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S U B S C R I B E
Feature Stories
Phase three of the HapMap project completed
Thursday, 2 September, 2010The third phase of the International HapMap project, has been completed. The project aims to determine the variation of the human genetic code, and the diseases that may be linked to it. Susan Flory speaks to Professor Emmanouil Dermitzakis who is with the department of Genetic Medicine and Development at the University of Geneva,
Thursday, 2 September, 2010The third phase of the International HapMap project, has been completed. The project aims to determine the variation of the human genetic code, and the diseases that may be linked to it. Susan Flory speaks to Professor Emmanouil Dermitzakis who is with the department of Genetic Medicine and Development at the University of Geneva,
Pros and cons of homeschooling your kids
Thursday, 2 September, 2010School’s in but not necessarily at school. Some parents are schooling their kids at home. Estimates say there could be as many as hundreds of kids being homeschooled. Is it good for kids, from both academic and socialization perspectives? WRS’s Conor Lennon first speaks to Beatrix Zumsteg, head of socialization and equity studies at the Zurich University of Education, who is not in favor of the idea, as well as homeschooling fan Joan Moy, who is a Geneva representative of the Home Schooling Swiss Association.
Thursday, 2 September, 2010School’s in but not necessarily at school. Some parents are schooling their kids at home. Estimates say there could be as many as hundreds of kids being homeschooled. Is it good for kids, from both academic and socialization perspectives? WRS’s Conor Lennon first speaks to Beatrix Zumsteg, head of socialization and equity studies at the Zurich University of Education, who is not in favor of the idea, as well as homeschooling fan Joan Moy, who is a Geneva representative of the Home Schooling Swiss Association.
Climate change conundrum: Who will pay?
Thursday, 2 September, 2010Ministers are meeting in Geneva this week in the wake of high hopes raised by the Copenhagen climate change talks. Representatives from 40 countries will tackle the thorny issue of how to finance solutions to climate change. Leading the Swiss delegation is Franz Perrez, head of international affairs at the Federal Office of the Environment. He explains the meeting’s relevance to WRS’s Adam Beaumont. WRS’s Conor Lennon also speaks to Liliana Andanova, associate professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, for her perspective.
Thursday, 2 September, 2010Ministers are meeting in Geneva this week in the wake of high hopes raised by the Copenhagen climate change talks. Representatives from 40 countries will tackle the thorny issue of how to finance solutions to climate change. Leading the Swiss delegation is Franz Perrez, head of international affairs at the Federal Office of the Environment. He explains the meeting’s relevance to WRS’s Adam Beaumont. WRS’s Conor Lennon also speaks to Liliana Andanova, associate professor at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, for her perspective.
Pollution solution: Ban dirty cars downtown?
Thursday, 2 September, 2010Dirty, polluted air is the bane of many Swiss cities. Some think low emissions zones could be a solution. These involve banning more polluting cars from certain parts of the city. Cantons Geneva and Ticino are keen on the idea, but deciding whether it’s worth the money is proving tricky. Lucas Chambers reports.
Thursday, 2 September, 2010Dirty, polluted air is the bane of many Swiss cities. Some think low emissions zones could be a solution. These involve banning more polluting cars from certain parts of the city. Cantons Geneva and Ticino are keen on the idea, but deciding whether it’s worth the money is proving tricky. Lucas Chambers reports.
Escalator etiquette—do we have the right to stand on the left?
Thursday, 2 September, 2010Long posters showing yellow footprints appeared at the foot of escalators in Zurich’s main train station last week. They showed which side of the escalator to stand on and which side to leave free for people to walk, or run, up or down. If you’ve been on the tube in London you’ll know that keeping to the right to allow streams of people to run past you on the left is commonplace—in fact standing in the way is likely to be met with anger. So should Zurich’s train station be trying to get people here to follow the same rules? WRS’s Jo Fahy took a tight hold of the hand rail and found out if escalator etiquette has gone global.
