More than 100,000 signatures were submitted against a plan that tenants’ advocates say could worsen abusive rents.

On Tuesday, the Swiss Tenants Association (ASLOCA) submitted more than 100,000 signatures to the Swiss government in protest against an “outrageous” proposal to reform the rental pricing system, which would increase instances of abusive rents.

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The government’s plan is a counterproposal to a popular initiative that ASLOCA wants to put to a national referendum. Launched in 2025, the initiative seeks to incorporate a definition of abusive rent into the federal Constitution and requires rental prices to be reviewed automatically and periodically.

The government opposes that text and proposed the counterproposal in late September. The alternative has now sparked outrage at ASLOCA and calls for a more flexible pricing system based on a range of different prices.

According to the tenants’ association, which is headed by Geneva Socialist Sen. Carlo Sommaruga, the government’s proposal would allow very high rents to be factored into subsequent statistics, potentially driving up benchmark rents with each update.

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There was no military coup in Berlin. No tanks rolled onto the streets. No opposition figures were arrested.

Berlin’s fall played out in the form of mounting bills,… pic.twitter.com/OzsfAApzej

— Aprajita Nafs Nefes 🦋 Ancient Believer (@aprajitanefes) October 9, 2026

“Tenants are already paying rents that are too high, and the Federal Council wants to ask them to pay even more. They will not accept it,” Sommaruga said in a statement.

According to Eurostat, around 58% of Switzerland’s population lives in rented housing, making the country the one with the highest share of tenants in Europe. Along with Germany, Switzerland is one of the few countries on the continent where renters outnumber homeowners.

Currently, the Swiss debate over rents is unfolding amid a clash between two segments of the population: retirees and tenants.

“Retirees’ pensions depend in part on the returns generated by the real estate portfolios held by their pension funds. These institutions are estimated to own one in six homes in Switzerland and exert a constant influence on real estate-related initiatives—as seen in Zurich last June, when voters rejected a proposal aimed at restricting the termination of rental contracts,” the Tribune de Genève explained.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

The International Refugee Assistance Project warns the new policy could facilitate mass deportations.

On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the United States will reduce from 30 days to 10 days the period refugees have to defend themselves when the federal government seeks to revoke their immigration status.

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The new rule shortens the time available to submit evidence and arguments in response to a notice from authorities stating their intention to revoke that protection.

The measure seeks to “restore integrity to the immigration system, mitigate public and national security risks, and prevent fraud,” DHS said.

Under the law, the U.S. government can revoke refugee status only if it determines that the person did not meet the requirements for obtaining it when they were admitted to the country.

If authorities determine that the evidence and arguments submitted do not justify maintaining the protection, they can revoke the person’s status and subject them to deportation proceedings.

The process of obtaining this protection can take years. Available pathways include referral to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) by the United Nations, a U.S. Embassy, or a nongovernmental organization. Applicants must also pass interviews and security screenings, including background checks conducted by various federal agencies.

ICE deports a man for “traffic infractions” while his wife and kids scream for mercy. If you voted for this you have no soul.

(via abcnews on TikTok) pic.twitter.com/conNvyCA8B

— Warren (@swd2) October 13, 2026

The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) rejected the changes and warned that they would facilitate “mass” deportations of refugees. IRAP said the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has been persecuting refugees and illegally detaining them since the beginning of the year.

IRAP has sued the U.S. government over its detention of refugees and attempts to deport them to countries including Rwanda, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Trump’s mass deportation campaign has also affected people who had authorization to remain in the United States.

His administration has revoked Temporary Protected Status (TPS) protections for several countries, canceled humanitarian parole programs and pushed for certain asylum applications to be denied without a full hearing. According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), 1.6 million immigrants lost their legal status during the first year of Trump’s second term.

The shortened deadline turns the process into a “mere formality” to “strip refugees who were lawfully admitted and are lawfully living in the country of their status and deport them to places where they would face persecution or worse,” said Laurie Ball Cooper, IRAP’s vice president of U.S. legal programs.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

A new restaurant in Portimão is looking to revive the relaxed atmosphere of Portugal’s traditional casas de petiscos (tapas houses), with a menu built around sharing food, familiar flavours and

The post New Portimão restaurant brings back spirit of the traditional petisco house appeared first on Portugal Resident.