Switzerland

The succession for Guy Parmelin’s seat on the Federal Council is proving a difficult post to fill. National Councillor Franz Grüter has officially withdrawn from consideration, joining a growing list of prominent politicians who have decided they would rather stay where they are than join the seven-member executive. Party leaders are now looking toward figures like Thomas Aeschi and various vice presidents from the French-speaking region to fill the void.

Swiss households are finding that even a stable economy has its limits. One in five tenants now spends more than a third of their income on rent, a threshold usually defined as a cost trap. For those with money left over, retail giant Migros is extending its opening hours until 10:30 PM to keep pace with Coop, while Raiffeisen is adding a secondary app for mobile payments to combat a rise in digital fraud.

Young HR recruiters have admitted to discarding job applications from anyone over 50, citing perceived costs and a lack of modern skills as an easy way to trim high volumes of resumes. In Tuggen, police are investigating whether a fatal brawl was triggered by Hitler salutes; and in the United States, high beef prices have become a central headache for the White House ahead of the midterms.