Switzerland Today
Greetings from Lausanne!
Today we turn to Afghanistan. Beyond the capital Kabul, aid organisations are warning of a humanitarian crisis with a perfect storm of conflict, drought and Covid-19.
Back at home in Switzerland, Covid concerns are also still gripping the nation. But amid the doom and gloom, there is plenty of good news, such as from the watch industry, which seems to have weathered the pandemic storm.
In the news: hackers, wolf packs and facial recognition technology.
- The Swiss authorities have granted canton Graubünden permission to cull a problematic wolf pack responsible for attacks on sheep. This is the third canton to receive such a green light after cantons Vaud and Valais each got clearance to kill wolves last week.
- A group that hacked the database of the town of Rolle in canton Vaud and posted sensitive information on the Darknet has threatened to target other municipalities, companies or hospitals.
- Health Minister Alain Berset is in favour of extending the so-called Covid certificate to indoor public spaces – bars, restaurants, museums, etc. – this Wednesday, according to Blick newspaper.External link The Federal Council last week decided to hold off on the idea. But it may be swayed by the worrying situation in busy intensive care units.
- According to an internal customer list of the US company Clearview, officers of the Zurich City Police and the St Gallen Canton Police have used Clearview’s controversial AI facial recognition software – prohibited by law in Switzerland. The Tages-Anzeiger reportsExternal link that Zurich’s data protection officer now wants to investigate.
- If you want to take your bicycle on an intercity train in Switzerland you have to make a special reservation for it. Some 54,000 people are unhappy with this rule and have signed a petition in protest which was handed to Swiss Federal Railways today. As well as ending the administrative measure, they say more space should be set aside on Swiss trains for prams, sports equipment and luggage.
Aid organisations brace to avert looming humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan.
The Taliban took power in Afghanistan last month as foreign forces pulled out after a 20-year mission, and the country is facing an economic collapse and a humanitarian crisis. (In the photo above people queue in Kabul on September 1 to withdraw money from a bank).
Peter Maurer, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), is on a three-day visit to the troubled central Asian countryExternal link where he will hold meetings with Taliban leaders and ICRC staff. Maurer, who landed in Kabul on Sunday, plans to visit medical facilities, rehabilitation centres for victims of violence and disease as well as ICRC offices.
The Swiss-run organisation has never broken off its contacts with the Taliban and continues to use these channels to help it work across the country, ICRC Director of Operations Dominik StillhartExternal link said recently. The ICRC has some 1,800 staff in Afghanistan, including 100 delegates.
“Afghans have suffered from 40 years of conflict and they now face years of work to heal and recover. The International Committee of the Red Cross is dedicated to staying here to help that recovery,” said Maurer in a statement.
Western powers say they are prepared to engage with the Taliban and send aid to people displaced by drought and war, but that formal recognition of the government and broader economic assistance will depend on action – not just promises – to safeguard human rights.
The United Nations meanwhile says it will convene an international aid conference in Geneva on September 13External link to help avert what UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres calls a looming humanitarian catastrophe.
More
Swiss watch brands are booming, as the Geneva Watch Days event testifies.
Swiss watchmakers previously held two big watch fairs annually, the SIHH in Geneva and Baselworld. Both fairs were cancelled this year due to the pandemic, but the SIHH, rebaptised Watches & Wonders, took place online. Baselworld plans to relaunch in 2022. In the meantime, it has teamed up with Geneva Watch Days – a five-day physical and online event in its second year, which ended last week.
As NZZ reports on its front page todayExternal link: “Because there are hardly any watch fairs taking place, little is heard from the Swiss watch industry at the moment. But a look at the Geneva Watch Days shows that many manufacturers are doing very well.” Two dozen Swiss watch brands, including Bulgari, Breitling and Oris, gathered for the second edition of the Geneva Watch Days event last week which pulled in hundreds of dealers, journalists, bloggers, collectors and watch fans. “Many exhibitors are also enjoying high demand for their products. One category that is really booming are the big luxury brands,” NZZ added.
Last year watch exports collapsed by almost 22% to CHF17 billion. But sales have recovered this year, with industry exports rising 0.8% in the first seven months versus the same period in 2019. For some manufacturers the United States and some European markets are reportedly doing better than expectedExternal link and are compensating for what cannot be achieved in Asia.
Watch fans will be keen to read this portrait of Finnish master watchmaker Kari Voutilainenon SWI swissinfo.ch today.
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