Thursday, 2 September, 2010Long posters showing yellow footprints appeared at the foot of escalators in Zurich’s main train station last week. They showed which side of the escalator to stand on and which side to leave free for people to walk, or run, up or down. If you’ve been on the tube in London you’ll know that keeping to the right to allow streams of people to run past you on the left is commonplace—in fact standing in the way is likely to be met with anger. So should Zurich’s train station be trying to get people here to follow the same rules? WRS’s Jo Fahy took a tight hold of the hand rail and found out if escalator etiquette has gone global.
Getting aid to Pakistan despite the dangers
Wednesday, 1 September, 2010In Pakistan it remains very difficult to get aid to the people who need it. Around seventeen million people have been affected. Flood levels are receding in the South, but Thatta, a key staging post for relief workers in the Southern province of Sindh, is still in danger of being submerged. There are also ongoing security concerns, with Taliban threatening to attack aid workers. Conor Lennon spoke to Jonathan Mitchell, emergency response director of Geneva-based CARE, and Bettina Iseli, head of Emergency Relief in Pakistan for Catholic charity Caritas Switzerland. He began by asking Mitchell about the current humanitarian situation.
Wednesday, 1 September, 2010In Pakistan it remains very difficult to get aid to the people who need it. Around seventeen million people have been affected. Flood levels are receding in the South, but Thatta, a key staging post for relief workers in the Southern province of Sindh, is still in danger of being submerged. There are also ongoing security concerns, with Taliban threatening to attack aid workers. Conor Lennon spoke to Jonathan Mitchell, emergency response director of Geneva-based CARE, and Bettina Iseli, head of Emergency Relief in Pakistan for Catholic charity Caritas Switzerland. He began by asking Mitchell about the current humanitarian situation.
Zurich school tries to boost prospects for immigrant kids
Wednesday, 1 September, 2010A Zurich school has begun an experiment to improve the education prospects of foreign children. Gymnasium Unterstrass set up a four-year pilot scheme called Chagall which gives intensive extra training twice a week to children from immigrant families. The scheme is means tested, so only children from families who can’t normally afford to pay for extra tuition can get a place. Today they’ll welcome the third group of children onto the course. WRS’s Jo Fahy found out more about the challenges for immigrant children in Zurich’s school system.
Wednesday, 1 September, 2010A Zurich school has begun an experiment to improve the education prospects of foreign children. Gymnasium Unterstrass set up a four-year pilot scheme called Chagall which gives intensive extra training twice a week to children from immigrant families. The scheme is means tested, so only children from families who can’t normally afford to pay for extra tuition can get a place. Today they’ll welcome the third group of children onto the course. WRS’s Jo Fahy found out more about the challenges for immigrant children in Zurich’s school system.
Controversy: Italians earning cash as medical guinea pigs
Wednesday, 1 September, 2010Northern Italians are lining up to volunteer for medical experiments from labs in neighboring Ticino, and the money involved keeps stirring up the ethical pot. Such indemnity payments and the norms for the tests conducted are strictly controlled and equivalent on both sides of the border. But the grey zone lies in how many tests people are signing up for— presumably to make money. The more the riskier. But to keep people safe, Ticino has found a tried and true solution. Lucas Chambers has the story.
Wednesday, 1 September, 2010Northern Italians are lining up to volunteer for medical experiments from labs in neighboring Ticino, and the money involved keeps stirring up the ethical pot. Such indemnity payments and the norms for the tests conducted are strictly controlled and equivalent on both sides of the border. But the grey zone lies in how many tests people are signing up for— presumably to make money. The more the riskier. But to keep people safe, Ticino has found a tried and true solution. Lucas Chambers has the story.
How to deal with back-to-school jitters
Wednesday, 1 September, 2010Ah, back to school. You would hope it would be a joyous time of playing and learning. But some children and parents may have been dreading this week. Child psychologist Rachel Melville-Thomas from WRS’s Kids In Mind talks to Conor Lennon about her trauma-reducing tips, especially if the child doesn’t speak one of Switzerland’s national languages.
Wednesday, 1 September, 2010Ah, back to school. You would hope it would be a joyous time of playing and learning. But some children and parents may have been dreading this week. Child psychologist Rachel Melville-Thomas from WRS’s Kids In Mind talks to Conor Lennon about her trauma-reducing tips, especially if the child doesn’t speak one of Switzerland’s national languages.
