Adoption, Blockchain, and Carnival
Here are the stories we'll be following the week of February 19, 2018:
Monday
The famous Basel Carnival, which runs from Monday until Wednesday, will kick off this morning with the ‘Morgestraich’ parade. The Basel ‘Fasnacht’ is Switzerland’s largest and most traditional carnival celebration, and the last of season. We’ll publish a photo gallery capturing the antics of Basel revellers, as well as images from other carnival celebrations throughout the country.
Tuesday
swissinfo.ch business correspondent Matthew Allen takes a look at the Swiss-based charities and non-governmental organisations, including the UN World Food Programme and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, that are experimenting with blockchain to maximise their impact – especially in underdeveloped or volatile parts of the world.
Wednesday
Statistics show that adoption in Switzerland is on the decline – both within the country and in terms of adoption of children from abroad. We dig deeper into the legal, financial, and social issues behind this trend to address the question: is the adoption model becoming obsolete in Switzerland?
Wednesday
Also on Wednesday, we’ll publish the results of the second – and final – poll concerning Switzerland’s first set of nationwide votes for 2018, coming up on March 4. The issues on the table: NoBillag, a people’s initiative aimed at scrapping the licence fee for the public Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (which includes swissinfo.ch), and a constitutional amendment seeking to extend the right of the national government to impose federal taxes until 2035.
Thursday
For the last 50 years, the UN has been pushing for the acceptance of corporate social responsibility by urging companies to be more respectful of human rights. Political scientist Gilles Carbonnier examines the key milestones behind these efforts, as Switzerland prepares to vote on the issue in the coming months.
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