Hack Vote, Get Money; Massive Picasso Collection Comes To Basel; New Scooter Sharing Service Kicks Off; Basels Vote Against Services Merger

News For 12 January, 2019

Switzerland's federal authority overseeing elections has offered a bounty of 150,000 Swiss francs to any hackers that can successfully alter elections.  In an effort to enhance the security of its voting systems, and to boost public confidence in electronic voting systems, the program is set to begin February 25 and end March 24.  A bogus election has been scheduled for the test period, and any hackers that can successfully demonstrate having undetectably altered the votes in the system will claim the grand prize of 50,000 francs.  Smaller prizes are available commensurate with the level of intrusion as evaluated by the program's sponsors.  Canton's have been experimenting with electronic voting since at least 2004, with varying levels of success.  However, the federal elections commission has launched an initiative to make electronic voting in national elections a viable option within 2 years.

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The newest major exhibition at the Fondation Beyeler near Basel, which shows a young Pablo Picasso in search of his identity as a painter, is the most elaborate and expensive exhibition ever shown at Fondation Beyeler.  The works on display are from the painter's early years, demonstrating Picasso's journey to becoming the most famous artist of the 20th century. The exhibition also includes around 80 of the most famous paintings and sculptures in the world, borrowed from renowned museums in Europe, the US, Canada, Russia, China, and Japan. The exhibition’s opening was a major event, with hundreds of journalists crowded into the Fondation Beyeler. The guest of honor was Claude Picasso, aged 71, the son of the famous artist and the administrator of the estate of his father's numerous works. The exhibition, which runs until May 5th, is said to be one of Europe's most prominent cultural highlights of 2019.

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Early in January, mobility-sharing service Lime had to pull its scooters from the streets of Basel and Zurich, after a series of well publicized injuries by users. Apparently, people really like the service however, as a new startup from Berlin called Tier Mobility announced on February 7 that 200 of their e-scooters are now distributed throughout the city. The popularity of the devices seem to hinge on those that are looking to quickly cover the last bit of distance in a trip where cars or public transportation are not easily available. For example, say you are late for a meeting and just arrived at the Banhof, a scooter could zip you to your destination across town at 25 KM/h for approximately 1 Swiss franc. Driving the scooters are governed by the same road rules as bicycles, and helmets are strongly recommended, though not included in the scooter rental.

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As we reported a few weeks ago, an initiative was on the ballot during the Cantonal Referendum last Sunday, February 10 to consider consolidation of Basel-Stadt and Basel-Land municipal services. Proponents saw the referendum as a means to streamline and reduce the cost of services like firefighting, ambulance, sanitation and civil services. However, many people opposed what they saw as an underfunded Basel-Land needing the funding of its richer neighbor to continue providing basic services. By Sunday night the votes were in, and for the time being-having been voted down, both Cantons will maintain separate and independent services.