Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Switzerland is facing recession, a deadly illness could be spreading to domestic animals, and other news in our roundup on Friday.
Switzerland pays homage to its tennis champ
Rarely does the retirement of a sports figure incite such an outpouring of emotion as the announcement on Thursday that Roger Federer is about to end his stellar career.
Among thousands of tributes praising Federer on social media, Defense Minister Viola Amherd said that Federer "was an exceptional ambassador for our country”.
Nicolas Bideau, president of Presence Suisse think tank tweeted that "Never has a person had such an impact on the image of Switzerland in the world. Roger Federer perfectly embodied the image of Switzerland”.
Jamais une personne aura marqué à ce point l’image de la Suisse 🇨🇭 dans le monde. Bravo pour ton incroyable carrière, et merci pour tout champion! pic.twitter.com/2Qeg4qppBA
— Nicolas Bideau (@NicolasBideau) September 15, 2022
And Swiss humorist Thomas Wiesel posted that while Great Britain “is said to lose their monarch, we are sad to lose ours”.
READ MORE: Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer announces retirement
Switzerland could be on the brink of recession — and it’s Europe’s fault
Even though Swiss economy has bounced back after the Covid pandemic and has been doing better than its European neighbours on the inflation front, “the next few months will be difficult", according to Martin Eichler. chief economist of the economic research institute BAK Economics.
While the country’s economy continues to be robust, Europe’s woes are expected to spill over to Switzerland as well.
“In many of Switzerland's European trading partners, the toxic mix of energy shortages and massive gas and electricity price hikes are already having recessive effects”, Eichler said.
Swine Fever could spread along Swiss motorways
Authorities are warning motorists not to leave food at motorway rest stops but dispose of it properly, because it could spread African Swine Fever, a disease that is deadly to domestic livestock.
According to researchers at the Swiss Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape, leftover food could be eaten by wild boars, which then could infect farm animals. They determined that the most likely transmission areas are on the A1 motorway between Geneva and St. Gallen because they are close to dense populations of wild boars.
Rest stops of the A2 around Lucerne, in Ticino, and along the A13 in Graubünden are also in wild boar areas. In all, the researchers identified 57 rest areas, spread over 14 cantons, where the risk of transmission is high.
Kremlin could be behind the fake snitch poster
The Federal Police Office (Fedpol) has been investigating the billboard asking Switzerland’s residents to report neighbours who overheat their homes.
After a careful examination of the technical aspects of the poster, Fedpol is suspecting that it is the work of Russia’s propaganda machine, though its purpose at this time is not clear.
The message that appears on the billboard says: “Does your neighbour heat his apartment above 19 degrees? Inform us”.
It also mentions a reward of 200 francs as an incentive for reporting those who use excessive amounts of heating. In the upper left corner, there is an official logo of Switzerland’s government and the telephone number of the Energy Ministry is listed for snitchers to use.
READ MORE: Energy crisis: Fake Swiss billboard urges residents to snitch on neighbours
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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Switzerland pays homage to its tennis champ
Rarely does the retirement of a sports figure incite such an outpouring of emotion as the announcement on Thursday that Roger Federer is about to end his stellar career.
Among thousands of tributes praising Federer on social media, Defense Minister Viola Amherd said that Federer "was an exceptional ambassador for our country”.
Nicolas Bideau, president of Presence Suisse think tank tweeted that "Never has a person had such an impact on the image of Switzerland in the world. Roger Federer perfectly embodied the image of Switzerland”.
Jamais une personne aura marqué à ce point l’image de la Suisse 🇨🇭 dans le monde. Bravo pour ton incroyable carrière, et merci pour tout champion! pic.twitter.com/2Qeg4qppBA
— Nicolas Bideau (@NicolasBideau) September 15, 2022
And Swiss humorist Thomas Wiesel posted that while Great Britain “is said to lose their monarch, we are sad to lose ours”.
READ MORE: Swiss tennis legend Roger Federer announces retirement
Switzerland could be on the brink of recession — and it’s Europe’s fault
Even though Swiss economy has bounced back after the Covid pandemic and has been doing better than its European neighbours on the inflation front, “the next few months will be difficult", according to Martin Eichler. chief economist of the economic research institute BAK Economics.
While the country’s economy continues to be robust, Europe’s woes are expected to spill over to Switzerland as well.
“In many of Switzerland's European trading partners, the toxic mix of energy shortages and massive gas and electricity price hikes are already having recessive effects”, Eichler said.
Swine Fever could spread along Swiss motorways
Authorities are warning motorists not to leave food at motorway rest stops but dispose of it properly, because it could spread African Swine Fever, a disease that is deadly to domestic livestock.
According to researchers at the Swiss Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape, leftover food could be eaten by wild boars, which then could infect farm animals. They determined that the most likely transmission areas are on the A1 motorway between Geneva and St. Gallen because they are close to dense populations of wild boars.
Rest stops of the A2 around Lucerne, in Ticino, and along the A13 in Graubünden are also in wild boar areas. In all, the researchers identified 57 rest areas, spread over 14 cantons, where the risk of transmission is high.
Kremlin could be behind the fake snitch poster
The Federal Police Office (Fedpol) has been investigating the billboard asking Switzerland’s residents to report neighbours who overheat their homes.
After a careful examination of the technical aspects of the poster, Fedpol is suspecting that it is the work of Russia’s propaganda machine, though its purpose at this time is not clear.
The message that appears on the billboard says: “Does your neighbour heat his apartment above 19 degrees? Inform us”.
It also mentions a reward of 200 francs as an incentive for reporting those who use excessive amounts of heating. In the upper left corner, there is an official logo of Switzerland’s government and the telephone number of the Energy Ministry is listed for snitchers to use.
READ MORE: Energy crisis: Fake Swiss billboard urges residents to snitch on neighbours
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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