Switzerland

Getting married in Switzerland was equivalent to paying more taxes than a single person. And a referendum has put an end to the problem

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In Switzerland, marriages they are news. And not because of its rise or fall, demographic issues or new trends when celebrating them. They are for strictly tax reasons. In a historic decision the Swiss have supported majority (with 54% support) a reform that will basically put an end to what is called the “marriage penalty” in the country. In other words, saying ‘I do’ in Switzerland will no longer be (in most cases) a sentence to paying more when declaring income to the Treasury. The decision has come preceded by an intense debate, which gives a clue that the issue does not only have fiscal implications. The background is social, cultural and historical. What has happened? That after years of debate Switzerland has given the ‘green light’ to a key tax change for marriages. Couples in the country who formalize their relationship will stop paying taxes jointly, through a single tax return in which the sum of their income and assets is taken into account. From now on, each spouse will be taxed individually. Just as if he hadn’t gone through the altar. The measure has received the endorsement of 54% of voters during a referendum in which they have discussed more topicsbut it does not mean that it will be activated immediately. The idea is that it be adopted gradually, over the next five years. The cantons have margin until 2032. Is it so important? Yes. In fact in Switzerland (and other countries who have paid attention to the fiscal change) there is no talk of joint or individual taxation, but of something much more forceful: the end of the “marriage penalty”. Because? Because according to its promoters, the current Swiss tax regime punishes those marriages in which both spouses work and enjoy good salaries. In these cases, with the current system, couples are forced to bear greater burdens than they would face if they remained single. That is, the same couple can find themselves in one or another tax bracket (more or less beneficial) depending only on whether they have formalized their relationship. Why’s that? Basically because the Swiss system is a few decades old and is based on a traditional family model in which each household has a single base salary. If the family receives more income (a second payroll) they are usually taxed at a higher marginal rate. “The joint model came from a time when women’s income was considered a ‘complement’ to that of their husbands,” clarify Swiss Info. With the new system, that changes. Does it influence that much? What we have seen so far may sound abstract or too theoretical, but its scope is better understood with practical examples. In January Swiss Info carried out a simulation for different profiles of households with one or another tax system and found that the ‘photo’ changes quite a bit. The summary is very simple: new tax model It mainly benefits marriages in which both spouses earn the same or similar amounts and harms (forcing them to face a greater tax burden) those in which there is a greater imbalance of income between the members of the couple. A practical example. Let’s take the case of a couple in which both members earn the same: 100,000 francs. With the joint model that has been operating in Switzerland for years, its tax burden would be about 6,700 francs. With the new individual taxation system it would drop to 2,700. Things change in couples in which there is only one salary. In these cases (with the same level of income) individual taxation will mean an increase of 32% compared to joint taxation. What is the change looking for? Its promoters assure that the new model will solve a problem that has been dragging down the Swiss economy for some time: a tax system that discourages paid work for those people who provide a second income to their homes. When changing the legal framework, remember Financial Timesthe Swiss government hopes to increase the nation’s workforce by about 60,000 people and increase the national GDP by about 1%. Advocates of the change hope it will help women gain strength in the Swiss labor market. It is estimated that only 60% of Swiss women work full time, a percentage lower than the OECD average, which is around 78%. The “marriage penalty” has also led to some curious practicessuch as couples who marry without legally registering their union or even marriages that they divorce before retiring for tax reasons. Are they all advantages? Not at all. At least that is what the sectors most critical of the measure maintain, warning of several negative effects. The main one, that the new system will result in more bureaucracyincreasing the workload (and costs) of the administration. There are cantons that also fear that the change of model will affect their coffers, punishing them with a loss of income. Beyond the practical issues there is another ideological one: part of the critical sector warns that individual supervision will generate inequalities that will harm traditional families above all. According to the Government, the new framework will more or less half of the taxpayers see their tax burden reduced. 36% would not notice changes and only the remaining 14% will have to pay more taxes. Images | Leonardo Miranda (Unsplash), Ronnie Schmutz (Unsplash) and Leo_Visions (Unsplash) In Xataka | 40,000 euros to say “yes, I want”: weddings in Spain have become events and their price is skyrocketing

