Uber wants to expand into rural areas in Switzerland – this is the Sunday news Dettling attacks Meyer: “You are responsible for people dying in the Mediterranean!”

Santésuisse: The fixed rates of health insurance are reduced

The health insurance fund association Santésuisse and the hospital association H+ want to reduce the fixed rates in medical practices. You submit a corresponding rate to the responsible organization on Monday, as “SonntagsBlick” wrote. It is a compromise solution that does justice to all collective labor agreement partners, says Santésuisse director Verena Nold. The proposal is most accommodating for freelance doctors: five percent of patient contacts must be reimbursed at a fixed rate. Earlier proposals had twice as many. The health insurer Curafutura and the doctors’ association FMH did not want to respond to the proposal in advance.

Federal Council issues ultimatum to clean up toxic landfills

The Federal Council has given the cantons an ultimatum when it comes to cleaning up toxic substances. By 2032, the cantons will have to investigate all pending contaminated sites, as the “NZZ am Sonntag” wrote. The renovation should be completed in 2045. From now on, the federal government will reimburse 60 percent of the costs instead of 60 percent. Otherwise, the federal government will refuse to provide financial support. The correspondingly revised Environmental Protection Act is expected to be submitted to parliament later this year. Less than half of the 4,000 known contaminated sites in Switzerland, ie landfills or chemical sites, have been remediated.

EU countries demand more fight against mafia from Switzerland

European countries have called on Switzerland to take action against organized crime, according to the Federal Police Agency (Fedpol). Organized crime is still quite inconspicuous here, but too easy, Fedpol director Nicoletta della Valle said in an interview with “Le Matin Dimanche”. Colleagues in the Netherlands and Belgium feel that they themselves have not acted early enough and that Switzerland must do so now, she continued. Switzerland is attractive for all forms of organized crime, not just for hiding. The country is a hub for drug, human and arms trafficking, the lawyer said.

According to one study, more than 50 percent of women in construction have experienced sexual harassment

More than half of the female construction workers surveyed have experienced sexual harassment at work. Every fourth construction worker has experienced sexual violence, writes SonntagsBlick based on a survey by the Unia trade union. The union interviewed 300 female workers. According to the research, there are many prejudices: the prevailing opinion is that women work worse because they are less strong. In addition, the infrastructure is aimed at men. There are hardly any separate cloakrooms and toilets. Nine out of ten women also indicated that work and family are hardly compatible in the industry.

SNB boss Jordan’s behavior causes criticism

The hesitant behavior of the President of the Swiss National Bank (SNB), Thomas Jordan, has drawn criticism from those close to the Federal Council and the Financial Markets Authority. The SNB was the only institution with the power to act during the Credit Suisse crisis, the Sunday newspaper reported. From the perspective of the financial markets, it has been heard that the SNB should have acted in October. Banking professor Hans Geiger shared this view in “SonntagsBlick”. According to the “SonntagsZeitung,” there are well-known voices in the Federal Council circle accusing Jordan of interpreting the National Banking Act too restrictively. The Federal Palace is therefore considering a change in the law.

Homeopathy on the rise, TCM on the rise

The number of homeopathic treatments has more than halved in the past eight years. At the same time, the number of consultations in the field of traditional Chinese medicine fell by 15 percent, writes the “SonntagsZeitung” based on an evaluation of the health insurance company Helsana. An earlier evaluation showed that supply was also dwindling in both areas. The newspaper concluded that a mutual influence – between supply and demand – was probably the cause of the decline. Other complementary forms of treatment, such as physiotherapy and anthroposophy, are emerging. Yet they remained a niche.

Uber wants to expand in Switzerland

Ride-hailing service Uber has announced expansion plans in rural areas. “We see potential where public transport is less dense,” Jean-Pascal Aribot, head of Uber in Switzerland, told NZZ am Sonntag. He is considering working with the transport company. There is contact with the SBB, but not yet with the Postbus. Postbus was open to new collaborations on request. Existing laws such as taxi regulations and labor law were not of interest to the driver at first, wrote the “NZZ am Sonntag”. The chauffeur service wants to remain a platform and not an employer. “We are close to a solution,” Aribot said.

Mountain railways are becoming considerably more expensive

A ride with the mountain railway has become more than a third more expensive in recent years. Since 2015, prices have risen most for non-discounted trips to Gornergrat, Diavolezza and Säntis, as reported by the “SonntagsZeitung”. That’s what the newspaper asked 21 mountain railways in Switzerland. Only the cable car to the Stanserhorn has not increased its prices since then. Two-thirds of the mountain railways surveyed raised their prices above general inflation. Since 2015, this has been around 7.2 percent. The reason for this is that more and more passengers have half-fare or general season tickets, says Martin Ebneter, manager of the Hoher Kasten cable car. His company stopped discounted travel the following year.

Dairy industry switches to PET

The dairy industry has switched to PET bottles for its packaging material. In the near future, mainly milk will be sold in it, as the Association of the Swiss Dairy Industry (VMI) confirmed to “NZZ am Sonntag”. The VMI wants to support the objectives of the Paris climate agreement. According to the VMI, PET is the only recycling cycle that currently works across the board in Switzerland. The white, opaque PET milk bottles can normally be recycled. In the coming weeks, organic milk will be available in PET bottles at Coop. Nothing has been decided yet about competitor Migros.

Disagreement over star gender

The Swiss delegation in the Spelling Council of the German-speaking area was divided over the gender star. The Federal Chancellery recommended not using the stars. That should also apply to Swiss schools, the representative of Swiss secondary schools Knut Stirnemann told “SonntagsBlick”. The media representative, Natascha Fischer, was critical when forms were grammatically inconclusive. For writer Franco Supino, censorship would be a requirement. The council will decide on July 14. He cannot forbid anything. “We are obliged to say what is misspelled,” Council President Josef Lange told “SonntagsBlick”. The council also has representatives from Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Belgium and South Tyrol. (con/sda)