SWI swissinfo.ch

At SWI swissinfo.ch, we believe in trusted and quality journalism. 🗞️ If you’re new here, let us introduce ourselves. We’re the international public service media company of Switzerland, reporting in ten languages on a variety of topics including foreign affairs, climate change, democracy, artificial intelligence, politics, multinational companies, and much more. As part of our public service mandate, we provide independent and in-depth reporting for an international audience interested in Switzerland. We also help Swiss citizens living abroad form their own opinions, enabling them to exercise their political rights during elections and popular votes, and strengthening their ties to their homeland. With conflicts raging around the world, polarisation growing globally, and the ever-present threat of online disinformation, free, fair, and balanced reporting is more important than ever. This is why we place a special focus on democracy: seeing things from a Swiss perspective is key to ensuring that stories and discussions about and from Switzerland can be understood abroad, even in places where press freedom is under threat. Expert analyses of important international events and adapting our stories for our international audience are significant parts of our coverage. SWI swissinfo.ch: your connection to Switzerland. #switzerland #journalism #independentjournalism #reporters #pressfreedom #swiss #swissnews

The arrival in Zurich of ChatGPT and Claude creators, OpenAI and Anthropic, has raised hopes for the domestic Swiss AI industry. Whether Switzerland can successfully grow an AI hub hinges on the country’s continued ability to produce and attract the best talent and finance promising start-ups. It also depends on the way it chooses to regulate AI in future. Switzerland needs "smarter, more legally sound and slightly leaner regulation" than the EU AI Act, says one economist. This view is echoed by others in Switzerland.

Today marks #HumanRightsDay, but what kind of year has 2024 been for human rights and international law around the world? As 2024 draws to a close, it’s time for our Inside Geneva podcast to reflect on the year. 🎙️ Host Imogen Foulkes is joined on this episode by Dorian Burkhalter, Geneva correspondent with SWI swissinfo.ch , Dawn Clancy, UN correspondent in New York, and Nick Cumming-Bruce, contributor to The New York Times in Geneva. Listen to the full episode wherever you get your podcasts. 👇 🎧Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/ebDu5J_i 🎧Spotify: https://lnkd.in/egU5QCZq

Switzerland’s wealthiest resident, Gérard Wertheimer, is a French businessman, who now lives in Geneva. Hundreds more foreign millionaires are expected to follow the example of the Chanel luxury brand co-owner. The Henley Private Wealth Report 2024 predicts that 128,000 millionaires will switch residence by the end of this year - that's more than any other year on record. Switzerland wants to grab a slice of the footloose wealth exodus, but it's facing competition from a growing number of rival countries.

In the race to transition to clean energy, European firms are struggling in the face of stiff competition from China’s giant solar industry. According to Swiss solar energy expert Christoph Ballif, Chinese firms are especially good at lowering costs and quickly adopting new technological elements into production lines; this means their mainstream products can evolve faster, for instance by making larger solar cells with slightly higher efficiency. Moreover, in the past three years, China has invested around $100 billion (CHF88.5 billion) in the solar module supply chain in manufacturing equipment and related buildings alone. “It’s very hard to compete on equal terms,” Ballif tells SWI swissinfo.ch in an interview. While this brings opportunities – in the form of low-cost products – Ballif warns that Europe should not become dependent on China, especially considering the risk of geopolitical conflict. “Solar is a strategic industry. The same goes for batteries or electric cars. These are all assets that are necessary for the energy transition,” he says. As for Switzerland, a small and innovative market when it comes to solar production, the country has seen strong growth in PV systems over the past few years. However, Ballif warns, “it’s not clear if this will continue because of the likely strong erosion in the minimum payback price for solar electricity”. He would like to see more government support for solar development and innovation. Read the full interview: https://buff.ly/3Zleuy3 #solar #cleanenergy #china #switzerland #power @Christoph Baliff

