Pro-Palestinian protests held at four Swiss universities

Following in the footsteps of colleges in the US, Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, students at University of Geneva and Lausanne, as well as two polytechnic institutes — ETHZ and EPFL  — are holding rallies demanding that their respective schools cut ties with Israeli institutions over the war in Gaza.

Police dispersed protestors in some of the universities, but no violence was reported.
 
READ ALSO: Pro-Palestinian student protests spread in Switzerland 

Swiss unemployment rate falls further
 
Already lower in comparison with other European nations, Switzerland’s jobless rate has dropped further in April, albeit slightly — from 2.4 to 2.3 percent.

This is what emerges from the new data published by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) on Tuesday.

Unemployment rate declined among workers of all age groups, according to SECO:  by 4.4 percent among people up to 24, and by 1.1 percent among those aged 50 to 64. 

This is how much SWISS airline earns from each passenger

In terms of the profit yielded by each passenger travelling on Switzerland’s national carrier, the airline outperforms not only its ‘mother’ company, Lufthansa, but also other airlines belonging to the same group.

While Lufthansa earns an average of 14.4 euros (14.07 francs) per ticket, SWISS makes a whopping 41.3 euros (40.3 francs) per ticket. The other Lufthansa subsidiaries earn even less from each passenger: at Eurowings it is 11.6 euros, at Austrian Airlines 9.2 euros, and at Brussels Airlines only 6.2 euros.

Why is there such a disparity?

“On the one hand, the Swiss population has high purchasing power, and on the other, flights to Switzerland are generally also booked by many guests with purchasing power,” Lufthansa chief Carsten Spohr said in an interview on Tuesday 

“The Lufthansa Group would not be what it is without SWISS,” he added.

Expect heavy traffic over the Ascension weekend

As numerous motorists are setting off for the four-day weekend, the Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) is warning drivers to expect a significant volume of traffic and bottlenecks on Swiss roads.

The heavier-than-usual traffic is expected on the A2 and A13 motorways, especially on the approach to the Gotthard and San Bernardino tunnels.

The Great St. Bernard Tunnel, the Simplon Pass, as well as railway lines through the Lötschberg and the Simplon, will serve as alternative routes to avoid the Gotthard Tunnel. 

You can see which motorways and main roads to avoid, here.

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