Switzerland Archives

Biden administration proposes new rules limiting AI chip exports

January 13, 2025

With just a week left until he leaves office, President Joe Biden is making his last few policy changes as president. On Monday, Jan. 13, the Biden administration proposed a new framework for how advanced computer chips used to develop artificial intelligence are exported.

The changes would help facilitate sales to allied nations while curbing access to countries where there are national security risks, like China. However, the proposal is raising concerns of chip industry executives, who said the rules would limit access to existing chips used for video games.

They also said the rules would restrict the chips used for data centers and AI products in 120 countries, limiting access to U.S. allies like Mexico, Portugal, Israel and Switzerland.

The Biden administration said the framework is designed to “safeguard the most advanced AI technology and ensure that it stays out of the hands of our foreign adversaries” but also enable the broad “diffusion and sharing of the benefits with partner countries.”

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the framework would ensure that the most cutting-edge aspects of AI would be developed within the United States and with its closest allies, instead of possibly being handed over to other countries.

Because the framework includes a 120-day comment period, President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration would be in charge of seeing it through and determining the rules for international sales of advanced computer chips.

China building fastest train in the world, expected to top 600 mph

December 19, 2024

China is developing a mode of transportation that could transform the travel industry. In about a decade, developers expect a “floating train” that can reach speeds of more than 600 mph to be the next way to get around the country.

Chinese developers are now testing their “T-Flight” train, a mode of transport that shoots through a tube-like system designed to reduce air pressure and propel it forward. Simply put, the “hyperloop” technology eschews the need for wheels.

The project has already set a world record speed of nearly 400 mph, overtaking the Shanghai maglev, the world’s fastest passenger train in operation. While the train hasn’t reached its full capacity, developers expect it to accelerate to 621 mph.

Advocates for the train said it will make commutes for China’s booming population faster as they navigate the sprawling country. Developers also project that the high-speed network will connect China’s government to neighboring countries.

China isn’t alone in conducting trials using hyperloop technology. Switzerland, the Netherlands, the U.S. and Canada are among the countries looking to compete. India has also shown interest and said that its research will start in 2026.

The United States, once considered a leader in designing the rail system, has now fallen behind other countries.

In 2013, Elon Musk proposed using hyperloop technology to reduce travel time between Los Angeles and San Francisco. That idea became his company, Hyperloop One. However, it ceased operations last year.

While the technology will reportedly reduce greenhouse emissions, it is costly to implement, requiring a significant infrastructure overhaul.

China has spent close to two decades developing a high-speed rail network. Thousands of miles link 93% of the nation’s cities.

Ex-world champion skier Lindsey Vonn calls out those critical of her comeback

December 19, 2024

Legendary ski racer Lindsey Vonn retired from the sport in 2019, saying back then, her body was telling her “It’s time.” On Saturday, Dec. 21, at age 40, Vonn will return to the starting gate during a competition in St. Moritz, Switzerland with what she called a new lease on life.

Vonn, an 8-time world champion who has 82 world cup wins under her belt, dealt with serious knee issues for nearly half of her two decades racing. In April 2024, she underwent a titanium knee replacement and couldn’t believe the results.

“It has changed my life entirely,” Vonn told NBC Sports. “I used to think about my knee pretty much every second of every day. I wake up and it’s sore and it’s swollen, and I go on a hike with my friends 7-year-old and it’s, ‘Aunt Linds has to take a break after 10 minutes.’ It was really hard.”

After rehab and playing other sports like tennis, she decided to get back on the slopes just to see how it would feel. After a couple months of testing, Vonn said she feels as good as she has in 15 years.

“I never imagined I would come out of surgery and within a few days and have a completely different life,” Vonn said. “I never thought that would happen.”

Her return, however, is being met with skepticism, most surprisingly, from fellow skiers.

Two-time Olympic champion Michaela Dorfmeister, who competed with Vonn at the Olympics in 2006, suggested, “Vonn should see a psychologist,” adding on Austrian TV, “does she want to kill herself?”

Franz Klammer, a legendary Austrian ski racer in the 1970s, said “she’s gone completely mad.”

On Wednesday, Dec. 18, Vonn called out some of the skiers on X.

“You know, I’m getting pretty tired of people predicting negative things about my future,” Vonn said. “It’s enough now. Bernard, Sonja and now Primin… is there a reason all former Swiss skiers think this way? Did they all become doctors, and I missed it, because they talk like they know more than the best doctors in the world.”

You know, I’m getting pretty tired of people predicting negative things about my future. It’s enough now. Bernard, Sonja and now Primin… is there a reason all former Swiss skiers think this way? Did they all become doctors and I missed it, because they talk like they know more…
— lindsey vonn (@lindseyvonn) December 18, 2024

Despite her critics, Vonn said she will slowly work herself back into form, officially starting in St. Mortiz, a mountain where she won five races previously.

