Sunday, June 16, 2024
Published: Sunday, Jun 16th 2024, 04:40
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A cocaine tax to combat the crack epidemic, compensation for caring for mentally ill relatives and misleading information on the origin of fish crispies in restaurants: this and more can be found in the Sunday newspapers. The headlines in unverified reports:
"NZZ am Sonntag":
The federal government's wastewater monitoring shows where and how much crack cocaine is consumed: The city of Lausanne ranks first, followed by Chur, Schwyz and Zurich. Concerned by this development, the Federal Addiction Commission is now calling for a controversial step in an "urgent appeal", as the "NZZ am Sonntag" writes: The state itself should dispense cocaine to the most seriously addicted, and "the quicker the better", as Christian Schneider, Vice President of the Commission, said. This demand has been well received by the cities. They are already examining behind the scenes how such a levy could be set up and implemented. And they are already thinking one step ahead: they have instructed their experts to think about pilot tests for a broader regulation of cocaine, so that so-called recreational users could also obtain their substance legally.
"SonntagsBlick":
The report office for anti-Semitism, racism, interreligious conflicts and radicalization in Zurich, which has been in existence since last March, has so far received information on 21 cases. This was stated by a spokesperson for the city's Department of Education at the request of "SonntagsBlick". City Councillor Filippo Leutenegger created the position after a 15-year-old naturalized Swiss citizen stabbed an Orthodox Jew with a knife on 2 March. According to Caprez, most of the reports concerned incidents relating to anti-Semitism, with Jewish pupils being affected eight times. Half a dozen times, caregivers contacted the hotline because they had observed the radicalization of young people. The other seven reports concerned interfaith conflicts and incidents of racism.
"SonntagsZeitung":
In future, people who care for a mentally ill family member at home will be able to claim compensation for "basic psychiatric care" from their basic insurance, even if they are non-professionals. In a landmark ruling, the Federal Supreme Court has ruled in favor of a mother who is demanding this for the care of her son, as the SonntagsZeitung writes. The son already receives an IV pension, helplessness allowance and supplementary benefits and the mother receives a general care fee. However, her lawyer argued that the woman also provides 65 hours of "basic psychiatric care" for her son every week. This amounts to a fee of CHF 15,000 per month. The health insurance company concerned can now try to reduce the number of hours slightly. However, the mother could then go to court again.
"NZZ am Sonntag" / "SonntagsBlick":
The scuffle between SVP National Councillor Thomas Aeschi and an armed police officer has repercussions: the Federal Office of Police (Fedpol) is planning an internal review. Afterwards, there will also be a meeting with Aeschi, as the SVP parliamentary group leader confirmed to the "NZZ am Sonntag" and "SonntagsBlick". The "SonntagsBlick" writes of an appointment on Thursday. Aeschi has had to take a lot of criticism for his scuffle. He himself continues to criticize the security arrangements in the Federal Palace. The scuffle between the SVP National Councillor from Zug and an official arose because the central staircase of the Federal Palace was closed for a short time during the photo opportunity of SP National Council President Eric Nussbaumer and Ukrainian Parliament President Ruslan Stefanchuk.
"SonntagsBlick":
The "Alliance for a Holistic Security Policy" warns against a cutback in development aid. In a letter submitted to "SonntagsBlick", six experts address the National Council's Security Policy Committee. Their request: "The army must not be strengthened at the expense of holistic security!" The letter was signed by six people: former Central National Councillor Lucrezia Meier-Schatz, former Head of Humanitarian Aid at the SDC Toni Frisch, former DDPS Head of International Relations Urs Gerber, former OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger and former ambassadors Philippe Welti and Daniel Woker. They are concerned that long-term conflict prevention is becoming a side issue.
"SonntagsZeitung":
Out of fear of the Americans, Swiss banks have begun to strictly implement sanctions against Russian citizens who are not sanctioned in the EU but are in the US or the UK, according to the SonntagsZeitung. This is despite the fact that these sanctions are not officially in force in Switzerland. This practice includes the termination and freezing of existing accounts of those affected and their relatives. In addition, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA is stepping up its inspections of banks to ensure that they comply not only with Swiss sanctions legislation, but also with foreign sanctions legislation. Despite official denials by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco), the practice of enforcing US sanctions is widespread, as the newspaper writes.
"SonntagsZeitung":
Because certain promotions will be banned from this fall under the new Tobacco Products Act, the cigarette industry has found a new trick to keep its customers in line. As the "SonntagsZeitung" writes, producers in Switzerland have recently been increasingly relying on so-called big packs. They contain 25 cigarettes instead of 20. This is a kind of permanent promotion, as the cigarettes are significantly cheaper than in a conventional pack. The main aim is not to lose the increasingly price-sensitive chain smokers, as competition from retailers' cheaper own brands is fierce.
"SonntagsBlick":
From Lake Constance to Lake Biel, fish restaurants are making misleading declarations of origin and false promises to their guests. This is according to the SonntagsBlick newspaper. One example from the Bernese Oberland: a guild restaurant above Lake Thun offers perch "from the lake" on its menu. However, this does not refer to Lake Thun, as the restaurateur explained on request. The Egliknusperli come from Poland. The confusion is possible because the declaration rules for fish are less strict than for other foods. The authorities only check the origin of fish crispies, for example, if they are voluntarily advertised on the menu. The declaration of origin is voluntary. The inspectors regularly come across inconsistencies. If these are objected to, the establishments simply omit the declaration of origin.
"SonntagsZeitung" / "Le Matin Dimanche":
According to Suva, an average of around 100 letter carriers and women and couriers are bitten by a dog every year - that's two attacks per week. That's more than the number of attacks on employees of veterinary offices, according to the SonntagsZeitung and Le Matin Dimanche. The main problem with the postmen: they invade the dog's territory - and they do it again and again, even though the four-legged friend thinks it has driven the intruder away by barking. "In the eyes of the dog," says dog trainer Anja Papenberg, "letter carriers are therefore obviously resistant to advice." According to Papenberg, breeds that were bred as guard and protection dogs, such as Dobermans and St. Bernards, can be particularly dangerous. Animal psychologist Christian Lenz from Affoltern am Albis warns against the wrong behavior during a duel in the front garden: "The postman should not turn around and run away - this will also awaken the dog's hunting instinct."
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