Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
It’s coronation build-up time: dignitaries are arriving in London ahead of tomorrow’s ceremony.
They include Swiss President Alain Berset, who is due to meet King Charles, his wife Camilla and other members of the British royal family on Friday at Buckingham Palace.
Berset and his wife will be among the 2,000 guests attending the coronation, with the official ceremony starting at 11am local time on Saturday.
Read on for more news and stories about Switzerland.
In the news: Chinese ambassador and Ukraine, more hacking victims and female representation in public spaces.
- Chinese ambassador to Switzerland Wang Shihting says the crisis in Ukraine is linked to NATO’s expansion eastwards since the Cold War.
- The IT systems of the Swiss newspaper group Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) was attacked on March 24 by hackers who reportedly demanded a ransom to stop the release of sensitive staff data on the dark web. Several other Swiss media groups have been affected. In the latest news, the Blick and Tamedia press groups confirm they too have been hit by the recent attack by cybercriminals in Switzerland.
- As glaciers melt in the Alps at unprecedented rates due to the climate crisis, river biodiversity is under threat and many invertebrate species risk extinction, a study shows.
- The Swiss city of Neuchâtel today inaugurates a square named after a female writer, but women are still largely in the minority in the public space, reports Swiss public broadcaster, RTS.
- Forests in Switzerland have been badly affected by rising temperatures due to climate change, becoming weaker and more vulnerable to disease and forest fires. The federal and cantonal authorities have identified priority areas for action and measures to help forests adapt to survive.
Geneva to ban smoking in some outdoor public places.
Switzerland struggles when it comes to tobacco prevention. It is the second-worst country in Europe at stamping out tobacco addiction, according to the European Association of Cancer Leagues. Nicotine consumption is also rising among teenagers.
It’s hard to stub out the habit. Around one in four people in Switzerland smokesExternal link – a stable trend over the past decade – while the figure is slightly higher among 15- to 24-year-olds (31.7%).
Smoking has been banned in Switzerland in enclosed areas for over a decade, but people can smoke freely in most public areas.
In Geneva the authorities now want to clamp downExternal link. From June 1, smoking will be banned in some outdoor locations in Geneva, including bus stops, playgrounds, and outside schools.
The Geneva parliament agreed to this change in January 2022. But they decided not to extend the ban to restaurant and café terraces. Anyone caught breaking the law will be liable to a CHF100-1,000 fine.
Will Switzerland get a second national holiday on September 12?
Swiss democracy is unique and should be celebrated – with a national holiday. That’s the opinion of almost 100 parliamentarians in Bern.
Yesterday the House of Representatives accepted a motion in favour of celebrating September 12 – against the advice of the government.
Parliamentarian Heinz Siegenthaler saidExternal link he had introduced the motion for the new holiday, which was approved by 94 votes to 82, because he wanted to commemorate the achievements of the state born on September 12, 1848, such as direct democracy, the rule of law, the separation of powers and federalism. That date was the adoption of the first federal constitution.
The government, however, was opposed to the inclusion of September 12 as an additional national holiday. Justice Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider noted that Switzerland has only one national holiday, August 1, which she said is well established and appreciated by the population.
August 1, Swiss National Day, became a national holiday as the result of a people’s initiative in 1993.
Baume-Schneider pointed out that this year Switzerland was celebrating the 175th anniversary of the federal constitution and that numerous events were planned. On July 1-2, many government buildings in Bern would be open to the public, and this is possible without an additional public holiday, she said.
The Senate still has to confirm the decision of the House of Representatives.
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The Great Swiss Cheese Robbery
Swiss mediaExternal link have the detailsExternal link of how British fraudsters stole32 tonnes of Gruyère and Emmenthal cheese, worth CHF450,000, from the firm Cremo back in 2020.
Cremo was tricked into sending trucks of cheese to the UK by people claiming to be buyers for the luxury department store Harrods and the retail chain Iceland Foods. Instead, the cheese ended up on the black market.
Cremo filed an official complaint for fraud with the Fribourg public prosecutor’s office. “The fraudsters acted very cleverly,” Thomas Zwald, Secretary General of Cremo, told Swiss public radio, SRF. Cremo is the second-largest milk processor in Switzerland after Emmi.
After an initial telephone contact, Cremo received a convincing email from an alleged “Harrods” buyer. “We are looking for a long-term partnership to benefit from your company’s cheese selection,” it said. The mail listed the correct Harrods VAT number.
Cremo delivered hundreds of pieces of cheese that ended up in a warehouse in south-east London. From there it disappeared, reportedly onto the black market and onwards to grocery stores across the UK.
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