Sunday, June 30, 2024
Published: Sunday, Jun 30th 2024, 05:00
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Record amounts of counterfeit money in Switzerland, skepticism about pension reform and houses in danger zones retain their value: this and more can be found in the Sunday newspapers. The headlines in unverified reports:
"SonntagsBlick":
More counterfeit money was taken out of circulation in Switzerland in 2023 than ever before. This is shown by figures from the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol), which are available to SonntagsBlick. There has been an explosion in the amount of loss in euros in particular. In 2023, euro notes worth more than CHF 13 million were confiscated. In previous years, the value was below the two million euro mark. Counterfeit Swiss money was also confiscated. In 2023, the figure was just under 2.5 million francs. According to a Fedpol spokesperson, the increase in seized counterfeit euros is mainly due to larger seizures in so-called rip deals. For some years now, criminals have increasingly been using this trick: they first show luxury goods sellers bags full of bills and distract them from taking a closer look or swap the bags for bags of counterfeit money in an unobserved moment.
"SonntagsZeitung":
High schools and vocational schools in the canton of Aargau have been asked by the cantonal authorities to monitor and report possible radicalization tendencies among pupils. The measure is based on an assessment by the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service (NDB), which has identified an accentuated threat in Switzerland from Islamist-motivated terror, as the SonntagsZeitung writes. The knife attack on an orthodox Jew in Zurich a few months ago and the planned attack on the Pride parade in Zurich two weeks ago show that the threat is real. Young people with an Islamist background were involved in both incidents. The Aargau cantonal police told the newspaper: "The decision to inform and sensitize selected agencies is based on the current analysis of the current security situation in Europe and the principle of taking proactive and preventive action."
"SonntagsBlick":
On September 22, Switzerland will vote on the reform of the Occupational Pensions Act (BVG). Large sections of the population are skeptical about the proposal. A representative survey, which is available to "SonntagsBlick", comes to the following conclusion: If voting day were today, a relative majority of 45 percent would "definitely" or "rather" reject the BVG reform. Only 30 percent of voters are in favor of the proposal. The survey was conducted by Oliver Strijbis' Feldlabor GmbH, Professor of Political Science at Franklin University Zurich. It asked 1045 "likely voters" about their voting intentions and weighted the answers according to socio-demographic and political variables. The survey was commissioned by the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB). The employers' association questioned the study. "The chosen question hardly leads to a representative result," said a spokesperson.
"NZZ am Sonntag":
The canton of Valais has stopped the Third Rhone Correction and wants to scale down the project - even though the federal government has already allocated one billion Swiss francs for Switzerland's largest flood project. According to the "NZZ am Sonntag" newspaper, the federal government's reaction to the changed plans is correspondingly sour. The first payments to Valais have been suspended by Bern: "In December 2022, the Federal Office for the Environment informed the canton of Valais that payments of subsidies for certain services [...] would be suspended," writes the Federal Office for the Environment. This affects, among other things, the salaries of the Valais civil servants working on the project. The federal government has financed a total of seven full-time positions to date. This has come to a temporary end: according to State Councillor Franz Ruppen, the federal government has suspended around CHF 1.8 million at the end of 2023 and will therefore no longer transfer this money to Valais.
"NZZ am Sonntag":
According to the NZZ am Sonntag, the increasing natural hazards in the mountains due to the consequences of climate change are leading to climate flight from the affected regions. For example, houses have to be abandoned because the melting permafrost is causing an increase in landslides. According to experts, such incidents are not isolated cases. "We will lose living space in the Alps," said Reinhard Steurer. He is a professor of climate policy at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna. Certain valleys will become empty as a result of climate change. At the moment, damage after floods and mudslides such as those in Switzerland can still be repaired and the destroyed houses restored, said Steurer. "But if this happens twice or three times, and then in an already sparsely populated area, then you can no longer justify reconstruction in socio-economic terms," said Steurer.
"SonntagsZeitung":
Surprisingly low price reductions were recorded for houses and apartments in danger zones. According to the SonntagsZeitung, properties located in zones where there is a significant risk of flooding (-3.3 percent), radon (-3.6 percent) or landslides (-5.8 percent) are the most affected by a fall in value. Real estate consultants Wüest Partner do not foresee any further major reductions in the value of properties in risk areas in the near future. This is because demand continues to exceed supply. In some risk zones, such as on slopes, the price reduction is not demonstrable, as people are prepared to pay more for the beautiful view. A different trend can be seen in rents: Rental apartments in flood zones show a rent discount of one to two percent in relation to comparable regions without natural hazards. If there is a risk that water cannot drain away due to asphalt floors, the rent reductions are even greater at 1.6 to 3.8 percent.
"SonntagsZeitung":
Married couples receive lower pensions than unmarried couples. But resourceful pensioners are circumventing the marriage penalty by getting a sham divorce, as the SonntagsZeitung newspaper reports. According to a Zurich divorce lawyer, several couples get divorced every year simply to receive a higher AHV pension. After the divorce, they live together as before. This practice is legal. You don't even need a lawyer for such a formal divorce. Costs: 1500 francs. The savings can be considerable: A sham divorce increases a couple's monthly pension by up to 1225 francs. Statistics show that divorces are more common than average among 64-year-old women - an indication that many couples want to avoid the impending marriage penalty. A few hundred couples are likely to divorce for this reason every year. The trend is increasing, said the divorce lawyer.
"NZZ am Sonntag":
The Cargo sous terrain freight transport project is still on fire: after the project, which is supported by major companies such as Migros, Coop, Swiss Post and Swisscom, announced this week that it would be changing its boss and thoroughly reviewing its planning, Migros is now backing out, as the NZZ am Sonntag writes. The potential main customer and major shareholder will "not provide any additional money" for the further planning of the project, according to a spokesperson. The same applies to the subsequent investments in the construction of the tunnel. "Migros will not be involved in this," said the spokesperson. Stefan Schraner, CEO ad interim of Cargo sous terrain, said that this was no surprise, but had been known for years. Migros and Coop are not seen as financial investors for the construction, but as future customers. Institutional investors are interested in the construction and operation of the project.
"SonntagsBlick":
The State Secretary for Migration, Christine Schraner Burgener, is running for the post of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva. SonntagsBlick" writes this based on "circles close to the Federal Council". The current head of the UNHCR, Filippo Grandi, will remain in office until the end of 2025. It is expected that the United Nations General Assembly will decide on his successor in September 2025. Schraner Burgener did not wish to comment on her UNHCR ambitions. Officially, what Schraner Burgener told the newspaper last week is still true: "A post is becoming vacant in an international organization that really appeals to me. The Department of Foreign Affairs is looking for someone to run for it and has asked me. The position will be advertised next year." According to the newspaper, Schraner Burgener's chances for the post of High Commissioner for Refugees are difficult to assess.
"Le Matin Dimanche" / "SonntagsZeitung":
Increasing urbanization with the accompanying growth in population and values increases the risk of damage from storms. Balz Grollimund, Head of Catastrophe Risks at reinsurer Swiss Re, told "SonntagsZeitung" and "Le Matin Dimanche". "This increases catastrophe losses, as cities are often located by the sea, rivers or lakes, where flooding and thus high losses are more likely to occur. And: the more built-up areas there are, the more likely something is to break." Insured losses from natural disasters have been rising steadily globally for around 15 years - by around five to seven percent per year. Last year, they exceeded the 100 billion dollar mark for the fourth time in a row. Two thirds of this was due to severe thunderstorms in combination with hail, flooding and tornadoes.
©Keystone/SDA
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