IMMIGRATION Majority of Swiss ready to welcome refugee centres By Anand Chandrasekhar JUL 15, 2015 – 17:45 Over 60% of Swiss surveyed were ready to share an evening meal with refugees (Keystone) According to a survey commissioned by the French-language weekly Hebdo, the majority of Swiss do not have […]
JIHAD FIGHTERS Twelve jihadists from Switzerland believed dead JUL 17, 2015 – 15:22 One of the main destinations for jihadists from Switzerland is Syria (Keystone) A dozen people who left Switzerland to fight in jihadist conflicts are now believed dead, according to the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service […]
By Ariane Gigon, Kilchberg swissinfo.ch JUL 6, 2015 – 11:00 While the debate on language learning continues to provoke strong reactions in Switzerland, linguistic exchanges are on the rise, although […]
CULTURAL PROPERTY Swiss return ancient cultural objects to Egypt JUN 1, 2015 – 12:32 A selection of the 32 ancient artefacts recently returned to the Egyptian Embassy in Bern. (Federal Office of Culture) Switzerland has returned 32 cultural treasures dating from the Pharaonic and Roman periods to the Egyptian Embassy […]
HEAT WAVE Temperature record set in Geneva JUL 7, 2015 – 20:47 During a week-long heat wave, the thermometer in Geneva has hit 39.7 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature ever recorded north of the Alps in Switzerland. The shores of Lake Geneva have been packed with swimmers trying to cool […]
By Gaby Ochsenbein swissinfo.ch The European Union’s inability to agree on a plan to distribute refugees across its 28 countries according to a binding quota system shocked professor of migration […]
INTERNATIONAL COMPARISON Immigrants in Switzerland are well integrated, says OECD JUL 2, 2015 – 19:22 Education success in Switzerland was a weak point for immigrants, the OECD found (Keystone) Immigrants moving to Switzerland integrate quite easily, especially into the job market. But poverty levels and training possibilities are problematic, an […]
TEMPORARY RESIDENCE Limbo status for migrants creates problems By Stefania Summermatter swissinfo.ch JUN 29, 2015 – 11:00 In late May there were over 31,000 people registered with an ‘F’ permit (Keystone) “Temporary residence” status was created to guarantee short-term protection to unsuccessful asylum seekers in Switzerland before they could be sent home. […]
JUN 22, 2015 – swissinfo.ch Foreign immigrants are expected to account for more than 80% of Switzerland’s population increase in the next 30 years, according to projections from the Federal Statistical Office. The number of people living in Switzerland is forecast to rise from 8.2 million at present to 10.2 […]
HUMANITARIAN AID Swiss Solidarity distributes CHF46 million JUN 17, 2015 – 14:54 Swiss Solidarity has helped Syrian refugees, such as these camping near the Turkish border. (Keystone) Charity Swiss Solidarity supported 175 projects to the tune of CHF46.6 million ($50 million) last year. Most of it went towards Syrian as […]
JUN 12, 2015 – 17:15 SWISSINFO.CH The Swiss cabinet announced on Friday that it has added arms and other war materiel to the sanctions it has imposed as a result of the crisis in Yemen. The decision supported measures taken in a United Nations Security Council embargo […]
DIGITAL SENIORS Offline seniors risk social isolation By Isobel Leybold-Johnson, Zurich swissinfo.ch JUN 8, 2015 – 11:00 Some seniors take courses to fill gaps in their online and computer knowledge (Ex-press) Although internet use is increasing among the older generation in Switzerland, a sizeable proportion of seniors are […]
‘IMPROPER PROCEDURE’ Swiss arrest of former Bosnian military commander criticised JUN 12, 2015 – 20:15 On Friday several hundred war veterans in Bosnia protested Wednesday’s arrest of Naser Oric in Geneva (swissinfo.ch) Swiss authorities followed improper procedure in their arrest of former Bosnian Muslim military commander Naser Oric in Geneva […]
JUN 8, 2015 – 15:47 The goal of the programme is to help refugees living in Switzerland to find farm work. (Keystone) A statement from the Swiss Farmer’s Union (USP) announcing a programme to employ refugees living in Switzerland has caused quite a stir – but for the wrong reasons. […]
By Jeannie Wurz JUN 4, 2015 – 17:00 Bern city parliament is debating a motion on allowing the capital’s 33,000 non-Swiss residents to submit political motions (Keystone) The number of foreign residents in Switzerland has increased to almost one quarter of the population. Most of them don’t have a say in […]
The leftist group is scheduled to hold an exhibition in Zurich in June, which will include testimonies by IDF soldiers on alleged human rights violations. By Barak Ravid | Jun. 2, 2015 | 5:01 PM Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, May 25, 2015. Photo by Emil Salman Deputy Foreign Minister […]
The leftist group is scheduled to hold an exhibition in Zurich in June, which will include testimonies by IDF soldiers on alleged human rights violations. By Barak Ravid | Jun. 2, 2015 | 5:01 PM Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely, May 25, 2015. Photo by Emil Salman Deputy Foreign Minister […]
Sepp Blatter has announced his intention to stand down as FIFA president Says ‘extraordinary congress’ will be called to elect a his successor Timetable has not been set but will likely take at least four months Blatter will continue to serve as president until elections take place Statement comes amid […]
JIHADISTS More entry bans imposed against radicalisation By swissinfo.ch and agencies MAY 31, 2015 – 14:43 Switzerland has imposed more entry bans on radicalised non-Swiss citizens (Keystone) The Swiss government has authorised a number of entry bans on radicalised non-Swiss citizens in order to limit extremist groups who promote their […]
MAY 28, 2015 – 11:39 A refugee doing agricultural work in Basel (Keystone) Church charity Caritas is calling for a new protective status for people who do not receive asylum in Switzerland but who are not deported. It says they should receive the same rights as refugees who are […]