Switzerland continues to move closer to NATO
While Switzerland’s neutrality doesn’t allow the country to join NATO, the government is continuing to push for closer ties with the military alliance, RTS public broadcaster reported on Tuesday.
Switzerland has also expressed its desire to participate in more NATO exercises and to join the anti-missile Sky Shield, an air defence system which brings together around 20 European countries, including 13 NATO members.
The population also sees cooperation with NATO as necessary for Switzerland’s security.
According to a recent study by the Military Academy of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, 52 percent of respondents want closer ties, while rejecting the idea of outright membership.
READ ALSO: Why isn’t Switzerland in NATO?
Many Swiss drive while drunk
A new report from the Accident Prevention Bureau shows that every day, four out of 1,000 motorists in Switzerland get behind the wheel with a blood alcohol level above the legal limit of 0.05 percent.
The majority of them are men aged over 31, with French-speaking part of the country having recorded more drivers under the influence of alcohol than the German-speaking region.
In 2023, 31 people lost their lives in alcohol-related road accidents and 506 others were seriously injured.
But the study found positive news as well: “People under the age of 30 rarely drive while intoxicated.”
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Two Swiss cities rank among world’s richest
It should come as no surprise to anyone who follows such studies than Zurich and Geneva scored high in the new ‘Top 50 wealthiest cities’ report carried out by Henley & Partners international migration consultants.
Both were in the top 20: with 88,400 millionaires living in the canton, Zurich is ranked in the 18th place, while Geneva, home to 79,800 millionaires, is in the 20th.
READ ALSO: The Swiss communities where you’re more likely to meet a millionaire
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These are the most popular baby names in Zurich
Leo for boys and Sofia (or Sophia) for girls were the most popular baby names in the city in 2023, the municipal chancellery announced on Tuesday.
For girls, Olivia came in second place, followed by Ella, Mila, and Emma.
For boys, Leo was followed on the popularity scale by Louis, Theo, Leonardo. Emil, and Gabriel.
Zurich parents were also fond of unisex names like Lou, Andrea, and Robin.
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