Cold arctic air could ht Switzerland in coming days and weeks; Geneva’s international agencies suffer even more job losses; and more news in our roundup on Monday.
Polar vortex: Freeze could threaten Switzerland
Recent cold and snowy weather in many parts of Switzerland – with temperatures in some areas falling as low as -30C over the weekend – is just a small glimpse of what climatologists warn lies ahead – a possible collapse of the polar vortex.
Such a scenario could significantly influence the weather in Switzerland in the coming days and weeks, according to meteorologist Peter Wick.
The most plausible scenario is that this phenomenon could “open the floodgates of Arctic cold air,” which would then flow freely southward and reach Switzerland.
Even more jobs to be scrapped in international agencies in Geneva
Due to budget cuts, mainly by the United States, two more international organisations headquartered in Geneva will be firing their employees in the near future.
At the World Health Organization (WHO), 800 people will be made reduntant, while 200 employees will be let go from the Internaional Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
These job losses will be in addition to others that have already affected Geneva’s UN organisations and NGOs:
READ ALSO: How many jobs have been lost in Geneva’s international agencies?
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A night train will connect French communities with Geneva airport
In addition to other nighttime trains that will be circulating in Switzerland in 2026, there will also be a direct cross-border one between Geneva airport and neighbouring France.
Specifically, from December 14th, the L7 line of the Léman Express train will depart from Annemasse at 3:56 am, arriving at the airport at 4:20 am.
Other nighttime connections on this route are also scheduled using the RL4 trains.
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Far fewer Swiss are willing to travel to the United States
The Swiss Travel Association (SRV) expects a drastic drop – by as much as 50 percent – in travel to the USA in 2026.
The SRV’s president Martin Wittwer attributes this phenomenon to Donald Trump’s policies.
“This situation is upsetting many people in Switzerland and they choose to no longer fly to the United States,” he said.
This downward trend, which the Swiss media called the ‘Trump slump’, had began already in 2025: while 60,883 tourists from Switzerland arrived in the United States between January 1st and March 31, 2024, this year the number dropped to 48,712 during the same period.
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