Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Several cantons under a heightened risk of fires; telecom operator raises the price of monthly subscriptions; and other Swiss news in our roundup on Wednesday.
There is a significant risk of forest fires in some Swiss regions
As firefighters are trying to control a massive blaze that broke out on Monday in upper Valais, the government says other parts of Switzerland are also at risk of fires due to drought.
This colour-coded map from the Federal Office for the Environment shows where the danger is currently highest — red areas designate ‘great risk’, while orange ones represent ‘considerable’ risk.
Aside from Valais, the canton of Graubünden is in the ‘great danger’ category as well.
Aargau, Glarus, St. Gallen, Geneva, and Neuchâtel face a ‘significant’ risk of fires.
Salt to increase prices of subscriptions by 3 percent
Following the lead of its competitor, Sunrise, which is raising its prices by 4 percent from this month, Salt also announced, on Tuesday, that it would increase the cost of its monthly subscriptions from September.
To justify the hike, the telecom company cited “significant increase in operating costs over the past 18 months," including those for energy and labour.
Salt added that all customers affected by the hike “will be informed over the next few days.”
The country’s largest telecom operator, Swisscom, has not yet increased its prices and is not planning to do so before the end of 2024.
City-owned housing in Zurich: tenants are chosen at random (but some try to cheat)
Apartment buildings owned by the municipality are in high demand in Zurich, as they are a more affordable alternative to conventional housing — which is both scarce and expensive.
As a result, there are far more applicants for these accommodations than there are available units, which has pushed the city to attribute these apartments by a random number generator.
Kornel Ringli, a spokesperson for the city, told 20 Minuten news portal on Tuesday that an average of 600 people register for each vacant apartment, but only 50 are drawn at random to view the flat.
"Every now and then, people try to skip the random number generator,” he said.” “With the worsening housing shortage, the ideas on how to bypass the system have become more creative.”
READ ALSO: Zurich hit by affordable housing shortage amid record-high immigration
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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There is a significant risk of forest fires in some Swiss regions
As firefighters are trying to control a massive blaze that broke out on Monday in upper Valais, the government says other parts of Switzerland are also at risk of fires due to drought.
This colour-coded map from the Federal Office for the Environment shows where the danger is currently highest — red areas designate ‘great risk’, while orange ones represent ‘considerable’ risk.
Aside from Valais, the canton of Graubünden is in the ‘great danger’ category as well.
Aargau, Glarus, St. Gallen, Geneva, and Neuchâtel face a ‘significant’ risk of fires.
Salt to increase prices of subscriptions by 3 percent
Following the lead of its competitor, Sunrise, which is raising its prices by 4 percent from this month, Salt also announced, on Tuesday, that it would increase the cost of its monthly subscriptions from September.
To justify the hike, the telecom company cited “significant increase in operating costs over the past 18 months," including those for energy and labour.
Salt added that all customers affected by the hike “will be informed over the next few days.”
The country’s largest telecom operator, Swisscom, has not yet increased its prices and is not planning to do so before the end of 2024.
City-owned housing in Zurich: tenants are chosen at random (but some try to cheat)
Apartment buildings owned by the municipality are in high demand in Zurich, as they are a more affordable alternative to conventional housing — which is both scarce and expensive.
As a result, there are far more applicants for these accommodations than there are available units, which has pushed the city to attribute these apartments by a random number generator.
Kornel Ringli, a spokesperson for the city, told 20 Minuten news portal on Tuesday that an average of 600 people register for each vacant apartment, but only 50 are drawn at random to view the flat.
"Every now and then, people try to skip the random number generator,” he said.” “With the worsening housing shortage, the ideas on how to bypass the system have become more creative.”
READ ALSO: Zurich hit by affordable housing shortage amid record-high immigration
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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