There is brutal competition to guard the fortunes of the planet’s millionaires. The same guy as always is winning: Switzerland

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The ultra-rich around the world move their millions of dollars in search of the place safer for your fortunes. In recent years, countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia they have stepped on the accelerator as a destination for the greatest fortunes in the world. However, amid the latest geopolitical tensions, a report from the consulting firm Boston Consulting Group reveals a disturbing fact: Asian millionaires are turning their gaze to the old and reliable Switzerland to protect your wealth. According what was published for him Financial Timesmany Asian millionaires are diversifying the refuge for their assets and, instead of keeping them in their place of residence in Hong Kong, Dubai and Singapore, they prefer to deposit part of their fortune in Swiss banks. Switzerland remains the world’s safe deposit box. According to the report Global Wealth Report 2025 Prepared by Boston Consulting Group, Switzerland managed $2.74 trillion in assets in 2024, which maintains it as the main offshore wealth center in the world. Very close to Switzerland’s management figures are important economic enclaves in Asia such as Hong Kong (which managed 2.65 trillion dollars) and Singapore (with 1.92 trillion dollars in the same year). The study estimates that, by 2029, these three destinations will concentrate almost two thirds of the new cross-border wealth. Boom of the rich in Asia. The study recognizes the enormous growth of Asian and Middle Eastern wealth centers, which have recorded a growth 50% since 2014. However, many of these funds end up in Switzerland, registering a increase in wealth cross-border savings held in the coffers of Swiss banks of 8.7% in 2024, up from 6.3% annually recorded in 2023. That is, although Asia has become a fertile ground for generating wealth, millionaires continue to see Switzerland as a safer place to store it. Geopolitical concerns. One of the main reasons for this behavior of the great fortunes settled in Asia are the political and geopolitical decisions that increase economic uncertainty. An example cited in the report points out that events such as the implementation of the national security law in Hong Kong in 2019 or the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, raised questions about the security of assets in Asia. “Private banking focuses on diversifying geopolitical risk: clients are always looking for safe havens,” declared to Financial Times Giorgio Pradelli, CEO of the Swiss private bank EFG. “Clients increasingly began to feel that, geopolitically, the situation was less predictable and therefore it was important to have assets in different jurisdictions,” says Christian Cappelli, head of Julius Baer’s Asia office in Zurich. Financial Times. That is, they were betting on sending part of their fortune to Switzerland to protect themselves against economic blockades, political changes or war conflicts. London is no longer a refuge. On the other hand, the tax changes that the United Kingdom has implemented have caused London to lose much of your interest for millionaires Asians, putting Zurich back on the map. According to Christian Frie, head of the Asia-Pacific business in Switzerland for LGT Private Banking, the majority of Asian clients managed by his banking entity allocate between 10% and 15% of their assets outside their countries, mainly to Switzerlandaccording to the report The Global Entrepreneurial Wealth Report 2025 prepared by UBS. In Xataka | The rich neighborhoods of Madrid and Barcelona have changed their accent: millionaires from the US and Mexico invest their fortunes in Spain Image | Pexels (Peter Steiner), Unsplash (Chi Lok TSANG)

In 2010, the owner of a Ferrari missed a radar in Switzerland at 137 km/h. He took home the most expensive fine in history

