Lausanne is renewing its backing for the Béjart Ballet. The city has signed an agreement to extend support to the Béjart Foundation for five years. By boosting the city’s image and promoting tourism in the region, the ballet is perceived as an excellent ambassador for the city.
Radioactive waste blame game
For the past 18 months, Swiss authorities allegedly have been covering up the presence of highly radioactive material, which in some areas emits radiation of well over 100 times the permitted amount. According to Le Matin, 120kg of highly radioactive radium-based paint, originally used by the watchmaking industry to make watch faces visible at night, […]
Lausanne is bidding to host the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games
Lausanne is bidding to host the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will announce its decision in July 2015 on whether the Games will take place in Lausanne or Brasov in Romania. The Youth Olympics are much like the Olympics but with one small exception, the Olympians are between 14 and […]
The honey bee controversy
Europe and the US have lost 45% of their bees. Given that 80% of Switzerland’s crops and wild plants rely on bee pollination, there is growing concern about the continued decline of Europe’s bee populations. Greenpeace and the European Alliance to Save Bees and Agriculture maintain that excessive use of highly toxic pesticides is largely […]
Tax on “dirty” power?
World Wildlife Fund-Switzerland (WWF) and Pro Solar, an initiative of Swissolar, have launched a joint petition calling for a levy of CHF 0.10 per kWh on electricity produced from non-renewable energy sources. The organizations believe that this would help reduce impact on the environment without putting undue pressure on households and the wider economy. More […]
EPFL’s cement discovery
LAUSANNE Ten per cent of the earth’s CO2 emissions are emitted by industrial processes related to the creation of cement. The widely used construction material negatively impacts on the environment at all stages of its production. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation has now granted more than CHF 4 million to a project instigated […]
New anti-immigration initiative
Switzerland’s conservative UDC party, which launched the controversial initiative to curb mass European immigration last February, is contemplating a new one. In a statement, the party said it would seek to ensure the Federal Council “annuls the agreement with the EU on the free circulation of people” as required by its initiative. The UDC suspects […]
From Millennium to Sustainable Development Goals
GENEVA Given the world’s failure to eradicate poverty and hunger by 2015, governments and development specialists are seeking a new continuum with a greater emphasis on sustainability. According to a 23 May Geneva Environment Network roundtable, the new Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, should fully integrate environmental concerns since health, food security and other crucial […]
Promoting health & sex education in developing countries
Switzerland’s Federal Council has submitted a report emphasising the country’s commitment to promote health and sex education in developing countries. The report focuses on the importance of sexual and reproductive health for the future of global development. Prior to 1994 most programmes emphasized the need for governments to impose family planning measures and distribute free […]
Solar Impulse 2 test success
PAYERNE Bertrand Piccard’s and André Borschberg’s second solar-powered plane, Solar Impulse 2, successfully completed a two-hour maiden flight above La Broye on 2 June. This remarkable feat of engineering and ingenuity has captivated enthusiasts across the world — a suitable global acclaim considering the plane’s ability to reach far-off destinations without having to land. In […]
