Bluefin tuna (photo, ©2010 WWF/Canon Manu San Felix)
[WWF video] Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Atlantic bluefin tuna’s last reasonable chance for survival as a species has taken a beating: its defenders have been defeated in a critical vote at a Cites meeting in Doha, Qatar. A clear majority of nations of the Cites pact of countries, which regulates trade in endangered species, voted 18 March against a ban on bluefin tuna fishing.
The Cites head office is based in Geneva.
Gland, Switzerland-based World Wildlife Fund for Nature, which has campaigned for a ban to allow stocks to recover from over-fishing, says 72 countries in Cites voted against the ban, while 43 voted for it and 14 abstained.
Opening ceremony at BaselWorld (image, BaselWorld 2010)
Basel, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The world’s largest watch and jewelry fair opened Thursday 18 March in Basel. BaselWorld began on an upbeat note, with export figures released by the Swiss federal government the previous day showing watch exports in February alone rising 9 percent. The fair is fully booked, according to its managing director, Sylvie Ritter, with 1,915 exhibiting companies and nearly 100,000 international buyers.
And while BaselWorld to many equals watches, the jewelry business is in fact nearly as large, with watches taking up 62 percent of the exhibit space, jewelry 24 percent and related products the rest. The fair has 759 jewelry exhibitors and 592 watch exhibitors, from 45 countries.
BaselWorld runs to 25 March.
- Opening times: 09:00-18:00 (Thursday 25 March to 16:00).
- Tickets: CHF60 for the day
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A Nigerian man who was being sent back to Nigeria on a special repatriation flight died at Zurich Airport Wednesday night 17 March, under circumstances that the police and federal authorities have not made clear. An investigation into his death has been opened and Bern announced Thursday that all such special flights are cancelled until further notice.
Details about whether the man was an asylum-seeker or not have not been released, but asylum-seekers whose requests are turned down are returned on “special” flights, as are people without papers who are arrested for serious crimes.
Swiss news agency ATS reports that the man, 29, was arrested for drug trafficking and that he had been on a hunger strike.
Producing Swiss Emmental cheese (image, Swiss Cheese Marketing)
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss are the world leaders in eating cheese and for 2009 the country set a new record for per person consumption, 21.4 kg. New 2009 figures from the Swissmilk show that in economically tight times the Swiss ate more, not less cheese, with consumption rising by 240g per person. The preference is for fresh, medium-hard cheeses.
Swiss cheese consumption 2009 (table, Swissmilk - click on image to view larger)
Those numbers are not as reassuring as the Swissmilk, the national milk farmers’ federation would like because foreign cheeses accounted for the increase, with Switzerland consuming 310g more of imported cheese, per person, and 70g less of Swiss cheese.
Appenzeller was the big loser, with consumption falling 10.5 percent, and Emmental was the big winner, up 7.5 percent. Switzerland Cheese Marketing will lead a country-wide publicity campaign to push the quality of Swiss cheese to consumers, starting in May 2010.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss exports were up 3.3 percent in nominal terms (-0.6 in real terms) in February, to CHF13.9 billion, and for the first time since 2008 they rose for most business sectors. Imports slipped and trade for the first two months of 2010 shows opposite trends, with exports up 1.3 percent but imports down by 2.4 percent. The balance of trade at the end of February was positive, at CHF1.3 billion.
Christophe Kunz, front right, first member of the Swiss Paralympics team to win a 2010 Vancouver medal (image: Swiss Paralympics, Facebook)
Vancouver, Canada (GenevaLunch) - Swiss skier Christoph Kunz, 27, has won Switzerland’s first medal at the 2010 Vancouver Paralympic Games, taking silver in the Men’s giant slalom sitting event. The race was run in rain with heavy fog and Kunz finished with a time of 2:40.35, behind Germany’s Martin Braxenthaler, who won in 2:37.40.
Kunz is a seven-time Swiss champion and, according to swissinfo, he is a favourite for the upcoming downhill and super-G events.
Kunz, who is from Bern and who works in banking, participates in all five Men’s Alpine skiing events, using a mono-ski with sled seat. He lost the use of both legs in a motorcycle accident seven years ago.
Switzerland won 11 medals at the Beijing 2008 Summer Paralympic Games.
Links to other sites: Swiss Paralympic Committee, Swiss Paralympics Facebook page
Image March 2010 ©Rando, Bern Bear Park
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Bern Zoo’s first baby bears in nearly 20 years have been spotted outdoors in recent days.
The bears, Urs and Berna, are putting on 70 gr a day, reports the zoo, while the world speculates on whether they are male or female.