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The fine for speeding highest ever recorded did not come from a German road or a French motorway. It arose in Switzerland, and they gave it to the driver of a Ferrari Testarossa. The most curious thing is that they did not put it in for pushing the power of this 90’s classic to the limit since it was traveling at 137 km/h. The result was a fine of more than 247,000 euros, an amount that officially appears in the Guinness World Records as the biggest fine for speeding. A record fine. The highest speeding fine officially recorded was imposed in Switzerland in January 2010. A court in the canton of St. Gallen sentenced the driver of a Ferrari Testarossa to pay about $290,000 (more than 247,000 euros at the exchange rate) after being detected by radar traveling at 137 km/h in a section limited to 80 km/h. The amount of the fine was not arbitrary. In Switzerland, judges do not set fines based on rigid tables according to the infraction, but rather based on the real impact they must have on each driver’s pocket. A system designed so that everyone hurts equally. Swiss legislation contemplates a model of fines proportional to the driver’s income, instead of establishing a table of fixed amounts as happens in Spain. This applies an equivalence factor with respect to economic capacity, making the sanctions truly have a deterrent nature. A fine of 200 euros for a person who charges a salary of 16,000 euros It can be a compelling reason for you to take your foot off the accelerator when you don’t play. But that same figure is insignificant for someone with a net worth of several million euros. Sanctions in Switzerland are at another level. In the case of the driver of the Testarossa, the sanction was triggered because the driver declared assets that exceeded 22 million dollars and accumulated a record for similar violations. For the Swiss authorities, the fine should reflect not only the risk committed, but also the economic impact it should generate. The 2010 record is not an isolated case. According to collects the local newspaper 24hourslast August a billionaire resident in Lausanne was fined 90,000 Swiss francs (about 96,500 euros) after exceeding the 50 km/h limit on the road while traveling at 77 km/h. Although the violation was not extreme, the final calculation was, and was justified by evaluating income, assets, and family circumstances. 96,000 euros for exceeding the speed limit by 27 km/h. Switzerland is not the only country that applies it. Finland shares a sanctioning philosophy similar to that applied in Switzerland. There are also fines calculated according to income, with precedents that have exceeded 120,000 euros. One of the best known cases It is that of a businessman who was traveling at 82 km/h in an area limited to 50 km/h and ended up facing a fine of 120,000 euros due to his level of income. In Austria, for example, a millionaire They took away his driving license and the Bugatti Veyron was immediately seized for traveling at 123 km/h in an area limited to 60 km/h. Spain will never come close to these figures. The Spanish traffic legislation is located at the opposite extreme. The fines depend exclusively on the margin exceeded over the speed limit, not on the financial capacity of the offender. Thus, the case of the Finnish driver fined 120,000 euros, in Spain would be resolved with a fine of 400 euros and four points less on the driving license. In fact, you would even have a 50% discount on the fine if you pay it in the first few days. In Spain, the most serious sanctions are penalized with a maximum of 600 euros and the withdrawal of six points on the license, without there being a link between the sanctions and the level of income. This implies that someone with high purchasing powermay consider the cost of the infringement to be minimal, thus losing its deterrent nature. In Xataka | The DGT allows legal circulation at 150 km/h without being an emergency vehicle. The secret: a sign Image | Unsplash (Noah Boyer)

Switzerland shows how to take advantage of it in the middle of winter

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In the Swiss Alps, where the silence of winter often means months of ice and gray skies, a group of engineers is looking at how snowflakes can be transformed into energy. What was once an obstacle—the accumulation of snow on the solar panels—now becomes an opportunity. Their goal is as simple as it is ambitious: discover how winter can produce solar electricity. A solar laboratory. In these cold, bright valleys, the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL) and the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research have developed a computational model to study how snow patterns affect the performance of photovoltaic systems in alpine environments. This is the first detailed model that simulates the interaction between snow and vertical solar structures in high mountains. The study, published in the magazine Cold Regions Science and Technologyfocuses on Helioplant, a vertical solar structure patented by Austrian company Ehoch2. Its design – a kind of cross with four solar wings – allows snow to be removed passively, without covering the panels and maintaining its efficiency in extreme conditions. Snow as part of the solution. The question is inevitable: how? The Lausanne team has discovered that snow not only blocks light: it also returns it. Its white surface acts as a natural mirror that reflects the Sun’s rays towards the panels, a phenomenon known as albedo effect. The challenge is finding the right spot. If snow accumulates too much, it blocks light and can damage structures. That is why researchers are seeking to redesign the way the panels are installed, to take advantage of the reflection without being buried under the ice. Seeking to understand snow. To understand it, scientists did not limit themselves to observing it: they decided to model it based on what we were already discussing. To do this, they used Snowbedfoam, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tool based on OpenFOAM, capable of simulating the transport and deposition of snow around solar structures. According to the studyis an Eulerian-Lagrangian solver that allows us to accurately represent how flakes move and accumulate in real environments. In hundreds of simulations, the team adjusted parameters such as the angle of inclination, the height of the panel above the ground, the spacing between units or its alignment with the wind. The results were revealing: the most efficient panels rise at least 0.6 meters above the ground, enough to prevent accumulated snow from blocking the release of new flakes. Hence the orientation as well. Panels aligned with the prevailing air currents stay clean as they carry away snow and prevent it from accumulating. But if they are rotated about 45°, protected areas are created where the flakes remain. As some French scientists have already confirmedair currents can be as useful a resource as sunlight itself. When the cold inspires energy. In other places they are also learning to listen to winter. In Norway, solar panels They rise vertically to look straight at the snow. In the Arctic city of Tromsø, 1,600 units cover more than 2,600 square meters, capturing both direct sunlight and that bouncing off the white ground. On the other side of the Atlantic, researchers from the University of Michigan test transparent coatings that prevent snow from adhering to the panels, even at –35 °C. Different solutions for the same learning: that the snow is not an obstacle, but part of the system. When winter also shines. Solar energy, a symbol of summer and the desert, is reinvented among glaciers and snow-capped peaks. What previously shut down production now multiplies it. What once blocked light now reflects it. The objective of these tests is not only to generate electricity, but to “create more efficient and snow-resistant photovoltaic systems.” In the words of the Lausanne researchersthe future of solar energy could lie in learning from snow, not fearing it. In the Alps, each flake is no longer an obstacle: it is a potential particle of energy. And in that silent gesture of snow reflecting light, Switzerland is testing the future of solar energy. Image | Pexels Xataka | Spanish scientists have created a material that swallows 99.5% of light. And it is great news for renewables

