Switzerland Today
Greetings from Zurich!
The world is nervously watching a worrying sequence of events unfold in the Middle East – and Switzerland is no exception. More later on how Switzerland is responding to the threat of open conflict between Israel and Iran.
In the meantime, we bring you a round-up of other news from around Switzerland.
In the news: Swiss participation in a global oligarch taskforce is to be debated, Swiss buildings emit fewer greenhouse gases and UBS told to put more cash aside for a rainy day.
- A special session of parliament is to debate a motion for Switzerland to play an active role in an international taskforce focused on Russian sanctions.
- Swiss buildings emitted 3.5 fewer tonnes of CO2 equivalents in 2022 than in the previous year.
- Lucerne has enacted measures to prevent boats from introducing quagga mussels, or other harmful organisms, into Lake Lucerne.
- UBS cannot avoid having to build up a denser capital buffer against potential losses, warns Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter.
- In the meantime, former Credit Suisse executives have been told they can keep their bonuses despite running the bank into the ground last year.
- Swiss aid organisations have vowed to continue working in Haiti despite increasingly chaotic conditions in the country.
Middle East flashpoint
Switzerland has registered its concern at escalating violence in the Middle East, which reached a new level with an overnight rocket barrage of Israel from its enemy Iran.
“The attack significantly increases the risks for the region,” tweeted the Swiss foreign ministry on Monday. “The spiral of escalation must stop immediately.”
Having suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv at the weekend, Swiss International Air Lines says it is also avoiding the airspace of Iran, Iraq and Israel.
In the meantime, news has filtered through from a senior White House official that the US was in communication with Iran through Swiss channels both before and after the rocket attack.
Switzerland has for years offered its good offices as a go-between because normal diplomatic channels between the US and Iran don’t exist.
At this critical juncture, Switzerland’s good offices might be crucial to preventing violence in the region ramping up into outright war.
Will the Böögg keep its head this year?
Some traditions never fade away. The spring Böögg festival is testament to this fact. Every year since 1892, the residents of Zurich have burned a straw and firework-stuffed snowman effigy to predict the summer weather.
According to folklore, the quicker it takes for the Böögg’s head to explode, the warmer and drier the summer will be. This primitive weather forecasting ceremony is usually wrong.
Last year the Böögg erupted after 37 minutes and 59 seconds, signifying a poor summer. It turned out to be a scorcher.
But of course, traditional ceremonies are more about celebrating heritage than precise science.
The ceremony, run by the city’s trade guilds, is part of the Sechseläuten (six bells) tradition, which is linked to the spring equinox. It’s accompanied by old-fashioned costumes, horseback riders and much merriment.
Sechseläuten is slowly making room for the modern age. This year, three guilds will allow female participation – up from a single guild in 2023.
At the time of writing, the Böögg burning had yet to begin, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to find out what the effigy predicts for the coming summer.
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