the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which has been hit hard by US foreign aid cuts, is laying off around 20% of staff at its Geneva headquarters, reported RTS. Around 20% of the organisation’s roughly 1,000 staff based in Geneva are to be cut according to several sources familiar with the situation. One employee told […]
Planning a trip to the UK? Don’t forget a visa
From 2 April 2025, travelling to the United Kingdom will require a visa. EU and EFTA nationals, including Swiss passport holders, can now (from 5 March 2025) apply online for an U.K. Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). The ETA costs £10 and lasts for 2 years from the date of issue. Currently, only citizens of EU […]
Most Muslims in Switzerland don’t report racist incidents
A recently published report shows that only a tiny percentage of rascist incidents affecting Muslims in Switzerland are reported. Around a third (35%) of Switzerland’s 450,000 Muslims report being victims of racism. However, only around 60 people a year report such incidents to Switzerland’s official racism reporting centres. Marianne Helfer, head of the Federal Office […]
Swiss-EU deal acceptance more likely after progress on wage protection
In Switzerland, there is resistance to EU deals on both the left and right. On the right concern tends to be focused on loss of self determination, cultural erosion and overcrowding. On the left, key sticking points are loss of trade protection and wage dumping. This week, progress was made on wage protection, reported RTS. […]
Commission against mandatory referendum on Switzerland’s EU deal
On 20 December 2024, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Bern to conclude the long negotiations between Switzerland and the EU on their future relationship. The terms agreed between Brussels and Bern now need to be formalised in legal form. However, it is likely that those against the relationship or the form of […]
Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei barred from entering Switzerland
On Monday, the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei was denied entry to Switzerland because he was unable to present a valid visa, reported RTS. Forced to spend Tuesday night at Zurich airport, the well-known dissident artist took to social media. On Instagram, he said “I’m sleeping on a bench with a blanket tonight and waiting to […]
The rise in rental scams in Switzerland
Finding a place to live in Switzerland is increasingly difficult. Scammers have noticed and are cashing in on the desperation experienced by some seeking a place to live, reported the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a federal government agency. Across much of Switzerland housing vacancy rates are less than 1%. In the cantons of Zug […]
Return of asylum seekers accelerates in Switzerland
Last year, Switzerland sent more than 7,000 asylum seekers back to their country of origin, which is around 18% more than the year before, reported RTS. The figure was revealed by Beat Jans, the Swiss minister in charge of asylum, in conversations at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos this week. With a rate […]
Switzerland bans Hamas and its content
This week, Switzerland’s federal government approved a five-year ban on Hamas, reported RTS. The ban will prevent the organisation from using Switzerland as a refuge. It will also make it illegal for anyone in Switzerland to like or forward digital content related to the organisation. After being accepted by a majority of the Council of […]
EU and Switzerland aim to conclude negotiations by year end
This week, Maros Sefcovic, the vice president of the European Commission, met in Bern with Ignazio Cassis, Switzerland’s foreign minister to progress talks on Switzerland’s future deal with the EU with the aim of concluding negotiations by the end of the year, reported RTS. Responding to questions, Ignazio Cassis said they’re on the home straight […]
