The federal government wants to end the visa program for earthquake victims from Turkey and Syria. This is evident from research by “NZZ am Sonntag”. So far, about 300 people from the disaster area have benefited from an accelerated procedure. According to the latest figures from the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), 239 Turks and 59 people are from Syria. But now the fast visas should be over. The SEM this week informed the state political committee of the National Council. According to well-informed sources, the department of Federal Councilor Baume-Schneider wants to end the program in mid-May. Above all, the diaspora brought the generation of grandparents from the disaster area to Switzerland.
Counseling centers in Switzerland reported 708 cases of racism last year – more than ever before. This is according to an unpublished report by the Federal Commission against Racism (EKR) and the organization humanrights.ch, which is available on “SonntagsBlick”. The numbers have been increasing for years (2020: 572 cases; 2021: 630). According to EKR president Martine Brunschwig Graf, this does not necessarily mean that racism is on the rise in Switzerland. “We assume that due to the increasing awareness of the problem, both those affected and witnesses to incidents will increasingly turn to counseling centers,” she said. The workplace (133 cases) and education (116) were most frequently discriminated against.
Corona was a nightmare for the aviation industry. Three years ago, airlines around the world had to be supported with billions from the state in order not to go bankrupt. But today the pandemic is proving to be a blessing for them. “Long journeys have become between 30 and 45 percent more expensive. The flight price to Kathmandu has almost doubled,” André Lüthi, founder and president of Swiss individual travel specialist Globetrotter, told the “NZZ am Sonntag”. said Lüthi. Swiss confirmed: “In 2023, we continue to expect prices above pre-pandemic levels. This is due to the still scarce supply and the resulting reduced availability of low ticket prices.”
Ukraine has put pro-Russian oligarch Vadim Novinsky on its own sanctions lists, frozen nearly $100 million in assets and opened investigations against him, including for “aiding the aggressor state”. Nowinski denies the allegations. The oligarch disappeared from Ukraine last year, but the “SonntagsZeitung” now claims to have found him in Zurich. At Easter, the deacon celebrated numerous masses at the Russian Orthodox Church on Narzissenstrasse in Zurich. After a service, he told the “SonntagsZeitung”: “I will return to Ukraine as soon as the conditions are right.” A representative of the Zurich Resurrection Church confirms that Nowinski has been “celebrating with us from time to time” since March 29. He was not formally assigned to the community, but he could “celebrate with us as a cleric who is not subject to any ecclesiastical punishment if he so chose”.
Credit Suisse and UBS will announce their figures next week. CS expects a horror report given the large amount of money collected from customers. Information is expected from UBS about what the planned sample bank will look like and how many employees will have to leave as a result of the merger. Research by the “SonntagsZeitung” has shown that there are no layoffs for the time being. On the contrary: UBS and CS have to hire even more staff in the short term. At least as long as the takeover agreement has not yet been finalized and the merger has not yet been approved everywhere. Because until then, the banks will have to be managed twice and given the imminent layoffs, many layoffs have already taken place worldwide, especially at CS.
In 2022, 88 people on the waiting list for a donor organ died. This is a sad record, as “SonntagsBlick” writes. And the new year also looks gloomy: between January and March, 29 patients died waiting for a new organ. Extrapolated over twelve months, it would be 116 deaths. “An alarming value,” says Franz Immer, director of Swisstransplant, the national foundation for organ donation and transplantation. 53 people are currently waiting for a new heart. Your chances of a new organ have increased since the end of 2022. The new perfusion device, which the three heart clinics in Bern, Zurich and Lausanne VD have been using for several months, gives doctors more options. A donor heart continues to beat in the machine, significantly increasing the time between organ removal and implantation.
In Freiburg im Breisgau (D) the Catholic world trembled on Tuesday. An expert report states that the former head of the German Bishops’ Conference, Robert Zollitsch, has been protecting abusers and covering up crimes for decades. The report is 582 pages long. Investigations by “SonntagsBlick” should reveal: a Swiss priest is also among the perpetrators. He passed away in 2017. In addition to Austria and Germany, he was also active in the diocese of Basel and in the diocese of Chur. Despite warning signs, he was able to work in the Diocese of Chur in 1992 – in Schübelbach SZ. “SonntagsBlick” has a 1992 memorandum from the Diocese of Chur, according to which the priest and the parish of Schübelbach “take the risk and the bishop and the bishop’s council take no responsibility”. The then Bishop of Chur was Wolfgang Haas, who is now the Archbishop of Vaduz in Liechtenstein.
There has not been a power shortage so far, but the danger has not passed. To prevent us from running out of energy next winter, the trade association wants to start saving electricity as early as summer: Swiss Retail strongly advises its members not to turn on the air conditioning in the shops during the hot season. “The benchmark will probably be not to cool the stores below 25 to 26 degrees,” says association director Dagmar T. Jenni to “NZZ am Sonntag”. This may only be deviated from if this is necessary for the operation or for reasons of health protection.
During the corona pandemic, real estate portals registered an increase in fraudulent apartment advertisements, writes the “SonntagsZeitung”. The scam worked as follows: a cheap apartment in a good location is offered. When asked for an appointment to view the property, the alleged landlord indicates that he is currently abroad. A local relative would arrange the viewing. However, a deposit must be paid, amounting to one month’s rent or an additional deposit. Of course, if you don’t like the apartment, you get the money back – that’s the promise, which of course is not kept. The money is gone. The clearance rate is low. Because the traces of the suspected perpetrators usually lead abroad.
The labor market is courting retirees. The seniors are becoming a new working population, writes “Le Matin Dimanche”. Various companies, including Coop and Migros, offer various options for working beyond retirement age. The working hours are determined individually, this work extension is possible up to a maximum of 70 years. There are already 200,000 Swiss people over the age of 65. (sda)
source: watson
I’m Maxine Reitz, a journalist and news writer at 24 Instant News. I specialize in health-related topics and have written hundreds of articles on the subject. My work has been featured in leading publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and Healthline. As an experienced professional in the industry, I have consistently demonstrated an ability to develop compelling stories that engage readers.
