Police report an increase in violent crimes; false rumours about Switzerland’s ‘ban” of a cancer treatment; and more news in our Tuesday roundup.
Number of violent crimes increased sharply in 2024
Police in Switzerland recorded 564,000 offences last year — about 8 percent more than in 2023.
This is what emerges from new data published by the Federal Statistical Office on Monday.
The rise in serious violent crimes is particularly striking: 2,456 cases were reported, which is 19.4 percent more than in 2023 — and the highest figure since the statistics started to be recorded in 2009.
For instance, rape cases went up by 29.4 percent, aggravated robbery by 21.6 percent, and serious bodily harm by almost 17 percent.
On the positive side, the number of homicides fell by 15 percent when compared with 2023.
Has Switzerland really banned mammograms?
According to rumours circulating on social media, Switzerland’s Health Ministry has banned breast cancer screenings.
The alleged reasons for this move include safety concerns, “one of most frequent claims being that mammograms cause breast cancer because of the patient’s exposure to radiation during the screening process,” as reported by Euronews.
If you happen to come across such posts, know that they are false.
The news platform reached out to the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), “which confirmed that there is no ban on mammograms in Switzerland.”
And as far as the supposed health risks, Julia Schwarz, an early detection specialist at the Swiss Cancer League in Bern, said that there are some instances “where a flight attendant has more radiation than you get with a mammogram.”
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SWISS will cut the number of two long-haul flights
The national flag carrier will be reducing the number of some overseas destinations in its 2025 summer flight schedule.
Specifically, flights from Zurich to Chicago and Shanghai will be affected.
Between March 30th and June 30th, the number of weekly flights from Zurich to Chicago will be reduced from the current 14 to 10.
The cut is even more drastic for Shanghai-bound flights: of the previous seven weekly connections, only three will remain.
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Unemployed cross-border workers from France will have to take a pay cut
Since March 21st, the rules governing unemployment benefits for French cross-border commuters have changed — and not in their favour.
From this day, cross-border employees who lost their Swiss jobs must accept all reasonable employment opportunities (ORE) in France, along with salaries based on a French pay scale.
Specifically, this means that a cross-border worker previously employed in Switzerland and paid a Swiss wage will now have to accept a job for a significantly lower wage.
According to French authorities, the new decree states “that it will now be the salary usually paid in France which will be one of the constituent elements of the ORE and no longer the salaries paid abroad.”
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