The outgoing SVP federal councilor Ueli Maurer will continue to play a role in party politics. “I can certainly imagine a few performances as part of the party,” says Maurer in the “NZZ am Sonntag”. Party leader Marco Chiesa confirms that Ueli Maurer will step into the ring for the SVP after a long break in 2023: “That he will appear regularly on our channels in the future is currently under discussion.” Domenik Ledergerber also confirms: “Ueli Maurer will continue to fight for the SVP.” The president of the Zurich section praises the outgoing federal councilor: “Ueli Maurer is a sympathizer of the party. He can mobilize and is well received by the population.” If SVP veteran Maurer actually becomes involved in the election campaign, it would be highly unusual behavior for a former member of the state government.
The manufacturers of soft drinks, mixed milk drinks and quarks are committed to adding less sugar to their products. “All relevant companies are ready to achieve a 10 percent sugar reduction by the end of 2024,” a spokeswoman for the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (BLV) told the “NZZ am Sonntag”. The so-called “Milan Declaration” is a federal initiative. While other countries have introduced sugar taxes, Switzerland is negotiating with the industry. At first it was all about muesli and yogurt. Now other important suppliers of sugar are joining, especially in soft drinks. However, the sugar content in all soft drinks is not reduced across the board. A company’s portfolio is relevant. The reference year is 2019.
The desert state of Qatar developed plans to spy on Russian ruler Vladimir Putin when he traveled to Zurich in 2010 to host the FIFA World Cup. The “SonntagsBlick” reports this with reference to its own research and documents. The backdrop to the planned espionage: Russia’s and Qatar’s World Cup bids secretly teamed up to secure the 2018 and 2022 events for each other. Qatar wanted to make sure that the Russian partners actually kept their word.
Shortly after the outbreak of war, numerous employees of the Russian embassy had to leave the European capitals. They lost their accreditation and were expelled from the country. This is more than just symbolic politics: a number of agents are using the guise of diplomatic immunity to spy for Moscow. Also in Switzerland. The National Intelligence Service (NDB) estimated in the spring that about a third of Russian diplomatic personnel working in Bern and Geneva actually work for the secret services. The FIS quickly warned that the country could become a gateway for Moscow’s intelligence services. The warnings made no sense – as did the recommendations to take more decisive action against spying diplomats. This appears for the first time from the minutes of the meeting that the “NZZ am Sonntag” could see on the basis of the Federal Law on the Public Principle of Administration (BGÖ).
In World Cup years, FIFA benefits from the fact that business-related losses from previous attack periods in Switzerland can be deducted. But now this practice is in jeopardy because of the global minimum tax. The reform plans are therefore a concern for the World Football Association. “We are currently clarifying what the implementation of the global minimum tax will mean for us,” said CFO Thomas Peyer. The bottleneck is that the OECD minimum tax does not offer a multi-year perspective. “One option is therefore that in the future we will try to distribute our income better over four years.” Failure to do so could cost Fifa dearly.
For some young women, a positive pregnancy test is life-threatening. They depend on being able to abort the pregnancy secretly. Claudia Maurer is a team leader at the Center for Sexual Health in Biel. She told the SonntagsZeitung: Most women who come to her for advice when they are unintentionally pregnant are afraid of being stigmatized. In 2021, there were about 11,000 abortions in Switzerland. About 200 of these were confidential. Although it is possible in hospitals to register women with pseudonyms or numbers, until recently health insurers could not guarantee or technically implement confidentiality in all cases.
The election of Elisabeth Baume-Schneider as a federal councilor led to the chairman of the Jurassic Council demanding the return of the Unspunnenstein: “It would be a nice gesture to finally return the Unspunnenstein to the Bernese,” said David Eray, chairman of the Jurassic government. , to the “NZZ am Sunday”. After all, the first woman from the Jura was elected to the Federal Council on Wednesday – and at the same time as Albert Rösti from Bern. “This double election represents the successful integration of the Canton of Jura into the Confederation and the good understanding between Bern and Delsberg,” Eray said. The Unspunnen Stone is a 83.5 kilogram piece of granite used by strongmen on swinging vests to throw stones. In 1984, the original stone was stolen by Jurassic separatists. Since then it has stood for the unresolved Jura conflict: the separatists do not want to release it until the Bernese Jura is reunited with the canton of Jura. The separatists are still reluctant to heed Eray’s call.
