Author: switzerlandtimes.ch
Switzerland’s Federal Council, or cabinet, announced this week that it does not support two initiatives aimed at banning the importation into Switzerland of fois gras and fur products produced cruelly. In December 2023, the Swiss Animal Alliance submitted the two popular initiatives, one aimed at banning the import of foie gras and one aimed at banning the import of fur products produced cruelly. On 10 April 2024, the Federal Council decided to reject both initiatives. While the Federal Council said that it understood the concerns behind the initiatives it said it would prefer to deal differently with the concerns of…
Since western forces withdrew from Afghanistan life has become increasingly difficult many living there, especially women, who are subjected to a strict dress code and restrictive rules that prevent them from studying, working and travelling alone. These restrictions make it very difficult for women to travel. Asylum in Switzerland can only be sought on arrival, so the only way to legally do this is to obtain a humanitarian visa first allowing travel. However, a Swiss Federal Administrative Court took a decision on a case this week that makes it clear that Afghan women do not automatically qualify for the humanitarian…
By the end of 2023, Switzerland’s population had swelled by 145,000 to reach 8.96 million, according to figures published by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) this week. The recent annual rise in numbers (+1.6%) was exceptionally high because of the roughly 50,000 Ukrainians who were counted as residents for the first time in 2023. The population grew in all Swiss cantons in 2023. However, the range of growth was significant: +0.9% to +2.4%. Cantons with the lowest population growth included Jura (+0.9%), Neuchâtel (+1.0%), Ticino (+1.0%) and Appenzell Innerrhoden (+1.0%). The canton with the highest rate of population growth was…
This week, the Federal Council recommended voters vote no in the referendum known as the stop compulsory vaccination initiative, scheduled for 9 June 2024, reported SRF. A key criticism of the initiative is its incompatability with law and challenges with enforcement. If it was accepted the consequences would be uncertain. Born from a fear that the population could be forced to have something injected, such as a vaccine or a microchip, the initiative aims to enshrine a fundamental right of individuals to be able to make decisions about their physical integrity without any repercusions, which is defined as professional or…
On Monday 1 April 2024 shortly after 2 pm, an avalanche at the ski resort of Zermatt killed three people and injured a fourth, reported Valais Police. The avalanche occurred in an off-piste area in the Riffelberg area on the Gornergrat side of the resort. The victims include a 15-year old American, a 25 year old Canadian woman and a 58 year old Swiss man. The fourth injured individual is a 20-year old Swiss man. An expert told SRF that he thinks the avalanche was triggered by a skier. On Monday, the avalanche risk was high. A video published on…
Airlines are under pressure to cut short flights between locations that are well connected by rail. The logic being that trains have lower emissions that planes. However, Swiss has no plans to cut flights between Switzerland’s two main cities, reported RTS. Dieter Vranckx, a manager at Swiss, told RTS that the company wants to optimise its network connections to French-speaking Switzerland. Airlines operate via hubs. Passengers from numerous small regional airports, such as Geneva, can be combined in larger airports like Zurich to improve the efficiency of onward flights. Trains could also bring people into hub airports, however, this presents…
Technological University Dublin ARROW@TU Dublin Dissertations Social Sciences 2019 A Decade of Desistance: An Exploratory Study in Desistance Theory Brendan Marsh Technological University Dublin Follow this and additional works…
Data published this week reveal Switzerland’s cantonal crime hotspot, a phenomenon connected to geography. In 2023, after a sharp rise, the canton of Basel-City recorded the largest number of violent crimes and the highest per capita rates of theft and burglary. The rate of violent crime reached 13.2 per 1,000 residents in the city in 2023. The number of property crimes, which includes theft and burglary rose to 21,329 in 2023, a figure 18% higher than in 2022. The canton of Basel-City borders France and Germany. This means there are numerous points where someone can flee cross the border into…
Alliance Swisspass, an organisation that stitches together Switzerland’s various public transport providers to create tickets and passes that work across the network, announced this week that there would be no ticket price increases in 2025, reported SRF. A recent rise in the number of people using the network is bringing in more revenue. This is helping to reduce the need to raise prices, said the organisation. In addition, Alliance Swisspass said that the sector wants to temper prices to entice more people to use its services. The last time prices rose was a shock to some. Towards the end 2023,…
When we pay electricity bills we also have to pay for the infrastructure that brings it to our homes. Part of this infrastructure is run by Swissgrid. On 20 March 2024, Swissgrid announced a cut in what it charges from 2025. In 2025, a household with an annual consumption of 4,500 kWh will pay an average of CHF 77 (-16%) for the services provided by Swissgrid instead of the CHF 92 it will pay in 2024. These charges corresponds to 5% of the total bill. So a 16% drop on a 5% component will shave nearly 1% off the total…