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Pakistan, water and the "third pole"
GENEVA--The worsening floods in Pakistan may only be the first event in a series of crises that are likely to become a global trend, a consequence of what scientists are beginning to refer to as the "third pole." "Hundreds of millions of people will be vulnerable to a whole host of events," warns Randolph Kent, executive director of the Humanitarian Futures Programme at King's College in London. "What we are creating," Kent says,"is a series of crisis drivers that impact on each other."

The Implications of Pakistan's Flood
GENEVA—Pakistan’s flood underscores a basic paradox in humanitarian operations. The single organization that has the most helicopters and logistics capacity to provide immediate relief is the US military, yet because the of the conflicts in Iraq a

Don't like WikiLeaks? Let reporters do their jobs.
Veteran foreign correspondent Mort Rosenblum explores why the US military - and the US government - have only themselves to blame for the release of 92,000 classified documents by Wikileaks. If you do not encourage open reporting, you get a mess. Rosenblu

Afghanistan: No Peace Without Justice
GENEVA, Switzerland — President Barack Obama described the departure of Gen. Stanley McChrystal from the command of U.S. and Coalition troops in Afghanistan as a change in personnel, not policy. But Gen. David Petraeus is unlikely to succeed if Afghan

Attention Fragile: Porcelain at the Chateau de Nyon
Porcelain normally adheres to fairly predictable forms: plates, bowls, cups and vases. The exhibition at the Chateau de Nyon breaks with routine and propels the art into a new dimension that is much closer to sculpture. The pieces which come from

ON SECOND THOUGHT: No Exit in Afghanistan?
Lieutenant General Stan McChrystal is gone and the transition to General Petraeus has been surprisingly smooth, but the internal contradictions and policy dilemmas that plague Afghanistan remain. The furor over the sacked general's intemperate words di

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Movers & Shakers

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Geneva -- Nicolas Hayek, who died of heart failure at the age of 82 on June 28, is generally credited with saving the Swiss Watch industry. To anyone who knows the business, that is something of an understatement.

Charged with interrogating those who collaborated with former Liberian President Charles Taylor and later listening to the voices of Khmer Rouge victims in Cambodia, Geneva attorney Alain Werner is one of the pioneers of an evolving international justice system. Carole Vann, an editor and writer with InfoSud , a non-profit news agency focusing on...

GENEVA -- The Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue or HD Centre , as it often refers to itself, is one of a hand full of places to go if you want to kick start a negotiating process with pirates in Somalia or a rebel army in Chad. The HD Centre, in fact, is part of a new trend: outsourcing the mediation of hot conflicts, which often involve unsavory...

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Peripatetic Epicurean

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The Auberge du Lion d'Or is reputed to be one of the best restaurants in Geneva. The prices are stiff and more suited to expense accounts, but both the service and the food are impeccable.

The Auberge d'Onex on the western outskirts of Geneva is a wonderful restaurant for traditional cuisine from the Italian Piedmont. Well-worth trying but definitely overpriced.

CROZET, Pays de Gex, France - - This stylish hotel and restaurant complex with the touch of a southern African luxury game and sports lodge is a relatively new addition to the Lake Geneva Region. Situated in a 35-hectare park just outside the small French town of St Genis in the Pays de Gex at the foot of the Jura mountains, it offers a spectacular view of Geneva and the Alps, barely ten minutes drive...

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The Plaindealer

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Should you and I pay for the kind of accurate news reporting that is needed to fill us in on what is happening to the planet? If we're not willing to pick up the tab to stay better informed, who will? Daniel Wermus, director of the Media21 Global Journalism Network, provides some print for thought.

Geneva -- The Global Humanitarian Forum (GHF) , which was founded amid much pomp in the autumn of 2007 and was the third such initiative supported by the Swiss government over the past decade and half, is facing severe difficulties.

Divonne-Les-Bains, France -- Over the past several weeks, visitors to the colourful Sunday market of Divonne, one of the most popular in the Lake Geneva region, have had their pleasant meanderings disturbed by loud and highly intrusive music interspersed by incomprehensible radio chatter blasted over pubic loudspeakers. The culprit is Divonne Info Musique, one of the Divonne town council's latest initiatives...

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Rhythm & Cool

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Porcelain normally adheres to fairly predictable forms: plates, bowls, cups and vases. The exhibition at the Chateau de Nyon breaks with routine and propels the art into a new dimension that is much closer to sculpture. The pieces which come from Europe,...

Art expands the imagination, drives us in unexpected directions and pushes the envelope of our lives. Business strives for profits and predictability. The two seemingly contradictory forces manage a surprisingly successful chemistry at the world’s leading...

For the past decade or so, Howard Productions has been bringing professional high quality English theatre to the Lake Geneva region. Once again, it is bringing another Shakespeare play, Othello, and once again at the beautiful Chateau de Prangins (Museum of Swiss...

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Kids

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The French village of Cessy in the Pays de Gex at the foot of the Jura mountains is holding an open Festival of Nature on Sunday, May 23, 2010.

The Basel Zoo or "Zolli" is one of Switzerland's great attractions - and contributors to global conservation. Edward Girardet was recently there with his 10-year-old son.

Things to Do: The Medieval Festival at Andilly in the Lake Geneva Region, May 22-23 and 29-30, 2010.

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Global Beat

Greek Fire The cradle of democracy's current crisis is not just...
Bill Clinton: Father of Corporate Social Responsibility Susan Adams, a senior editor with Forbes magazine and...
Pakistan Faces Taliban Resurgence British-Pakistani writer and journalist Ahmed Rashid...