Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Questions raised about Swiss fuel prices, further damage to Swiss glaciers, and other news from Switzerland in our Friday roundup.
Swiss officials probe high fuel prices
While the price of crude oil is at the same level as before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, gasoline in Switzerland has gotten more expansive.
Right now, a litre of unleaded 95 costs 2.14 francs. However, “if there were a direct link between the price of crude oil and that of fuel, gasoline should cost 1.89 francs per litre”, the same price as before the war, Blick writes in a report.
Though Ramon Werner, head of Swiss fuels supplier Oel-Pool, said that crude oil and fuels are two completely different products, the Swiss Price Monitor’s office is now investigating whether the industry is charging unjustifiably high markups.
“We have received many complaints in which it is assumed that crude oil price increases are passed through more quickly than corresponding decreases”, said Beat Niederhauser, Deputy Price Monitor.
Heatwave: Swiss mountain peak resurfaces after 2,000 years
Le Col de Tsanfleuron, which connects cantons of Vaud and Valais at an altitude of 2,800 metres, has been buried under ice for almost two millennia — until now.
Only a decade ago, the thickness of its ice cover was 15 metres.
However, due to this summer’s heatwave, the glacier, which is a part of the Diablerets massif, has now been partially freed, and will be “entirely in the open air”, in a few weeks.
The loss of thickness of the glaciers in the Diablerets region “will be on average thee times higher this year compared to the last ten summers”, according to Mauro Fischer, researcher at the University of Bern.
In all, the summer of 2022 has been disastrous for Switzerland's glaciers.
Heatwave-related accelerated melting is shifting Switzerland’s borders and causing other irreversible damage.
READ MORE: Climate change transforming Switzerland ‘into Tuscany’, scientists warn
Fewer apartments for rent, higher prices, and no relief in sight
The number of new constructions does not keep pace with the increase in Switzerland’s population and the corresponding demand for more housing, according to new data released by Raiffeisen bank.
Throughout the country, apartment vacancy rate was 1.25 percent in June of this year, down from 1.54 percent at the same time in 2021, the research shows.
The bank concludes that "abundant supply observed over the past ten years is rapidly eroding, resulting in an increase in rental prices".
To make matters worse for apartment seekers, “this is only the beginning”, Raiffeisen warned, adding that the causes of this situation are linked to the increase in the population, including newly arrived immigrants.
READ MORE : How foreigners are changing Switzerland
Make a wish upon a star...
Tonight, you will be able to see countless shooting stars with the naked eye in the sky over Switzerland.
This is due to the Perseid meteor shower, a once-a-year event when larger meteors enter the atmosphere.
If you are lucky, you can spot up to a hundred shooting stars per hour — but only under good observation conditions, including a clear sky and a secluded place away from bright city lights.
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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Swiss officials probe high fuel prices
While the price of crude oil is at the same level as before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, gasoline in Switzerland has gotten more expansive.
Right now, a litre of unleaded 95 costs 2.14 francs. However, “if there were a direct link between the price of crude oil and that of fuel, gasoline should cost 1.89 francs per litre”, the same price as before the war, Blick writes in a report.
Though Ramon Werner, head of Swiss fuels supplier Oel-Pool, said that crude oil and fuels are two completely different products, the Swiss Price Monitor’s office is now investigating whether the industry is charging unjustifiably high markups.
“We have received many complaints in which it is assumed that crude oil price increases are passed through more quickly than corresponding decreases”, said Beat Niederhauser, Deputy Price Monitor.
Heatwave: Swiss mountain peak resurfaces after 2,000 years
Le Col de Tsanfleuron, which connects cantons of Vaud and Valais at an altitude of 2,800 metres, has been buried under ice for almost two millennia — until now.
Only a decade ago, the thickness of its ice cover was 15 metres.
However, due to this summer’s heatwave, the glacier, which is a part of the Diablerets massif, has now been partially freed, and will be “entirely in the open air”, in a few weeks.
The loss of thickness of the glaciers in the Diablerets region “will be on average thee times higher this year compared to the last ten summers”, according to Mauro Fischer, researcher at the University of Bern.
In all, the summer of 2022 has been disastrous for Switzerland's glaciers.
Heatwave-related accelerated melting is shifting Switzerland’s borders and causing other irreversible damage.
READ MORE: Climate change transforming Switzerland ‘into Tuscany’, scientists warn
Fewer apartments for rent, higher prices, and no relief in sight
The number of new constructions does not keep pace with the increase in Switzerland’s population and the corresponding demand for more housing, according to new data released by Raiffeisen bank.
Throughout the country, apartment vacancy rate was 1.25 percent in June of this year, down from 1.54 percent at the same time in 2021, the research shows.
The bank concludes that "abundant supply observed over the past ten years is rapidly eroding, resulting in an increase in rental prices".
To make matters worse for apartment seekers, “this is only the beginning”, Raiffeisen warned, adding that the causes of this situation are linked to the increase in the population, including newly arrived immigrants.
READ MORE : How foreigners are changing Switzerland
Make a wish upon a star...
Tonight, you will be able to see countless shooting stars with the naked eye in the sky over Switzerland.
This is due to the Perseid meteor shower, a once-a-year event when larger meteors enter the atmosphere.
If you are lucky, you can spot up to a hundred shooting stars per hour — but only under good observation conditions, including a clear sky and a secluded place away from bright city lights.
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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