While industrial production collapses in the European Union, in Switzerland is triggered. And it is an energy issue

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In the midst of the European energy storm, Switzerland seems to live in a bubble of prosperity. In a recent publicationthe geopolitical analyst Velina Tchakarova showed how the Swiss industry continues to grow in front of the European Union. And the data does not deceive anyone: in the first quarter of this year the industrial production of the Helvetic increased 8.5% year -on -yearwhile in Germany recorded last June A 1.9%collapse, the worst data in years. The contrast is even more evident in the long term: since 2011, Swiss industrial production It has grown almost 40%in front of the German stagnation. The Swiss road. True to its neutrality, but knowing how to position itself, the Swiss industry is dominated by sectors of high added value and low relative energy consumption, like pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. But here is the most revealing: that low energy consumption is not only efficiency, but also outsourcing (a sophisticated strategy of Green offshoring). An EBP consultant study for the Federal Environmental Office (BAFU) shows that two thirds of the environmental footprint of Switzerland They are generated outside their borders. The report Umwelt Schweiz 2022 Confirm this pattern: the country reduces its internal impact at the expense of moving it abroad. There are different examples that illustrate it well: the Roche company announced in May A new biopharmaceutical plant in Shanghai, the Lonza company operating in Guangzhou Or, the most striking case, Siegfried managing a global network with headquarters in different countries that allows you to distribute phases of the chain outside the Helvetic territory. Together, these movements illustrate how the Swiss industrial “miracle” retains the added value at home while displacing the most polluting and expensive part abroad. To this is added an electrical system less vulnerable to gas: the Hydroelectricity and the nuclear They represent a good part of their mix. The Labyrinth of the EU. At this time you are going through an industrial decline: Eurostat reported that in June the production fell 1.0% in the EU as a whole and 1.3% in the eurozone. The setback It was coming last yearwhen the manufacturing volume was 2% lower than in 2022. And Ing Think analysts They warn that European industrial production It remains 5% below two years ago, a prolonged stagnation signal. To this fall is added a perfect storm: high energy costsCO₂ and an internal debate about its energy model. France, With a reactor -based systemleads the block that defends nuclear energy as a backbone of the transition. Spain and Portugal, with solar and wind abundance, demand otherwise: more interconnections and networks To take advantage of renewable surplus. In addition, it is added The tireless search by the EU of looking for another output to stock up that it is not Russia in terms of gas. While Switzerland transfers its heaviest loads to Asia, Europe is enclosed in its own rules, paying CO₂ rights that further increase its energy intensive industries. Switzerland outsourizes, Europe internalizes. Switzerland harvest added value, Europe assumes added costs. The awkward contrast. Here the paradox emerges. Switzerland exhibits an expansion industry, favorable environmental statistics and a more stable electricity supply. Everything seems to indicate that it has found the perfect formula to prosper in the midst of European chaos. For its part, the European Union is paying the price If pioneer: its factories face much higher energy costs, their energy intensive industries lose competitiveness and their governments carry the pressure of meet strict climatic objectives. But Swiss success relies on a small print. The report itself Umwelt Schweiz 2022 He admits that two thirds of the country’s environmental footprint are generated outside their borders. That is, Switzerland retains at home the added value of its pharmaceutical and technological industry, while the energy cost and pollution are transferred to other places. That apparently virtuous model implies a strategic risk: to depend on global supply chains and expose themselves to political vulnerabilities in Asia. In climatic terms, the question is inevitable: are global emissions really reduced when Switzerland “is cleaned” at the cost of others getting more? Or, in other words, isn’t its industrial miracle with another way to outsource the environmental invoice? Forecasts On paper, Switzerland seems greener and more prosperous. But the true story is told in the chimneys of China and in the closed factories of Germany. The Helvetic miracle works, to a large extent, because the energy and climatic invoice is paid by others. While industrial production collapses in the European Union, in Switzerland is triggered. However, that balance, sustained in global chains and in others, could be broken when geopolitics tightens. The real unknown is not how much the Swiss miracle can last, but who is willing to pay his invoice. Image | Freepik and Unspash Xataka | Nuclear fever in the middle of AI: Uranium rises like foam while stumble

