Swiss news from NuseReal
SWISS becomes first commercial airline to fly from Switzerland with sustainable aviation fuel — swiss.newsmarket.com/ — 13 July 2021 (LINK)
Reef Rescue: ETH alumni Marie Griesmar and Ulrike Pfreundt are printing 3D Lego-like clay bricks to help rebuild and regenerate the world's coral reefs. — the-good-times.org — 12 July 2021 (LINK)
Swiss banks in the climate vortex — watson.ch — 11 July 2021 (LINK)
"UBS and CS [...] invested more than 80 billion in fossil fuels between 2016 and 2019. And thus financed 20 times the greenhouse gas emissions that Switzerland causes."
EU, Switzerland to accept each others' COVID-19 travel certificates — reuters — 8 July 2021 (LINK)
How UK aid cuts are impacting International Geneva — genevasolutions — 6 July 2021 (LINK)
"Many UN organizations and programmes with headquarters in Geneva such as UNAIDS, Unitaid, UNICEF and UNCTAD have confirmed they will be impacted by the cuts, which would imperil projects fighting disease and supporting women and children in crisis around the world. International NGOs with advocacy offices in Geneva, such as Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee, are also facing drastic funding shortfalls for their operations in countries like Syria and Yemen, where the combination of conflict, rising poverty and famine are pushing millions into emergency."
Geneva NGOs face funding uncertainties amid Covid and government cuts — genevasolutions — 6 July 2021 updated 7 July 2021 (LINK)
"According to a recent survey by the canton’s International Geneva Welcome Center (CAGI in French), 31 per cent of the 108 NGOs surveyed state they have been hit severely by Covid-19, and 17 per cent even cut jobs. The impact on revenues was better than many surveyed last year had feared, with only 37 per cent of NGOs reporting a decrease compared with the 57 per cent who envisioned budget restrictions in the previous survey."
Swiss court jails Liberian commander for 20 years in war crimes case court jails Liberian commander in war crimes caseline — swissinfo — 18 June 2021 (LINK)
"No mitigating circumstances were taken into account in the sentencing. A deportation from Switzerland was also ordered for a period of 15 years," the said. Kosiah was also ordered to pay compensation to seven plaintiffs. Human Rights Watch called the sentencing a "landmark".
Jungle Jabbah, Alieu Kosiah and the fight against war crimes impunity (LINK)
Switzerland is at the top again: no country is as competitive — blick — 17 June 2021 (LINK)
This is the second time since 2017 that Switzerland has taken 1st place. "Social cohesion, a low level of public debt and a world-class infrastructure have catapulted Switzerland to 1st place."
Switzerland doesn't make it into the top 10 for the cleanest air in Europe — sda /msn — 17 June 2021 (LINK)
"Sweden's Umea and Tampere in Finland have the cleanest air in Europe, according to the EU Environment Agency (EEA). Zurich ranks 54th out of 323 in terms of fine dust pollution, Basel 95th.Lugano only made it into the midfield (161st place). [...] The bottom of the ranking[s] are in Poland and northern Italy." (No figures given for Geneva)
Nitrogen impoverishes Swiss butterfly diversity — sda / msn — 17 June 2021 (LINK)
Swiss Prix Caritas goes to climatologist Thomas Stocker — source — 16 June 2021 (LINK to French text)
Solitary confinement of Brian K. violates Convention against Torture, UN expert says — ohchr — 14 June 2021 (LINK)
Reactions to the defeat of the CO2 initiative in Switzerland — msn /watson.ch (machine translation) — 14 June 2021 (LINK)
"It will now hardly be possible to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 as planned."
Swiss pesticide and drinking water initiatives voted down — swiss news agency / msn (machine translation) — 13 June 2021 (LINK)
"60.7% of the voters or just under 1,967,000 said no to the drinking water initiative, around 1,276,400 agreed. The pesticide initiative was rejected by 60.6% or around 1,965,000 voters, while 1,279,900 voted yes. The voter turnout was around 59%. Almost all cantons rejected the initiatives, most clearly Valais with 78% no to the drinking water initiative and 77% to the pesticide initiative."
Now most over-70s are vaccinated, who is dying of COVID? — blick / msn — 12 June 2021 (LINK)
According to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), 75 per cent of the age group from 70 to 79 years and 76 per cent of those over 80 are considered fully vaccinated. Overall, a quarter of the population has [received] both doses. [...] Since 27 January, with 719 deaths, in 702 of these cases (97.6 percent), the persons were not or only partially vaccinated.
International Geneva, a hub for environmental governance? — genevasolutions — 15 June 2021 (LINK)
EPFL architecture students explore outdoor spaces in Geneva Canton — epfl — 7 June 2021 (LINK)
Throughout the summer, architectural works by first-year students at EPFL’s ALICE studio will be on display at four sites in Geneva Canton: Genthod, Aigues-Vertes, Vernier and Onex. Visitors will be able to view the students’ work through a series of events, all in compliance with public health and safety measures. Available on YouTube
Concise Atlas of International Geneva — KAS — 27 May 2021 (LINK)
"Despite being home to the United Nations second headquarters, the public often overlooks the importance of Geneva. The Concise Atlas of International Geneva 2019/2020 argues that this is unfounded, since the work of the over 45 international organisations as well as over 750 non-governmental organisations located here gives shape to a multilateral diplomacy such that scarcely exists anywhere else across the world. On the basis of key policy areas in Geneva such as global health, humanitarian aid, global trade, digitalisation, human rights or flight and migration, the atlas highlights the central importance of international Geneva for global developments and multilateralism."
