Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
The 80th anniversary of the dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima is the big topic in the media on Wednesday – in Switzerland as it is in many other places.
In more specifically Swiss news, the major story is naturally the ongoing US tariff soap opera, which has very much yanked the press from its summer slumber.
And in lighter affairs, a slow and rather unwieldy vehicle, which was very popular in the 1980s, has sparked a wave of nostalgia in Switzerland – the trusty moped.
An episode from the Second World War is driving headlines around the world on Wednesday. Exactly 80 years ago, on August 6, 1945, the first atomic bomb was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
In Hiroshima itself, a minute’s silence was held on Wednesday at the exact time the atomic bomb was detonated in 1945 – 8:15am local time. Over 100 countries took part in the ceremony in memory of the 140,000 victims of the bombing.
For the media, the commemoration is an opportunity to once again give a voice to the victims, who testify both to the trauma of the event and to the long-term health and social impact for survivors. Meanwhile time is running out to hear such accounts: survivors of the bombing, who were children at the time, are now well over 80.
It’s also an opportunity to take stock of nuclear weapons, where the trend is no longer towards abolition, and with spending on arms rising sharply. Moreover, recent wars and conflicts have involved nuclear powers (Russia, India, Pakistan and Israel). “The nuclear risk is higher than ever”, says Melissa Parke, the director of ICAN, a Geneva-based NGO which won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize for its role in the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
Noisy, polluting, slow… and now enjoying an uptick in popularity. Mopeds are making a comeback in Switzerland.
In the 1970s and 1980s, mopeds were a fixture on Swiss roads, with more than half a million of them driving around. Since then, they have been largely abandoned. Like telephone boxes, typewriters and cheque books, mopeds looked set for the dustbin of history, replaced by scooters and electric bikes, which are more efficient and more fashionable.
However, statistics show that the trend is reversing and that the number of registered vehicles is on the rise in several cantons. In Zurich, for example, the number of mopeds has risen from 12,500 in 2014 to 14,500 ten years later. A sign of the revival is also that the number of moped-related events is on the rise, as are the prices of older models. A two-speed Puch that cost just over CHF1,000 in the 1970s can fetch CHF7,500 today.
The reason for this resurgence isn’t fully clear. One organiser of moped tours in canton Zug told SRF Info that it has a lot to do with nostalgia. “On a moped, you’re 14 again. It makes you feel young,” said Willy Wermelinger. The simple design of the moped also makes it easy to do some DIY tinkering.
On Wednesday, several Swiss media outlets reported on an unusual transaction that had all the makings of the deal of the century. Online retailer Digitec Galaxus sold more than 1,000 new cameras at a ridiculously low price – by mistake.
During the night of Monday to Tuesday, the site went ahead with a temporary sale, as it does every day. More than 1,000 Canon EOS SLR cameras with lenses were on offer for just… CHF35. A bargain! Needless to say, despite the late hour, the cameras sold like hot cakes in just a few minutes.
The only problem was that the website had made a big mistake. The online retailer told SRF Info that it had reversed the figures: instead of selling 35 cameras at CHF1,299 apiece, it sold 1,299 cameras at CHF35 each. Unfortunately for the bargain-hunters, they won’t now ever get to hold their order; the sales were cancelled due to an “obvious error”.
It’s hard to escape the big story in Switzerland this week: US tariffs. Wednesday was no exception, with Trump’s levies again making headlines in virtually all the Swiss media.
Today, however, there are no real new facts to get our teeth into. For the time being, it’s all about waiting for the outcome of the affair, with the deadline of August 7 looming.
Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter and Economics Minister Guy Parmelin are currently in Washington, trying to get US President Donald Trump to reverse his decision to impose a 39% tariff rate on Swiss imports; the decision, announced last week, is due to come into force tomorrow, August 7.
At the time of writing, the only new info is that Keller-Sutter is to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at 4.15pm (Swiss time) on Wednesday; no meeting with Trump is scheduled “for the time being”.
Are you a Swiss citizen living in New Zealand, Israel, Singapore, or Brunei? Swissinfo is giving you the chance to ask your ambassador a question.
On August 23, the SwissCommunity DaysExternal link – the new format of the Congress of the Swiss Abroad – is taking place in Bern. The Swiss ambassadors from New Zealand, Israel, and Singapore/Brunei will all be there – and will also be part of a panel discussion, hosted by Swissinfo.
Your questions could also feature. What have you always wanted to ask your ambassador? What’s your experience with the Swiss diplomatic representation where you live? As a Swiss Abroad, which topics are most important to you on a daily basis?
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