Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Find out what's going on today in Switzerland with The Local's short roundup of the news.
Ticino impacted by wild weather
Heavy downpour that has been impacting parts of Ticino since Monday has caused flooding and landslides.
It has never rained so much in the canton in the space of two days since measurements began in 1918, according to Meteonews.
Die letzten 1-2 Stunden gab es im #Tessin bezüglich Gewitterregen zwar eine kleine Atempause, über Italien sind aber schon neue #Gewitter in Anmarsch. Die heutigen #Regenmengen sind einmal mehr enorm! In der Nacht breiten sich auch im Norden Regengüsse und Gewitter aus. (km) pic.twitter.com/od3Gs66uS5
— MeteoNews Schweiz (@MeteoNewsAG) July 27, 2021
And as the situation is not expected to improve today, authorities are urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel and not to stop on bridges and along waterways.
Weather damages crops across Switzerland
Among those most affected by the heavy rains, hail storms and flooding of the past two weeks are numerous Swiss farmers, whose fields were destroyed and entire crops badly damaged.
"This will be a bad year for plant cultivation across all crops, with poor yields and lower quality than usual," said Markus Ritter, president of Switzerland’s farming association.
A flooded near Daillens, western Switzerland. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
READ MORE: Floods: Why was Switzerland impacted less severely than Germany?
Vaccination: Switzerland lags behind its European neighbours
To date, over 47 percent of the Swiss population has been fully vaccinated, but that rate is lower than its neighbours' Germany, Italy, Austria, and even Liechtenstein. Only France trails behind.
Swiss health officials say the pace of inoculations slowed down because of summer travel and hope the campaign will pick up from September.
Switzerland has one millionaire for six inhabitants
This means that there are more wealthy people per capita here than almost anywhere else in the world.
That’s because Swiss economic situation remains stable despite the pandemic and taxation is low. “The risk of higher taxes for high-income people is controlled in Switzerland, unlike some places abroad”, according to an analysis by UBS Bank.
READ MORE: Which Swiss canton has the most millionaires?
Also, in Switzerland the debt ratio has stagnated at 40 percent of gross domestic product. By comparison, in Germany it is around 70 percent, and France, it exceeds 100 percent.
“Those looking for a place with stable institutions and established luxury venues in global luxury markets are likely to increasingly set their sights on Switzerland”, said UBS economist Katharina Hofer.
And in sports news…
Vladimir Petkovic, who for the past seven years coached Switzerland’s national football team (The Nati) and is credited with taking the team to the the Euro 2020 quarter-finals in June of this year, will leave the Nati for France’s Girondins Bordeaux.
The Swiss National Football Team has not yet announced who will be Petkovic’s replacement.
READ MORE: ‘We don’t like France, Germany or Italy’: How linguistic diversity unites Swiss football fans
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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Ticino impacted by wild weather
Heavy downpour that has been impacting parts of Ticino since Monday has caused flooding and landslides.
It has never rained so much in the canton in the space of two days since measurements began in 1918, according to Meteonews.
Die letzten 1-2 Stunden gab es im #Tessin bezüglich Gewitterregen zwar eine kleine Atempause, über Italien sind aber schon neue #Gewitter in Anmarsch. Die heutigen #Regenmengen sind einmal mehr enorm! In der Nacht breiten sich auch im Norden Regengüsse und Gewitter aus. (km) pic.twitter.com/od3Gs66uS5
— MeteoNews Schweiz (@MeteoNewsAG) July 27, 2021
And as the situation is not expected to improve today, authorities are urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel and not to stop on bridges and along waterways.
Weather damages crops across Switzerland
Among those most affected by the heavy rains, hail storms and flooding of the past two weeks are numerous Swiss farmers, whose fields were destroyed and entire crops badly damaged.
"This will be a bad year for plant cultivation across all crops, with poor yields and lower quality than usual," said Markus Ritter, president of Switzerland’s farming association.
READ MORE: Floods: Why was Switzerland impacted less severely than Germany?
Vaccination: Switzerland lags behind its European neighbours
To date, over 47 percent of the Swiss population has been fully vaccinated, but that rate is lower than its neighbours' Germany, Italy, Austria, and even Liechtenstein. Only France trails behind.
Swiss health officials say the pace of inoculations slowed down because of summer travel and hope the campaign will pick up from September.
Switzerland has one millionaire for six inhabitants
This means that there are more wealthy people per capita here than almost anywhere else in the world.
That’s because Swiss economic situation remains stable despite the pandemic and taxation is low. “The risk of higher taxes for high-income people is controlled in Switzerland, unlike some places abroad”, according to an analysis by UBS Bank.
READ MORE: Which Swiss canton has the most millionaires?
Also, in Switzerland the debt ratio has stagnated at 40 percent of gross domestic product. By comparison, in Germany it is around 70 percent, and France, it exceeds 100 percent.
“Those looking for a place with stable institutions and established luxury venues in global luxury markets are likely to increasingly set their sights on Switzerland”, said UBS economist Katharina Hofer.
And in sports news…
Vladimir Petkovic, who for the past seven years coached Switzerland’s national football team (The Nati) and is credited with taking the team to the the Euro 2020 quarter-finals in June of this year, will leave the Nati for France’s Girondins Bordeaux.
The Swiss National Football Team has not yet announced who will be Petkovic’s replacement.
READ MORE: ‘We don’t like France, Germany or Italy’: How linguistic diversity unites Swiss football fans
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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