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

What if the stories you’ve heard about Gaza are just one side of a complex narrative? When a place is at war, that’s often all we know about it. We see the daily bombings, the rocket attacks and the rising numbers of those killed or displaced. But how much do we really know about Gaza? We know about the current brutal conflict, the destroyed towns, and the tens of thousands dead. But what about everything else? The things that, over decades, made Gazans love their home as we love ours? Join host Imogen Foulkes as she sits down with the editors of a new book called “Daybreak in Gaza”, which aims to enlighten us with personal stories from the people who live there — stories of their everyday lives, their history, culture, food, music and now, the tragic loss of much of that. In the second part of the podcast, we also tackle the contentious decision by the UN to host COP29 in Azerbaijan, a nation criticised for its human rights violations Don’t miss today’s episode of Inside Geneva. 👇 🎧Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/eTxERzEy 🎧Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eRQbkzaE Giorgi Gogia Human Rights Watch Juliette Touma UNRWA United Nations Saqi Books Matthew Teller #Gaza #lifeinGaza #MiddleEast #COP29 #climatechange

Whether it’s quality of life, universities, or globalisation, Switzerland regularly excels in international rankings. In this article by our journalist Simon Bradley, we explore recent global surveys to analyse the results. As you might expect, Switzerland boasts one of the world’s most liveable cities – Zurich – according to a recent study in Nature Cities. While high salaries in the city and across the country certainly contribute to the high standards of living, a recent report by the expat platform Internations showed that the country is less popular with foreign professionals, mainly due to the lack of affordable accommodation and difficulties in making friends. Here's the full analysis 👇

🔔SWI swissinfo.ch ranked second among Swiss media outlets in 2024 assessment 🥈 According to a study by the fög – Forschungszentrum Öffentlichkeit und Gesellschaft UZH at the University of Zurich, most respondents trust SRG SSR - Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) - news programmes, which earned seven points on a scale of up to ten, followed by newspapers Le Temps and Neue Zürcher Zeitung with 6.8 and 6.6 points, respectively. The offer of SWI swissinfo.ch was rated favourably by researchers at the University of Zurich. The platform earned 7.4 out of a maximum ten points, for the second-best rating among the 27 online media outlets assessed in the 2024 Yearbook. In all, 61% of SBC users also consume private media; by comparison, 38% of people who do not consume SBC news programmes also consume private media, reports fög in the Quality of Media Yearbook. Commuter and tabloid media were also consumed more frequently across all channels by SBC users compared to non-users of the public service networks. “The public service media obviously encourage further news consumption,” said Linards Udris, deputy head of research at the fög, during a press conference. The study shows “a complementary, supplementary use” rather than a crowding out of private media. “The displacement theory [that the SBC crowds out private media outlets] does not apply,” said fög director Mark Eisenegger. Read all the details here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gaqzkmRt

Swiss pharma giant Roche is the latest company to refocus its R&D investment on diseases like obesity that weigh heavily on healthcare budgets. This comes as governments increasingly demand drugs that save not only lives but also money. 💊 The blockbuster drugs Ozempic and Wegovy have shown there is a goldmine waiting for pharma companies that can develop treatments for mass-market diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Novo Nordisk, the Danish group behind the drugs, has seen its share price surge to record highs this year, making it the most valuable company in Europe with a market capitalisation of over $530 billion (CHF457 billion). The success of these wonder drugs has injected new energy into the hunt not only for the next-generation weight-loss hit, but for other drugs that can create similar dramatic changes in the treatment of major diseases that affect millions of people worldwide. Basel-based Roche is the latest pharma giant to announce a revamp of its investment strategy to focus on developing “transformative” drugs, treatments that have a groundbreaking impact on chronic illnesses such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, or lung cancer that affect large swathes of the world’s population. Roche has homed in on 11 diseases in five therapeutic areas, including three — cardiovascular-metabolic disorders such as obesity, along with oncological and neurological diseases – which it estimates will account for more than 50% of the global disease burden in the next ten years. Read more here  👉 https://lnkd.in/eGBkndqd #pharma #obesity #healthcare Roche Novo Nordisk Thomas Schinecker World Obesity Federation Carmot Therapeutics, Inc. William (Bill) Coyle ZS IDEA Pharma | From R&D to RxD Novartis Sanofi World Health Organization Carina Schey

