The Daily Populous

Sunday September 26th, 2021 evening edition

image for Swiss vote 'yes' to same-sex marriage

Switzerland has voted by a wide margin in favor of allowing same-sex couples to get married and adopt children, in a referendum held on Sunday.

The Alpine nation has now become the latest western European country to recognize LGBTQ+ marriages.

Official results show 64.1% percent voted "yes" to legalizing same-sex marriages, while 36% voted "no," according to initial results from gfs.bern.

However, supporters say it could take months before such marriages could take place, mainly because of the country's administrative and legislative procedures.

Ahead of the vote, the government and lawmakers had urged voters to back "marriage for all," and eliminate the current "unequal treatment" of LGBTQ+ couples.

But conservative politicians — opposed to the law — managed to secure the required 50,000 signatures to put the issue to a referendum.

Switzerland decriminalized homosexuality in 1942, but local and regional police forces were known to have maintained "gay registers" until the 1990s. »

Extinction of Indigenous languages leads to loss of exclusive knowledge about medicinal plants

Authored by news.mongabay.com
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It found that 91% of this knowledge exists in a single language, and that the extinction of that language implies the loss of the medicinal knowledge as well.

In a recent study, Bascompte and biodiversity specialist Rodrigo Cámara-Leret warn that the extinction of Indigenous languages equates to a loss of traditional knowledge about medicinal plants, which could reduce chances for the discovery of future medicines.

While upholding this call for action, the study highlights that the loss of languages will likely have a greater impact on the extinction of medicinal knowledge than the loss of biodiversity. »

Minister: Iran will return to nuclear talks `very soon’

Authored by apnews.com

While “standing up new sanctions against Iran,” he said, the United States can’t keep speaking of returning to the nuclear deal, even holding bilateral talks with Iran, and criticizing Trump policies.

The Biden administration implored Iran on Thursday to quickly return to talks on its nuclear program, which were suspended in June ahead of the Iranian elections, warning that the window for negotiations may soon close.

“Have no doubt,” he said, “that if they wish to continue their previous language towards Iran and previous comportment towards Iran, the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran will not remain tied.”. »

Covid 19 coronavirus: Norway dumps all Covid restrictions to 'live as normal'

Authored by nzherald.co.nz

Pedestrians walk along Karl Johans Gate, the main shopping street in Oslo, Norway, on September 23, 2020.

Norway has ditched all its Covid-19 measures, even social distancing, in a radical move that as yet has unclear consequences.

Norway is the second Scandinavian country to end the restrictions, following in the footsteps of Denmark who waved goodbye to lockdowns on September 10. »