Vonn served as the forerunner on the course during the Birds of Prey series in Beaver Creek, Colorado, during the weekend of Dec. 14, just up the road from her long-time home, Vail. The forerunner skis the course just before the first racer to check conditions.

Her ultimate goal is to race for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

Switzerland to spend nearly $250 million to upgrade nuclear bunkers

December 17, 2024

With the threat of Russian aggression moving beyond its invasion of Ukraine and NATO telling its members to have a “wartime mindset,” neutral Switzerland is planning to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to revamp its network of nuclear bunkers. The facilities are part of a law the country passed in 1963 requiring bunker space to be made available for all 9 million of the country’s residents.

The Swiss government will invest nearly $250 million to upgrade the aging spaces. Many of Switzerland’s 370,000 bunkers are now storage rooms or wine cellars. Likewise, many more have fallen into a state of disrepair due to a lack of nuclear threat and general disuse over the years.

Last week, Reuters followed a Swiss crew inspecting an out-of-date bunker. The crew found grass covering the entrance and a tunnel full of cobwebs inside. Local officials noted this is a common issue, as the bunkers have been a low priority for a long time.

However, they also noted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted Swiss residents to think more about the bunkers.

The Swiss government plans to inspect both private and public bunkers around the country. Under Swiss law, a private bunker owner has a year to fix their facility or pay roughly $900 per person who would need to use a public shelter.

Switzerland is not a member of NATO but is surrounded by NATO members France, Germany, Italy and non-member ally Austria.

Church in Switzerland uses AI-powered Jesus to offer advice

November 20, 2024

St. Peter’s Chapel in Lucerne, Switzerland, is incorporating artificial intelligence into religious settings. Visitors can now interact with a digital avatar of Jesus through an innovative installation by Lucerne University’s scientists and theologians.

Launched in August, the installation features a high-tech confessional booth. Visitors ask questions about faith and the AI responds based on training from the New Testament and other religious texts.

Marco Schmid, a theologian at St. Peter’s Chapel, explained the project is an “experiment.” Its aim is to spark discussions on artificial intelligence’s role in modern faith practices. Schmid hopes it will provide a “concrete experience” to explore AI’s ethical and spiritual implications.

The installation uses a user-friendly interface, making it easy for visitors to engage with the AI Jesus. According to a press release, the installation offers spiritual support anytime.

Unlike human pastors, the AI isn’t bound by traditional schedules, making it available at all hours. The chapel sees it as a tool for individuals to explore faith on their own terms.

Some visitors find the experience moving. Worshippers told DW News they were surprised by how easy the process was and left feeling inspired.

However, others criticized the installation. Some said the AI’s advice seemed “generic.” Additionally, some raised concerns about using AI for spiritual guidance. A professor from Lucerne University warned people to be cautious when relying on AI to seek meaning in religion.

Despite mixed reactions, St. Peter’s Chapel supports the project. The chapel sees it as a way to spark important conversations on how faith can adapt to the digital age. The press release noted the project aims to “start meaningful conversations about faith in a digital world.”

The chapel points out several benefits of the installation. It offers different perspectives, independence from prejudice and personalized answers. The AI speaks in 100 languages, making it accessible to visitors worldwide.

In the end, the AI Jesus installation is about starting a dialogue. The chapel’s goal is clear: provoke thought, encourage conversations and explore how religion can evolve in a digital world.

Strangulation marks allegedly found on woman who died in ‘suicide pod’

October 30, 2024

New revelations are raising questions about the death of a 64-year-old American woman who reportedly used a suicide pod to end her life in Switzerland. The woman was the first person believed to die inside the Sarco device. It was reported on Wednesday, Oct. 30, that prosecutors claimed strangulations marks were found around the woman’s neck during a forensic investigation.

Although official autopsy results have yet to be released, the alleged injuries are now prompting questions about how the woman actually died.

Last Resort, the company behind the pod, claims she died peacefully after she used the device as designed, pressing a button that released nitrogen gas into the chamber.

However, the chief prosecutor in the criminal case is now calling it a possible “international homicide” and pushing for those arrested in connection with the pod’s use to remain in custody.

After the 64-year-old woman’s body was found in the Sarco pod in a Swiss forest, several people with the company involved in manufacturing the device were detained.

The American woman who died reportedly suffered from a serious disease. A person close to Last Resort told a U.K. publication that the disease causes similar marks to those found around her neck.

Switzerland to install solar panels on train tracks, safety concerns remain

October 14, 2024

Swiss startup Sun-Ways is leading an initiative to install solar panels along the country’s approximately 3,300 miles of railway. The company says that utilizing the rail network could supply nearly a third of the energy required by Switzerland’s transportation sector.

This could potentially offset around 200,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually — roughly equivalent to taking 50,000 gasoline-powered cars off the road.

