Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, Swiss Abroad Beat Reinhart has agreed to recount his experience of that day for the first time. He was working directly opposite the World Trade Center towers when they were struck. His account serves as a reminder that behind major historical events lie deeply personal memories.
Emotions are also running high in Switzerland following the accident involving a Dutch tourist coach in canton Graubünden, which claimed the lives of five people. The tragedy, which has attracted widespread attention in both the Netherlands and Switzerland, is dominating the national news.
Twenty-five years ago, the September 11 attacks shook the United States to its core and permanently altered the course of history. The hijacking of four commercial airliners, the attacks on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, and the deaths of nearly 3,000 people left an indelible mark on an entire generation and ushered in a new era in the fight against terrorism.
Commemorative ceremonies are being held today in the United States and several other countries to mark the 25th anniversary of the attacks. Beyond the emotion stirred by the images of the Twin Towers, the date remains linked to the profound geopolitical changes that followed, from the war in Afghanistan to tighter security measures in air travel.
To mark the occasion, Swissinfo speaks to Beat Reinhart, a Swiss national living abroad who was working in Manhattan, directly opposite the Twin Towers, on the morning of September 11, 2001. For 25 years, he has rarely spoken about that day. His account retraces, minute by minute, the confusion of the first hours, the evacuation of his office and the collapse of the towers, which he witnessed from the opposite bank of the Hudson.
Like many eyewitnesses, he focuses primarily on what happened afterwards. The shock, the silence, the succession of funerals and the lingering smell of the fires left their mark for months, even years. His account shows that, 25 years after the attacks, certain memories remain as difficult to recount as they were on the day they occurred.
The status of ‘divorced’ could soon disappear from official Swiss documents. The government supports a motion by Radical-Liberal Party parliamentarian Nadine Gobet calling for divorce to remain recorded as a civil status event but no longer to constitute a separate civil status. According to proponents of the reform, civil status should describe a person’s current legal situation, not their entire life history.
At present, a person whose marriage has ended may retain the designation ‘divorced’ on administrative forms for decades. Supporters of the change believe that this category is no longer necessary, as divorce is already recorded in official registers and can be accessed when needed. They also point out that the designation can be perceived as stigmatising during certain administrative procedures.
The reform is, however, still in its early stages. Backed by the government, the motion must still be examined by parliament before any legislative amendments can be made. Beyond its technical aspects, the debate reflects changing family structures and the growing difficulty faced by the authorities in adapting administrative categories to increasingly diverse life paths.
Finding accommodation in Switzerland is becoming ever more difficult. According to the latest figures from the Federal Statistical Office, the vacancy rate fell to 0.93% on June 1, with only 45,493 unoccupied homes across the country. This is the first time in around 15 years that the rate has fallen below the symbolic 1% threshold.
The fall below the 1% mark confirms that the housing shortage is spreading across much of the country. Fifteen cantons now have a vacancy rate below this threshold, a sign that the difficulty in finding a home is no longer limited to a few major urban centres.
However, the trend masks significant regional disparities. The situation is particularly tight in the cantons of Zug (0.2%) and Geneva (0.3%), which have the lowest vacancy rates in the country. Conversely, pressure remains significantly lower in certain outlying cantons, such as Jura, where the rate still stands at 3.35% – the highest in Switzerland.
The shortage is felt most acutely in the rental market. The number of properties available to rent has fallen by 6.7% year-on-year, while rents continue to rise. According to the Swiss Tenants’ Association, citing an analysis by specialist consultancy Wüest Partner, the supply of affordable housing has even halved in three years, while the high-end segment continues to grow.
A crash involving a Dutch coach in Graubünden has left five people dead and 40 injured. The vehicle, which was carrying tourists from the Netherlands, was travelling between Zernez and Susch in the Engadine when it struck a crash barrier before veering off the road and overturning. Three of the injured are in a serious condition.
The scale of the rescue operation reflects the severity of the accident. Seven helicopters from Rega and other rescue services, as well as numerous ambulances, were deployed to transport the victims to various hospitals. Operations continued for much of the night before traffic could resume on Friday morning.
The exact circumstances of the accident remain unknown. The Graubünden authorities have launched an investigation to determine what happened. According to initial information released by police, no other vehicles appear to have been involved. Some reports in the Dutch media suggest the possibility of an evasive manoeuvre, but this has not been confirmed.
Translated from French, sub-edited by Alexandra MV Andrist/ts
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