A school refuses to hire teacher who wears a headscarf in class;; cyber terrorists who attacked Swiss domains are prosecuted; and more news in our Thursday roundup.,
School refuses to hire headscarf–wearing teacher
A school in Eschenbach, canton St. Gallen, denied employment to a teacher because she wears a hijab — a Muslim head covering.
Her application for this job sparked strong protests among parents, who felt their children’s neutral education was at risk.
In the end, the school has given in to parental pressure, ultimately deciding against hiring the woman.
There is no general ban on headscarves in schools in Switzerland but similar cases have repeatedly popped up. over the the years
For example, in 1997, a primary school teacher in Geneva was dismissed because she did not remove her headscarf during class. The woman filed an appeal against this decision, but the Federal Court dismissed it.
Next, the European Court of Human Rights also ruled that the right of students to non-religious education at a public school outweighed the religious freedom.
Cyber criminals behind attacks on Swiss domains are identified and prosecuted
From June 7th to 19th 2023, a range of Swiss domains, including the Swiss parliamentary website, were targeted by DDoS attacks (Distributed Denial-of-Service) and temporarily became unavailable or largely unresponsive.
“Other significant DDoS attacks took place while the investigation was ongoing,” the Federal Council said in a press release on Wednesday — most notably in connection with the following key events:
- June 15th, 2023: Video address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before a joint session of the Federal Assembly
- November 25th, 2023: Visit to Ukraine by former Federal Councillor Alain Berset
- January 5th to 19th, 2024: World Economic Forum (WEF)
- June 5th to 16th, 2024: Summit on Peace at the Bürgenstock
- January 20th to 24th, 2025: World Economic Forum (WEF)
- May 16th 2025: Eurovision Song Contest
Responsibility for all these DDoS attacks was claimed by the nonymous “NoName057(16)”, a collective of pro-Russian activists who, since the onset of the war in Ukraine in March 2022, have perpetrated a series of DDoS attacks against a large number of western states that it sees as espousing a pro-Ukrainian stance — Switzerland included.
Now, however, three alleged key members of the group have been identified.
Switzerland “has therefore broadened its criminal proceedings against these three individuals, issuing warrants for their arrests,” the government said.
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From tonight, stars will ‘shoot’ across the Swiss sky
Like every summer, between July 17th and August 24th, the Earth experiences a trail of space dust that will form a beautiful spectacle: the famous Perseid meteor shower.
At their peak this year, on the night of August 12th and 13th, the Perseids produce approximately 100 meteors per hour. They are considered one of the most prolific meteor streams.
As with all night sky viewings, visibility is best when the path through the atmosphere is short, the air dry, and light pollution low.
The best observing conditions are therefore in a dark location, away from cities illuminated by artificial lights — preferably in the mountains or fields.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at news@thelocal.ch