The zoo’s webcams normally allow a relatively good view of the bears’ activities, but mother Bjoerk’s den has a dirty window, making the images unclear
The zoo says it isn’t yet possible to go in and clean the window. Webcam viewers will have to be patient. Meanwhile the video on Berner Zeitung’s site, showing mother bear trying to line up her cubs to face the photographers, is a good substitute.
Image March 2010 ©Rando, Bern Bear Park
Image March 2010 ©Rando, Bern Bear Park
Background, GenevaLunch
Links to other sites: Bern tourism office, Bear Park
Video, 7 min: Berner Zeitung newspaper, with mother Bjoerk and cubs by Christian Lierchti.
Click on images to view larger
EPFL joins the fight against tuberculosis
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Testing new therapies in the fight to eradicate tuberculosis is high on the list of work that will be done at a new laboratory in Lausanne that specializes in air-borne pathogens. EPFL, the Swiss federal polytechnic institute in Lausanne, inaugurated the laboratory Wednesday 17 March. It is financed by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Swiss government and is open to researchers from EPFL and nearby universities.
The laboratory will study in vivo strains of Bacillus anthracis, the air-borne pathogen that causes tuberculosis, a disease that has thousands of new victims a year, including 500 new cases annually in Switzerland alone. The teams will be led by EPFL professors Stewart Cole, who is head of the EPFL Global Health Institute, and John McKinney.
Cole points out that the problem is not, as people often believe, limited to developing countries. “In Département 93 in France and in certain neighbourhoods in London the rate of tuberculosis disease is as high as in sub-Saharan Africa.And it is in Eastern Europe where the most virulent and antibiotic-resistant strains are found. Seventy percent of the patients do not survive if they don’t receive effective treatment, he says.
The researchers will work on strains used around the world, which are less aggressive than those found in nature, or even in hospitals, according to Cole.
US President Barack Obama at his inauguration
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – US Democrats Abroad are launching a Get Out the Vote campaign worldwide to encourage Americans to register to vote early enough to participate in the November 2010 congressional elections. The group manages a web site, www.votefromabroad.org, where voters can order absentee ballots, and which offers them voter information.
Democrats Abroad is the official overseas branch of the US Democratic Party and has members in more than 160 countries. It is keen to get Americans abroad voting in the hope of holding onto a strong Democratic majority. There are 435 House elections and 36 Senate elections in November.
”Just over a year ago, we saw history being made before our eyes,” says Christine Schon Marques, the Geneva-based president of Democrats Abroad.
Swiss newspaper says canton condemning it without justice taking its course
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch.com) – Canton Geneva late Wednesday at a press conference confirmed through its lawyer that it is ready to pay a fair sum to Hannibal Qadaffi, compensating him for moral damage because a state employee appears to have been involved in leaking a police mug shot of him to the Tribune de Genève. The state noted that the action was “deplorable” and completely unacceptable, and that it will also sanction the employee, if the investigation into the leak makes it possible to determine who supplied the photo.
The state, in filing its “Memorandum” with the court hearing Qadaffi’s civil suit, filed against the canton and the newspaper in December 2009, asks the court to determine how much of the sum should be borne by Geneva and how much by the newspaper. But Tribune editor-in-chief Pierre Ruetschi Wednesday noon wrote a scathing comment on the papers the canton filed with the court.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland has been named Europe’s most innovative country by the European Union’s Commission for Enterprise, in its latest European Innovation Scoreboard, published 17 March. Switzerland was bumped up from second place, which it achieved in the 2007 rankings, with good growth in the several areas that are measured by the scoreboard. A key factor in its 1.5 percent growth rate was the rapid growth in 2009 of venture capital.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss media and Muslim leaders have been mixed in their reaction to the announcement over the weekend by one Muslim cleric that he wants to see Switzerland have a federal solution to burials that requires every canton to have its own Muslim cemetery.
Farhad Afshar, president of the Coordination of Islamic Organisations in Switzerland, told newspaper Sonntag that he is planning a legal case to protect freedom of religion, that would ensure each canton has a Muslim cemetery.
The issue is not new: in 1998 Switzerland had no Muslim cemeteries and 2.2 percent of the population was Muslim, but negotiations began in several cities and towns after the issue was raised in the early 1990s. The Muslim population has grown to about 5 percent of the total Swiss population (estimated at 400,000 out of 7.7 million), and Switzerland now has nine communes with Muslim cemeteries. Geneva created one in 2007. (Ed. note: unofficial figures)
Wine and beer now allowed on radio, TV
More ads, different spots - and a drop of wine on Swiss TV, radio
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Ofcom, the Swiss federal communications supervisor, will issue directives during the summer of 2010 for more advertising space and time on radio and television. The new regulations will bring Switzerland into line with European neighbours, who have more advertising time, in order not to create a disadvantage, in particular for Swiss public TV and radio.