Swiss government says no to EU deal — lenews — 26 May 2021 (LINK)
UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances publishes findings on Switzerland, Colombia and Mongolia — ohchr — 11 May 2021 (LINK)
The Committee urged the State party to conduct thorough and impartial investigations to determine whether children adopted from Sri Lanka during the 1980s and 1990s may have been victims of enforced disappearance and wrongful removal, and whether other offences, such as falsification, concealment or destruction of identity documents were committed in these cases.
It also recommended that the Swiss authorities guarantee the right to reparation to any person who has suffered from such acts.
The definition of enforced disappearance contained in Switzerland's existing Criminal Code lacks clarity, and the Committee therefore recommended that the State party review it to remove any ambiguity.
Further, the Committee expressed concern at allegations that there are regular delays in the provision of information to relatives and legal counsel of detainees during criminal investigation, as allowed by the Code of Criminal Procedure. It called on the State party to amend its national legislation to ensure its full compliance with the Convention.
Most Swiss still back treaty deal with EU, poll shows — reuters / thestar — 9 May 2021 (LINK)
Flooding might triple in the mountains of Asia due to global warming — University of Geneva — phys.org — 6 May 2021 (LINK)
Zurich dethroned as world's top green finance centre, Amsterdam now top, Geneva 7th — genevasolutions — 3 May 2021 (LINK)
Basel City Offers Homeless One-Way Travel Ticket to Europe + CHF 20 if They Sign Contract Not to Immediately Return — newsweek — 1 May 2021 (LINK)
California orders Nestlé to stop siphoning spring water — hcn — 28 April 2021 (LINK)
"The world’s largest food and beverage company is accused of taking millions more gallons than it is entitled to."
Divers Discover A 3,000-Year-Old Sunken Bronze Age Village Beneath A Swiss Lake — allthatsinteresting.com — 29 April 2021 (LINK)
The discovery redefines the city of Lucerne's history and suggests that the area was settled 2,000 years earlier than previously assumed.
No explaining allowed! A new journal promises just-the-facts description, not theory or causality — niemanlab — 26 April 2021 (LINK)
Includes editor from University of Zurich.
ScanVan builds 3D models to explore the future of urban digitization in
Switzerland — epfl — 23 April 2021
Automatic algorithmic processes blur identifiable information concerning persons and vehicles, meeting Swiss privacy standards.
Swiss Covid certificates to be unveiled by mid-May
— lenews — 22 April 2021
Covid: 80% of nation must be immunized to stop spread, says Swiss health minister:
currently only 60% accept — lenews — 22 April
2021
Switzerland’s re-opening: Everyone for themselves (LINK)
Swiss launch first transnational science expedition to study Red Sea corals in June
2021: pdf — transnational_red_sea_center — 22 April
2021
Transnational Red Sea project that could help save Earth’s coral reefs (LINK)
UN experts urge Switzerland to repatriate two abducted girls from Syria camps — reuters / nationalpost — 22 April 2021
A QAnon-linked Gang Kidnapped an 8-Year-Old Girl and Planned More Abductions — vice — 19 April 2021
On 14 April 2021, Switzerland’s Federal Council presented plans to reopen the country
further despite a deteriorating epidemiological situation
— lenews — 15 April 2021
Can crypto blockchain help bridge the financing gap for Fairtrade farmers? — genevasolutions — 12 April 2021
Amnesty
International critical of Swiss pandemic response on asylum and free speech
— lenews — 9 April 2021
Scientists unlock the secrets of glacier-fed streams, from Greenland to
Switzerland — epfl — 1 April 2021
Decision Time for Switzerland on Relations with EU
— avenir-suisse — 31 March 2021
Green-roofed Swiss homes in Bussigny promote solar via 65 degree rotation — inhabitat.com — 31 March 2021
Pierre Krähenbühl, the former commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), is taking on a new role with the International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC). — swissinfo — 27 March
2021
Will Sri Lanka human rights report change Swiss asylum policy?
— swissinfo — 24 March 2021
Enlisting
celebrities to change or influence people’s opinions might actually be counterproductive — epfl — 24 March 2021
Swiss supreme court reverses freeze on Angolan tycoon's $900 million fortune — reuters — 23 March 2021
Tibetan groups criticise Switzerland’s 'passive' new China strategy — swissinfo — 23 March 2021
China lashes out at Swiss foreign policy strategy
— swissinfo — 22 March 2021
US charges Swiss ‘hacktivist’ for data theft and leaks
— apnews — 19 March 2021
EPFL
Changemakers: Incubating tomorrow's business ideas
— epfl — 16 March 2021
Verbier: immunized in second COVID wave or "a code of silence"? The mystery remains
(in French) — lenouvelliste — 12 March 2021
Jean-Luc Godard, 90, says will quit cinema afer two more films: (he takes 4 years to
complete each movie) (French) — lenouvelliste — 4
March 2021
Threat to scientific freedom in Switzerland over COVID-19 (French) — heidi.news — 2 March 2021
economiesuisse, "the world's oldest
business association", celebrates its 150th anniversary (French only)
— economiesuisse — 2 March 2021
Switzerland is paying for having kept its ski resorts open (French only) — heidi.news — 2 March 2021
Former UNRWA boss hopeful for formal UN exoneration
— swissinfo — 1 March 2021
Pamela Coke-Hamilton: from Jamaica to
the world: Geneva 31 years ago and now — untoday — 1
March 2021
Catchup: A look back at assurances made at the time on the anniversary of the first
Swiss Covid case: Daniel Koch, who headed a team of experts looking at the disease, said that the
mortality rate of SARS-CoV-2 seems to be fairly similar to the seasonal flu
— lenews — 24 February 2021
"Bertrand Kiefer, a doctor, ethicist and editor of the Swiss Medical Review, criticised some of the early communication regarding the pandemic in Switzerland. He thinks it was a mistake to reassure the public in the face of such high uncertainty."