Mar, May 24th 2022
Switzerland’s skyrocketing electricity prices, a Russian diplomat resigns in Geneva and more in our roundup of Swiss news from May 20 – 24.
World Health Organization officials say there are 92 confirmed cases in several countries.
Switzerland’s first monkeypox case
The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) announced over the weekend that a resident of canton Bern has a confirmed case of monkeypox. The individual contracted the rare disease abroad and in close contact with another confirmed patient, officials say. “We currently assess the risk as low, but epidemiological data is still limited,” the FOPH’s Céline Gardiol announced Sunday on Swiss public news station SRF. The virus is moderately transmissible and causes symptoms such as fever, headache and a rash. “At the moment we have no evidence that we are facing a new pandemic,” added FOPH deputy director Linda Nartey. Seguir leyendo.
Swiss electricity prices to skyrocket
The Association of Swiss Electricity Companies (AES) this week projected that electric supply companies will charge record high prices in 2023, as fossil fuel prices continue to climb with the Russian-Ukrainian war complicating the supply. Nearly half of electricity supply companies in Switzerland plan to increase electricity prices by 20% or more in 2023. That translates to an additional 180 CHF for a five-room apartment annually, officials say. Currently, Switzerland does not produce enough electricity to be self-sufficient, especially in winter. The last time Switzerland added to its electric generation was in 1984 with the opening of the Leibstadt nuclear power, according to electricity experts. Seguir leyendo.
Switzerland prepares for war-induced energy crisis
Russian diplomat resigns in Switzerland
A Russian diplomat at the country’s permanent mission to the United Nations on Monday announced he was resigning because he disagrees with President Vladmir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. The man, Boris Bondarev, told Reuters that he had raised his concerns over the invasion many times, but was told “to keep my mouth shut in order to avoid ramifications.” Bondarev, who worked on arms control, has been a diplomat for Russia for 20 years. In March, Ukrainian officials urged Russian diplomats to resign, but Bondarev appears to be the only one. “It seems that there is only one honest person at the foreign ministry,” Kira Yarmysh, the spokesperson of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, wrote on Twitter after Bondarev’s announcement. Seguir leyendo.
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