There is a new “technological giant” in the US. The surprise is that it is not from the US, but from Switzerland

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ANDThe Swiss National Bank (SNB), a traditionally conservative institution, has ceased to be. In fact, it has silenced one of the most important technological investors in the world. The firm has accumulated a portfolio of actions of such magnitude that its value is equivalent to almost a fifth of the annual economic production of Switzerland. What happened. According to records From the US stock and values ​​commission (SEC) of the month of June, the SNB has 167,000 million dollars in shares of US companies, distributed in more than 2,300 positions. That makes the entity a first -order investor in Silicon Valley. Love for Big Five. More than 42,000 million of that portfolio are invested in just five technological giants: Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Nvidia. SNB has A special focus on Applecompany in which it has invested almost 10,000 million dollars, and in Nvidia, where it has invested more than 11,000 million dollars. A gigantic entity. The Swiss National Bank is not a sovereign fund as such: its main mission is not active investment to make the country’s money grow. However, its asset balance, which amounts to 855,000 million dollars, places it in a league comparable to that of large investment vehicles from countries such as Singapore or Qatar. Experts, yes, They point that SNB is an entity that does not seek to influence these companies, and only uses its portfolio as a management tool for its currency. Banks do not do this. The SNB approach – which is not owned by the national government – is really atypical. The Bank of Japan For example, it makes use of mechanisms such as ETFs for its operation, and usually also buy shares from your own country. In Switzerland there are requests that the SNB manages that portfolio actively (as an investment fund) to make more profitability. Meanwhile, the European Central Bank warns that shares can be overvalued. And our Bank of Spain? The Bank of Spain, on the other hand, buys governments bonds to control inflation and interest rates throughout the eurozone. They all differ in their strategy, and clearly that of the SNB resembles an investment company than a traditional banking entity. SNB positions in US companies. Source: Financial Times with sec data. Switzerland is small to snb. But the Swiss bond market is too small for SNB operations, and that causes the entity to invest the foreign currencies that it acquires (mainly dollars and euros). He does it in bonds and, as we have seen, in abroad actions, a strategy that some analysts They call “Foreign quantitative flexibility” and that has led him to invest in those actions of technology companies in the US. The powerful Swiss Franco. The argument that defends that strategy is that of the Swiss Franco strengthconsidered a global shelter currency. Having a strong currency is fantastic, but it is not good that it is too much Strong because it slows exports and can cause deflation: the extrin products become very cheap for the Swiss and make the Swiss companies very difficult to compete. To counteract all this, SNB does the opposite of what investors do. Sells francs – adding the offer – and buy foreign currencies that he does not want to have stops, so he invests them in companies such as Apple or Nvidia. Passive-agreesive strategy. Although SNB philosophy is basically passive and does not exercise its voting rights in those companies, this entity adjusts its positions. The sec data reveals a great increase in their participation in NVIDIA or the creation of a new position in Berkshire Hathaway, and a reduction of assets in Meta and Netflix in the last two years. That, of course, has its risksbut SNB does not seem to go bad at the moment. In Xataka | All against Nvidia: the strongest Chinese companies in Chips and IA have created a historical alliance

