A new app reveals whether you can pass Swiss citizenship test; people with a migration background continue to face more difficulties in Switzerland; and more news in our Monday roundup.
New app reveals whether foreigners can pass Swiss citizenship exam
The Swiss Naturalisation Test Application – paradoxically, developed by an Italian immigrant – is based on each canton’s official catalogue of questions.
It includes nearly 330 questions relating in particular to democracy and history, but also to other aspects of Swiss life.
The application, which can be downloaded free from iOS or Google Play doesn’t offer alternative questions or additional training materials.
Its novelty lies in its more user-friendly interface featuring a Smart Coaching system, an online leaderboard, and various game modes: Play, Rapid Fire, Challenge and Conquest, as well as Tandem.
You can see the online version here.
People with a migration background continue to face more difficulties in Switzerland
In particular, they have lower incomes and are more likely to live in cramped and noisy housing than Swiss people, according to new analysis by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO).
They are also more affected by poverty, even when employed.
At the same time, the situation of this group has improved in recent year, the FSO found.
“The difficulties in making ends meet and the poverty rate have tended to decrease, while the median disposable income has increased,” the FSO pointed out, adding that “these trends reflect a gradual improvement in their economic situation, as well as a reduction in the gaps between them and the population without a migration background.”
Switzerland is considering reopening its military bunkers
Faced with the deteriorating security situation in Europe, the Swiss army is examining the possibility of reactivating former military bunkers. The need for protection, resilience, and secure storage has increased, the Federal Department of Defence (DDPS) said.
The primary objective is to find secure storage spaces for everyday supplies, spare parts, medicines, electronic equipment, hazardous materials, and ammunition.
A study will determine how underground military installations could be reactivated in a manner adapted to current needs and available resources.
READ MORE: Why does Switzerland have so many war bunkers and where are they?
This summer’s heatwave is responsible for nearly 500 additional deaths in three weeks
Switzerland is experiencing a marked excess mortality due to extreme temperatures: 474 more people than expected died during the last week of June and the first two weeks of July.
“The timing of these deaths indicates that the excess mortality was caused by the heatwave, according to Martina Ragettli, an epidemiologist at the Swiss Institute of Public and Tropical Health.
Numerous studies show that the higher the temperatures, the greater the risk of death within the population.
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