Today in Switzerland: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
From online scams to avoid to hot weather forecast: find out what's going on on Friday in Switzerland with The Local's short roundup of the news.
Campaign launched against online shopping scams
Swiss police are warning the public against online shopping scams, including the latest one, involving the activation of an online payment system that allows scammers to make several online purchases at the expense of the victim.
The best way to protect yourself and not fall prey to scammers, police say is to:
- Always verify the sender and amount when receiving a payment request;
- Never transmit a confirmation code to third parties;
- Always check account statements;
- Immediately report any suspicious transactions;
- Report any such crime to the police.
All the advice and recommendations can be found on this website.
READ MORE: How to avoid the most common online scams in Switzerland
Free travel for Ukrainian refugees to end
Since March 21st, refugees from Ukraine have traveled free of charge in on public transportation in Switzerland, a service which was provided by the federal government.
This perk, however, will end from June 1st.
“This free travel saved us from considerable administrative work, as these people would have had to be issued transport cards for each stage of their registration procedure”, according to Anne Césard, spokesperson for the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM).
A number of MPs are challenging this decision, however.
“If these people can no longer travel for free, this will constitute an additional obstacle to their chances of integration, knowing that the financial aid granted to them is very low”, said Pierre-Yves Maillard.
“As long as the majority of these people cannot meet their needs sufficiently, we must continue to help them by extending this free service, even if it is in the form of a subsidy”, said another deputy , Benjamin Roduit.
United States impressed by Swiss sanctions
The US government has praised what Switzerland has done so far in the search for Russian funds to block, according to Scott Miller, the American ambassador to Switzerland.
Bern has made "immense progress” in freezing about 6.3 billion francs, belonging primarily to Russian oligarchs with ties to president Putin.
"This is a package of sanctions of a weight and breadth that, to be honest, have never been seen in the world", he added.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: Why Switzerland is a magnet for Russian money
Get ready to be very hot today
If Swiss meteorologists got it right, temperatures will reach the high of 32 degrees today.
“The current heat wave is relatively extreme for a month of May”, said meteorologist Joshua Gehring from official weather service MeteoSwiss.
Screenshot MeteoSwiss
The reason: “What we are currently experiencing, that is to say a relatively early heat wave, is a direct consequence of climate change”, Gehring noted.
READ MORE: Heatwave: Why is it so hot in Switzerland right now?
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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Campaign launched against online shopping scams
Swiss police are warning the public against online shopping scams, including the latest one, involving the activation of an online payment system that allows scammers to make several online purchases at the expense of the victim.
The best way to protect yourself and not fall prey to scammers, police say is to:
- Always verify the sender and amount when receiving a payment request;
- Never transmit a confirmation code to third parties;
- Always check account statements;
- Immediately report any suspicious transactions;
- Report any such crime to the police.
All the advice and recommendations can be found on this website.
READ MORE: How to avoid the most common online scams in Switzerland
Free travel for Ukrainian refugees to end
Since March 21st, refugees from Ukraine have traveled free of charge in on public transportation in Switzerland, a service which was provided by the federal government.
This perk, however, will end from June 1st.
“This free travel saved us from considerable administrative work, as these people would have had to be issued transport cards for each stage of their registration procedure”, according to Anne Césard, spokesperson for the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM).
A number of MPs are challenging this decision, however.
“If these people can no longer travel for free, this will constitute an additional obstacle to their chances of integration, knowing that the financial aid granted to them is very low”, said Pierre-Yves Maillard.
“As long as the majority of these people cannot meet their needs sufficiently, we must continue to help them by extending this free service, even if it is in the form of a subsidy”, said another deputy , Benjamin Roduit.
United States impressed by Swiss sanctions
The US government has praised what Switzerland has done so far in the search for Russian funds to block, according to Scott Miller, the American ambassador to Switzerland.
Bern has made "immense progress” in freezing about 6.3 billion francs, belonging primarily to Russian oligarchs with ties to president Putin.
"This is a package of sanctions of a weight and breadth that, to be honest, have never been seen in the world", he added.
READ MORE: EXPLAINED: Why Switzerland is a magnet for Russian money
Get ready to be very hot today
If Swiss meteorologists got it right, temperatures will reach the high of 32 degrees today.
“The current heat wave is relatively extreme for a month of May”, said meteorologist Joshua Gehring from official weather service MeteoSwiss.
Screenshot MeteoSwiss
The reason: “What we are currently experiencing, that is to say a relatively early heat wave, is a direct consequence of climate change”, Gehring noted.
READ MORE: Heatwave: Why is it so hot in Switzerland right now?
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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