Tuesday 21.05.2013  
 
 
 

Keeping company

Labour agreement faces social test

As support for the free movement of workers accord with the European Union is waning, Swiss employers and unions are agreed on combating labour market abuses and tightening controls. But they are at loggerheads over the issue of minimum wages.  [...]

Down in the dumps

Should we be concerned about wage dumping?

Are measures needed against wage dumping? Do foreign workers really drive down domestic salaries?  [...]

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Neither war nor peace

Battle begins against drones and killer robots

The Taranis, named after the Celtic god of thunder, is a British military drone prototype

The intensive use of drones by the Obama administration is feeding a wave of protest and criticism which reaches Geneva next week when a coalition of NGOs will call for a halt to the race to build technology for autonomous killing robots.  [...]

Gymnastics coach

'It’s a great feeling to fly, to twist, to rotate'

Reto Marthaler

Although his profession is teaching business, Reto Marthaler’s passion is gymnastics. He spends hundreds of hours per year organising local and regional boys’ programmes. The sport is on his mind “every day, every hour, every second”.  [...]

Appenzell electro dulcimer

Instrument unites traditional and techno

Appenzell electro dulcimer

The hammered dulcimer, the Hackbrett, is the heart and soul of Appenzell folk music. Traditionally it's played in a string ensemble. But it's not limited to folk.  [...]

Formula for success

Chinese parents drive baby milk powder boom

The volume of imported milk formulas in China quadrupled between 2008 and 2012

Mistrust in China after the death of several babies, along with an expanding population and growing middle class, has led to surging demand for Western baby milk formula, presenting both an opportunity and a challenge to Swiss manufacturers.  [...]

In his own words

Blaise Cendrars - a restless travel writer

Blaise Cendrars’ Prose of the Trans-Siberian and the Little Jeanne de France was published a century ago. It was a journey around the world and in the mind.  [...]

Trade vs human rights

Business is anything but usual with Saudi Arabia

Demonstrators in Qatif demand the release of political prisoners

Saudi Arabia, a key player in the conflict in Syria, is an important Swiss trade partner but it regularly makes headlines due to human rights violations. Is conducting business with the desert state complicity, or another way of bringing about change?  [...]

Just the ticket

Keeping a printing tradition alive

More and more train tickets are printed by computers; the traditional card ticket is today rarely used. The Aeschbacher company in Worb near Bern still cuts these and prints them with lead type.  [...]

Too posh to push?

C-section rates create a stir

Caesareans are not without risk for mother and child

Every third child in Switzerland is born by Caesarean section, one of the highest rates in the world. Particularly women in wealthy urban areas with a high density of private clinics request the surgery, a fact which riles critics.  [...]

Geneva, a major UN hub

Geneva under pressure

Relocation tempts international organisations

A number of countries are ready to pay a high price to entice international organisations to move away from Geneva. Hosting a branch of the United Nations or other major organisations offers prestige and generates a lot of money.  [...]

Ice hockey

Switzerland take silver at world championships

Switzerland won its first medal at the ice hockey world championships in 60 years, capturing the silver medal after losing to hosts Sweden 5-1 in the final in Stockholm on Sunday.  [...]

Last word?

Swiss diplomat defends European Court solution

The European Court of Justice could settle differences between Switzerland and the European Union over their future bilateral relationship, a top Swiss diplomat has told the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper.  [...]

Swiss banking woes

Minister says end to US tax dispute in sight

Corporate taxes

Swiss set to tackle divisive fiscal reform

Changes at the top

Surprise shake-up marks Glencore Xstrata meeting

Murder questions

Papers rue failings of house arrest system

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Last updated: 13:38