While France and Switzerland turn off reactors by heat, Spain continues to generate electricity. The difference is in the forecast

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Europe is living Your worst heat wave with temperatures that have exceeded 40 ° C in several countries. The most unheard of, if one can see the situation, is that some European plants have had to close temporarily. An unusual fact. The heat not only feels in the streets: it is also affecting the heart of the European energy system. According to Euronews, This week three nuclear reactors have been disconnected in France and Switzerland for the temperature rise in the rivers they use to cool. In Girfch, to the south of France, one of the reactors stopped as the Garona River approached at 28 ° C. In Switzerland, the Beznau Central did the same: one of the reactors was out of service and the second was operating in half capacity by heat in the Aare River. Preventive measures. The reason behind this temporal closures responds to an environmental regulation that forces to reduce production when river water is excessively heated, since it could affect the ecosystem by being returned even longer, such as have detailed in Euronews. In addition, restrictions or power reductions have been applied in French centrals such as Buity, Blayais and Cruas. The origin of the problem. Water is key in any nuclear power plant. Without it, there is no way to keep the reactor temperature under control. But with increasingly hot rivers, especially during heat wavesthat function begins to fail. The worst thing is that many of these plants were built between 60 and 80, when climate change was not a factor to take into account. Now the consequences are clear: According to The New York TimesFrance could end up losing up to four times more electricity in summer if this type of closures becomes usual. A problem that aggravates. During the heat waves, more electricity is needed to light the air conditioners or fans, so the demand increases at the same time as the generation capacity falls. This has generated a domino effect on the European electricity market. According to the economistthe megavatio hour has come to double in a matter of days in France, affecting countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium that depend on gala electricity. And in Spain? Despite registering equal or even higher temperatures, Spain has not had to close any heat power plant. As He explained The economist, the key is in infrastructure and design. Unlike France, where many plants depend directly on rivers such as Garona or Rhone, in Spain solutions such as cooling towers have been adopted, which cool the water before returning it to the natural environment. A paradigmatic example is the Trillo plant, whose ability to operate during heat waves is due to this type of system. Also, like We have detailed in this mediumSpanish nuclear power plants are designed with a triple cooling system: a closed primary circuit that contains the fuel bars, a secondary circuit that generates the steam to move the turbines, and a third external circuit that introduces cold water – teacher of rivers, reservoirs or towers – to condense the steam. In addition, after Fukushima, all centrals incorporated portable and self -employment systems, capable of maintaining cooling functions even to climatic emergencies or electrical cuts. More interconnection? The situation that France and Switzerland are going through is not an isolated event, but a symptom of an still fragmented energy Europe. While in southern France reactors by heat go out, Spain keeps its centrals operational and could even contribute more electricity to the continent if there are better interconnections. These situations show the bottleneck that limits the electrical export capacity of the Iberian Peninsula. Spain has a nuclear park adapted to heat and a growing renewable base – specially solar and wind – that could serve as an energy lung for a Europe increasingly affected by extreme events. The energy future of the continent not only goes to adapt to heat, but also by connecting better. Image | Pixabay Xataka | Israel has been bombing the nuclear facilities that build other countries around its surroundings. This is the real risk of collapse

In 2015, Catar’s ex-emir fractured a leg in Morocco. So his nine Boeing 747 private set for Switzerland

