Voters have gone to the polls in Switzerland to select the make-up of their country's parliament.
Polls reveal a resurgence in support for both right-wing Swiss People's Party and the Socialists, eroding some of the ground the Greens took at the last elections four years ago.
The Swiss People's Party (known by its German acronym SVP) has the most seats in parliament, with more than a quarter of the 200 seats in the lower house, the National Council, followed by the Socialists at 39.
Aside from the SVP and the Socialists, a new formation calling itself “The Centre”, which was created from the merger of the centre-right Christian Democrat and the “Bourgeois Democrat" parties, has been taking to the hustings and, potentially, could overtake the Liberal party to become the third-largest party in the lower house.
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper is predicting that the SVP will win 31 per cent of the votes.
Immigration issue
The SVP is seen taking a hard line on immigration, calling for the country's population to be limited to 10 million people.
There are around 8.5 million Swiss citizens, with the majority of them - about 62 per cent - speaking Swiss-German dialects. Around 23 per cent speak French, mostly in the country's west, while the rest are Italian speakers. A small minority of people speak Romansh, a Romance language based on Latin.
At 25 per cent, Switzerland has a relatively high proportion of foreign-born residents and net immigration increased 14 per cent last year compared to 2021.
Like most European countries, Switzerland's election issues have surrounded the economy, migration and climate change.
Retiree Claudine Juillard in Geneva said she mostly voted for Socialist candidates, because “life is getting more expensive, and it's not easy".
Aside from selecting 200 people serve as parliamentarians in the National Council, there are also 46 seats in the upper chamber, the Council of States, being contested.
In addition to parliamentary elections every four years, the Swiss public are consulted on political decisions through a system of referendums, sometimes up to four times a year.
Switzerland's economy is largely built on pharmaceutical companies, insurance firms and banking. It has the highest densities of multinational company headquarters in the world, thanks to its advantageous tax rates.
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MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
Profile of Bitex UAE
Date of launch: November 2018
Founder: Monark Modi
Based: Business Bay, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: Eight employees
Investors: Self-funded to date with $1m of personal savings
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m, Winner: ES Rubban, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ibrahim Aseel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Al Mobher, Sczcepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: Jabalini, Tadhg O’Shea, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m, Winner: AF Abahe, Tadgh O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: AF Makerah, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m, Winner: Law Of Peace, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Bah
Born: 1972
Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992
Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old
Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
