a roundup of the latest news on Friday

14,000 take part in official Labour Day parade

Some 14,000 people took part in the official Labour Day parade through Zurich’s city centre on 1st May, unions estimate. Police put the figure at several thousand participants.

They marched under the slogan of ‘solidarity instead of hate speech’ and ‘against war and fascism’.

According to police, the demonstration was largely peaceful, but some protesters with covered faces and dressed all in black caused some damage to property.

Meanwhile, In Geneva, about 2,500 United Nations employees protested against the US budget cuts, which have already led to job losses — with more expected in the future. 

Swiss citizens will have the final say on new agreements with the European Union

When Switzerland concluded its negotiations with Brussels in December 2024, the Federal Council said that the new treaties may have to be voted on in four separate referendums before they can become law.

This week, the Federal Council confirmed that one referendum will concern the stabilisation of bilateral relations between Switzerland and the EU, and the three others will focus on further developments on food safety, electricity and health, respectively. 

The date for the referendums has not yet been set, but the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) had already said it would urge three ‘no’ votes.

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Zurich and Basel least expat-friendly cities in world: survey

Zurich and Basel are some of the least expat-friendly cities in the world, according to a new city ranking survey by expat community platform InterNations.

Zurich ranked in 49th position – second to last – with Basel taking the 47th spot in the 2024 survey, which polled over 12,000 expats worldwide. This is a significant decline from 2023 when Zurich took the 37th place. Munich in Germany came last in the list while Malaga in Spain took the top spot.

All three cities are notoriously pricy and the language barrier may well prevent expats from feeling at home in their chosen city.

Both cities performed poorly in terms of making friends and social contacts. The two cities came at the bottom of the heap when it came to making friends locally with Zurich in last place and Basel second to last.

Sixty-five percent of survey respondents in Zurich said they’re mainly friends with other expats. The figure is 58 percent for Basel. The global average is 37 percent.

Respondents also highlighted the struggle with adjusting to local culture – only 33 percent of those polled in Zurich said they were able to adjust to life there easily, down from 51 percent in 2023.

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After the EU, Switzerland also approves a vaccine against respiratory viruses

Following the lead of the European Medicines Agency,  Switzerland’s drug regulatory body, Swissmedic, has also green-lighted a vaccine against lower respiratory tract disease involving the lungs — such as bronchitis and pneumonia. 

The vaccine, mRESVIA, is recommended for adults aged 60 years or over to prevent a highly contagious seasonal virus, RSV, which can have serious consequences for older people.

 

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