Migration authority launches the attack, a lot of laughing gas is sold in Geneva – the Sunday news ‘Has no left side’: SRF director Wappler warns of a halving initiative

The number of asylum applications is causing problems at the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), laughing gas is popular in the Lake Geneva region and Russian hackers are taking revenge: the Swiss press reported this and more this Sunday.

A selection:

Unprocessed asylum applications are reaching peak levels

The increase in the number of asylum applications is causing problems for the employees of the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM): the unprocessed applications have reached a new high, writes ‘SonntagsBlick’. “We are currently processing approximately 15,800 asylum applications,” said a spokesperson for SEM. This is mainly due to the persistently high number of new asylum applications, the authority continues. The SEM has been able to expand its resources in this area in recent months, “but these are currently not sufficient to reduce the number”. At the end of October 2023, there were 833 employees working in the asylum sector, spread over 727 full-time jobs. Last year there were 656 employees, spread over 560 full-time positions.

Increasing trade in nitrous oxide

The nitrous oxide trade has developed into a lucrative market in the Lake Geneva region. The substance is used as a euphoric agent and is very popular with night owls, as ‘Le Matin Dimanche’ writes. Unlike France or Great Britain, Switzerland has not taken any measures against this. The product is not illegal nor is it considered a narcotic and is available in supermarkets. When nitrous oxide is inhaled, it causes two to three minutes of uncontrollable laughter. “But too intensive or too regular intake can lead to unconsciousness, suffocation and even death,” says Marc Augsburger, head of the toxicology department (UTCF) at the University Center for Forensic Medicine in western Switzerland. Chronic users also risk long-term hematological and neuromuscular damage and even paralysis.

Pro-Russian hackers attack Switzerland

In recent days, pro-Russian hackers have attacked several federal government and Swiss company websites. These were so-called DDoS attacks, as the “NZZ am Sonntag” writes. Websites are paralyzed by automated access. According to federal experts, the cyber attack can be classified as a retaliatory attack. The attacks began after Switzerland announced its participation in a planned special tribunal against Ukraine. This is the second wave of attacks in just a few months. The same pro-Russian hacker group targeted numerous Swiss targets in June. The federal public prosecutor’s office started an investigation at the time. The National Center for Cybersecurity (NCSC) now warns of an expansion of such attacks.

Criticism of Berset from the Swiss Association of Israelite Communities

The Swiss Association of Israelite Communities (SIG) is disappointed with Federal President Alain Berset. Since the conflict in the Middle East flared up again, hatred of Jews has also increased in Switzerland. Against this background, the SIG would have liked to see a clear statement against anti-Semitism. This is evident from a letter from SIG President Ralph Lewin to Berset, which is available for “NZZ am Sonntag”. Great solidarity was felt from civil society, from the church, but also from authorities and politicians, according to the letter from the SIG chairman. “Unfortunately, we had to realize that during this difficult time, no public words of support and solidarity for the Jewish community in Switzerland came from you, the Office of the Federal President.” When asked, Alain Berset’s Interior Department did not comment on the SIG’s letter.

“Worrying”: Post delivers fewer packages

The number of parcels transported in Switzerland is decreasing. In 2022, the postal service delivered 194 million parcels, 4 percent less than the previous year. In the first nine months of 2023, parcel volume fell another 5 percent. The development is worrying for the post office, writes ‘SonntagsBlick’. Ultimately, the group management assumed that they would be able to compensate for the continued decline in letter volume thanks to the Corona parcel boom. Shortly after Corona, the post office announced that it would invest around 1.5 billion in parcel infrastructure by 2030. Despite the decline, the postal service is “in principle” sticking to its expansion plans, as announced.

A German reports four Swiss priests

“SonntagsBlick”: A German has reported four Catholic priests to the public prosecutor’s office in Graubünden and St. Gallen for abuse – including a former German bishop and a priest from the Chur diocese, as “SonntagsBlick” writes. An assault is said to have taken place at a Catholic TV channel in eastern Switzerland in 2012. The accused bishop denies that anything wrong happened. He also has no memory of the incident. The other suspect, a priest from the Chur diocese, is said to have sexually harassed the German in Alvaschein GR. The priest even used violence; the German speaks of an attempted rape. The priest from the canton of Graubünden denies the allegations. The Public Prosecution Service in Graubünden and St. Gallen confirmed receipt of the criminal complaints.

Protest movement MCG from Geneva wants to spread

After the success in the national elections, the Mouvement citoyens genevois MCG is dreaming big: it also wants to gain a foothold outside Geneva, as “Le Matin Dimanche” writes. The proposed Mouvement citoyens suisse should be “established within the next four years, before the next federal elections. We are talking about it internally,” new MCG state councilor Mauro Poggia told the newspaper. Party chairman François Baertschi sees potential in Zurich, where the SVP performed poorly in the elections for the Council of States. “Of course we think there is a gap.” The MCG had already tried to conquer French-speaking Switzerland in 2010 with the Mouvement citoyens romand – without success.

New largest smartphone repairer

A change is currently taking place among mobile phone repair providers: the company Swiss Mobile, based in Dübendorf, is acquiring the service provider Mobile Klinik with the associated brands Fix Repair and Handy Doctor. This creates Switzerland’s largest repair provider for smartphones and tablets, as the “SonntagsZeitung” writes. Swiss Mobile relies on immediate on-site repairs. “Our data shows that approximately 75 percent of all smartphone repairs can be carried out immediately,” says Swiss Mobile owner Marijan Andelic. The rest of the devices must be returned or replaced. However, sending or replacing a smartphone takes a lot of effort and is therefore intimidating. Competitors such as Mobilezone see things differently. In the future, the mobile phone store chain only wants to repair defective mobile devices at its main offices in the canton of Zug and in Ticino. (lacquer/sda)