Switzerland Today

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Swiss ski resorts are not only hoping for a white Christmas – they want the snow to arrive as soon as possible. A lack of snow is forcing some areas to postpone the start of the ski season.

This content was published on October 28, 2022 - 18:00

3 minutes

I write about the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence technology and its possible impacts on society. Originally from England, I spent some time at the BBC in London before moving to Switzerland to join SWI swissinfo.ch.

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In the news: Credit Suisse’s petrodollars, cigarette factory shutters and another literary prize for a Swiss author.

Many Swiss media outlets have drawn attention to Credit Suisse’s increasing financial ties with the Middle East. This follows a major restructuring plan by the bank that will make the Saudi National Bank a big shareholder. Other Saudi and Qatari investors already have significant stakes in Credit Suisse.
A 200-year-old factory in Boncourt, canton Jura, has been making Parisienne cigarettes, the second best-selling brand in Switzerland, since 1887. That’s about to end as British American Tobacco announced plans to shutter the factory and move production elsewhere in Europe. The closure will affect some 200 jobs in the region.
Another day, another literary prize for a Swiss author. Giuliano da Empoli has won the French Academy’s prestigious Grand Prix du Roman for “Le Mage du Kremlin” (“The Wizard of the Kremlin”), a novel about the inner workings of Vladimir Putin’s regime. Earlier this month, Kim de l’Horizonclaimed the prestigious German Book Prize 2022 with the novel Blutbuch (Blood Book).

People skiing in Switzerland — © Keystone / Christian Beutler

Weather Gods bypass Swiss ski resorts

Many Swiss ski resorts are looking to the heavens waiting for the first snow of the winter season. But all to no avail. Hardly any resort has a decent covering of snow with the ski season set to start next week, reports the Watsonnews portalExternal link. This stands in stark contrast to last year when the snow came early.

Global warming has been blamed for shrinking Swiss glaciers at an unprecedented rate and greening the Alps like never before.

The jury is out on how well ski resorts will fare this winter season. The KOF Swiss Economic Institute is predicting another bumper yearfor ski resorts, but the industry itself is feeling more pessimistic and has the added worry of coping with rising energy costs.

Elderly person in ambulance — © Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Deaths back on the rise after the pandemic

The deadliest phase of the Covid-19 pandemic looks to be behind us, but the death rate among over-65s in Switzerland is climbing to worrying levels again, reports theExternal linkTages Anzeiger newspaper.

The death rate of pensioners has been above average for 24 out of 41 weeks this year, which translates into 4,500 extra deaths, according to official figures. The increased mortality rate has puzzled experts but may be explained by an abnormally hot summer, the start of the flu season and the fact that coronavirus has not gone away entirely.

Earlier this month, the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research had shown life expectancy in Switzerland returning to normal after the pandemic, unlike the case in other countries.