Author: switzerlandtimes.ch
At the end of September 2023, driving was banned on a 60 metre section of Langstrasse in Zurich. To enforce the ban, cameras were later set up on 8 January 2024 to catch and fine errant drivers. Since then 17,310 fines have been issued. The driving ban, which excludes buses, was introduced to make the area more cycling friendly and applies from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. At CHF 100 each, the recent fines have generated 1.7 million of revenue for the city. However, a city official said the authorities are unhappy about the number of fines issued and would…
Much of the progress being made in AI is captured within private companies aiming to keep in to themselves in order to profit from it. Open AI, a project started as an open-source non-profit has morphed into a largely closed-source profit-maximising project increasingly integrated into the software company Microsoft. Many see open-source as critical to the healthy development of AI. A super computer combined with the knowhow of Switzerlands world-leading federal universities could help to swing the pendulum back into the open-source court, reported SRF this week. The supercomputer is based in the CSCS data center in Lugano. It will…
Lake Geneva is getting warmer and hit a record high in 2022, according to a recently published report by the International Commission for the Protection of the Waters of Lake Geneva (CIPEL). Since 2012, the water temperature at the bottom of Lake Geneva has risen by one degree while the average surface temperature has leapt by 1.2 degrees to 13.6 degrees. Similar changes have been recorded at Lake Constance, Switzerland’s second largest lake – these lakes also fall into French and German territory. These temperature changes might appear minor. However, they are not. As the surface water warms lakes become…
In 2023, Switzerland slipped one place in the EIU democracy ranking to eight place behind Norway, New Zealand, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Ireland. Overall, only 24 (14%) out of the 167 nations surveyed were classified as full democracies. The relatively small populations of these flag bearers of democracy means only 8% of the global population lives in a fully functioning democracy. Nearly 55% of the world lives under authoritarian or hybrid rule, which includes large nations such as China and Russia and nearly all of the Middle East and much of Africa. A further 38% of the global population…
On 8 February 2023, a man armed with an axe, a hammer and a knife held 13 people hostage on a train near the Swiss town of Yverdon-les-Bains, reported RTS. The man, an asylum seeker from Iran, was initially tasered by police as he ran towards them armed. After failing to stop he was fatally shot by another officer. The incident started at around 18:35 on a train between the towns of Yverdon-las-Bains and Baulmes and ended with a police intervention at 22:15. The hostages included 12 passengers and train engineer. None of them were hurt according to a police…
The number of people unemployed in Switzerland rose by more than most economists expected in January 2024. The rate at the end of January rose to 2.5%, up from 2.3% at the end of 2023, reported the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). A group of economists predicted it would be between 2.2% to 2.5%, placing the actual figure at the top end of expectations. However, the rate remains low by historical standards. And some of the month-on-month increase can be explained by typical seasonal variations, reported SECO. There is less work in construction, agriculture and the catering industry in…
Voting papers for the next lot of referenda are long in Geneva. A total of 10 questions on seven subjects will be put to voters. In addition to the two votes on state pensions (one to spend more, one to spend less), there will be questions on a monster building development, the minimum number of signatures required to hold cantonal and municipal referenda, extending the signature collection deadline during easter, halving car tax, and officially recognising Geneva’s unofficial anthem written in the local, but largely unused, dialect. The Praille-Acacias-Vernets (PAV) urban development project is a new district southwest of the…
This week, a survey was published setting out issues of greatest concern to the Swiss public. The five biggest issues cited by the Swiss population are of a monetary nature. Economic concerns haverisen, leaving issues such as climate change in sixth place. The top concern is healthcare costs and health insurance premiums. 41.8% were worried about this. This is the leading concern across all age groups, including those under 30 who are typically less worried about the issue. In second place, up from 5th last year, is the cost housing. This was listed by 33.4% of those surveyed. This is…
Swiss voters will be presented with four questions on 9 June 2024, announced the administration this week. According to RTS the four votes are on two initiatives on health insurance premiums, one on laws related to green energy and one on vaccinations. The Socialist Party gathered enough signatures for a vote on its 10% initiative, which calls for the government to subsidise the health insurance premiums of anyone paying in excess of 10% of their income on premiums. And they want the federal government to foot two thirds of the bill – the Federal Council wants cantons to cover more…
One of the most intriguing figures of our time – Elon Musk Each image in this album is a piece of history, capturing the essence of Musk’s journey. It’s an intimate expedition through various stages of his life from a bright-eyed, curious child, through his formative years, to the trailblazer leading some of the most successful technological endeavors of this century. Join us on this captivating odyssey, tracing the footsteps of a man who has dared to envision a better future for humanity.