However, the International Union of Railways has highlighted several potential safety issues with this plan. Reflections from the solar panels may impair train operators’ visibility and there is also the risk that the added infrastructure could increase fire hazards along the tracks.

Critics have pointed to additional logistical challenges, such as the potential for solar panels to complicate track maintenance, suffer damage in the exposed locations, or face efficiency losses. The harder surfaces are also likely to make trains louder as they pass over the panels, causing an uptick in noise pollution.

These concerns contributed to an initial rejection of Sun-Ways’ project in 2023 by Switzerland’s Federal Office of Transport. The company revised its proposal to include additional safety documentation and resubmitted the plan, which then underwent another 10 months of review before authorities approved a pilot project to begin in 2025.

Use of ‘suicide pod’ suspended amid criminal investigation

October 7, 2024

The advocacy groups behind a so-called “suicide pod” stopped taking applications for people to use it, at least for now. It comes as one person has been charged in connection with the death of an American woman who was the first to use the pod to end her life and did so voluntarily.

The president of Switzerland-based The Last Resort, Florian Willet, is being held in pretrial detention, according to an affiliate group in Australia called Exit International. Others were initially detained, but they have since been released from custody.

Exit International said Willet was the only one present when the American woman died using the machine, called Sarco. They say the 64-year-old woman was severely immunocompromised and Willet said her death was “peaceful, fast and dignified.”

In a statement Sunday, Oct. 6, Exit International said 371 people were “in the process of applying” to use Sarco when applications were suspended.

On the same day the woman died, Switzerland’s health minister told parliament use of the device would not be legal. However, Exit International’s lawyers in the country believe it is.

In its statement, Exit International said it did not know the health minister said use of Sarco would be illegal until after it had already been used and “the timing was pure coincidence and not our intention.” Switzerland is known for having some of the most permissive laws in the world when it comes to assisted suicide.

Sarco is designed to allow the person inside to push a button which injects nitrogen gas into the sealed capsule. The person will then fall asleep and die of suffocation in a matter of minutes.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm or suicide, help is available. Call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 any day at any time for someone to talk to. It’s free and confidential.

How melting glaciers are causing borders to shift in Italy and Switzerland

September 30, 2024

Melting glaciers are prompting the redrawing of maps along the Swiss-Italian border amid record-low snowfall and warming temperatures. Part of the impacted area is beneath the Matterhorn, one of Europe’s tallest mountains, and in the region of Plateau Rosa. All of the regions involved in the redrawn boundaries are close to popular ski resorts.

The changes come as glacier ridgelines or areas of continuous snow along the two countries border have caused natural boundaries to shift.

Switzerland said that it approved the tweaks to the border on Friday, Sept. 27, but that Italy was still in the process of “signing” the agreement between the two nations.

Switzerland said that the redrawn boundaries are in the economic interests of both nations. Experts also note that the new boundaries help sort out which country will be responsible for maintenance of specific natural areas along the boundaries.

Data showed that Switzerland’s glaciers lost 4% of their volume in 2023 following 2022’s biggest loss ever of the glaciers volume of 6% after record-low snowfall that year. Researchers have warned that if these trends continue that the recession of glacier ridgelines will only accelerate.

The diminishing snow and accelerated melting area also uncovering some mysteries. The remains of a German hiker missing since 1986 were found earlier this year near Matterhorn, and in 2022, the wreckage crash in 1968 close to the Aletsch Glacier was revealed.

Alabama woman accused Swiss ‘suicide pod’ company of exploiting her

September 25, 2024

Following the arrest of four people in Switzerland on Tuesday, Sept. 24, after the first known use of a so-called “suicide pod,” an Alabama woman’s accusations against the company behind the device are resurfacing. The woman who would have reportedly been the first person to use the Sarco capsule claimed the company behind it, Last Resort, which is Exit International’s Swiss affiliate, swindled her out of her life savings before she took her business elsewhere to end her life.

The accuser, who went by the alias Jessica Campbell and suffered from several debilitating ailments, said that she spent $40,000 to travel to Switzerland in May of 2024 for an assisted suicide with Last Resort. Campbell claims that when she arrived a “media circus” ensued and she was subjected to “embarrassing” interviews ahead of her scheduled death in the Sarco capsule.

According to Campbell, a pair of top executives from the company also pressured her into paying for their groceries and footing restaurant bills. She says that one of them told her, “You’re going to die anyway, so you don’t need your money anymore.”

When she finally backed out of using the Sarco suicide pod, Campbell said that she was abandoned and left without any money.

“I sacrificed everything, used up all my resources and cut off all ties, believing Sarco would offer me a peaceful end,” she wrote in a letter.

Campbell then sought out another Swiss-based assisted suicide group and ended her life in July 2024. Last Resort denied the allegations after they came out, saying that it is “not plausible” that the organization would exploit its customers as Campbell claims.

If you or some you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org for help.