ANTHONY McCARTNEY | Posted 10.26.2009 | Home


LOS ANGELES — An attorney for Roman Polanski's victim says scrutiny caused by the director's arrest is causing her health problems and job worries.

Attorney Lawrence Silver says Samantha Geimer is urging a California appeals court to dismiss the criminal case against the "Chinatown" director.

The filing Friday states Geimer and Silver have received nearly 500 calls seeking comment since Polanski was arrested in Switzerland on Sept. 26.

The statement says Geimer, who lives in Hawaii, is being stalked by journalists.

The filing also states she has suffered unspecified health issues and is fearful the attention will cause her to lose her job.

L.A. Times: Testimony Of Roman Polanski's Victim Turned "Almost Benign"

Los Angeles Times | Joe Mozingo | Posted 10.25.2009 | Entertainment


An extensive review of several thousand court documents, as well as numerous interviews, shows a basic dynamic defining the entire saga -- one force t...

Roman Polanski Arrest Sparked By Tip From Swiss, According To New Documents

AP | THOMAS WATKINS and BRADLEY S. KLAPPER | Posted 10.21.2009 | Entertainment


LOS ANGELES — The arrest of Roman Polanski in his decades-old child sex case was set in motion last month by Swiss authorities, who informed fed...

Switzerland, Slovakia qualify for World Cup

AP | STUART CONDIE | Posted 10.14.2009 | Home


— Switzerland and Slovakia earned Europe's final two automatic berths for next year's World Cup on Wednesday night, while Argentina tried to beat out Uruguay and Ecuador for South America's last certain spot in the 32-nation field.

Costa Rica played at the United States, which clinched its sixth straight berth last weekend, and the Ticos hoped to stay ahead of Honduras and gain the final automatic place from North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Portugal, Greece, Slovenia and Ukraine finished second in their groups and joined Bosnia-Herzegovina, France, Ireland and Russia in the European playoffs. They will be drawn into four pairs on Monday, and the winners of home-and-home, total-goals matches on Nov. 14 and 18 will qualify for next year's 32-nation field.

By the end of Wednesday, 23 of the 32 nations will have been determined for next year's tournament in South Africa.

In addition to the U.S., Mexico had ensured a berth in CONCACAF, while Denmark, England, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Serbia and Spain had clinched automatic berths in Europe. Brazil, Chile and Paraguay had earned berths from South America, and Australia, Japan, North Korea and South Korea won Asia's spots. Ghana and Ivory Coast joined host South Africa, which qualified automatically as host.

7,500 tax dodgers apply for IRS amnesty program

AP | STEPHEN OHLEMACHER | Posted 10.14.2009 | Home


WASHINGTON — Some 7,500 international tax dodgers have applied for an amnesty program that promises no jail time and reduced penalties for tax cheats who come forward, the Internal Revenue Service announced Wednesday.

The tax dodgers were hiding money in more than 70 countries and on every continent except Antarctica. Accounts ranged from just over $10,000 to more than $100 million.

Response to the program has been unprecedented, IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said.

"The whole idea of this program was to get people in and get them on the right side of the law," Shulman said.

The IRS long has had a policy that certain tax evaders who come forward before they are contacted by the agency usually can avoid jail time as long as they agree to pay back taxes, interest and hefty penalties. Drug dealers and money launderers need not apply. But if the money was earned legally, tax evaders can usually avoid criminal prosecution.

RAK official files brief in America's Cup spat

AP | BERNIE WILSON | Posted 10.14.2009 | Home


— An adviser to the sheik of Ras al-Khaimah, United Arab Emirates, has filed a friend of the court brief defending the suitability of the Persian Gulf port to host next year's America's Cup showdown.

The race is between American syndicate BMW Oracle Racing and defending champion Alinghi of Switzerland.

The CEO of the Ras al-Khaimah Investment Authority, Khater Massaad, filed the amicus curiae brief Tuesday with the New York State Supreme Court.

It is in response to BMW Oracle Racing's motion asking a judge to reject RAK as the port for the best-of-3 series beginning Feb. 8 for the oldest trophy in international sports.

BMW Oracle Racing contends that RAK is unsuitable, in part because of its proximity to Iran.

Tax Deadline Nears For Americans With Offshore Bank Accounts

New York Times | LYNNLEY BROWNING | Posted 10.12.2009 | Business


Thursday is the deadline for Americans to come clean about the money they have hidden offshore, in places like Swiss bank accounts. No one can say wit...

French Charge 'Big Bang' Scientist

AP | NICOLAS VAUX-MONTAGNY | Posted 10.12.2009 | World


PARIS — A French investigating judge has filed preliminary charges against a physicist at the world's largest atom smasher who is suspected of a...

