Zurich officials condemn flyers about migrants distributed in a city neighbourhood; two opposing views offered for Swiss economy in 2026; and other news in our roundup this Tuesday.
Zurich officials condemn scare-mongering leaflets about migrants
The flyers in question, claiming to be created by the official-sounding but fictitious “Office for Social Affairs and Migration” were distributed in Zurich’s Leimbach district on December 13th and 14th.
They announced that 350 migrants from the Arab and North African regions will be moving into the former retirement home in the neighbourhood, implying that the area will become dangerous for local residents.
Municipal authorities were swift to deny any responsibility for these fear-mongering leaflets.
“In a flyer distributed in Leimbach over the weekend, unknown individuals impersonate the City of Zurich to create confusion and stoke fear,” among the population, they said on Monday. “The city condemns this in the strongest possible terms.”
Furthermore, officials pointed out that the “Office for Social Affairs and Migration” does not exist, so its mention in flyers was a “deliberate deception.”
Gloomy vs moderately optimistic: Two opposing views for Swiss economy in 2026
On Monday, two contrasting forecasts were given for Switzerland’s economy next year.
One, by the Swiss Economic Institute (KOF), anticipates a slowdown in growth to 1.1 percent.
Even “the positive effect of the reduced [ÙS] tariffs is partly offset by the deterioration in the international outlook,” KOF said.
The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, on the other hand, believes that “reduction in US tariffs on Swiss products has strengthened the outlook” for the country’s economy.
Both, however, agreed on one point: that uncertainty about economic scenarios “remains high.”
Advertisement
A business-class-style bus connects Zurich with two European cities
A Swiss start-up, Twilliner, has launched new night bus services from Zurich to Amsterdam and Barcelona.
One route runs from Zurich, stops in Basel, and continues on to Luxembourg, Brussels, Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
The second one runs from Zurich to Bern, and then to Girona and Barcelona.
Unlike conventional cross-border bus services, however, the Twilliner boasts comfortable armchairs that can be converted into fully flat beds.
Advertisement
Bern has been named the world’s most liveable city for 2026
This title was bestowed on Switzerland’s capital by ECA consultancy’s new ranking of of 275 cities, which were assessed based on criteria such as their infrastructure, air quality, access to healthcare, personal safety, political tensions, access to a social network and leisure facilities, as well as housing and utilities.
Bern took the top spot as the most liveable city, ahead of Copenhagen and Stavanger.
Another Swiss city, Geneva, is ranked in the fourth place.
READ ALSO: Why is Bern the ‘capital’ of Switzerland?
