Switzerland Today

Sunny regards from Bern!

Summer is heating up in Switzerland and this may have contributed to some heated debates between politicians, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gave a video address to parliament today.

However, this focus on Zelensky may have taken some heat off the Swiss armed forces, as two Patrouille Suisse jets collided during a training formation flight.

All this in today’s briefing, curated especially for you!

© Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

In the news: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gives a speech to the Swiss parliament, and Swiss micro-technology found in Russian military materials. 

• Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered a speech to the Swiss parliament by video broadcast. However, members of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party were absent from the parliamentary chamber in protest against the perceived interference in Swiss affairs. Zelensky said that Swiss support through the export of war materiels was necessary to “restore peace in Ukraine”.
• While Switzerland is debating its neutrality in the case of the conflict in Ukraine, reports show that Swiss high-tech micro-technology has been documented by US authorities as components “seized on the battlefield in Ukraine,” from Russian military weapons.
• Swiss stock exchange is probing a three-hour trading blackout this week. The Zurich-based exchange said it will release findings from its investigation in a couple of days. “It was a technical issue,” said Jürg Schneider, the Swiss exchange’s head of media relations, without giving details about the specific nature of the problem.
• Once again, Parliament rejects additional funding for refugees. It is the third time that the Swiss Senate has voted against this funding proposal. This comes hard on the heels of another migrant boat disaster, which sank off the coast of Greece with over 500 people on board headed from Libya to Italy.

Keystone / Ali Haider

Tennis fan? A nude statue of Roger Federer for sale at Art Basel

For the “good price” of CHF360,000 ($402,500) a half-naked statueExternal link created in the image of Roger Federer can hang from your ceiling.

The statue, “Burn Shine-Fly” is said to have been the 41-year-old retired tennis player’s own initiative. Federer knows the creator, Ugo Rondinone, personally and has acquired several pieces from the artist.

To create the form, which is suspended from the ceiling with its arms almost lifelessly hanging from the rest of the body, the tennis star himself was hung from the ceiling in his underwear. His hands and feet were covered with silicone and his face was also painstakingly wrapped in silicone to create a near perfect likeness.

CHF360,000 is actually “a pretty good price, not cheap, but not overpriced either,” says gallery owner Eva Presenhuber at Art Basel. But if you want Federer to attend all your dinner parties, you might want to act quickly. Presenhuber, says the piece has been reserved, pending a personal visit from the collector.

© Keystone / Michael Buholzer

Patrouille Suisse jets collide during training formation flight

During a training flight in Canton Zug, two Patrouille Suisse jets had a “grazing” collision. The distance between the jets is three to five metres, as Patrouille Suisse writes on its websiteExternal link and are offset by around two metres in height.

Eyewitness video shows the two planes touching in mid-air. After which one of the planes quickly loses altitude. A parachute ejected from the plane which was hit, however, according to the military report, all pilots were unharmed and all aircraft were able to land safely at the airfield in Emmen, in neighbouring canton Lucerne.  

The nose of the aircraft broke off in the collision and hit an apartment façade, shattering the windows. Reports also state that debris fell on the ground around the premise of the Glencore raw material facility. Maybe the company can put the material to good use

Seven jets were part of the training exercise for the Federal Yodelling Festival which would have taken place in Zug on Friday. The Swiss Armed Forces spokesperson, Mathias Volken told the Swiss public broadcasters (SRF)External link that the air show would be cancelled.

Perhaps the pilots are not enthusiasts of traditional Swiss yodelling.