Switzerland Today
Greetings from Lausanne!
I’m not into hunting but I must admit that this time of the year I really look forward to a traditional chasse dinner – a plate of roast deer with Brussel sprouts, caramelised chestnuts, grilled spätzlis, red cabbage… I could go on. Did you know that most game meat consumed in Switzerland comes from Austria, Germany and Slovenia?
In the news: China-US talks in Zurich, non-mRNA Covid jabs and a Winterthur mosque.
- A cross-party group has handed in signaturesopposing a financial support package for the media passed by parliament in June. The opponents say the law is unconstitutional and a waste of taxpayer money.
- United States national security adviser Jake Sullivan held closed-door talks with senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi in Zurich today in a bid to improve communication between the two countries. The meeting is a follow-up to US President Joe Biden’s call with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping last month and comes at a time of heightened tensions between the world’s two largest economies over a range of issues, including Taiwan.
- Switzerland has ordered 150,000 doses of the single-shot non-mRNA Covid vaccine manufactured by the Janssen firm, part of the Johnson & Johnson group. Cantons are due to start administering the vaccineExternal link to over-18s this week starting in Vaud, Fribourg and Aargau, followed by other regions. Previously, only two vaccines – both mRNA – have been approved and rolled out: Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.
- Six people have had their convictions upheld for detaining and attacking two other worshippers at the controversial An’Nur mosque in Winterthur, which has since been shut down. The events date back to 2016 when police raided the mosque following media reports of hate preaching and the recruitment of worshippers as jihadi fighters.
The impact of Covid-19 on Swiss living standards.
Over the past 18 months, we have received a steady stream of forecasts and studies, mostly gloomy, about the impact of the pandemic on the population and the economy more generally. The latest studyExternal link by the Federal Statistical Office paints a more polarised picture than previous research.
It shows that the pandemic has diminished the earnings of 11.3% of the Swiss population. The negative impact on wages has been particularly tough for low-income workers (-20%) and foreigners living in Switzerland (-17%). (Photo above of food handouts during pandemic taken in Geneva in 2020). More than a third of people working in the catering and hospitality sectors has seen a drop in income.
Conversely, the proportion of people who say they can make ends meet has risen from 48% to 58%. This is probably because many people have cut back on spending, particularly on holidays and leisure activities.
Feelings of job security have nonetheless taken a hit. Before Covid-19, more than two-thirds of Swiss workers felt their jobs were safe. During the lockdowns, this figure fell to 53% and has since risen to 60.5%.
It’s the hunting season in Switzerland.
The Tages-Anzeiger newspaper revealsExternal link today that most game meat eaten in Switzerland is not caught in cantons Graubünden (photo above), Bern or Valais but actually comes from Austria, Germany or Slovenia. Why?
On average, the Swiss consume 470 grammes of game meat every year, mainly in October and November. Demand can be considerable, say hunters. But official statistics show that only 39% of the game meat consumed comes from Switzerland. The proportion was even lower in the past.
Every year, shooting limits set by cantons are rarely attained and the numbers of wild deer and wild boar have increased. Why are more animals not shot in Switzerland?
Basically, hunting has become more complicated and expensive, explains hunter Bruno Rosser. A permit to shoot a deer in canton Bern costs CHF210 ($226); it costs a similar amount to kill a wild boar. For people from outside Bern, a hunting licence is triple the price. To meet demand, most game is therefore imported from Austria (844 tonnes in 2020), Germany (491 tonnes), Slovenia (430 tonnes) and New Zealand (363 tonnes).
Minister defends choice of US F-35 jets – again.
Swiss Defence Minister Viola Amherd has once again publicly backed the Federal Council’s decision to buy 36 US F-35 fighter jets to replace its ageing fleet of F-5 Tigers and F/A-18 Hornet jets by 2030.
In an interview with the Tamedia media group,External link the defence minister said it was no longer possible to choose another aircraft, as demanded by a left-wing initiative. “We are in a procurement process with fixed deadlines, which poses legal problems,” said Amherd.
Just before summer, the government announced it wants to buy the new F-35 aircraft from US manufacturer Lockheed Martin. This decision has sparked criticism from many quarters. A left-wing alliance, led by the Group for a Switzerland without an Army (GSoA), recently began collecting signatures for a “Stop F-35” initiative in a bid to trigger a popular vote on the issue.
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