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In December 2015, an incident starring the ex-emir of Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, exposed to what extent the deployment of Media of a real family. What began with a fall in the mountains of Morocco ended up collapsing the Zurich airport with the arrival of nine Private Boeing 747 In the middle of the night they needed a special permit of the Swiss airport authority to land. This episode, beyond the anecdotal, reveals how protocols and infrastructure that surrounds large fortunes can Mobilize resources on a difficult scale to imagine to The common of mortals. As in THE THEORY OF CHAOSthe effect of a fall in Morocco put a serious squeeze to Swiss air controllers. A real accident in Morocco During the December 2015 vacationsSheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, who was Emir from Qatar since 1995 and father of the country’s current leader, suffered an accident in the Atlas mountains, in Morocco. The 63 -year -old millionaire at that time fractured a leg while enjoying a snow vacation, As reported In your day Morocco World News. However, the severity of the injury that caused the fall led the EMIR personal medical team to recommend its immediate transfer to Switzerland to be operated there. The ex -president was evacuated to a Swiss hospital where he could receive medical attention more advanced and specialized for recovery. The evacuation was carried out aboard one of the Boeing 747 that the Catarí royal family uses as a private jet. The problem is that the emir never travels alone. Eight Boeing 747 more were needed. That is, one delegation formed by nine aircraftif we have the one that transported the former Hamad Bin Khalifa to the Thani. In Zurich they did not believe it As Everything that happens Around the Catarí royal family, the transfer of the former emir was not a simple private flight. Six of the airplanes took away immediately from Doha to Zurich destination, to support the transfer of the president, while the other three remaining were part of the personal entourage of the patriarch of the Al Thani clan. According to public The GuardianZurich-Kloten airport controllers were quickly overwhelmed at the presence of nine aircraft asking to land in the middle of the night due to the medical emergency of their most illustrious passenger. In just a few hours, a total of nine Boeing 747 operated by Qatar Amiri Flight, the family’s exclusive airline Al thani requested to take land at the Swiss airport. The situation was so exceptional That the Swiss authorities had to grant a special permit for airplanes to land outside the allowed schedule, since Zurich-Kloten airport prohibits night air traffic so as not to disturb local residents. The simultaneous arrival of so many private jets for a medical emergency was an unprecedented event in the Swiss city. Obviously, as they counted in Luxurylaunchesthis aerial deployment not only responded to the need to transfer the patient, but to mobilize all his entourage. Among the passengers of the nine Boeing 747 the private medical team of the Sheikh, the family security personnel, personal, family assistants, etc. was traveling etc. Each plane had a specific purpose, from transporting medical equipment to guaranteeing the comfort and safety of all companions of the ex-emir during their stay in Switzerland. The private fleet of the Thani family: more than a luxury Beyond the anecdotal of mobilizing nine aircraft that in their commercial configuration are able to transport 400 people, the private fleet of the family to Thani is part of an infrastructure designed to guarantee the mobility and well -being of its members in any circumstance. These nine Boeing 747 are not simple private jets: inside they have medical suites, private rooms and, in some cases, gyroestabilized hospital beds that keep the patient stable during the flight. The luxury and sophistication level of these aircraft exceeds any usual standard. All this, adorned and splashed with the most exclusive luxuries, which makes these planes authentic flying palaces capable of responding to any emergency or need of the Catarí royal family. In Xataka | A single millionaire spent on his luxury vacation in Mallorca the equivalent of 10,000 tourists: the Emir de Catar In Xataka | Mark Zuckerberg has sent his two supereyates at 8,500 km only for one reason: climb to a helicopter and lower it skiing Image | Wikimedia Commons (Mehmet Mustafa çelik), Flickr (ITU PICTURES, Alan Wilson)

Something is changing in Europe if the country that has been neutral will also check it: Switzerland

