Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Zurich city council counters proposal for cheaper housing; Swiss party urges the killing of wolves; and other news in our roundup on Friday.
Zurich government counters housing proposal
The city’s Social Democratic Party launched a proposal called “Affordable Housing for Zurich,” which demands that municipal authorities invest 250 million francs to buy more properties and land to create more affordable housing.
However, the city council presented its counterproposal this week.
While authorities don’t deny that Zurich’s residents are faced with the worsening housing shortage and rents which are among the highest in Switzerland, they have said many of the housing infrastructures demanded in the proposal already exist in one form or another.
City officials also said that they can't unilaterally earmark 250 million francs for this project; any expenditure of public funds that exceeds 20 million francs must be approved by taxpayers in a referendum.
Rightwing party encourages the killing of wolves
The populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) is no stranger to controversies, as well as extreme views on subjects ranging from immigration to wild animals (party members are opposed to both).
On Thursday, the SVP took a tough stance on some 300 wolves that live in 31 packs in Switzerland’s countryside.
Arguing that these ‘predators regularly attack and kill sheep, calves, and lambs,” the party announced the launch of its new online game called ‘Stop the Wolf,” where players are urged to kill as many of these carnivores as they can.
“Zero tolerance must apply [toward wolves]," said SVP deputy Michael Graber. “People and livestock must be protected against wolf attacks, including through preventive shooting.”
Needless to say, this announcement sparked a wave of criticism.
About 48,000 people signed a petition to denounce the killing of wolves, with the pro-wolf lobby pointing out that this animal “remains a protected species and its protection must be guaranteed.”
READ ALSO: Swiss organisation again calls for volunteers to scare wolves away
On Saturday, look skyward
October may not be as known for meteor showers as August, but you can still spot shooting stars in the dark night sky.
According to MeteoSwiss, meteors from the Dragon constellation (which is located around the North Star) will reach their peak between Saturday and Tuesday.
Die nächste Zeit bringt ruhiges herbstliches #Hochdruckwetter. Abgesehen von hohen Wolken sind die Nächte meist klar – speziell auch am Wochenende. Riskieren Sie einen Blick nach oben, es sind einige besondere #Meteorströme aktiv! Details hier => https://t.co/1or8j2tUdy (km) pic.twitter.com/TgHyeeYH7x
— MeteoNews Schweiz (@MeteoNewsAG) October 4, 2023
“They are also called Giacobinids, because they originate in the dust trail of comet 1P/Giacobini-Zinner,” MeteoNews noted. “They are relatively slow and are clearly visible. “
Luckily for star gazers, this year “the observation possibilities are favourable because, in the evening, the radiant is high in the sky, and the Moon, still half lit, does not rise until after midnight.”
What happened to autumn?
Though September 23rd marked the first day of the fall season, warm and sunny weather continues throughout Switzerland.
There is going to be more of the same this weekend and at least until Thursday: mostly sunny, with temperatures in low to mid 20s in all regions — the kind of pleasant weather commonly called ‘Indian summer.’
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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Zurich government counters housing proposal
The city’s Social Democratic Party launched a proposal called “Affordable Housing for Zurich,” which demands that municipal authorities invest 250 million francs to buy more properties and land to create more affordable housing.
However, the city council presented its counterproposal this week.
While authorities don’t deny that Zurich’s residents are faced with the worsening housing shortage and rents which are among the highest in Switzerland, they have said many of the housing infrastructures demanded in the proposal already exist in one form or another.
City officials also said that they can't unilaterally earmark 250 million francs for this project; any expenditure of public funds that exceeds 20 million francs must be approved by taxpayers in a referendum.
Rightwing party encourages the killing of wolves
The populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) is no stranger to controversies, as well as extreme views on subjects ranging from immigration to wild animals (party members are opposed to both).
On Thursday, the SVP took a tough stance on some 300 wolves that live in 31 packs in Switzerland’s countryside.
Arguing that these ‘predators regularly attack and kill sheep, calves, and lambs,” the party announced the launch of its new online game called ‘Stop the Wolf,” where players are urged to kill as many of these carnivores as they can.
“Zero tolerance must apply [toward wolves]," said SVP deputy Michael Graber. “People and livestock must be protected against wolf attacks, including through preventive shooting.”
Needless to say, this announcement sparked a wave of criticism.
About 48,000 people signed a petition to denounce the killing of wolves, with the pro-wolf lobby pointing out that this animal “remains a protected species and its protection must be guaranteed.”
READ ALSO: Swiss organisation again calls for volunteers to scare wolves away
On Saturday, look skyward
October may not be as known for meteor showers as August, but you can still spot shooting stars in the dark night sky.
According to MeteoSwiss, meteors from the Dragon constellation (which is located around the North Star) will reach their peak between Saturday and Tuesday.
Die nächste Zeit bringt ruhiges herbstliches #Hochdruckwetter. Abgesehen von hohen Wolken sind die Nächte meist klar – speziell auch am Wochenende. Riskieren Sie einen Blick nach oben, es sind einige besondere #Meteorströme aktiv! Details hier => https://t.co/1or8j2tUdy (km) pic.twitter.com/TgHyeeYH7x
— MeteoNews Schweiz (@MeteoNewsAG) October 4, 2023
“They are also called Giacobinids, because they originate in the dust trail of comet 1P/Giacobini-Zinner,” MeteoNews noted. “They are relatively slow and are clearly visible. “
Luckily for star gazers, this year “the observation possibilities are favourable because, in the evening, the radiant is high in the sky, and the Moon, still half lit, does not rise until after midnight.”
What happened to autumn?
Though September 23rd marked the first day of the fall season, warm and sunny weather continues throughout Switzerland.
There is going to be more of the same this weekend and at least until Thursday: mostly sunny, with temperatures in low to mid 20s in all regions — the kind of pleasant weather commonly called ‘Indian summer.’
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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