Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
We often hear skiing is doomed due to global warming – at least in the long term. But as you will read in our rundown of Wednesday’s news in Switzerland, the sport is currently in top form.
Meanwhile, with the media cycle still dominated by the conflict in the Middle East, we offer a drop of gentle beauty with news of a small botanical miracle in Geneva.
The Italian ambassador to Switzerland is back in Bern. Recalled to Rome in January amid Italian disapproval of investigations into the Crans-Montana fire tragedy, Gian Lorenzo Cornado now sounds more upbeat about judicial cooperation.
Speaking to the French-language Swiss public broadcaster, RTS, the ambassador said that the conditions for his return had been met: cooperation between authorities in Italy and in canton Valais has been initiated. Notably, the Italian public prosecutor has already managed to consult “at least 3,000 documents”, half of which will soon be sent to Rome.
Italy has not, however, been granted another of its requests: the establishment of a joint investigative team. But it has been compensated by the enhanced collaboration that has been proposed and which “offers even more tools to Italian investigators”, the ambassador said.
Meanwhile, Cornado does not believe Italy is unduly interfering in the investigation. The collaboration amounts to “a frank dialogue, a confrontation between Switzerland and Italy, but in frankness and loyalty, as between friends”, he said. With six dead and some ten injured, Italy paid a heavy price in the tragic fire in a club in Crans-Montana on New Year’s Day.
Due to climate change and dwindling snow, it’s often said that skiing is heading into a long-term period of demise. But for now, the sport is still breaking records.
Is it a swan song? Slopes in Switzerland, at least, are increasingly busy. Sales of the Magic Pass, a single subscription giving access to a network of several ski resorts, have hit record levels. In its tenth edition, the network has already sold over 341,000 subscriptions for next season. Sales have jumped by 23% compared to the same period last year, which had already seen a 63% increase.
Another sign of the boom was the number of rescue operations carried out during the recent Easter weekend: a total of 311 missions were carried out by the three rescue companies. Air-Glaciers and Air Zermatt intervened 121 times, compared to 51 during the previous Easter weekend (+137%), most of the time for skiing accidents. Rega got involved 190 times.
And even though warmer weather is back, people are still keen to hit the snow. The closure of the slopes in Crans-Montana on Easter Monday, two weeks earlier than last year, sparked consternation. More than a thousand people signed an online petition against the closure of the canton Valais resort’s ski area at a time when many in Switzerland are still on Easter holidays.
In the Middle East, the situation remains unclear, but seems to be somewhat easing. After threatening the death of “a whole civilization”, US President Donald Trump did not carry through on his ultimatum. The US and Iran have agreed a two-week bilateral ceasefire, conditional on the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran has also submitted a ten-point proposal to Washington, to be discussed from Friday in talks hosted by Pakistan. The truce remains fragile, however: air strikes are ongoing in Lebanon, the war in Gaza is not over, and several Gulf countries are still seeing attacks attributed to Iran or its allies.
The ceasefire also raises the question of who gains most – or loses least – after over a month of confrontations. In the opinion of specialists consulted by RTS, Iran looks to have strengthened its position. “We find ourselves in a stage of negotiation like at the outset of the war, except that the Iranians have more cards to play in the matter, starting with the question of Hormuz,” said Jean-Pierre Chagnollaud, honorary president of the Mediterranean Middle East Research and Studies Institute in Paris.
Blick’s Richard Werly also summarises the situation in an analysis of Trump’s position. Admittedly, the president made a real show of force. “But where does his force lead when it is used in this way, and under these conditions?” he writes. The results of negotiations will enable a more precise analysis. But Werly says Trump already seems to have lost “the trust of his allies, military and geopolitical credibility and the ability to end the conflict on his terms”.
For once, a plant is causing a stir in the Swiss press. Geneva’s Botanical Garden is behind the attention, or rather, a Doryanthes palmeri – a giant spear lily – which has flowered in the garden’s greenhouses.
It took a 43-year wait for this plant, native to eastern Australia, to flower. Its blossoming period, extremely rare and brief, lasts only a few weeks and constitutes an exceptional event, including in its natural environment, where the species already takes about ten years to flower.
The Doryanthes palmeri, also known as the giant spear lily, is a monocarpic plant: it flowers just once before dying. But before disappearing, it produces offshoots, ensuring its descendants. Its growth and flowering require very specific conditions – heat, light, constant care – and patient monitoring over several decades.
Beyond the botanical spectacle, this flowering recalls the key role of botanical gardens in the conservation of threatened species. Classified as vulnerable in Australia since 1995, the Doryanthes palmeri benefits from a protected environment in Geneva that contributes to safeguarding this rare plant heritage. Another specimen flowered in 2022.
Translated using AI/dos
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