Switzerland Today

Greetings from Zurich!

…at the end of the third warmest Swiss autumn since records began in 1864.

A warm winter would prove a double-edged sword. Melting glaciers and permafrost, plus barren ski slopes, would spell bad news. But with Switzerland facing potential energy shortfalls, some people are praying for a mild, damp winter.

But first, here’s the main news headlines of the day.

This content was published on November 29, 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.

A successful Swiss Pavilion, Words of the Year and the ‘Sociologist of Death’ dies.
The Venice Biennale contemporary art show ended with a record 800,000 visitors, with 500,000 visiting the Swiss Pavilion and an art exhibition by Latifa Echakhch (see picture above of her installation “The Concert”).
Strommangellage (energy shortage), boycotter (to boycott), penuria (shortage) and mancanza (shortage) are the 2022 Words of the Year in Switzerland’s four national languages, according to the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.
Swiss sociologist Bernard Crettaz, who spent much of his life studying and talking about the theme of death, has himself passed away at the age of 84.

A Rega helicopter hovers above a Swiss mountain — Keystone / Jean-christophe Bott

Rega’s wings are clipped

The air rescue service Rega is a familiar sight on Swiss ski slopes and carries out repatriations of members who have been injured or fallen ill in all parts of the world.

But there is one Swiss canton where Rega does not fly – Valais. Air rescue operations in this part of the country are carried out by Air Glaciers and Air Zermatt.

Rega has made no secret of being frustrated by this state of affairs. But the arrangement is set to stay after the Valais organisation that decides such matters opted for the status quo.

Rega has stationed a helicopter in Sion to get speedier access to the Bernese Oberland and canton Vaud. Its air rescue rivals saw this as a cheeky bid to gain market share in Valais.

But it’s been officially decided that there are enough helicopters between Air Glaciers and Air Zermatt to cope with any emergency – so Rega is not needed in this corner of Switzerland.

Swiss special forces training on a boat in Lake Lugano — VBS

Special forces show their (covered) face

Most people are in the dark about the existence of the Swiss army’s special forces unit, code-named AAD10, which can only be deployed with government approval. The elite force is on hand to guard Swiss dignitaries abroad and, if need be, rescue hostages.

A film crew that includes journalist Ruedi Weiss was granted an inside look at the Army Reconnaissance Detachment. This included an amphibious assault exercise on Lake Lugano.

“Anyone who wants to play Rambo has no point in being here,” says an AAD10 instructor.

In the meantime, 5,000 soldiers of the Swiss army have just completed a week-long exercise to test Switzerland’s defences against invasion. Motorists on their morning commutes were treated to the sight of columns of tanks rumbling down the highway, in the slow lane.

Army commanders were satisfied that its forces could see off invading armies.