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TODAY IN SWITZERLAND

Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday

Zurich offers free Covid-19 tests, again; Swiss trains are more punctual in some regions than others; and other news in our roundup on Tuesday.

Published: 5 September 2023 08:46 CEST
Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday
It is punctual, but not everywhere. Photo: Pixabay

Zurich re-introduces free Covid tests

Since January 2023, only medically ordered Covid-19 tests have been free of charge.

However, as new Omicron variants are circulating in Switzerland, Zurich is offering free tests to any city resident who has symptoms or has been in contact with infected people, municipal authorities announced on Monday. 

The tests are carried out at the Center for Travel Medicine at the Institute for Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention, A maximum of 50 tests, both antigen and PCR, are available each day.

Swiss trains are more punctual than before – except in two regions
 
Punctuality rate for trains is higher than ever, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) said on Monday.

However, on-time arrivals and departures are better in the German than French-speaking regions.

Nearly one in 10 trains are more than three minutes late in the the French-speaking parts —9.5 percent versus 5.9 percent nationally.

This difference comes from the reduced time margin between stops in French-speaking Switzerland, according to SBB spokesperson Frédéric Revaz.

“We have kept the same basic schedule structure for 20 years. Additional trains have been put into service and the time reserve is no longer sufficient,” he said. “Also, the number of travelers has continued to increase, which requires more time for connections.”

To solve this problem, the SBB plans to increase the number of trains as well as the length of the journeys, Revaz said.

READ ALSO: How cuts to train services in French-speaking Switzerland will hit travellers

Abra cadabra: This is why chemistry will not make you wealthier

An entrepreneur from Fribourg lost 27,000 francs because he was taken in by a fraudster who had promised to increase his money with a chemical liquid, the cantonal police announced on Monday. 

The alleged offender, a Cameroonian living in Geneva, is in custody. It is believed his accomplices are perpetrating the same fraud in other parts of Switzerland, as well as in France.

According to the police, the so-called “wash-wash” trick is a scam used primarily by perpetrators from African countries.

“Easy money with no risk of loss is an illusion. No one has the ability to chemically duplicate banknotes,” the police stated what should be obvious, but apparently isn’t.

Swiss Post issues Lord of the Rings stamps 

If you are a fan of  J.R.R. Tolkien and his Lord of the Rinds trilogy, you will be happy to know Swiss Post has issued four special postage stamps for the the 50th anniversary of the death of the British fantasy author.

Four designs featuring The Shire, Gandalf, Smaug and Argonath are available in post offices and online from this week, with stamps featuring more characters to be available from September 7th.

If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at news@thelocal.ch
 
 
 
 

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TODAY IN SWITZERLAND

Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday

Switzerland named the world's 'best country'... again; new revelations about the forged signatures on voting petitions; and other Swiss news in our roundup on Wednesday.

Published: 11 September 2024 07:36 CEST
Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday

Switzerland has been named the world’s best country  — again!

For the third year in a row, the US News & World Report named Switzerland the best country in the world. 

“With a reputation for a high quality of life and a healthy business environment, the Alpine nation continues to tower atop the Best Countries rankings,” the magazine said on Tuesday.

Switzerland scored highly in a number of major categories, such as trustworthiness,  economic and political stability, quality of life, and safety.

It didn’t do well, however, in one attribute: affordability.

New revelations come to light in forged signatures scandal

The affair surrounding allegedly forged signatures on voting petitions for initiatives and referendums has taken on a new twist.

It appears that some organisations have collected signatures for money without a proper mandate, and then pressured referendum committees to buy them, the Federal Chancellery said in a press release on Tuesday.

“Such a commercial practice is likely to compromise the political rights of voters and the integrity of the signature collection procedure,” the Chancellery said.

“This type of abuse of democratic rights must be the subject of the in-depth monitoring of signature collections. Several cantons have already confirmed that they would participate in setting up this monitoring as soon as possible,” it added.

READ ALSO: Have Switzerland’s popular referendums been rigged? 

Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan convicted of rape on appeal in Switzerland

A Swiss appeals court on Tuesday said it found Islamic scholar Tariq Ramadan guilty of rape and sexual coercion in a Geneva hotel 15 years ago, overturning an earlier lower court acquittal.

The court said it “annuls the judgement of 24 May 2023”, and sentenced the 62-year-old former Oxford University professor to three years in prison, two of them suspended.

Ramadan’s accuser, a Muslim convert identified only as “Brigitte”, had testified before the court that he subjected her to rape and other violent sex acts in a Geneva hotel room during the night of October 28, 2008. (AFP)

Goodbye summer: polar air front will hit Switzerland today

The transition from summer to autumn is likely to be more abrupt than expected.

While it was still close to 30 degrees on Saturday, temperatures will drop sharply throughout the country today, according to MeteoSwiss weather service.

The arrival of the cold front  along with rain “will dramatically cool things down,” the meteorological service said.

The temperature will not exceed 13C in the next few days, warming up just a bit on the weekend — to 15C.

The most expensive Airbnb in Europe is in Switzerland

A new ranking has revealed that Europe’s most expensive Airbnb is a luxurious 386-square-metre penthouse with three bedrooms and as many bathrooms, located in a swanky resort of St. Moritz in Graubünden.

Anyone who wants to enjoy a 360-degree view of a mountain lake surrounded by Swiss Alps from the eighth-floor apartment  terrace will have to pay a whopping 20,671 francs a night for the privilege.

If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at news@thelocal.ch
 

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