Berset’s popularity remains, special detective Marti also questioned ex-news chief and millions of masks expire: this and more is in the Sunday papers. The headlines in unverified reports:
Berset remains popular
Despite the Corona affair, Alain Berset’s popularity among the population is great. This is the conclusion of a representative study carried out by the Sotomo research institute on behalf of “NZZ am Sonntag”. Berset is considered the third most likeable member of the Federal Council. Only Federal Councilor Viola Amherd and SP magistrate Elisabeth Baume-Schneider are ahead of him. Particularly astounding, only a third of those surveyed believed that Berset knew nothing about the alleged disclosure of confidential information by his head of communications, Peter Lauener, to Marc Walder, CEO of Ringier. Yet a majority of 64 percent does not believe in a resignation, as demanded by SVP politicians. 1,558 voters from German- and French-speaking Switzerland took part in the survey.
Special investigator targeted ex-intelligence chief
According to “SonntagsBlick,” special investigator Peter Marti also targeted former secret service chief Jean-Philippe Gaudin. He headed the Federal Intelligence Service (NDB) from 2018 to 2021. Marti interrogated him on March 28, 2021 in Zurich as an information officer. The reason for this was a secret report by the parliamentary affairs control delegation (GPDel) about manipulated encryption devices, part of the content of which had already reached the media in 2020. Marti had noticed that the NDB had gotten away with an October 2020 “NZZ” article on the subject of “pretty good actually”. Marti’s hypothesis was that there was a leak in the NDB. Gaudin denied this, he knew nothing. Two months after Marti’s interrogation, in May 2021, Gaudin was fired by VBS head Viola Amherd. The DDPS stated that there was no connection between the interrogation and the termination. The presumption of innocence applies to all parties involved.
140 million masks will expire this year
The federal government is sitting on a mountain of masks it bought during the corona pandemic. Nearly 180 million FFP2 and hygiene masks with a purchase value of 130 million francs are piled up in the warehouses of the army pharmacy. The problem now is that most masks will reach their expiration date this year, writes the “SonntagsZeitung”. About 140 million units will expire in the coming months. This is evident from new figures from the army, which the newspaper has. The federal government cannot say how many of the masks should be destroyed. He is trying to sell the face masks, since recently they can also be recycled and processed into plastic granules.
Panzer question remains topical in Switzerland
Security politicians from the FDP, GLP, Mitte and SP support the demand that the federal government sell Leopard tanks that are currently being discontinued. This would allow states sending their Leopards to Ukraine to order Swiss tanks. “If these countries want to replenish their stocks with Swiss material, we have to lend a hand,” said Liberal national councilor Maja Riniker of the “NZZ am Sonntag”. Earlier this week, Riniker submitted a motion to the Security Policy Committee of the National Council. The Bundesrat wanted to be ordered to offer some of the decommissioned tanks “to those countries that have gaps in their stocks because of deliveries to Ukraine”. The initiative did not find a majority. But Riniker will launch her proposal again, she explained to the “NZZ am Sonntag”.
There is opposition to the power plant in Birr
Since last year, the federal government has been continuing the construction of a power station in Birr (AG) that can run on oil and gas. The CHF 470 million system should be ready by the end of February and used only in extreme emergencies. But now there is resistance. “Twelve objections have been received, most of them with exactly the same wording,” confirms Marianne Zünd, spokeswoman for the Federal Office of Energy (BfE) of the “NZZ am Sonntag”. These would now be handled by the Federal Public Service Environment, Transport, Energy and Communication (UVEK). According to Zünd, the objections came from residents. It concerns the decree of the federal government that allows the operation of the power station. The opponents criticize the noise, pollutants and CO2 emissions caused by the eight turbines, as well as the legal bases that allow their construction. According to Zünd, the objections have no suspensory effect.
Checks drive new from 80 or gone completely?
The BFU Accident Prevention Advice Center recommends raising the age for the driving skills test to 80 years. A new study has shown that the mandatory driving tests are useless. Nor do they contribute to reducing the number of serious accidents, nor could the BFU find “positive effects”, as the “SonntagsZeitung” writes. For example, the ban does not encourage the majority of older students to self-reflect on their own fitness to drive, according to the department. In a next step, an abolition would also be justified for the advice center. Traffic doctor Rolf Seeger does not believe in raising the age to 80: “Two important traffic-related disabilities are much more common from the age of 70 and increase rapidly with age: poor eyesight and reduced brain performance.”