Roman Polanski's Lawyers Meet With DOJ, Argue Against Extradition

Wall Street Journal | TAMARA AUDI | Posted 10.10.2009 | Entertainment


Lawyers for Roman Polanski met with U.S. Department of Justice officials to make their case against extraditing the 76-year-old fugitive film director...

French Arrest Physicist At "Big Bang" Lab Because Of Al-Qaida Link

AP | ALEXANDER G. HIGGINS | Posted 10.09.2009 | World


GENEVA — A physicist working at the world's largest atom smasher has been arrested on suspicion of links to al-Qaida, adding to the woes of the ...

Cokie Roberts on Polanski: 'just take him out and shoot him'

dscriber media | dscriber media | Posted 10.08.2009 | Home

Read More: Switzerland, Home News

Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen,  David Lynch, Harvey Weinstein, and Ethan Coen have all rallied, to one degree or another, in support o...

Major Breakthrough on the Iranian Nuclear Issue

Bruno Pellaud | Posted 10.02.2009 | World


Bruno Pellaud

Having the low-enriched uranium shipped to Russia in the very near future is a major achievement for the Obama administration, and a significant gesture of good will on the part of Iran.

Over 100 In Film Community Sign Polanski Petition

indieWIRE | indieWIRE | Posted 09.28.2009 | Home

Read More: Switzerland, Home News

AFP is reporting that a grand assembly of filmmakers, actors and producers from around the world have signed a petition urging the release of direct...

Poland and Polanski: Chemical Castration in the News

Shirin Sadeghi | Posted 09.28.2009 | Entertainment


Shirin Sadeghi

Changing people's attitudes about the rich and famous, or their ingrained gender biases, is a slow process, but that's where laws come in handy: some problems do have solutions.

US, Switzerland sign treaty to share tax info

AP | Posted 09.23.2009 | Home


Switzerland and the United States have signed a treaty to increase the amount of tax information they share to help crack down on tax evasion, Swiss officials said Wednesday.

The agreement follows a model set out by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development designed to make it harder for taxpayers to hide money in offshore tax havens.

U.S. tax authorities will be able to request information on Americans suspected of concealing Swiss bank accounts, the Swiss Finance Ministry said.

The treaty forbids so-called 'fishing expeditions,' meaning U.S. authorities have to provide specific details on the person they are seeking further information about and can't simply ask for wholesale lists of Americans with Swiss accounts, the ministry said.

The agreement, which comes into force immediately, won't be retroactive.

Why, Oh Why, Do They Never Listen?

RJ Eskow | Posted 09.22.2009 | Politics


RJ Eskow

Let's not pretend Democratic health reform doesn't include new taxes -- and mandated fee payments to profitable private companies. If their bill passes in this form they'll pay a heavy political price for it. And they'll deserve it.

Switzerland's Health Insurance Providers are Non-Profit: That is the Only Reason Their System Works, Period.

Caitlin Kraft Buchman | Posted 09.19.2009 | Politics


Caitlin Kraft Buchman

We Swiss have a pragmatic system that is cunning because it embraces the reality that health insurers have to have their profit incentive removed if the system is to work for the people at all.

4 Countries With Better Health Care Than Ours

usnews.com | Rick Newman | Posted 09.16.2009 | Business


If the healthcare systems in Canada and Europe are so much worse than ours, somebody ought to tell the Canadians and Europeans....

Who Will Blink First, Armenia or Turkey?

Harut Sassounian | Posted 09.12.2009 | World


Harut Sassounian

For more than a year, many Armenians, both in Armenia and the Diaspora, have vigorously complained to the government about the wisdom of negotiating an agreement with Turkey.

Gaddafi Proposes Abolishing Switzerland

FP Passport | Posted 10.20.2009 | World


A UN spokesman tells the Swiss News Agency that Libya submitted a proposal to the General Assembly calling for the dissolution of Switzerland last mon...

Gaddafi's "Green Revolution" Turns 40

Mona Eltahawy | Posted 10.16.2009 | World


Mona Eltahawy

How did the world's longest serving dictator make it from diplomatic deep freeze to preparing to make his first ever visit to the U.S. to address the U.N. General Assembly in September?

Beds Made Of Hay Are Latest Hotel Craze

cnn.com | George Webster for CNN | Posted 09.29.2009 | Green


In Germany and its European neighbors Austria and Switzerland, a long weekend in a converted barn - sleeping on a bed of freshly raked hay -- is fast...

Want The World's Best Wages? Move To Switzerland

Reuters | Miral Fahmy | Posted 09.27.2009 | Business


It pays to work in Switzerland: employees in Zurich and Geneva have the highest net wages in the world, a study by banking group UBS shows, while thos...

Switzerland Tells Google: Remove Street View Images

AP | BRADLEY S. KLAPPER | Posted 09.24.2009 | Media


BERN, Switzerland — A Swiss government official is demanding that Google Inc. immediately take off the Internet any "Street View" images of Swit...