Новости за 21.09.2018

More than half of the Swiss electorate do not take part in national elections. Turnout among the Swiss Abroad is particularly low.  Paradoxically, direct democracy is one of the biggest reasons for low turnout in elections to elect parliamentary representatives, as the Swiss can vote on various policy issues in initiatives and referendums up to four times a year.  This reduces the significance of national elections. In a survey, the second-most cited reason given by those who stayed away from such... Читать дальше...

The state-owned PostBus company is to hand back CHF205.3 million ($214 million) to the government, cantons and communes following a scandal over illegal subsidies. The firm is obliged to pay back CHF188.1 million and is paying a further CHF17.2 million voluntarily. Swiss Post, of which PostBus is a subsidiary, the Federal Office of Transport, and the Conference of Cantonal Directors of Public Transport signed a framework deal on the issue on Friday  “We want to repair the damage and make the... Читать дальше...

The fact that Switzerland has yet to have ratified the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) and is hosting its conference is shameful, a top WHO official has declared.  “I think this is more of a shame than a problem that Switzerland is not party to the treaty, as this is all about protecting the public health of the population,” the head of the FCTC Secretariat, Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva, told reporters at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva on Friday. Читать дальше...

Workplace whistleblowers are to be better protected by law, the government has proposed. But a transparency group says the move does not go far enough. The government wants a multi-level model: first those involved are to go to their employers, then the relevant authorities, such as the police. After this, the whistleblower should be allowed to go public if officials fail to act. A previous bill was sent back by parliament in 2015 for being too complex. The latest proposal aims to give clarity... Читать дальше...

Swiss journalist and intellectual Niklaus Meienberg, who was particularly well respected in German-speaking Switzerland, ended his own life 25 years ago.   After studying history at the University of Fribourg and Zurich, Niklaus Meienberg became a journalist. He went first to Paris, where he covered the start of May 1968 events and the rise of the French politician François Mitterrand. His Paris years helped to seal his reputation. Meienberg’s articles, which were popular with the public, appeared in leading newspapers such as Weltwoche... Читать дальше...

The South Korean group Hyundai is to sell 1,000 hydrogen-powered trucks to Switzerland in the next five years, with the first vehicle scheduled for delivery at the end of 2019. Switzerland will be the first country with a fleet of such vehicles.  Trucks are mostly powered by diesel, which creates a pollution problem. That means electrical vehicles are an interesting potential market. But motor manufacturers have different ideas. The South Korean company Hyundai and the Japanese firm Toyota are among... Читать дальше...

A so-called “chocolate law”, introduced in 1974 to compensate Swiss food exporters for the high price of domestic milk and cereals, will end next year.  On Friday, the Federal Council announced the law would no longer be effective from January 1, 2019.  The law enabled the government to protect Swiss dairy and wheat farmers from foreign imports via high tariffs without penalising exporters of transformed food products like chocolate. Companies like Nestlé and Lindt & Sprüngli therefore received... Читать дальше...

Prominent Geneva politician Pierre Maudet will also temporarily step down as head of the Conference of Cantonal Justice and Police Directors, as the fallout from his controversial trip to Abu Dhabi continues. But he will still be the head of the cantonal body in name, the organisation said in a statement on Friday. The board had decided to give the duties to Urs Hofmann in the meantime. The Aargau politician is the most senior college in term of time served, it said. Maudet had been in charge of... Читать дальше...

The Swiss Air Force will be testing air-to-air missiles in Sweden due to lack of sufficient space in Switzerland.  On Thursday, two Swiss F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets left the Emmen airfield in Switzerland and landed in Sweden at the Vidsel Test Range aerodrome. Various missile tests will be conducted there until October 12 under the supervision of Armasuisse, the Federal Office for Defence Procurement.  “Modern air-to-air missile tests require very large spaces, vast safety zones and modern measuring... Читать дальше...

Consensus government, division of powers, federal constitution: all frightening words for children. But now, a new book – and a popular animated character – tries to explain to the young how democracy functions in Switzerland. It’s difficult to explain the Swiss political system to children. Anyone who has tried has probably been met by blank looks; many children see politics as something belonging firmly in the adult world. How can we make children enthusiastic about politics? “By telling them... Читать дальше...

The Dalai Lama is visiting Switzerland on a four-day trip beginning on Friday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Tibet Institute near Zurich. No meetings with the government have been scheduled.  The Tibetan spiritual leader will not be received by any of the seven-member Federal Council during his 15th visit to the country.  "It is particularly incomprehensible that the government is not receiving the Dalai Lama this time," Thomas Büchli, president of the Swiss-Tibetan Friendship Association, told the news agency Keystone-ATS. Читать дальше...

How many tourists are too many? The city of Lucerne is thinking of new ways to deal with the enormous amount of daily visitors it has.

The Russian ambassador in Bern has refuted claims by the Swiss press that one in four Russian diplomats based in the country is a spy. He accused journalists of distorting reality and drawing their own conclusions from assumptions.  In an interview on Thursday evening on Swiss Public Television SRF, Sergueï Garmoni said the allegations were a campaign organised by "certain circles". He said that he fully shares the view of Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis of the need for an “open and constructive dialogue" between the two countries. Читать дальше...