Indian Wells, California, USA (GenevaLunch) – Roger Federer won’t be starring at Indian Wells this year, after a defeat, 5-7 7-5 7-6 (7/4), at the hands of Marcos Baghdatis of Cyprus in the third round of the Indian Wells Masters 1000 tournament.
Scot Andy Murray beat US player Michael Russell 6-3, 7-5 to move on in the tournament.
Links to other sites: AFP/Sydney Morning Herald, Lawn Tennis Association
Update 12:35 Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) has criticized the impact on wildlife of construction projects for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia. The cumulative impact, in particular, of several projects around the Black Sea resort are not being addressed, says Unep in a new report that was requested by the Russian government. The report follows a late January visit to the site by a Unep team.
It is not too late for the Games to serve as an environmental showcase, however, says Unep, which praises the Russian Railway, Ministry of Natural Resources and the 2014 Sochi Games organizers for being open to discussions.
Coffee at the Hotel Richmond, Geneva
Nyon, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Uganda is starting a planting programme for wilt-free coffee strains. Wilt, a fungus, has killed half of the country’s robusta variety coffee plants in 20 years. Uganda is Africa’s second largest coffee producer, after Ethiopia, but the largest producer of robusta, which accounts for 85 percent of its coffee exports. The new disease-free strain was developed by Uganda’s Coffee Research Institute and gardens will be planted with the new strain this year, Uganda-based Emma Joynson-Hicks of Cafe Africa told Bloomberg.
Cafe Africa was started in Nyon in 2006 by John Schluter, a retired Ugandan coffee grower, to reduce poverty in Africa by helping the continent restore its coffee industry to 1975 levels, when it was a major player in the world coffee business.
Robusta is often mixed with Arabica, particularly in France and Italy, to add strength to coffee.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Unicef, the UN children’s fund, will have a new executive director 1 May: Anthony Lake, a US citizen, who replaces Anne Veneman, also a US citizen. Lake, 70, is professor of Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, USA. He has held several top US diplomatic positions, working under Henry Kissinger, President Jimmy Carter and for President Bill Clinton as his national security advisor. He also served as Barack Obama’s foreign policy advisor during his presidential campaign.
He has served on the board of Unicef USA. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment Tuesday 16 March in New York.
”The head of UNICEF has always been an American, largely because the United States is the largest contributor to the agency, which is active in 190 countries,” according to the New York Times.
Links to other sites: New York Times, People’s Daily, Unicef announcement
Libya calls on Malta to leave the Schengen area, “another form of colonialism”
Malta issues temporary visas to Libyans to avoid Swiss ban
Update 2 13:00 Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss-German media SF has obtained a copy of court papers filed 16 March by canton Geneva showing it agrees to compensate Hannibal Qadaffi, the son of Libya’s leader, and to offer an apology for a leak from the police department. The canton has not officially confirmed or denied the report, in line with its notice in February 2010 that it would not issue any statements until Max Goeldi, a Swiss businessman serving a four-month prison term in Libya, is free. (Ed. note: the canton is holding a press conference at 16:00 as a result of the SF revelation)
The leak to which the court papers refer allowed “unflattering” photos of the man to be published in the Tribune de Genève newspaper after he was arrested in the city in July 2008. The papers filed by the canton, seen by Swiss news agency ATS, note that since it is clear the leak came from a state employee, the cantonmust take some responsibility. It asks the court to determine the share of responsibility and costs to be borne by the Tribune. It also insists that the Tribune must publish the court decision, at its own cost.
Libya has demanded that the European Union also apologize, for not issuing visas to some of its citizens, Spanish newspaper El Pais reports Libyan ambassador to Spain, Ageli Abdussalam Breni, as saying.
A sad Easter for the Lindt bunny?
Kilchberg, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli AG has announced a drop in its net profit: in 2009 the company’s net profit was CHF193 million, a 26 percent drop from CHF265m in 2008.
Group sales fell, although by only 1.9 percent, in 2009 to CHF2.52 billion, from CHF2.57b in 2008.
According to Lindt’s financial report, published 16 March, “for the first time in 10 years, the overall chocolate market declined in volume,” which adversely affected the profit margin. However, the Group operating result (EBIT) stood at CHF264 million with an operating profit margin of 10.5 percent.