An adult in Switzerland eats an average of 8 grams of salt per day. 5 grams is recommended. The population also eats too much fat, mainly due to the Swiss preference for dairy and cheese products. The “Nutrition Atlas” of the University of St. Gallen (HSG), of which the “NZZ am Sonntag” is available in a preliminary version, also concludes that every Swiss person eats 83 grams of sugar per day. Mainly because of sweets and drinks. Still, assistant professor Marc Linzmajer, one of the authors of the study, comes to a surprisingly positive conclusion: “During the debate about nutrition, you often have the feeling that we are doing a lot wrong. But we can now show that, on average, the Swiss population is not that far from the recommendations of the World Health Organization.”
The right-wing Swiss Democrats (SD) are in debt. This is evident from internal documents that should be available for the “SonntagsBlick”. Accordingly, the party account in mid-November showed more than 54,000 francs in debt. The situation is so precarious that the SD had to fire their last remaining secretary. The party can no longer pay its wages. In the minutes of the meeting, the Swiss Democrats write: “Due to the disastrous financial situation, it is no longer possible to run a professional central secretariat.” As an immediate measure, the party leaders have increased the minimum dues from 20 to 50 francs. Co-chairman Christoph Spiess is combative: “I am convinced that the SD will continue to exist, indeed must exist, and maybe better times will come again.” When asked about his party’s debts, he says: “There is no financial emergency at the moment.” It happened time and time again that the SD was in debt.
Following the capital increase, the Saudi National Bank will own 9.9 percent of Credit Suisse’s share capital. Behind the Saudi institution is the oil-rich country’s sovereign wealth fund, which is controlled by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Bin Salman is also planning a $500 million investment in Credit Suisse First Boston, according to the Wall Street Journal. “I warn Switzerland not to do business with Bin Salman,” Abdullah Alaoudh told the Sunday newspaper. He is the head of the Gulf region at the American non-governmental organization Dawn. The abbreviation stands for “Democracy for the Arab World Now”. The organization was founded in 2018 by Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. A few months later, he was brutally murdered after entering the Saudi Arabian Consulate General in Istanbul. Since then, Dawn Bin has been trying to hold Salman responsible for Khashoggi’s murder. When investing abroad, he is only concerned with laundering his own vest.
This year, a particularly large number of unaccompanied minor asylum seekers are coming to Switzerland. Many are mentally stressed and sometimes take high-dose drugs such as Temesta, Rivotril or Pregabalin. Some get the drugs prescribed by doctors, others get them on the street. “Lately we are getting more and more reports of problem drug use,” says Nina Hössli of “Save the Children” to the “NZZ am Sonntag”. Most drugs have a sedative and anxiolytic effect. But they also quickly become addictive. The risk of addiction is particularly high among migrant youth.
The federal government wanted to agree measures with the industry to reduce the salt content of food. The focus was on soups and salad dressings. But the negotiations failed, as the “SonntagsZeitung” reports. “Reduction targets were proposed, but unfortunately the industry did not support them,” says Liliane Bruggmann, head of the nutrition department of the Federal Office for Food Safety. Some of the market leaders therefore did not want to commit themselves to a salt reduction. Because no agreement was reached on a voluntary basis, the federal government is considering imposing a salt reduction on companies. “The FSVO will now examine regulatory measures,” says Bruggmann. It is not yet clear for which products such measures are useful and feasible.
The negative effects of the Lex Weber can be felt in Verbier. Under this law, homes built before 2012 can be sold as second homes, even if the owner uses them as their main residence. In the luxury resorts, the value of chalets and apartments that are occupied only part of the year has exploded over the past decade, while the value of main residences has remained stable, reports Le Matin Dimanche. An Italian-based man sold his apartment registered as a second home for more than 32,000 francs per square meter and bought back an apartment as his primary residence for 16,000 francs per square meter, a French-speaking Swiss real estate agent reported. This transaction deposited four million Swiss francs into the bank account. (sda)
source: watson
I’m Maxine Reitz, a journalist and news writer at 24 Instant News. I specialize in health-related topics and have written hundreds of articles on the subject. My work has been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and Healthline. As an experienced professional in the industry, I have consistently demonstrated an ability to develop compelling stories that engage readers.
