Last Friday, a Swiss parliamentary committee backed a plan to relocate some Eritreans with rejected asylum applications to a third country, such as Rwanda. Questions remain on the feasibility of the proposal and whether Switzerland is taking cues from the United Kingdom’s Rwanda bill. What is the Swiss proposal about? A committee in the Swiss House of Representatives has given the green light to a motion presented by Petra Gössi, a member of the centre-right Radical-Liberal Party. The motion calls... Читать дальше...
Switzerland will not be participating in the European Copernicus programme to monitor climate change from 2021 to 2027. The reason for this is the strained state of federal finances, according to the government. Parliament had voted in favour of participation in the satellite programme. Participation would put a further strain on the already tight federal budget, the government said on Wednesday. The possibility of joining the programme from 2028 would be examined during the current period. Switzerland’s... Читать дальше...
Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1. From this date, they will only need to have attended compulsory schooling in Switzerland for two years to be able to submit a hardship application for admission. The government is also extending the deadline for submitting such an application from one to two years. The government has amended the Federal Ordinance on Admission, Residence and Gainful Employment accordingly, it was announced on Wednesday. Читать дальше...
Family members of people temporarily admitted to Switzerland should in future be able to join them after two years instead of three. The proposed amendment to the law is the government’s response to a judgement by the European Court of Human Rights. In 2021 the Strasbourg court concluded that the automatic application of a waiting period of more than two years was incompatible with the right to family life under the European Convention on Human Rights. The Federal Administrative Court subsequently amended its case law. Читать дальше...
2023 was a record year for the Rhaetian Railway in several respects. Never before has the narrow-gauge railway in Graubünden, eastern Switzerland, transported so many passengers and cars. The previous record figures from 2019, the last year before the Covid pandemic, were in some cases significantly exceeded, the Rhaetian Railway said at the presentation of its annual results to the media in Chur on Tuesday. As the first year after the pandemic, 2023 set a record in passenger transport with almost 16 million passengers. Читать дальше...
A new four-legged robot with artificial intelligence can seamlessly change its gait. With the aim of avoiding falls, the robot from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) switches between walking, trotting and jumping depending on the situation. The robot was developed to investigate why animals switch between different gaits, EPFL announced on Tuesday. “Previous research has shown that animals change their gait to save energy and avoid musculoskeletal injuries,” explained robotics... Читать дальше...
Last year, more racist incidents were reported in Switzerland than ever before. For the first time, the majority of reports did not concern incidents in the workplace, but incidents in schools. An 11-year-old pupil is repeatedly insulted in the class chat and called the N-word, among other things. Black pupils are locked in the equipment room during PE lessons and called racist names by classmates. These are just some of the examples listed in the latest racism report compiled by the Federal Commission... Читать дальше...
Chief financial officers (CFOs) in Switzerland are more optimistic about the near future than they were six months ago. Their main concerns are geopolitical uncertainty and the important trading partners Germany and China. More than half (56%) of over 120 CFOs of Swiss companies surveyed expect the economy to develop positively over the next 12 months, according to the semi-annual CFO survey published on Wednesday by consulting firm Deloitte. This is 15 percentage points more than last autumn. Around... Читать дальше...
Labour Day events are being held across Switzerland on Wednesday under the slogan “Premiums down, wages up!”. Following the success at the polls of the 13th monthly pension payment in March, the trade unions see another opportunity to improve the situation of the working population on June 9. “The Yes to the 13th pension has shown what is possible and should point the way for the future,” says an appeal published in advance by the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions for Labour Day, also known as May Day or International Workers’ Day. Читать дальше...
More organ donations were recorded in Switzerland in 2023 than ever before. This was despite a high rejection rate of 58% by surviving relatives. The annual report published on Tuesday by Swisstransplant, the national foundation for organ donation and transplantation, also shows that more organs were transplanted than ever. A total of 675 people on the waiting list received an urgently needed organ in 2023. In the same period, 225 people were reported to Swisstransplant by families of deceased persons... Читать дальше...
The landmark ruling that condemned Switzerland for climate inaction confirmed governments’ obligation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But what about their liability in the face of climate-related damages? The International Court of Justice will soon rule on this question in what could be a turning point for environmental justice. Are governments liable for the damages caused by climate change? The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial body of the United Nations, is currently tackling this question. Читать дальше...
Seven years after the death of record-breaking Swiss mountain climber Ueli Steck, his estate is going to the Alpine Museum of Switzerland in Bern. Steck’s partner Nicole announced on Tuesday that the estate would be properly documented, archived and thus made accessible to future generations. According to a statement, Steck’s personality lives on in his achievements, with which he pushed the boundaries of mountaineering. But it also lives on in the inspiration he gave to many people. + Ueli Steck... Читать дальше...
