International Geneva has lost more than 2,800 jobs because of Trump; homicide to become imprescriptible in Switzerland; and more news in our roundup this Thursday.
International Geneva has lost more than 2,800 jobs because of Trump
When he took over the US presidency in January 2025, Donald Trumo vowed to cut funding for UN agencies – a promise he kept.
However, Switzerland’s Foreign Ministry said the number of job cuts is “less significant” that originally predicted.
It said that in 2024, before the dismissals began, these institutions employed 25,690 people – so the cuts affected just over 10 percent of its workforce in total.
Homicide to become imprescriptible in Switzerland
This means that there will no longer a statute of limitations – currently set at 30 years – for persecuting perpetrators of this crime but, instead, they can be tried with no time limit.
The Council of States did not reverse its position on Wednesday on the imprescriptibility of murder, upholding this decision, even though some deputies suggested a 30-year deadline remain in effect.
The supporters of the move to remove the statute of limitations pointed out, however, that imposing limits on this crime “does not serve justice.”
“If, after 30 years, we have DNA evidence and are able to link it to a specific person, but cannot take any action, that is not fair to the victims,” deputy Daniel Jositsch, the move’s supporter, pointed out.
Zurich is among the ‘most stressful cities’ to drive in
This is what emerges from a new ‘Compare the Market’ survey, which analysed driving and traffic patterns in 79 cities across Australia, the United States and Europe to reveal the most stressful cities to drive in.
Switzerland’s largest city is in the 7th place, even above high-traffic US cities like Miami and Chicago.
Curiously though, Geneva didn’t even lake it to the top-10 in this survey, although it has been voted for several years in a row as the city with worst traffic in Europe.
READ MORE: Why has traffic in Geneva become a nightmare for residents
Basel-City lowers the voting age
The cantonal Parliament has approved lowering of the voting age from 18 to 16 – but only for cantonal and municipal referendums and initiatives.
However, the age for casting ballots on a federal level, or standing for election, will not be lowered and remain at 18.
Currently, Glarus is the only canton to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote at cantonal and communal level.
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