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In the world, Ironiza A few months ago the European geopolitics expert Ulrike Franke, there are few certainties. One is death. Another taxes. And the third, almost at the same level as the previous two, is the military neutrality of Switzerland. Your own government presume that it is “one of the foundations” of its foreign policy, a status recognized internationally since 1815 and that in practice prevents it from taking advantage of armed conflicts or joining military alliances, no matter how much powerful (and above all lucrative) Let it be your arms industry. In an increasingly complicated world, marked by the three years of war in Ukraine, the approach of the US and Russia and relationships more and more tense Between Brussels and Washington, this status of neutrality seems to soften. What happened? That although Swiss neutrality is part of the country’s DNA, it is recognized worldwide and has overwhelming support in Helvetic society (91% in 2024), Something is changing in the Alpina nation. It comes with a quick turn by Google to find items that They wonder For the future that Switzerland has if he maintains his equidistance, they talk about “Relanding” either “questioning” of neutrality or even report how Bern It has been involved in projects of Military Cariz. It is not so much The president of the country was pronounced on the issue, Viola Amherd. “It should be reviewed”. The clearest evidence was left by the Swiss federal council in August, when he published A series of “recommendations” in terms of security prepared by an expert commission. Among them there is a centered on the neutral role of Switzerland that generated a special interest. The reason? Your firmness. “The neutrality policy should be reviewed, focus more on its security function and apply with more flexibility,” starts The chapter. They are just that, recommendations embodied in a report, but it is revealing. “The majority of the commission recommends to better align neutrality policy with the United Nations Charter and take into account the distinction between aggressor and victim,” The document aboundswhich also advocates to review the federal law of 96 in the matter of defense and the approach to the Atlantic Alliance and the 27 community states. “Cooperation with NATO and EU must continue to deepen with a view to achieving a common defense capacity and be a real cooperation.” The importance of context. The recommendations are understood much better in context light, one that has evolved clearly since it was disclosed The reportin August 2024. The first key is the Ukraine War. After his beginning Bern He decided to join To European sanctions to Russia Bajo The argument that supporting purely economic punishments does not imply positioning itself in an armed conflict. That reasoning did not prevent, however, a few months later, in August 2022, Moscow stop considering To Switzerland a neutral country and even rejected a Berna offer to mediate in the war. Geopolitics … and market. There are other keys, such as the fact that Switzerland was incorporated into the United Nations In 2002 (with everything that implies), but among them there is an especially interesting. Switzerland may be a neutral country, but has companies that export hundreds of millions of euros in war material. And while in 2022 that business reached A record levelthe following year the flow He collapsed partly by the neutral status of the country, which Block re -export of weapons and ammunition manufactured in Switzerland to countries at war, such as Ukraine. “Raise the ban”. In Your report August is also dedicated to the arms policy in which it is advocated to “strengthen and adapt better to threats” the Swiss industry. “The majority wishes to lift the prohibition of re -export to the countries mentioned in Annex 2 of the ordinance of February 25, 1998 on war material,” the document collects. In said annex A twenty and a half of countries are cited from different regions, including Germany or Spain, which in 2023 assured that Bern “blocked” the re -export of military material to Ukraine to reinforce his defense. And Trump arrived. That was the context a few months ago. Since November one more factor is added: Donald Trump, than from his Arrival at the White House He has revolutionized international politics, especially in Europe. In the two scarce months that the Republican has been in office, he has threatened take out to the US from NATO, he has complained that the alliance “Take advantage” from Washington and has implied that Europe will not be able to count forever or unconditionally with the “Defensive umbrella” United States. Has that climate influenced in Bern? Financial Times (FT) published a few days ago An extensive analysis in which he argued that the new scenario is pushing Switzerland to establish closer defense ties. At stake also enters a new name, Martin Pfistera colonel who in a matter of days will become the new Swiss defense minister and has already been favorable to greater cooperation in defense with NATO and the EU. “Absolutely necessary”. As collect the newspaper British, Pfister has publicly assured that he sees “absolutely necessary” cooperation and joint training with NATO. And that even though Switzerland, precisely because of its historic neutral status, is not part of the Atlantic Alliance. Beyond his words, the Alpine country has made several interesting movements over the last months without altering its neutral status: He has decided to join to an EU project to facilitate military mobility, He has signed a statement to be part of the European sky shield initiative (ESSI) and the government even It has been proposed Relax the restrictions for the export of weapons. “I have never seen a scenario that reflects the situation we are in,” Jean-Marc Rickli commentsfrom the Geneva Security Policy Center to FT. “In transatlantic relations there have been ups and downs, but the possible detachment of the US with Europe, in addition to aligning with Russia … has generated a shock in Europe, including Switzerland.” … Read more

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