At last week’s Women’s Forum in Deauville, many participants said they wanted the private sector, governments and society-at-large to respond more effectively – fewer words, more action – to global humanitarian and development concerns. Whether clamping down on female genital mutilation or the need for companies to assume more socially responsible roles, there were at […]
The ICRC – Doing the impossible
Earlier this month, Laurent DuPasquier, a 38-year-old Swiss national, was killed when a cluster bomb landed near the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the Ukranian town of Donetsk. DuPasquier had been working for the Geneva-based humanitarian organization for more than five years in Pakistan, Yemen, Haiti, Egypt and Papua New Guinea. For […]
The Snowden effect: Switzerland’s cyber security business
Could NSA leaker Edward Snowden find refuge in Switzerland? It is a notion that has been seriously discussed in Swiss political circles recently. Snowden does not qualify for political asylum, as he is not under immediate threat in Russia. But he could be granted legal immunity and invited to testify as a material witness if […]
The Human Brain Project: a very expensive headache
On Reflection is an occasional column contributed by a reader. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily shared or supported in any way by Le News. By now, most of us have heard of the Human Brain Project, whose aim is to simulate the complete human brain using supercomputers. The […]
Exploring the intersection of creativity and war. L’Elysée Lausanne
Situated in beautiful gardens next to the Olympic Museum, L’Elysée in Lausanne is a museum dedicated to photography. The museum strives not only to preserve the photographic medium in the traditional sense, but also to explore and stimulate new advancements in the art of image-making. Currently on view are three politically charged exhibitions that explore […]
UDC open to immigration compromise
Christophe Blocher, vice-president of Switzerland’s right-wing UDC party, has indicated that he is prepared to compromise on the controversial 9 February, 2014, referendum that demands quotas on mass immigration from Europe. In an interview last Sunday with the German-language SonntagsZeitung, the Zurich politician said that he was open to exploring more subtle approaches, such as […]
Swiss language row continues
A recent poll shows a majority of Switzerland’s politicians want cantons to be required to teach a second Swiss language at primary school, reported swissinfo. Two thirds of the 246 politicians surveyed said national cohesion could be threatened. The canton’s of Thurgau and Nidwalden recently changed the rules to delay French until secondary school and […]
Geneva wins prestigious energy award
For the second time running, Geneva has won the Gold European Energy Award (EEA) for its visionary energy policies. Considered the most prestigious distinction of its kind for European cities and issued every four years, the award recognizes Geneva’s performance with a top rating of 82% of renewable energy initiatives compared to 77% in 2010, […]
Half of Geneva’s flights private
In 2013, Geneva airport recorded some 50’000 landing and take-offs (about 140 per day). What is interesting though is according to Wijet, a private aviation company, nearly half of these were private flights. The same company has announced that it is now offering private flights from Geneva to 1’200 destinations in Europe and North Africa […]
Nyon tax hike avoided: debt to increase
How to pay for Nyon’s future CHF 70 million sports and education complex was put to the vote this week. In a vote 55 to 34, right wing parties rejected a proposal to raise tax by 5 points claiming it can be funded out of annual revenues. The left argue that a tax hike is […]
