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.
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Gully Boy
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Producer: Excel Entertainment & Tiger Baby
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi
Rating: 4/5 stars
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%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20will%20host%20Scotland%20for%20a%20three-match%20T20I%20series%20at%20the%20Dubai%20International%20Stadium%20next%20month.%3Cbr%3EThe%20two%20sides%20will%20start%20their%20Cricket%20World%20Cup%20League%202%20campaigns%20with%20a%20tri-series%20also%20involving%20Canada%2C%20starting%20on%20January%2029.%3Cbr%3EThat%20series%20will%20be%20followed%20by%20a%20bilateral%20T20%20series%20on%20March%2011%2C%2013%20and%2014.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Brief scores:
Juventus 3
Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'
Frosinone 0
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