This evening SWI swissinfo.ch was in Geneva at the World Meteorological Organization recording for a captivating episode of our podcast, Inside Geneva. Our insightful host, Imogen Foulkes, moderated a panel on the profound impact of climate change on health, human rights and refugees as part of the 2050Today High-level Meeting. We had the privilege of speaking with these distinguished guests: - Andrew Harper, Special Advisor of the High Commissioner on Climate Action, UNHCR – the UN Refugee Agency - Celeste Saulo, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological Organization - Nada Al-Nashif, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights - Maria Niera, Director of environment, climate change and health, World Health Organization. You can hear from the panel‘s excellent speakers in an upcoming episode of Inside Geneva, coming out on January 7. #ClimateChange #HumanRights #PublicHealth #InsideGeneva #Podcast #WMO #UNHCR #WHO #2050Today

“I’ve been in the work of human rights my whole adult life, and I’ve never seen it more precarious. I’ve lived through horrors, I’ve seen the worst that a human can do to a human. But I haven’t seen the challenging to the system, and the extent to which the challenging is coming into the mainstream, respectable centre that is the case in recent months, never mind years,” says Michael O'Flaherty, Human Rights Commissioner at the Council of Europe. Imogen Foulkes, host of our Inside Geneva podcast, interviewed him in Strasbourg for our latest episode about the current state of human rights in Europe and around the world. Listen to the full episode to hear what he, Peggy Hicks, Director at UN Human Rights, Olof Skoog, the EU’s Special Representative for Human Rights, and Sofia Moschin, a student and human rights defender, had to say. Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/eD7TKVTQ Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eU-t7PZa

Women’s rights: how authoritarian regimes use women’s bodies for power In a world where birth rates are declining, authoritarian regimes are increasingly using women's bodies as tools for power. Countries like Russia, China and Turkey are implementing policies that restrict women's rights under the guise of promoting "traditional family values." Russian President Vladimir Putin's statement, “The purpose of a woman lies in her absolutely unique natural gift – the continuation of the family line,” exemplifies this trend. Some claim that these regimes are not only curbing reproductive freedoms but also leveraging anti-Western sentiments to consolidate power. As Philip D. Jaffé, a professor at the University of Geneva and a member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, states, “Women’s and girls’ reproductive and fundamental rights are under attack in many different countries, such as the US or in Eastern Europe.” Read the full article here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eS5XKdx7 Elena Servettaz Alena Popova Anna Kwok Center for Reproductive Rights University of Geneva Jo Bourke Martignoni

Discussions between the European Union (EU) and Switzerland on restoring their relationship are at an advanced stage, said Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis, before a meeting with the EU Commission Vice-President in Bern on Wednesday. 🇨🇭🇪🇺 The bilateral treaty framework between Switzerland and the EU has developed over several decades. However, negotiations collapsed in 2021 when the Swiss government rejected the proposed institutional framework agreement. 🗣️ Efforts to forge a new agreement have encountered obstacles concerning Swiss sovereignty and the free movement of people, one of the EU's fundamental principles. The Swiss government has now proposed a package of new and revised cooperation and market access agreements. 🤝 Nevertheless, the proposed EU deal faces significant opposition from both right and left-wing parties in Switzerland, who could organise referendums against any new legislation. 🗳️ Watch this video to learn more about the intricate relationship between the Alpine nation and the EU. 👇 #EU #EuropeanUnion #Switzerland #Swiss #EUSwitzerland

AI-powered neurotechnologies: a double-edged sword for mental well-being? 🧠 🤖 AI-integrated neurotechnologies are revolutionising treatments for conditions like Parkinson's and depression, offering new hope for mental well-being. However, they can also alter the brain and read the mind. “Neurotechnologies can undermine privacy, autonomy, and mental integrity like never before,” says Milena Costas Trascasas, a human rights independent expert at the United Nations (UN). From Switzerland, the global community is pushing to regulate them, especially when in the hands of private companies like Elon Musk's Neuralink. The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has tasked its advisory committee to prepare a report on the impact and challenges of neurotechnologies. UNESCO has also warned of threats to mental privacy and is working on global recommendations. Read the full article to understand the promises and dangers of this rapidly evolving field. 👉 https://lnkd.in/e_cS-9sz #AI #Neurotechnology #MentalHealth #Privacy #Innovation Ambra D'Imperio