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Agricultural reform tops WTO agenda

This content was published on Aug 27, 2003 Economics minister Joseph Deiss said he would work to find a compromise between market liberalisation and the protection of Swiss farmers. The Swiss government on Wednesday unveiled its mandate for the ministerial conference in Cancun, which is aimed at injecting new life into stalled global trade talks. One of the stickiest issues facing negotiators is…

Biotech congress looks to the future

This content was published on Aug 27, 2003 The warning came as 1,500 researchers gathered in Basel to mark the 25th anniversary of the founding of the European Federation of Biotechnology in Interlaken. Scientists are generally agreed that European biotech has huge prospects, but a number of prerequisites must be met if that potential is to be realised. “It is vitally important that…

Ticino lemonade loses its fizz

This content was published on Aug 27, 2003 Gazosa Ticinese has been enjoyed for more than six decades, but its popularity is mainly confined to the Italian-speaking canton. More than three million bottles are produced every year but only a small fraction is “exported” to German-speaking Switzerland. This is partly due to the high production costs of the traditional glass bottle with a…

Glimmer of hope for Swiss economy

This content was published on Aug 26, 2003 Improved sentiment among Switzerland’s exporters, banks and insurers has offered a glimmer of hope that the current downturn may have reached its lowest point. The closely watched Swiss Institute for Business Cycle Research (KOF) index rose to -0.64 in July, up from a revised -0.71 in June. The quarterly index is based on a survey…

Profit slips at Sulzer

This content was published on Aug 26, 2003 The Winterthur-based company said last year’s figure had been boosted by larger real estate earnings and the disposal of a business unit. Sulzer said sales had fallen by eight per cent to SFr866 million compared with last year, adding that the decline was principally due to currency effects. The group said cost cutting and other…

Swiss firm prints newspapers by the million

This content was published on Aug 26, 2003 Readers in Switzerland of the tabloid “Blick” and other daily Swiss newspapers will no doubt be in the dark too. But behind that name is a discreet Bern company that has made the presses that print those newspapers. Known in the newspaper publishing business for producing the Mercedes or Rolls Royce of the trade, Wifag…

Swiss designer stamps his mark

This content was published on Aug 25, 2003 swissinfo paid a visit to one of the most famous creators of fonts at his workshop near the Swiss capital, Bern. “A Life Devoted To Fonts” is the title of Frutiger’s recently published autobiography. Over a career spanning nearly six decades, Frutiger has designed over 30 fonts and won many awards for his work as…

Deiss says apprenticeship situation is “stable”

This content was published on Aug 25, 2003 With the season for handing out traineeships underway, the economics ministry counted around 5,000 open positions across the country – mainly in rural areas. On Monday Deiss announced that an extra SFr2.3 million ($1.6 million) would be pumped into a task force he had set up a few months ago to increase the number of…

Unique is unhappy with first-half performance

This content was published on Aug 25, 2003 Unique said the axing of flights by the national carrier Swiss, the Iraq conflict and the Sars pneumonia virus had all led to a decline in air traffic. The company said in a statement on Monday that it made a first-half net profit of SFr700,000 ($490,000) compared with a loss of SFr1.8 million for the…

Farmers’ Ferrari mows its way across Switzerland

This content was published on Aug 24, 2003 It’s affectionately known as the “farmers’ Ferrari” because it has sleek lines and its colour is a distinctive red. But these two-wheeled workhorses do anything but travel at high speed or attract thousands of spectators. In fact, very often they will be seen standing alone, with or without a cover over the engine. They are…

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