Новости за 13.04.2018

Swiss academic Tariq Ramadan is facing another allegation of rape after a criminal complaint was handed in to the Public Prosecutor in Geneva, Swiss media have confirmed. The complaint concerns an incident that happened ten years ago, and the allegations are not time-barred, Romain Jordan, the complainant’s lawyer, told the Swiss news agency SDA-ATS, confirming a report in the newspaper Tribune de Genève. The incident is said to have taken place in a Geneva hotel. The complaint was filed on Friday, the news agency and other media reported. Читать дальше...

The family of German retail boss Karl-Erivan Haub, who failed to return from an off-piste skiing tour in the Alps last weekend, say they have given up hope of seeing him alive. The search has now been stopped. Haub, heir to the Tengelmann retail empire, took off for a ski excursion on Saturday but did not return to his hotel in the Swiss resort of Zermatt.  The Tengelmann retail group said on behalf of Karl-Erivan Haub's family in a statement on Friday that there was no longer any hope for him... Читать дальше...

Switzerland has committed CHF12.5 million ($13 million) to support humanitarian operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following a donor pledging conference in Geneva on Friday. In a statement, the Swiss federal department of foreign affairs said that the DRC was gripped by one of the “world’s worst humanitarian crises” and was also facing a cholera epidemic. Millions of its people are dependent on humanitarian aid. Its contribution would support measures to protect civilians as well as cover needs in healthcare... Читать дальше...

Wooden skyscrapers: a Swiss trend that's not going anywhere.

Around 8,800 former forced child workers have applied for reparations through a government programme, the Federal Office of Justice has told the Swiss news agency SDA-ATS. Switzerland has agreed to pay up to CHF25,000 ($26,200) in compensation to those who as children were victims of forced labour policies or placed in institutions, often suffering abuse or neglect. The “Verdingkinder” practice continued until 1981. + Read more about the historical background to “slave children” There are around... Читать дальше...

The Swiss Federal Railways has launched a travel package that combines different sustainable modes of transport, for example the use of e-bikes, e-cars and car-sharing.  The pass, known as SBB Green Class (SBB is the German abbreviation for the federal railways), now makes it possible to “part from your own car step by step”, as the website explains.  “With SBB Green Class, complete mobility can be obtained as a service, meaning that you don’t need to buy a vehicle. The Premium and Comfort combined... Читать дальше...

Greenhouse gas emissions in Switzerland rose slightly in 2016, the Federal Office of the Environment says. The reason was that year’s particularly cool winter temperatures led to increased energy use. Emissions increased by 0.4 million tonnes to 48.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (the common unit for describing different greenhouse gases) in 2016, a statement said. The statistics come from Switzerland’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory 1990-2016, which was handed to the United Nations’ Environment Secretariat on Friday. Читать дальше...

A University of Bern analysis of data from a 25-year study showed that smoking marijuana was only associated with clogged arteries in lifetime tobacco users. Scientists have long known that smoking tobacco is associated with atherosclerosis – a condition in which arteries are clogged by the build-up of fatty deposits called plaques –  especially in arteries that supply blood to the heart. But there has been scientific disagreement over the effects of marijuana. +New initiative calls for tobacco... Читать дальше...

The number of men over the age of 50 who become fathers has trebled in Switzerland over the past 20 years. Experts see advantages as well as disadvantages in this trend.  Whereas in 1996, 625 babies were born to men over 50, in 2016 the figure rose to 1,855, according to the Federal Statistical Office. Over the same period, these births as a proportion of all births increased from 0.8% to 2.2%.  In addition, 22 men became fathers at 70 or older in 2016.  “Increasingly late family planning is... Читать дальше...

It has its own currency, its citizenship, a palatial headquarters and rejects the democratic state of Switzerland: an imaginary republic in Müllheim, canton Thurgau, run by local entrepreneur Daniel Model.   It might be a cathedral. Or a temple. The big grey stone building is a massive presence in Müllheim, a rural village in northeastern Switzerland.  The Model House, as the rectangular building with the golden figure over the entrance is called, happens not to be a church, though people of the same faith... Читать дальше...

The search resumed Friday for German retail boss Karl-Erivan Haub, who failed to return from an off-piste skiing tour in the Alps last weekend.  Rescuers said helicopters and foot patrols were being dispatched to the Matterhorn peak where Haub was last seen on April 7 heading off from the Klein Matterhorn cable car station near the Italian border.  The search was temporarily suspended on Thursday because of strong winds.  Haub, heir to the Tengelmann retail empire, took off for a ski excursion... Читать дальше...