With the rapid advancement of technology, increasing numbers of people are expressing concerns about the potential pitfalls of artificial intelligence (AI). These range from the proliferation of fake news to issues of discrimination, and even the incitement of hatred. But if AI were to fail, who would bear the responsibility? And could AI be taken to court? This is precisely what the Geneva Graduate Institute is exploring through a simulated trial, which, however, features real lawyers – and AI itself. The event is part of a project run by the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, aimed at encouraging young people to consider both the risks and benefits of AI. So, what was the outcome of the trial? More importantly, who emerged victorious? Read our article to find out. 👉 https://lnkd.in/etzQz28N #artificialintelligence #AI #democracy #switzerland #geneva #fakenews #disinformation Christine Lutringer Jérôme Duberry Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF

Today, the Ukraine Mine Action Conference opens in Switzerland, with renowned British photographer Giles Duley MBE set to speak and showcase his powerful exhibition of anti-personnel mine photographs he’s collected over the years. We talked to him about his personal experience of stepping on an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan in 2011, as well as the many landmine victims he’s met throughout his career in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Ukraine. He hopes the spotlight on Ukraine now could be a “tipping point where people see how big the problem is and how we can solve it”. This is why he’s speaking at the Lausanne conference. “If my work means that one child does not have to go through what I go through every day – the physical pain, the emotional pain, the challenges of society looking at me differently – then my work is worthwhile.” Read his full story here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eSJs9i-z #lausanne #photography #gilesduley #ukrainemineactionconference Federal Department of Foreign Affairs FDFA Photo Elysée PLATEFORME 10

The US elections are now just a couple of weeks away. 🇺🇸 Around the world, people are looking anxiously towards Washington. What will the new occupant of the White House, whoever it is, mean for global stability? What will be the consequences for the so-called ‘rules based order’? The order the United Nations was created to uphold?   That’s what we’re discussing on our Inside Geneva podcast this week, with a specific look at what US policy, and a new president, could mean for multilateralism and the international and humanitarian institutions in Geneva.   Catch host Imogen Foulkes talking to Swedish journalist Gunilla von Hall, Tammam Aloudat head of the international medical aid charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Netherlands and analyst Daniel Warner. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. 🎧 Apple Podcasts:  https://lnkd.in/e6TTv7Cf 🎧 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/emK6Ztfb #usa #usa #vote #elections #uselections #harris #trump

“So much more has to be done to really eradicate torture. We have to recognise that it is still a problem, and we have to recognise it as a problem. For a torturer, for individuals, for society. A society that tortures is a sick society,” says Gerald Staberock from the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). This year marks the 40th anniversary of the convention against torture, and Staberock, along with Alice Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, discussed the importance of this convention on our Inside Geneva podcast, hosted by Imogen Foulkes. Although there has been a ban on torture for four decades, it still happens… Search for the Inside Geneva podcast wherever you get your podcasts. 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/eQVg7ptS 🎧 Spotify: https://lnkd.in/ev6YfZAM

Raw milk legislation: how can Swiss farmers sell it through vending machines? 🥛🐄 Legislation around raw milk is part of a bigger debate about health benefits and risks associated with consuming raw milk. Four years ago, a study by the Swiss agriculture research institute Agroscope found that raw milk and its products can positively affect gut microbiome diversity. However, research also highlights potential health risks. The US Centre for Disease Control warns that consuming raw milk can expose people to harmful bacteria like Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Listeria, Brucella, and Salmonella. Despite these risks, raw milk is making a comeback in many homes, with legislation evolving worldwide. In Switzerland, personal responsibility and clear labelling are key to managing these risks. Read our article by Anand Chandrasekhar to explore the global legal landscape and the regulatory loophole allowing raw milk to be sold in vending machines in Switzerland 👉 https://lnkd.in/egayBFwM #rawmilk #milk #health #legislation Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office FSVO Milchproduzenten SMP (Swissmilk)