Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Parliament elects new Cabinet members today, Zurich announces fewer public transport options for 2023, and other Swiss news in our roundup on Wednesday.
Parliament chooses two new Federal Councillors today
With the departure of Finance Minister Ueli Maurer and Transport and Environment Minister Simonetta Sommaruga on December 31st, two new Cabinet members will be elected by MPs today from among four who had put forth their candidacies for the posts.
The Federal Council consists of seven members, each heading a specific Ministry and representing different political parties, so that the balance of power reflects that of the parliament.
As Maurer is from the Swiss People’s Party and Sommaruga from Social Democratic party, potential Councillors will be chosen from these parties.
Albert Rösti and Hans-Ueli Vogt are vying for Maurer’s post, while Eva Herzog and Elisabeth Baume – Schneider for Sommaruga's.
READ MORE: A foreigner’s guide to understanding Swiss politics in five minutes
Zurich to suspend some bus and tram lines from January
Due to illness-related absences and the consequent shortage of workers, some tram and bus lines will run at a reduced schedule, Zurich Transport Authority (VBZ) announced on Tuesday.
The changes will go into effect on January 9th, 2023 and last until spring.
Among the affected routes will be tram lines 15 and 17, with the former being suspended altogether, while the latter running only until 8:30 pm from Monday to Saturday and not at all on Sunday.
Reduced schedule is also planned for bus lines 32, 40, 61, 62, 66, and 89,
“The VBZ regret these adjustments to the schedule and are doing everything in their power to correct the situation,” the company said.
Russian oil price cap has 'no direct effect on Switzerland'
The European Union, the G7 countries, as well as Australia have decided last week to cap the price of Russian oil at $60 (56 francs) per barrel.
While some in Switzerland are worried that this move will cause the price of petrol to rise, Swiss industry experts say the measure will have the opposite effect — lower prices.
“The price cap therefore has no direct effect on Switzerland,” according to Fabian Bilger, Deputy Director of Avenergy, the Swiss association of the oil industry.
The country doesn’t rely on Russian oil and its supply is assured, Bilger said, pointing out that importers keep mandatory reserves of petroleum products — four and a half months for diesel, gasoline and fuel oil, and three months for aviation fuel.
REVEALED: The most 'Googled' subjects in Switzerland in 2022
Most common searches carried out this year in Switzerland reflect the current concerns of Internet users.
For instance, searches for "Ukraine," "World Cup 2022," and (of course) "Roger Federer" were among the most frequent.
Questions like "What is an oligarch?""Why Russia invaded Ukraine?" and "How long is Omicron contagious" also ranked high among Switzerland's users.
This list shows the most common terms and questions from the country's residents in 2022.
It also shows past Swiss searches , so you can compare how questions reflect the events and concerns of a particular year.
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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Parliament chooses two new Federal Councillors today
With the departure of Finance Minister Ueli Maurer and Transport and Environment Minister Simonetta Sommaruga on December 31st, two new Cabinet members will be elected by MPs today from among four who had put forth their candidacies for the posts.
The Federal Council consists of seven members, each heading a specific Ministry and representing different political parties, so that the balance of power reflects that of the parliament.
As Maurer is from the Swiss People’s Party and Sommaruga from Social Democratic party, potential Councillors will be chosen from these parties.
Albert Rösti and Hans-Ueli Vogt are vying for Maurer’s post, while Eva Herzog and Elisabeth Baume – Schneider for Sommaruga's.
READ MORE: A foreigner’s guide to understanding Swiss politics in five minutes
Zurich to suspend some bus and tram lines from January
Due to illness-related absences and the consequent shortage of workers, some tram and bus lines will run at a reduced schedule, Zurich Transport Authority (VBZ) announced on Tuesday.
The changes will go into effect on January 9th, 2023 and last until spring.
Among the affected routes will be tram lines 15 and 17, with the former being suspended altogether, while the latter running only until 8:30 pm from Monday to Saturday and not at all on Sunday.
Reduced schedule is also planned for bus lines 32, 40, 61, 62, 66, and 89,
“The VBZ regret these adjustments to the schedule and are doing everything in their power to correct the situation,” the company said.
Russian oil price cap has 'no direct effect on Switzerland'
The European Union, the G7 countries, as well as Australia have decided last week to cap the price of Russian oil at $60 (56 francs) per barrel.
While some in Switzerland are worried that this move will cause the price of petrol to rise, Swiss industry experts say the measure will have the opposite effect — lower prices.
“The price cap therefore has no direct effect on Switzerland,” according to Fabian Bilger, Deputy Director of Avenergy, the Swiss association of the oil industry.
The country doesn’t rely on Russian oil and its supply is assured, Bilger said, pointing out that importers keep mandatory reserves of petroleum products — four and a half months for diesel, gasoline and fuel oil, and three months for aviation fuel.
REVEALED: The most 'Googled' subjects in Switzerland in 2022
Most common searches carried out this year in Switzerland reflect the current concerns of Internet users.
For instance, searches for "Ukraine," "World Cup 2022," and (of course) "Roger Federer" were among the most frequent.
Questions like "What is an oligarch?""Why Russia invaded Ukraine?" and "How long is Omicron contagious" also ranked high among Switzerland's users.
This list shows the most common terms and questions from the country's residents in 2022.
It also shows past Swiss searches , so you can compare how questions reflect the events and concerns of a particular year.
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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