Should shops be open around the clock?
Tuesday, 31 August, 2010What’s more important: the freedom to shop 24-7 or freedom from the obligation to work any hour of the day? Politician Christian Lüscher wants to end limits on all-night opening at service stations. His initiative has begun winding its way through parliament. Unia, which represents the country’s trades unions, thinks it’s a Trojan horse which could lead to the liberalisation of work hours in other parts of the economy. WRS’s Conor Lennon spoke to Lüscher, but first Catherine Allen brings us an interview with Unia secretary general Jean-Christophe Schwaab:
Tuesday, 31 August, 2010What’s more important: the freedom to shop 24-7 or freedom from the obligation to work any hour of the day? Politician Christian Lüscher wants to end limits on all-night opening at service stations. His initiative has begun winding its way through parliament. Unia, which represents the country’s trades unions, thinks it’s a Trojan horse which could lead to the liberalisation of work hours in other parts of the economy. WRS’s Conor Lennon spoke to Lüscher, but first Catherine Allen brings us an interview with Unia secretary general Jean-Christophe Schwaab:
Fish farming with railway tunnel water
Tuesday, 31 August, 2010In Frutigen, canton Bern, they produce delights such as sturgeon, caviar and exotic fruit, using warm water from a railway tunnel. Yes, the Lötschberg between Frutigen and Raron in canton Valais, which opened three years ago. In Raron, the Valperca company has opened a perch farm to produce that staple of lakeside restaurants, perch fillet. WRS reporter Vincent Landon, has more.
Tuesday, 31 August, 2010In Frutigen, canton Bern, they produce delights such as sturgeon, caviar and exotic fruit, using warm water from a railway tunnel. Yes, the Lötschberg between Frutigen and Raron in canton Valais, which opened three years ago. In Raron, the Valperca company has opened a perch farm to produce that staple of lakeside restaurants, perch fillet. WRS reporter Vincent Landon, has more.
Former bankers willing to blow whistle
Tuesday, 31 August, 2010World Radio Switzerland can exclusively reveal that four former Swiss bankers are willing to blow the whistle on billions of dollars in offshore tax evasion by wealthy American clients. The bankers are being advised by the Washington-based Government Accountability Project, which is advising them to hold back from approaching the U.S. government for now. The group is citing the damage done to whistleblowing by the imprisonment of UBS whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld. WRS’s Washington correspondent Daniel Ryntjes has this exclusive story.
Tuesday, 31 August, 2010World Radio Switzerland can exclusively reveal that four former Swiss bankers are willing to blow the whistle on billions of dollars in offshore tax evasion by wealthy American clients. The bankers are being advised by the Washington-based Government Accountability Project, which is advising them to hold back from approaching the U.S. government for now. The group is citing the damage done to whistleblowing by the imprisonment of UBS whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld. WRS’s Washington correspondent Daniel Ryntjes has this exclusive story.
Does Switzerland need protection against missiles?
Monday, 30 August, 2010The papers and airwaves have been full of calls for a clear army strategy, and then, like an exocet out of the blue, this headline appeared. The head of the Swiss Air Force says Switzerland needs protection against long-range missiles that will soon be on the market, that we’ll become a target for blackmail if we don’t take care of our defense needs. But from who? From where? Are we quietly tucked up in our beds every night oblivious to the fact sinister attacks are being plotted against us? Susan Flory poses these questions to Kurt Spillmann who is the former head of the Centre for Security Studies at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
Monday, 30 August, 2010The papers and airwaves have been full of calls for a clear army strategy, and then, like an exocet out of the blue, this headline appeared. The head of the Swiss Air Force says Switzerland needs protection against long-range missiles that will soon be on the market, that we’ll become a target for blackmail if we don’t take care of our defense needs. But from who? From where? Are we quietly tucked up in our beds every night oblivious to the fact sinister attacks are being plotted against us? Susan Flory poses these questions to Kurt Spillmann who is the former head of the Centre for Security Studies at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
