More Swiss roads and are closed due to flooding

Severe rain and resulting floods of recent days, which have particularly impacted Valais and Ticino, have disrupted road traffic to and from these two cantons.

The following mountain passes are currently closed,  the Federal Roads Office announced on Monday: 
 
Nufenen Pass
 
Furka Pass
 
Grimsel Pass
 
Susten Pass
 
San Bernardino Pass
 
Simplon Pass
 
These are in addition to other roads closed in the aftermath of landslides that hit various areas of the country at the end of June, making south-bound traffic difficult for the time being.

READ ALSO: The alternative routes from Switzerland to Italy 

Appeals trial opens in Swiss ‘George Floyd’ case

A Swiss appeals trial began Monday for six police officers acquitted over the death in custody of a Nigerian man, a case that has drawn comparisons to George Floyd’s killing in the United States.

Dozens of people gathered outside the courthouse in Renens, western Switzerland, to show support for the family of Mike Ben Peter.

The 39-year-old died following a violent arrest after he refused a police drug search in Lausanne in early 2018.

In the encounter, involving six police officers, he was pinned to the ground on his stomach, according to his family’s lawyer Simon Ntah.

“He was held in positional asphyxia” for several minutes, the lawyer told AFP before the initial trial.

Ben Peter died in hospital a few hours later after suffering a heart attack.

His death initially received little attention, but the global outcry over Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police in May 2020 placed a bigger spotlight on the Swiss case.

Fribourg MPs approve initiative for a minimum wage

The canton’s parliament confirmed on Monday that it has green-lighted the initiative calling for a minimum wage of 23 francs per hour.

Spearheaded by left-wing parties and trade unions, the measure must be submitted to a referendum and can be implemented only if approved by voters.

If they do, Fribourg will become the sixth canton — after Geneva, Neuchâtel, Jura, Basel-City, and Ticino — to institute minumum pay.
 
READ ALSO: Where is Switzerland’s highest minimum wage? 

Zurich to introduce a new parking concept

The current Zurich rule mandating “one parking space per residential unit,” is judged impractical for new constructions, especially given shortage of land.

In some cases, authorities even had to ban multi-storey buildings to avoid having to provide additional parking spots on an already densely populated land.

Now, the cantonal council commission is giving each municipality the right to determine how many parking spaces should be created in new developments.

This number will depend on whether the housing is for senior citizens, families, or other uses — in other words, how many people are actually likely to own a car.

Euro 2024: ‘Nati’ fans don’t trust German trains to get them to games

Deutsche Bahn trains are not exactly known for punctuality and reliability, as supporters of Swiss national football team have found out.

The loyal supporters attend all the games the ‘Nati’ is playing in Germany.

So far, they followed their team to Cologne for the game against Hungary, Scotland, and Italy — each time opting to travel by train.

And every single time, Deutsche Bahn has let them down: between hour-long delays and not arriving at their destination at all, the disappointed fans told Swiss media on Monday that they will drive to Düsseldorf to watch Nati play against the UK on July 6th. 

“When we see what is happening [with trains] in Germany, we can only be happy with what we have in Switzerland,” they concluded.

READ ALSO: Why Switzerland beats Germany for reliable trains  

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