Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Wednesday
Find out what's going on today in Switzerland with The Local's short roundup of the news.
Rolex stops ticking in Russia
Russian oligarchs have been deprived of Swiss bank accounts and now they won’t be able to purchase Rolex watches in their country.
That’s because Switzerland’s largest luxury watch brand has followed other Swiss watchmakers Swatch Group, Breitling, and Richemont in stopping exports to Russia.
Big Swiss firms have also started boycotting the country. Among them are food giant Nestlé, robotics and automation technology company ABB, train manufacturer Stadler, and a number of others, including retailers.
READ MORE: Swiss supermarkets begin boycott of Russian goods
Ukrainians receive official welcome in Switzerland
While federal and cantonal authorities are discussing “how to ensure as best as possible the immediate protection” of Ukrainian refugees, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is making the new arrivals feel at home — in their own language.
A new sign in Ukrainian on SEM’s website is welcoming the refugees to Switzerland, linking to a page explaining (also in Ukrainian) the procedure and other details of their stay in the country.
Government welcomes Ukrainians to Switzerland. Image: SEM screenshot
Switzerland has committed to take in 5,000 people from Ukraine, who will be housed in the federal asylum centres or private homes.
READ MORE: How Switzerland is supporting refugees from Ukraine
SWIFT's IT center in Thurgau under police protection
International (including Swiss) sanctions have banned several Russian banks from the SWIFT international payments network, meaning they will no longer be able to use the financial interface to transfer money.
The computer centre of the SWIFT global interbank network in Diessenhofen, canton Thurgau, has been placed under tight security to protect the facility against the risk of sabotage from Russia.
“For obvious reasons, we do not give details on this subject,” the cantonal police told the Keystone-ATS news agency.
The Diessenhofen computing center is one of three s operated by SWIFT worldwide. The other two are in the United States and the Netherlands.
Warmer weather is on the way
Spring doesn’t officially start until March 20th, but Swiss meteorologists are forecasting higher, double-digit temperatures in the coming days.
"In certain regions, temperatures will even reach18 degrees this week," according to Michael Eichmann from Meteonews weather service.
On Thursday, Friday and over the weekend, mostly sunny and mild weather will continue, and rain is not expected, he added.
However, this forecast may not be good news for people who suffer from hay fever and other seasonal allergies. That’s because “the vegetation now grows much earlier than it did a few decades ago”, Eichmann said. “As a result, pollen and other allergens will be in the air early as well”.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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Rolex stops ticking in Russia
Russian oligarchs have been deprived of Swiss bank accounts and now they won’t be able to purchase Rolex watches in their country.
That’s because Switzerland’s largest luxury watch brand has followed other Swiss watchmakers Swatch Group, Breitling, and Richemont in stopping exports to Russia.
Big Swiss firms have also started boycotting the country. Among them are food giant Nestlé, robotics and automation technology company ABB, train manufacturer Stadler, and a number of others, including retailers.
READ MORE: Swiss supermarkets begin boycott of Russian goods
Ukrainians receive official welcome in Switzerland
While federal and cantonal authorities are discussing “how to ensure as best as possible the immediate protection” of Ukrainian refugees, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is making the new arrivals feel at home — in their own language.
A new sign in Ukrainian on SEM’s website is welcoming the refugees to Switzerland, linking to a page explaining (also in Ukrainian) the procedure and other details of their stay in the country.
Government welcomes Ukrainians to Switzerland. Image: SEM screenshot
Switzerland has committed to take in 5,000 people from Ukraine, who will be housed in the federal asylum centres or private homes.
READ MORE: How Switzerland is supporting refugees from Ukraine
SWIFT's IT center in Thurgau under police protection
International (including Swiss) sanctions have banned several Russian banks from the SWIFT international payments network, meaning they will no longer be able to use the financial interface to transfer money.
The computer centre of the SWIFT global interbank network in Diessenhofen, canton Thurgau, has been placed under tight security to protect the facility against the risk of sabotage from Russia.
“For obvious reasons, we do not give details on this subject,” the cantonal police told the Keystone-ATS news agency.
The Diessenhofen computing center is one of three s operated by SWIFT worldwide. The other two are in the United States and the Netherlands.
Warmer weather is on the way
Spring doesn’t officially start until March 20th, but Swiss meteorologists are forecasting higher, double-digit temperatures in the coming days.
"In certain regions, temperatures will even reach18 degrees this week," according to Michael Eichmann from Meteonews weather service.
On Thursday, Friday and over the weekend, mostly sunny and mild weather will continue, and rain is not expected, he added.
However, this forecast may not be good news for people who suffer from hay fever and other seasonal allergies. That’s because “the vegetation now grows much earlier than it did a few decades ago”, Eichmann said. “As a result, pollen and other allergens will be in the air early as well”.
If you have any questions about life in Switzerland, ideas for articles or news tips for The Local, please get in touch with us at [email protected]
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