Новости за 15.05.2024

Switzerland plans to introduce a flight passenger database from 2026 to collect and process personal data in a bid to combat terrorism and serious crime. The government has sent a related bill to parliament. Justice Minister Beat Jans told reporters on Wednesday that since the United States started collecting air passenger data after the 9/11 attacks on its territory, almost 70 countries around the world, including all 27 European Union member states, have exchanged such data via a national "Passenger Name Record" (PNR) system. Читать дальше...

The federal government intends to invest CHF16.4 billion ($18.1 billion) in railway infrastructure between 2025 and 2028, CHF2 billion more than for the current period. The larger financial envelope will go towards compensating for rising prices but also to provide more resources to the railways, the government said a press statement on Wednesday. The additional resources will be used in particular to implement projects to promote accessibility for people with disabilities. + Swiss Federal Railways... Читать дальше...

Swiss citizens will vote on a reform of occupational pension schemes and a biodiversity initiative on September 22, the Federal Council announced on Wednesday. A referendum against a reform of the so-called second pillar of the Swiss pension system, launched at the end of March 2023 by leftwing parties and unions, collected over 141,000 signatures, almost three times more than necessary. The reform provides for a reduction in the pension conversion rate from 6.8% to 6%, which is necessary due to rising life expectancy. Читать дальше...

Switzerland’s top criminal court has convicted a former interior minister of the Gambia for crimes against humanity during repression by the west African country’s security forces against opponents of its longtime dictator, a legal advocacy group said Wednesday. Ousman Sonko, the Gambia’s interior minister from 2006 to 2016 under then-President Yahya Jammeh, was sentenced to 20 years in prison, Trial International said on the platform X. + Sonko trial: prosecutor demands life imprisonment for Gambian... Читать дальше...

The body of a Canadian man who had been missing since the deadly avalanche that hit the Riffelberg ski slope in Zermatt on April 1 has been found, Swiss police announced on Tuesday. His body was discovered by a member of the Valais police who was hiking in the Riffelberg ski area on May 10. A subsequent investigation revealed that it was the 30-year-old Canadian skier who had been reported missing shortly after the fatal avalanche. + Avalanche at Swiss ski resort near Zermatt claims three lives A 58-year-old Swiss man... Читать дальше...

Buying an apartment or house in Switzerland has become ever more difficult, especially for young people. According to a recent survey, the average first-time homeowner in Switzerland buys a property 17 years later than the average French citizen and 14 years later than people in Germany. Stéphanie Marquis grew up living in a house. She would like her young family to enjoy the same experience. But the 35-year-old sales assistant has had to re-think her plans. “My number one dream would be to build my own house, based on my own choices. Читать дальше...

Watches belonging to Formula 1 great Michael Schumacher sold for around CHF4 million ($4.41 million) at auction house Christie's in Geneva on Tuesday. The eight watches, including timepieces by Rolex, F.P. Journe and Audemars Piguet, were put up for sale by the family of Schumacher, who has not been seen in public since suffering a severe head injury in a fall while skiing off-piste in 2013. + Schumacher condition under wraps on 50th birthday A custom made F.P. Journe watch with an engraved message... Читать дальше...

Ferdinand Hodler’s art has been repeatedly used to depict conservative or retrograde ideas of Swissness. Zurich’s Kunsthaus proposes a new take, highlighting Hodler’s more progressive stances through the eyes, and works, of contemporary artists. A woman in a blue dress, her arms raised and face tilted, seems to be swaying in a solemn, solitary dance. The painting by Ferdinand Hodler, perhaps Switzerland’s best-known and best-loved modern artist, forms the centrepiece of an exhibition at the Zurich... Читать дальше...

Police moved in early on Wednesday to remove some 30 pro-Palestinian student protesters from a Bern university building. The students left peacefully, according to news reports. Following a request by the police, the 30 protestors left the site at around 5am on Wednesday, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans outside the buildings, according to news reports. Since Sunday evening, dozens of activists had been occupying several university premises in the Swiss capital, including the university canteen.... Читать дальше...

The Swiss Abroad community is the focus of a new series of stamps published by the Swiss Post and the Pro Patria foundation. The concept was developed by young people who took part in holiday camps run by the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad. Pro Patria is the organisation responsible for designing and issuing stamps. It is no coincidence that the 2024 edition of the stamps focuses on the Swiss Abroad. The theme ties in with the 100th Congress of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), which will be held in Lucerne on July 11 and 13. Читать дальше...