Historic solar eclipse happening tonight; lower temperatures forecast in Switzerland for next week; and more news in our Wednesday roundup.
Solar eclipse: Tonight’s the night!
A rare astronomical phenomenon – not seen in Switzerland for 27 years and not expected to occur again until 2075 – will happen tonight.
The eclipse will be visible from a large part of Switzerland shortly before sunset.
Specifically, it will begin around 7:25 pm, initially visible in the Lake Constance region.
It will end at 8:45 pm in Geneva, reaching its peak approximately between 8:15 and 8:20 pm, when the Moon will almost completely cover the Sun.
Lower temperatures are forecast for next week
Though no significant cooling-off period is forecast, the MeteoSwiss weather service expects temperatures in Switzerland to begin dropping from Monday, August 17.
This week temperatures across much of Switzerland will still be in mid- to high-30s, but from Monday they will fall to between 26-28C.
It remains unclear, however, whether drought conditions will improve at all.
Swiss glacier disappears due to climate change
Global warming, including successive heatwaves in particular, have caused the Bella Tola glacier in Valais to melt away.
“All that seems to remain are a few patches of snow, themselves destined to vanish quickly,” the local newspaper, Le Nouvelliste, reported this week.
Now mostly stones can be seen where ice used to be.
The Bella Tola was one of six Swiss glaciers known to be at a high risk of disappearing.
READ MORE: Melting Swiss glaciers face worst case scenario
AI skills are increasingly having a direct impact on Swiss wages – though human touch is still valued
In a new survey carried out by Manpower recruitment agency, 56 percent of Swiss employers said they are willing to pay a wage premium for skills related to artificial intelligence; among companies with more than 250 employees, this figure rises to 66 percent.
At the same time, however, human skills remain in demand, with critical thinking and problem-solving abilities being particularly highly valued.
Therefore, according to Eric Jeannerod, head of Manpower Switzerland, “the future belongs not to AI alone, but to the combination of technology and human capabilities.”
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