The war material law could soon be relaxed
The debate on the export of Swiss war material is now taking place under new circumstances. The recently massively tightened war material law could therefore soon be relaxed, writes the “NZZ am Sonntag”. Today, re-export to countries involved in an armed conflict is prohibited. The change of course is supported by the population, according to a representative survey by the opinion research institute Sotomo commissioned by “NZZ am Sonntag”. A 55 percent majority of respondents support the transfer of Swiss weapons to Ukraine.
Older unemployed disappointed: two-thirds do not receive bridging benefits
Figures from the cantons of Aargau and St. Gallen show that only a third of applicants receive an emergency pension. In Bern it is only fifteen minutes. Many applicants exceed the 50,000 francs asset limit; others have already reached age 60 before reaching age 60. Heidi Joos of the association Avenir 50 plus calls for an adjustment of the criteria for access to the bridging benefit. These are too narrow. The federal government is currently evaluating the new social work, which should be available this year, as the “SonntagsBlick” writes.
Nutrition: Researchers provide guidelines for politicians
By 2030, only half less meat and significantly less dairy products, eggs and sugar: in a new report, 42 Swiss scientists call for a radical change in our diet. They will hand over their guide “Pathways to Switzerland’s nutrition future” to Swiss politicians next week. The “SonntagsZeitung” and “Le Matin Dimanche” got a preview. According to the researchers, the rapid transition of the food system is necessary to guarantee our food security in the future. “Switzerland’s entire prosperity depends on (…) the functioning of ecosystems and stable supply chains,” says research leader Lukas Fesenfeld of the University of Bern. But our current food system fuels several crises. Think of climate change, wars, pandemics and the loss of biodiversity.
Financial department and banks advise on how to deal with critical media reports
The State Secretariat of Finance (SIF) will maintain close contacts with high-ranking representatives of the financial sector. “SonntagsBlick” writes this on the basis of e-mails that the newspaper could view under the Public Access Act. For example, a member of the Swiss Bankers Association expressed concern about critical reports about money laundering and the Swiss financial center in the Guardian and the Süddeutsche Zeitung. The SIF was said to communicate “proactively” about how the issue would be handled in Switzerland. All in all, the responsible Secretary of State is said to have had email contact with more than a dozen financial institutions between January and August 2022. The newspaper writes that this raises the question of whether there is the necessary distance between the authority, which is responsible, among other things, for the development of financial market regulation, and the financial center.
More and more cases of exploitation are coming to light
In Switzerland, only a few cases of exploitation and human trafficking come to light. Convictions are very rare. But that could change, as the “NZZ am Sonntag” writes. The number of cases of labor exploitation detected by the police is increasing from year to year: where there were only 15 cases in 2020, there were already 40 a year later. The data comes from the statistics on human trafficking in Switzerland. It has only distinguished between “sexual exploitation” such as forced prostitution and “labour exploitation” since 2020. In the two years mentioned, a total of 67 and 71 cases of human trafficking were registered. In 2021, the 40 reported labor exploitation investigations thus constituted the majority. The numbers show what experts have long suspected: “Labor exploitation is probably much more widespread than commonly believed,” says expert Sarah Schilliger.
Many Afghans want to flee to Switzerland
Since the Taliban came to power, the number of applications for humanitarian visas has exploded. In all of 2020, Bern registered 41 applications from Afghans, up from 1683 in 2022 alone at the end of November. Switzerland’s response remained the same: it blocked the vast majority of applications, writes “SonntagsBlick”. In 2022, the SEM only approved 98 applications – a fraction. And this despite the fact that the human rights situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating day by day. The fact that a close relationship with Switzerland is a prerequisite – for example, having a family here – means that the chance that many people will seek help is virtually zero.
Life expectancy in Switzerland is increasing
Switzerland is the new champion when it comes to the life expectancy of its inhabitants: in 1990 there were 377 centenarians in this country, in 2000 787 and now 1888. Three quarters of centenarians are women, writes “Le Matin Dimanche”. “According to the ranking drawn up by the OECD, a boy born in 2021 in our country has the highest possible life expectancy at 81.9 years, just ahead of Icelanders, Norwegians and Japanese,” says sociologist Stéphane Cullati, researcher at the University of Friborg. , in the newspaper. The prognosis is also very favorable for a girl born in 2021, because “Switzerland has been in fourth place behind Japan, South Korea and Spain for more than 85 years”. It is estimated that every second child born in Switzerland after the year 2000 will live to be 100 years old. (sda)
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
