Swiss news from NuseReal
A third lockdown in Switzerland: economists' analysis (German original) — blick/msn — 27 November 2021 (LINK)
Five professional Swiss soldiers are dismissed for refusing to vaccinate (German original) — msn — 27 November 2021 (LINK)
Covid: Swiss vote on ending restrictions while cases surge — bbc — 27 November 2021 (LINK)
Swiss company frees Chernobyl from its radioactivity (original in German) — msn — 24 November 2021 (LINK)
After seven months of experiment using one hectare of land in Chernobyl, radioactive pollution of the soil fell by an average of 37 percent, that of the air by 46 percent. The Swiss are confident that thanks to their revolutionary technology, a complete decontamination of the Chernobyl site will be possible within the next four years.
Switzerland returns looted relics to Syrian authorities — swissinfo — 24 November 2021 (LINK)
Robots and AI assist in designing and building ETHZ's 'hanging gardens' — techcrunch — 24 November 2021 (LINK)
The 3 Most Undervalued Vintage Rolex Watches — beckertime — 24 November 2021 (LINK)
Swiss cops placed massive concrete blocks at the entrance of a bar in Zermatt resort after it refused to abide by the country's strict Covid passport measures. — luxurylaunches — 8 November 2021 (LINK)
Former FIFA officials Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini charged with fraud and other offenses by Swiss prosecutors after a six-year investigation into a controversial $2 million payment — ap / nbcnews — 3 November 2021 (LINK)
Blatter also faces a separate criminal proceeding related to authorizing a $1 million FIFA payment to Trinidad and Tobago in 2010 into the control of then-FIFA vice president Jack Warner. Two former FIFA officials are also suspects in that investigation.
Tobacco Industry 'Used COVID-19' To Influence Governments Especially In Switzerland, Index Finds — healthpolicy-watch — 2 November 2021 (LINK)
Why Switzerland is the top location for expats — cnbc — 2 November 2021 (LINK)
Tackling mispricing of commodity exports from poor countries — unibe — 29 October 2021 (LINK)
Proton wins appeal in Swiss court over surveillance laws — swissinfo — 23 October 2021 (LINK)
The appeal limits its obligation to monitor traffic and retain data for surveillance purposes. In Septemebr ProtonMail found itself in the centre of a social media storm after it emerged that the company shared the IP address of one of its users as part of a French investigation that led to the arrest of climate activists. However, the company said that it had to comply with a Swiss court order to provide data that helped identify the activists.
Is Switzerland double-dealing over climate finance? — swissinfo — 22 October 2021 (LINK)
Covid: new cases up 27% this week in Switzerland as winter approaches — lenews — 22 October 2021 (LINK)
Despite Medicare, Health Costs Are Painful for Americans 65+, though not as often as in Switzerland — flatlandkc — 15 October 2021 (LINK)
Lausanne's EPFL finds way to reuse concrete — epfl — 11 October 2021 (LINK)
Swiss unemployment down, especially among young — lenews — 8 October 2021 (LINK)
Transforming urban brownfields into sustainable neighborhoods — epfl — 8 October 2021 (LINK)
Teaching ESG, not as easy as ABC — genevasolutions — 8 October 2021 (LINK)
In September, Geneva's Graduate Institute introduced for the first time a track in sustainable finance and development within its international economics master's programme. The university also plans to launch a complete master in sustainable finance and economics next year. This autumn, Geneva University's School for Economics and Management (GSEM) relaunched its master of science programme as a master in responsible management with the option to specialise in business and human rights.
Geneva university makes foray into computational diplomacy — genevasolutions — 7 October 2021 (LINK)
The University of Geneva (UNIGE) is launching two new professorships next year in the up-and-coming field of computational diplomacy. The university's Global Studies Institute (GSI) is joining forces with the Faculty of Science to fill the two new roles, whose tasks will include developing computer programmes and an open-source database to support diplomats in making complex decisions. The professors will work closely with another new hire at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH-Zurich) to foster computational diplomacy in Switzerland.
Using heat from underground parking lots to warm apartments — epfl — 7 October 2021 (LINK)
Young Global Leaders: 8 big ideas to improve the state of the world — weforum — 6 October 2021 (LINK)
Martin Jaggi, Assistant Professor in the School of Computer and Communications Sciences (IC) has won the 2021 Credit Suisse Award for Best Teaching at EPFL — epfl — 4 October 2021 (LINK)
Swiss-Funded Productions Gaining International Exposure — variety — 3 October 2021 (LINK)
Swiss productions and co-productions are on the rise, driven in part by federal and regional funders that offer attractive opportunities for domestic and international filmmakers.
3 Swiss Guards who refused vaccination return to Switzerland — apnews — 3 October 2021 (LINK)
New University of Zurich technology makes cancerous tumors eliminate themselves — thebrighterside — 1 October 2021 (LINK)
Contrary to received opinion, taxes on capital in Switzerland bite hard — avenir-suisse — 1 October 2021 (LINK)
"Only about half of all taxpayers are liable for wealth tax (as pensions savings are excluded). Allowing for that, and the fact that cantons offer a CHF100,000–200,000 floor before wealth taxes bite, about 90 percent paid less than CHF 1,000 a year, based on 2017 figures. Some two thirds paid less than CHF 100 annually."
Swiss air pollution exceeds new WHO guidelines — source — 30 September 2021 (LINK)
Cutting-edge thinking: The Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator Summit — thegenevaobserver — 30 September 2021 (LINK)
WIPO list of world's most innovative countries: Switzerland top for 11th time — weforum — 30 September 2021 (LINK)
South Korea climbed from 10th in 2020 to 5th in 2021. China at 12 is up from 14 in 2020 and 2019 and 17 in 2018. China was also named the most innovative upper middle-income country ahead of Bulgaria (overall rank 35), while Vietnam (overall rank 44) came first for lower middle-income countries, followed by India (overall rank 46).
Swiss Post launches Switzerland's first crypto stamp on 25 November — post.ch — 30 September 2021 (LINK)
Israeli prof. elected president of Europe's nuclear research organization CERN — timesofisrael — 25 September 2021 (LINK)
Liar, Liar, the World is on Fire: Big Finance's Whistle-blowers Bring Hope for Swiss Regulation — thegenevaobserver — 16 September 2021 (LINK)
WEF annual meeting returns to Davos in 2022 — swissinfo — 16 September 2021 (LINK)
"The annual meeting netted the Swiss economy around CHF80 million ($87 million) in 2020, with businesses and hotels taking in some CHF63 million in revenues."
Zermatt COVID-19 cases now in peak that hit Saas-Fee in mid-August: 75 cases, up from 24: schools and kindergartens, particularly — Walliser Bote — 16 September 2021 (No LINK)
Upper Valais is nearly twice has affected as lower Valais: 276 per 100K inhabitants, vs 152. Double-shot infections: 2.5 per 1K.
Kuwait's Sheikh Ahmad convicted of forgery in Geneva trial — reuters — 10 September 2021 (LINK)
Osprey pair nest in Switzerland for first time since 1914 — rts (French) — 4 September 2021 (LINK)
Male raised in Fribourg prison.
CDC adds 7 destinations to 'very high' Covid-19 travel risk list, including Puerto Rico and Switzerland — cnn — 31 August 2021 (LINK)
Indonesian director Edwin wins Locarno film festival — thejakartapost — 15 August 2021 (LINK)
Chinese state media has seized on a Swiss scientist critical of U.S. pressing for a covid origins probe. The one problem: He might not exist — washingtonpost — 10 August 2021 (LINK)
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."