Baume-Schneider posted his last message on X!

blue News and Keystone-ATS give you a first overview of the news, with the latest news unearthed in the press. Without forgetting birthdays and the saying of the day!

Today’s highlights

FEDERAL FINANCES: Traditional exercise of the winter session of the Federal Chambers, the budget will be the center of attention this year in the context of budget cuts. The National Council’s finance committee unveils its options at a press briefing on Wednesday.

JURASSIAN PRISONS: The Jura Government presents its 2026 prison strategy on Wednesday, a subject which regularly raises questions in Parliament. The canton does not have enough detention places and conditions in Porrentruy prison have been described as degrading by the national commission for the prevention of torture. The situation could ease a little with the integration into the Jura of the town of Moutier and its prison with around forty places.

UKRAINE: The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken is due to meet officials from NATO and the European Union in Brussels on Wednesday “to discuss support for Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression.” The aim of the meeting is to accelerate aid to kyiv before US President-elect Donald Trump comes to power. The 78-year-old Republican billionaire has regularly claimed to be able to end the war “in a day”, without ever detailing how he would go about it. But he questioned the tens of billions of dollars spent by Washington on Ukraine.

GERMANY: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to speak to the Bundestag on Wednesday following the breakup of his government coalition undermined by disagreements. The country is heading towards early legislative elections on February 23 to create a new government. It is struggling in a serious economic crisis and is worried about the repercussions for its trade and security of the election of Republican Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States.

Seen in the press

SOCIAL NETWORK: Socialist Federal Councilor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider has left the social network . The other socialist minister Beat Jans is thinking of imitating him.

“X has changed profoundly. This platform does not correspond to the culture of debate in which I wish to participate,” explained the Jura socialist in her last message on October 31 on the social network, inviting her readers to join her on Instagram.

The other federal councilors who have a personal account on , just like the seven ministries, including that of Ms. Baume-Schneider.

SWITZERLAND-EU: Aargau State Councilor Markus Dieth, president of the conference of cantonal governments, made a plea in favor of European treaties at the University of Zurich, the Aargauer Zeitung, the Luzerner Zeitung and the St. Galler Tagblatt wrote on Wednesday. Recalling the co-decision rights of the cantons in matters of European policy, the Aargau centrist underlined the economic importance of the European Union (EU) for Switzerland.

More than 140 rounds of negotiations on the agreement took place, with the cantons being closely involved, he added. In his speech he did not address the Federal Council’s request for a safeguard clause against immigration and did not comment on a possible popular vote on the agreement.

VALAIS: 80% of Valais medical-social establishments (EMS) are in financial difficulties and will face a deficit situation in 2025, warns Le Nouvelliste on Wednesday, citing the Valais association of EMS (AVALEMS). AVALEMS, which brings together the 55 establishments in Valais, points out the increase in costs, particularly in the area of ​​personnel, and limited resources.

She calls on the canton to take emergency measures, asking in particular to increase the price of stays in the canton’s establishments, capped on average at 137 francs per day.

CLIMATE: The director of the Swiss Ski Lifts, Berno Stoffel, says he believes in Wednesday’s Neue Zürcher Zeitung in the continued operation of ski slopes in Switzerland, despite global warming. According to him, the early snowfall forecast down to low altitudes has a positive effect on demand in ski areas. But, he adds, low-snow winters like 2022/23 pose challenges, particularly for ski areas below 1,500 meters above sea level.

Forecasts show the zero-degree limit could rise 300 meters by 2050, which Stoffel says will make artificial snow production more difficult. This is especially true since it is very expensive, notes Blick. “The general rule is 1 million francs per kilometer of piste, if no infrastructure is yet available,” Stefan Mumenthaler, working for the snowmaking equipment manufacturer Technoalpin, says in the newspaper.

Birthdays and jubilees

– 5 years ago (2019): death at age 83 of French cyclist Raymond Poulidor.

– 20 years ago (2004): death of American rapper Ol’Dirty Bastard (real name Russell Tyron Jones), one of the founding members of the group Wu-Tang Clan. He was born in 1968.

– 30 years ago (1994): the Swedes decided to join the EU in a referendum with 52% “yes”.

– 30 years ago (1994): German driver Michael Schumacher won his first Formula 1 world championship title in Adelaide (Australia).

– 50 years ago (1974): former Palestinian political leader Yasser Arafat’s first speech before the UN General Assembly where he appears with an olive branch and a pistol.

– 50 years ago (1974): death of the Italian actor and director Vittorio de Sica, one of the representatives of neorealism. His film “The Bicycle Thief” (1948) is considered by film critics to be one of the best films of all time.

– 90 years ago (1934): birth of Italian singer and songwriter Jimmy Fontana (Enrico Sbriccoli), author of the songs “Il mondo” and “Che sarà”. He died in 2013.

– 550 years ago (1474): Battle of Héricourt. The soldiers of the Swiss cantons defeat the troops of the Duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold.

Saying of the day

“On Saint-Brice’s Day, the weather will be that of New Year’s Day.”

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