Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad,

Cash or card? Cash is widely used in Switzerland. But sometimes it feels as if the country is fast becoming a cashless society. Paying for a coffee with a card or contributing to a leaving present via Twint, for example, is now a common occurrence in our office.

Some Swiss citizens are worried about this cashless trend, however. They have collected sufficient signatures to try to force a nationwide vote to ensure the Swiss National Bank and government always maintain a sufficient quantity of banknotes and coins in circulation.

"Cash is freedom," declare the initiative’s backers, the Swiss libertarian movement (Mouvement libertaire suisse).

FEDPOL

In the news: avalanche deaths, new ID card, Swiss support for exporting war materiel and Swiss officials and MPs tour Africa and Taiwan.

• Two off-piste skiersdied when they were swept away by an avalanche near Disentis in southeast Switzerland on Saturday. Nine other people were killed in avalanches in Austria and Italy over the weekend as heavy snow and school holidays attracted skiers to the Alps.
• Anyone applying for a Swiss identity card from March 3 will receive a model featuring the latest security features and design. “Certain security elements are inserted into the materials, others are created during the manufacture of the card and still others when the card is personalised,” the Federal Office of Police said.
• Most Swisssupportrelaxing the rules on the export of war materiel.  A survey conducted by the Sotomo Institute found that 55% of Swiss think third countries should be allowed to supply Ukraine with weapons made in Switzerland.
• Swiss President Alain Berset arrived in Botswana for the start of a four-day tour of southernAfrica to discussExternal link economic and health cooperation. Berset, who is also interior minister, will later visit Mozambique, which will be the focus of a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York in mid-May on the protection of civilians in conflict areas.
• A University of Zurich study (carried out in 2018, 2020 and 2021) foundExternal link that cases of depression, anxiety disorder and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had increased among young women (average age 20 years old) as a result of the Covid–19 pandemic. Young women were more affected than young men. Uncertainty about the future and chronic stress in 2021 explain some of the adverse effects, researchers wrote.
• SocialDemocratFabianMolina, who is currently visiting Taiwan as part of a Swiss parliamentary delegation, says it is more vital than ever to support democracies after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

Switzerland offers support to Syria and Turkey after major quake.

Over 2,000 people have been killed and thousands more injured after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey and northwest Syria early on Monday.

The first quake, which hit in the early darkness of a winter morning near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, was also felt in Cyprus, Israel and Lebanon. A new 7.5-magnitude tremor hit at around 11.30 CET, which officials said was “not an aftershock”.

Many buildings have collapsed, triggering searches for survivors in the rubble. A rescue operation is under way with numerous countries and organisations sending specialists and aid to the region.

“Our thoughts are with the people of Turkey and Syria hit by the tragic earthquake. We extend our condolences to the families of the victims and wish recovery to all the injured. Switzerland is ready to provide emergency relief,” Interior Minister Alain Berset, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, tweeted on Monday.

Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis also expressed his condolences for the tragedy and said Switzerland was ready to offer humanitarianaid to Turkey after the “terrible earthquake”.

The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) is preparing to send 80search-and-rescuespecialists, it told the Keystone-SDA news agency. They should fly to the region on Monday evening. The FDFA is also examining aid options for Syria via its regional offices.

Various countries have promised to send rescue teams and support, including the United States, India, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Spain, Taiwan and Israel.

© Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

Rebuilding a young dinosaur in Basel.

About 150 million years ago, dinosaurs like the diplodocus used to roam Switzerland. A diplodocus was typically around 25 metres long when fully grown. But very complete diplodocus skeletons have ever been found.

Currently, a young diplodocus skeleton is being rebuiltExternal link by scientists at the Basel Natural History Museum,

They are carefully putting back together the skeleton of a young diplodocus, thought to be 70-80% intact, which was bought from a private owner in Wyoming, United States.

What is special is that the neck is completely preserved: all 15 vertebrae next to each other including the connection to the first dorsal vertebrae. No other known skeleton of this species is so completely preserved. Pieces of the skull are also present. But many of the pieces have to be carefully prepared as they are encrusted in rock.

“It’s a very beautiful and uniqueskeleton,” says Emanuel Tschopp, a dinosaur expert at the University of Hamburg.

While dinosaur skeletons can be seen in many museums, they are mostly full or partial reconstructions rather than real bones. 

The young dinosaur, which is around eight metres tall, will be a majorattraction at the new building of the Natural History Museum, which is scheduled to open in 2028.