Certain asylum seekers have reported disbelief, frustration and a sense of injustice upon seeing the integration and fast track visa measures offered to Ukrainian refugees in Switzerland. In response, Karin Keller-Sutter, Switzerland’s minister of police and justice, explained the differences in treatment to RTS. Recently, rumours of discontent among non-Ukrainian asylum seekers in Switzerland have […]
Swiss resorts record exceptional 2021/22 season
Swiss ski resorts bounced back in 2021/22 after the Covid-19 pandemic hit the industry hard, reports the Swiss association of mountain lift operators. March 2022 was a particularly good month for the sector. Dry sunny weather combined with the ending of Covid-19 restrictions led to a 32% year-on-year jump in the number of mountain lift […]
Swiss job market reaches new record
The number of Swiss job advertisements rose 47% in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the same quarter in the previous year, a record rise, reported the employment agency Adecco. Job hunters in Switzerland face much better prospects than they have in a long time, said the agency, particularly those with highly sought after […]
Ukraine refugee day centre opened by English-speaking churches in Lausanne
A Day Centre for Ukrainian refugees will be opened on 28 April 2022 supported by three local English-speaking churches. Based at the Scots Kirk, Avenue de Rumine 26 in Lausanne, it will be open Thursday and Sunday afternoons (14h00 – 17h00). Gillean MacLean, Minister of the Scots Kirk explains why the Centre is being established: […]
Ukrainians given less money than other refugees in Switzerland
Analysis by the newspaper SonntagsZeitung claims that Ukrainian refugees are sometimes given significantly less money by certain cantons than other refugees who end up in Switzerland, reports 20 Minutes. While Switzerland has put in place a fast track asylum process for Ukrainians, which quickly provides them with an S visa entitling them to work in […]
Some Swiss cantons now advertise the location of speed cameras
Switzerland has some of the world’s stiffest penalties for speeding. In exceptional cases fines can rise to a percentage of the drivers income in addition to licence removal and prison time. In 2010, a wealthy speeder was fined CHF 299,000 for driving at 140 km/h in a 100 km/h zone. Swiss road rules became stricter […]
Swiss government supports wider definition of rape
This week, Switzerland’s Federal Council agreed that Switzerland’s legal definition of rape should be extended, reported RTS. Currently, Swiss law defines rape as vaginal penetration by a man where the woman has resisted, a narrow definition that excludes male victims and cases where a woman has not resisted, for example in cases where resisting would […]
Switzerland steps up sanctions against Russia and Belarus
On 13 April 2022, Switzerland’s Federal Council decided to adopt stiffer sanctions against Russia and Belarus. The new sanctions cover measures in the areas of trade, finance and transport and include bans on the import of coal, wood, cement, seafood and vodka, products that serve as important sources of revenue for Russia. Exports of kerosene, […]
Swiss government prepares for electricity price shock
Switzerland’s leaders are concerned by the current volatility of electricity prices and have started planning for a potential disaster scenario, reported RTS. The war in Ukraine has impacted energy provision across Europe, said Swiss energy minister Simonetta Sommaruga on Thursday. Price movements have reached historical levels and could worsen if gas supplies from Russia stop. […]
Covid: 3 jabs needed to cut spread of Omicron, shows Swiss research
Research clearly shows that vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus reduce hospital admissions and deaths and also the risk of long Covid. Recent research by the University of Geneva looks at the impact of vaccines on infectiousness. The research, published on 8 April 2022 in Nature Medicine, looks at the impact of vaccination on the infectious […]
