Big spenders – buying drones, votes and art

Here are the top stories we’re following in the week of June 15, 2015: Monday The rising number of asylum seekers is up for discussion as parliament gears up this week. Lawmaker will consider reforms like those in the Netherlands with the aim of reducing the average time it takes to process asylum applications from nearly two years down to several months. Tuesday What to do when the voting public won’t let you buy Swedish fighter jets? Look to the Israelis for drones, apparently. Parliament will debate whether to spend CHF250 million to renew the Swiss fleet of army intelligence-gathering surveillance drones (not armed drones!) with six Israeli-made models controversially tested in the conflict with Palestinians. Wednesday Plans to grant the intelligence service greater powers are up for debate in the Senate on Wednesday. Federal agents would be able to tap phone lines and the internet as well as bug private …
Source Culture – SWI swissinfo.ch