Diaspora TV Switzerland launched a new service in Ukrainian on Sunday to help meet the information needs of refugees arriving from the war-torn country.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/gw
Español
es
Canal suizo de televisión web transmitirá en ucraniano
The new service, which is supported by the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), will focus on explaining integration, health matters and the Swiss political system to the community in programmes that will be broadcast in Ukrainian every last Sunday of the month, Diaspora TVExternal link said on Sunday.
The programmes will allow the new arrivals to participate in what is happening in Switzerland, Marc Bamidele Emmanuel, director of Diaspora TV, told news agency Keystone-SDA. The online platform is relying on a small team of Ukrainians already established in Switzerland who work in journalism, healthcare and other sectors.
According to Emmanuel, a channel in Ukrainian was already in the pipeline but plans were accelerated once the war began. Diaspora TV broadcasts in 16 languages and is geared at immigrants in Switzerland.
Tighter checks on permit requests
By Sunday the SEM had registered some 16,500 refugees from Ukraine in federal asylum centres and granted a special protection permit S to 9,982 of them. A SEM spokesperson confirmed to Keystone-SDA a report originally published in the SonntagsZeitung that authorities had refused a total of 19 requests for the S permit by March 24.
The SEM told the newspaper it planned to tighten checks connected to S permit requests, including verifying the authenticity of passports. Checks until now have been limited to verifying the identity of applicants. The authorities are also looking to second staff from the federal customs and border security offices to work at the asylum centres.
In early March the Swiss government decided it would grant the S permit to people arriving from Ukraine in a bid to enable their rapid admission and skip lengthy asylum procedures.
Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership
This content was published on
On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
How to counter lies and propaganda in war zones
This content was published on
Disinformation has proved a powerful weapon in the Ukraine war. What's fuelling this digital assault on truth and what can be done about it?
This content was published on
Newsroom employment dropped by a quarter between 2011 and 2019 as media jobs disappear and journalists pivot to more lucrative careers.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.