Cluster: Archive

Milking it on an alpine farm

This content was published on May 9, 2003 The writer was among a group of greenhorns who learned how to milk cows and make cheese at a school in the Bernese Oberland, before taking the farm reins into her own hands. The Berlin scriptwriter, Tamara Staudt, worked on a Swiss alpine farm for the first time in 2002, and the call of the…

Sars-affected firms to receive compensation

This content was published on May 8, 2003 Cantonal governments have been instructed to make up part of the wages lost by staff whose working hours have been reduced. Under the plan, firms will have to prove that the effects of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) have led to a drop in orders and work. Sectors that are known to have been hit…

Smaller firms in need of a kick-start

This content was published on May 8, 2003 Smaller firms, which account for 99 per cent of businesses in Switzerland, have suffered badly amid the economic downturn. Around 1,000 people are due to gather at the two-day forum, which is taking place in Thun, in canton Bern, to discuss ways of optimising basic business conditions. This year’s theme is “Trust and Growth”. “The…

Survivor venture firms ready to invest

This content was published on May 7, 2003 After a number of quarters of much subdued investment activity, investors are a little more upbeat as information technology suppliers are starting to report a return to sales growth. While other venture capital houses may still be occupied looking after existing portfolio companies, established venture capital investment firms, such as Apax Partners, Sofinnova, and Star…

Corporate aviation enjoys a boom

This content was published on May 7, 2003 Geneva is currently hosting the third annual European Business Aviation Conference and expects a record number of visitors to attend the event. The conference allows small private airlines, aircraft manufacturers and multinational companies to get together to see what’s on offer. While major airlines are busy trimming their fleets, last year 4,200 new aircraft were…

Unemployment steady but set to rise

This content was published on May 7, 2003 Seasonal conditions meant that the jobless figure fell slightly to 141,624 last month, halting a recent climb towards five-year highs. “The slight drop in unemployment has been caused by seasonal effects – more workers needed in tourism and construction – and cannot be credited to a market recovery”, commented Jean-Luc Nordmann of the State Secretariat…

Swiss faces its critics

This content was published on May 6, 2003 The future of Swiss was the subject of an at times heated annual meeting of Swiss shareholders in Basel on Tuesday. André Dosé, the CEO of Swiss, used the meeting to defend plans to spin off the airline’s regional network. Swiss expects to launch the new airline – to be known as Swiss Express –…

House rejects cuts in science research budget

This content was published on May 6, 2003 Academics and business leaders argue that trimming millions from the budget could jeopardise Switzerland’s position as a centre for research. The debate came as the government looks for ways to cut spending by SFr3.4 billion ($2.53 billion) over the next few years. The government originally proposed investing SFr17.3 billion in education, research and technology during…

Credit Suisse returns to profit

This content was published on May 6, 2003 The figures have raised hopes that Switzerland’s second-biggest bank has turned the corner after posting the worst loss in the company’s history in 2002. Last year’s SFr3.3 billion loss was blamed on the global economic downturn and included pre-tax charges of around SFr1 billion to cover lawsuits in the United States. Credit Suisse said on…

Peregrine Falcon chicks huddle on the roof of a Pacific Gas and Electric building in San Francisco, Monday, May 3, 2010

DDT: From miracle chemical to banned pollutant

This content was published on May 6, 2003 One of his experiments involved a compound known as dichloro- diphenyltrichloroethane, originally made by a German chemist in 1874. Müller coated the inside of a glass box with this white, odourless powder and filled it with houseflies. At first nothing happened but by the next morning, all the flies were dead. A fresh batch of…

Cluster: Archive

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Cluster: Archive

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Milking it on an alpine farm

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Sars-affected firms to receive compensation

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Smaller firms in need of a kick-start

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Survivor venture firms ready to invest

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Corporate aviation enjoys a boom

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Unemployment steady but set to rise

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Swiss faces its critics

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House rejects cuts in science research budget

More

Credit Suisse returns to profit

More

DDT: From miracle chemical to banned pollutant

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