The company says it will continue its long-term profit targets.
Not-so gloomy forecast after all
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) is forecasting higher GDP (gross domestic product) growth and lower unemployment for 2010, even though the economy is still weak and might dip at some point during the year.
The new forecast sees GDP growth of 1.4 percent, double the forecast made in December 2009. Seco has also adjusted its unemployment forecast to 4.3 percent, down from instead of 4.9 percent.
Seco also counsels that other countries’ national and private debt could weigh unfavorably against the Swiss economy. “Countries with above-average growth could be facing appreciation of their currencies,” says the report. The report concludes that “another strong appreciation of the Swiss Franc towards the Euro could have a harmful effect on exports.”
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – An eighteen-year-old, indicted with murder while he was still a minor, has been tried and sentenced in adult court in Lausanne. The accused, who was 17-years-old at the time of the murder, admitted killing a 25-year-old Algerian man because the victim had given him “an ugly look.”
The victim, an illegal immigrant known as Sofian, was at the Montbenon park in Lausanne – in September 2009 – when he was fatally stabbed in the heart.
The accused is an Armenian asylee who had a criminal “rap sheet” which included an attempted murder charge at age 16. Because the accused turned 18 in January he is to serve his 4-year sentence in an adult prison.
Another minor, a 15-year-old Ukranian immigrant, was also arrested in connection to the murder but the authorities say his role in the murder was “minor.”
The crimes came at a time when Switzerland had been debating what to do with foreigners who commit serious crimes.
Related links: 20 Minutes and 24 heures in French.
Freedom of religion debated in Switzerland this week
Geneva, Switzerland – The question of religion, and freedom of religion is making headlines in Switzerland this week. Three cases in particular are in the news not only in French-speaking Switzerland but in the rest of the country. Here’s a quick look at them:
Muslim groups in Switzerland have called for Islamic cemeteries to be built across the country. Farhad Afshar, president of the Coordination of Islamic Organizations in Switzerland, is preparing a legal case to be presented to the Swiss high court on the basis of freedom of religion.
Several crosses built atop mountains in Switzerland were desecrated by a mountain guide who says the “church” cannot impose its religious symbols on those hiking the Swiss valleys as it infringes on people’s freedom of religion. Following his arrest the 48-year old man called for an open debate on freedom of religion in Switzerland.
Although several synagogues are closing across Switzerland on 15 March, a new Reform Jewish synagogue was inaugurated in Geneva. Former president of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities talks about why this is happening.
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - UBS’a annual report, published Monday 15 March, stoked the fire under a debate in the lower house of Swiss parliament over limiting executive pay packages. Thirteen top managers at the Swiss bank were paid CHF68.7 million in 2009, of which nearly CHF55 was in the form of bonuses, and the bank spent another CHF41.3 paying former managers a mix of compensation.
The figures were nearly 10 times those for 2008, when the bank turned to the government for a bailout package.
The bank two weeks earlier, 1 March, announced losses for a third quarter running, and the details about payouts come just as the lower house of the Swiss parliament has been debating putting a cap on executive pay.
Geneva Human Rights Film Festival
by Jared Bloch
GenevaLunch (Geneva) – In a perverse twist of humanitarian imperative, modern conflicts are specifically targeting the most vulnerable community members as a war strategy. This disturbing trend was highlighted in three films screened at the Human Rights Film Festival, which closed its 8th edition on Sunday 14 March.
”Weapon of War”, as the name implies, provides a graphic illustration of how sexual violence has been used by armed factions in the Congolese conflict to destabilize and demoralize communities.
The 60-minute film by Dutch sisters Femke and Ilse van Velzen consists of a series of graphic interviews with confessed rapists and, oddly, with a single rape survivor.
Confessed rapist, army chaplain and community educator on sexual violence (Photo, reproduced with permission from Weapon of War website)
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Amnesty International’s Swiss branch, which has maintained contact with Swiss businessman Max Goeldi, sentenced to four months in prison in Libya for visa irregularities, is in poor condition, the group told news agency ATS Monday 15 March. His lawyer made a similar statement Sunday. Goeldi initially saw his prison detention as a temporary state while request for clemency was pending, says Amnesty, but Libya’s judicial system has not yet reviewed his case.
Goeldi’s mental state has deteriorated rapidly since he left the Swiss embassy in February, where he had been living for more than 18 months while awaiting sentencing.
Amnesty International a week ago handed Libya 14,000 signatures asking for the country to release the prisoner.
