Switzerland today
Greetings from Bern,
Switzerland is preparing for 100km/h winds from Storm Ortrud. Russia will have to prepare for a new round of sanctions and further isolation in the United Nations.
In the news: Russian exclusion, hybrid persecution and pricey health insurance premiums
- Switzerland joined 92 other countries in voting to expel Russia from the UN Human Rights Council (the second such expulsion since Libya in 2011). However, President Ignazio Cassis is reluctant to expel Russian diplomats or accuse Russia of war crimes.
- A suspected wolf-dog hybrid was shot in the eastern Swiss canton of Graubünden. The law requires the culling of such hybrids to protect the gene pool of wolf populations. So far there is no evidence to show that they exist in Switzerland.
- Last year there was a sigh of relief when health insurance premiums fell for the first time in many years. Experts warn that premiums could rise by as much as 10% on averageExternal link next year because health costs in 2021 were higher than insurers’ estimates.
Who are the Swiss abroad? Annual statistics show a slight increase in the expat population.
According to the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, the number of Swiss citizens living abroad increased by 1.5% in 2021. Three-quarters have at least one other nationality. The majority have not travelled far from home (64% live in Europe). Find out more about the so-called Fifth Swiss.
Science corner: The secret behind a good night’s rest
Not feeling rested when you wake up in the morning? Maybe it’s because you’re not getting enough deep sleep. Deep sleep phases become shallower and shorter with age.
Swiss researchers have developed a deviceExternal link that emits a clicking sound that enhances the slow brain waves that characterize deep sleep.
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