Новости за 21.10.2018

New research by a Swiss institute has thrown doubt on the widespread assumption that the melting of Alpine glaciers began with the onset of industrialisation in the middle of the 19th century. To date, writes Swiss public broadcaster SRF, many researchers have assumed that glacial retreat began around 1860 with the increased volumes of soot and smoke belched out by the new factories of the industrial age. However, researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institute have found that a deeper analysis... Читать дальше...

An overview of patient statistics from 2016 shines new light on the dependency of Swiss on legal and illegal drugs – and pinpoints in which regions most damage is being done. The study, carried out by the Swiss Health Observatory (Obsan) and reported on Sunday in the Le Matin Dimanche newspaper, analysed some 75,000 patient records from 2016 to see how many hospitalisations were directly or indirectly related to intoxication. The findings were stark: over 46,000 “secondary diagnostics” (i.e. if a woman fell off a ladder and hit her head... Читать дальше...

Every fifth Swiss has dual nationality. In Geneva, it's almost half of the population. Swiss public television, SRF took a closer look at why residents with foreign passports are keen on becoming naturalised. (RTS/swissinfo.ch) This summer, during their winning game against Serbia during the World Cup, Xherdan Shaqiri and Granit Xhaka, two players on the Swiss national football team, made hand gestures symbolising the double-headed eagle of the Albanian flag. This controversial act launched a wide-reaching... Читать дальше...

The administrative fees that go with becoming a Swiss citizen vary considerably across cantons, a new report has shown. In other countries, the process is often free. At a time when the value of a passport, both symbolic and actual, is a widely-discussed topic, obtaining the Swiss version will cost you anything between a couple of hundred and a couple of thousand francs, reports the Le Matin Dimanche paper. This despite the fact that a 2006 law ended the practice of cantons charging what they... Читать дальше...

Basel’s public prosecutor has opened an investigation into the case of a Swiss-registered ship hijacked off the coast of Nigeria in September. Ransom negotiations with the attackers, who kidnapped 12 crew members, are ongoing. Though none of the hostages are of Swiss nationality, the fact that the MV Glarus is registered with a Swiss company (Massoel Shipping in Geneva) warranted the opening of a Swiss enquiry, the SonntagsBlick newspaper reported on Sunday. Indeed, due to the flag being flown... Читать дальше...

Here are some of the stories we'll be following the week of October 22: Tuesday Since 2014, talks have been taking place to formalise relations between Switzerland and the EU that are presently covered by the bilateral accords. swissinfo.ch untangles the jumble of history, politics and economics of these ongoing negotiations. Wednesday Is a Swiss university the right fit for you? Unlike the US or UK, Swiss institutions are more specialised in certain disciplines. We examine what their strengths are at the international level. Читать дальше...

Professional mountain biker Ariane Lüthi has lived in South Africa for eight years. As a woman, she says, she has had to fight harder there than in Switzerland. The 35-year-old from the Bernese Oberland, who holds university degrees in sports, media science and history, thinks that a lot of Swiss who have never travelled don’t appreciate how much Switzerland has achieved when it comes to societal issues.  swissinfo.ch: When and why did you leave Switzerland?  Ariane Lüthi: I emigrated to South Africa at the end of 2010. Читать дальше...