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Switzerland's Nemo has won the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), which was held on Saturday in the Swedish city of Malmo.
Swiss rapper and singer presented "The Code", a drum and bass, opera, rap and rock song about Nemo's journey of self-discovery as a non-binary person. 24-year-old Nemo is the first non-binary winner of the contest and also the first Swiss winner since 1988, when Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion competed under the Swiss flag. At a press conference following the win, Nemo expressed pride in accepting the trophy for "people that are daring to be themselves and people that need to be heard and need to be understood." "We need more compassion, we need more empathy," he said. Meanwhile, Croatia's Baby Lasagna, whose real name is Marko Purisic, came second with "Rim Tim Tagi Dim." The Ukrainian duo Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil placed third with "Teresa & Maria." Out of a total of 25 finalists, Germany landed in 12th place with singer Isaak's "Always on the run." The winner of the competition is determined by the votes of television viewers in Europe and around the world. These votes are combined with those of juries of music professionals in each of the 37 participating countries. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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Switzerland’s neutrality remains unchanged, the country’s foreign ministry has insisted ahead of the peace conference on the Ukraine conflict next month.
Russia has accused Bern of effectively siding with the West and Kiev in the current confrontation, making it an unfit mediator. According to the Swiss government, the ‘Peace in Ukraine’ summit aims to pave the way towards a “just and lasting peace” in the eastern European country. Bern has invited more than 160 delegations from around the world, including members of the G7, G20, BRICS, and EU. However, Switzerland has not extended an invitation to Russia. Moscow has described the upcoming gathering as “pointless,” and said it would refuse to participate even if it were invited. The Kremlin has argued that the conference is based around Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s peace formula, which Russia has dismissed as an unrealistic ultimatum. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin deemed Bern’s seemingly mutually exclusive statements absurd. He stressed that “we are not being invited there” while at the same time “it is being said that it’s impossible to resolve anything” without Russia. On Friday, Reuters quoted a Swiss foreign ministry representative as stressing that Bern’s neutrality is “constant” and will not be affected by the summit on June 15-16. The statement noted, however, that “being neutral does not mean being indifferent.” “Switzerland strongly condemns Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Outside the military realm, the right to neutrality does not stand in the way of solidarity and support for Ukraine and its people,” the ministry clarified, as quoted by Reuters. Despite not being a member of either the EU or NATO, Switzerland has supported the West’s sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine. Last month, the country’s national agency overseeing sanctions revealed that Bern was holding an estimated 13 billion francs ($14.3 billion) in Russian assets, which remain frozen in its financial institutions. Also in April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters that “Switzerland simply does not suit us” as a host of any peace negotiations with Ukraine. “It is not a neutral party, it has turned from neutral to openly hostile,” the diplomat claimed at the time. While some political forces in Switzerland advocate aligning the country’s position more with the US and the EU, a poll conducted by the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich, a research university, which was published in March, demonstrated that some 91% of Swiss citizens believe the country should stay neutral. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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The strongest solar storm in more than two decades struck Earth on Friday, triggering spectacular auroras worldwide. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center, the first of several coronal mass ejections (CME) occurred shortly after 1600 GMT.It was later upgraded to an "extreme" geomagnetic storm. It was the first such storm since the Halloween storms of October 2003, which caused blackouts in Sweden and damaged power infrastructure in South Africa. The green and blue lights — which are expected to continue for a few days — were seen from Britain to Tasmania, with officials in the US saying sightings might be possible as far south as Alabama and Northern California. Meanwhile, people from all over Germany posted photos of the aurora on social media. Scientists say the best views of the aurora may come from cell phone cameras, which are better at capturing light than the naked eye. What are the CMEs? Each eruption, known as a CME, can contain billions of tons of plasma and magnetic field from the sun's outer atmosphere, or corona. More CMEs are expected to hit the planet in the coming days. Unlike solar flares, which travel at the speed of light and take about eight minutes to reach Earth, CMEs travel at a more leisurely pace. Officials say the current average is 800 kilometers (500 miles) per second. The CMEs come from a massive sunspot cluster that is 16 times larger than our planet. The sun is nearing the peak of an 11-year cycle that brings with it heightened levels of activity. Authorities warned satellite operators, airlines and the power grid to take precautions in preparation for possible disruptions due to changes in the Earth's magnetic field. How dangerous are geomagnetic storms?
Fluctuating magnetic fields associated with geomagnetic storms induce currents in long wires, including power lines. These currents can potentially cause power outages. Long pipelines can also become electrified, causing technical problems. Spacecraft are also at risk from high doses of radiation. NASA said the storm posed no serious threat to the seven astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Its crew could move to a better-shielded part of the station if necessary The atmosphere prevents this radiation from reaching the Earth. The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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A Swiss-proposed peace conference on the Ukraine conflict will take place on June 15-16, a statement from Bern announced on Thursday.
It added that more than 160 delegations from around the world have been invited to take part, although Russian diplomats are not among them. The Swiss government revealed plans in February to host a major peace summit “by the summer,” but did not offer specific dates at the time. In its latest statement, Bern said Moscow had not been invited to join “at this stage.” Moscow has previously called the proposed conference “pointless” and said it would not participate, even if invited. Ukraine has indicated that Russia would only be invited if it agreed to a litany of preconditions which Moscow has branded as “absurd.” According to the Swiss government, the purpose of the ‘Peace in Ukraine’ summit is to develop a common understanding of a path towards a “just and lasting peace.” Posting on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Swiss President Viola Amherd wrote that “Global collaboration is key to shape a peaceful future.” Let’s advance dialogue based on the UN Charter towards a #PathToPeace,” she said, adding that the event will be held at the Burgenstock resort near Lucerne. The delegations invited to the summit include members of the G7, G20, BRICS, the EU, international organizations, and two religious representatives, according to Bern. The talks also aim to create a roadmap for Russia’s participation in the process, the statement said. Moscow has not ruled out engagement with Kiev, but has signaled it has no intention of attending the Swiss conference. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said last month the forum as envisaged would be dedicated to the promotion of the ‘Zelensky peace formula,’ which Moscow has panned as unrealistic. Ukraine insists that peace can only be negotiated on President Vladimir Zelensky’s terms, which include the withdrawal of Russian forces from what Kiev regards as “illegally occupied” territory. Moscow has rejected the demands as a non-starter, stressing that it will not surrender Crimea or four other former Ukrainian regions that joined Russia after holding referendums. Negotiations between Moscow and Kiev effectively broke down in the spring of 2022, with both sides accusing each other of making unrealistic demands. Russian President Vladimir Putin subsequently said that Ukrainian negotiators had agreed to some of Moscow’s terms, only to abruptly renege on the deal. Kiev’s lead negotiator, David Arakhamia, revealed in November 2023 that his team’s main goal was to “buy time” for the Ukrainian military. The Kremlin has said it remains open to discussions, but only if Kiev recognizes the “reality on the ground.” The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
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