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Credit Suisse profit surges

This content was published on Aug 5, 2003 Net profit in the second quarter of 2003 was SFr1.3 billion, far exceeding analysts’ expectations. However, Switzerland’s second-biggest financial services group said on Tuesday that operating income dropped to SFr14.5 billion, down nine per cent compared with the first six months of last year. But operating expenses were slashed by nearly a quarter to just…

Hotels told to put the customer first

This content was published on Aug 4, 2003 The organisation wants around 1,000 establishments to close to help the country’s struggling tourism industry. According to Switzerland Tourism, many smaller hotels fail to respond to the needs of guests. Around two-thirds of Switzerland’s 5,700 hotels have 20 beds or less. Tourism chiefs say that while these smaller establishments were popular 150 years ago, they…

Swiss urged to work longer

This content was published on Aug 4, 2003 The OECD says Switzerland and other countries should outlaw age discrimination and create favourable conditions for older workers. “If nothing is done quickly to extend working lives, living standards will fall in the course of the coming decades,” the report warns. It comes amid controversial proposals to raise the retirement age in Switzerland from 65…

Mental illness sends disability claims rocketing

This content was published on Aug 4, 2003 There are fears that the explosion in disability handouts could cripple the state’s invalidity insurance fund. The number of people receiving disability benefit – who are deemed incapable of working – has almost doubled since 1990, from 130,000 to 220,000. Until recently, the main causes of disability were physical illness, accidents or congenital disabilities. But…

Dinosaurs come alive in Basel

This content was published on Aug 3, 2003 The entire dinosaur period, believed to span from about 220 million to 65 million years ago, is covered in the show. Christian Meyer, director of Basel’s Natural History Museum, claims the exhibition contains a number of world firsts. “We have the best-preserved skeleton of a meat-eating dinosaur in the world, an allosaurus,” Meyer told swissinfo.…

Schmidheiny content on the sidelines of Holcim

This content was published on Aug 3, 2003 In an interview with swissinfo, Schmidheiny said that if Switzerland is to continue to modernise, voters should use the October general elections to elect politicians who want change. Schmidheiny, the leader of one of Switzerland’s most influential industrial dynasties, is still Holcim’s main shareholder with 27.1 per cent of the voting rights. He argues that…

Swiss clocks set for key role in space

This content was published on Aug 2, 2003 The Temex Neuchâtel Time (TNT) clocks will play a vital role for the Galileo global navigation satellite system. An initiative of the European Union and the European Space Agency, the system will be a competitor of the United States’ Global Positioning System and is due to become operational by 2008. Satellite navigation users in Europe…

Swiss scientists win equal rights in EU

This content was published on Aug 2, 2003 From January 1, 2004, Swiss scientists will be able to take part in more projects and get more funding from Brussels. The Swiss have been taking part in the EU’s research programmes for the past 15 years, but there have been restrictions in the range and number of projects in which they were allowed to…

Fireworks maker does rain dance for National Day

This content was published on Aug 1, 2003 Pyrotechnics on Swiss National Day are big business, but dry weather forced authorities in many areas to impose a ban – much to the dismay of manufacturers. But when swissinfo visited the Hans Hamberger Fireworks Factory a steady rain had brought a smile to the face of the company director, Kurt Abegglen. “We’re hoping for…

ABB gets final approval for asbestos deal

This content was published on Aug 1, 2003 The approval from a United States district court could pave the way for ABB’s sale of its oil, gas and petrochemicals unit and help the company reduce its mountain of debt. “The decision confirms that the settlement reached between ABB and the claimants was fair,” ABB said in a statement. Following the news, ABB’s share…

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Credit Suisse profit surges

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Hotels told to put the customer first

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Swiss urged to work longer

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Mental illness sends disability claims rocketing

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Dinosaurs come alive in Basel

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Schmidheiny content on the sidelines of Holcim

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Swiss clocks set for key role in space

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Swiss scientists win equal rights in EU

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Fireworks maker does rain dance for National Day

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ABB gets final approval for asbestos deal

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