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Madagascar attracts western drugs giants

This content was published on Apr 17, 2003 Vinblastine is used in the treatment of Hodgkin’s disease, and Vincristine is a treatment for leukaemia. Thanks to the rosy periwinkle, leukaemia victims now have a 99 per cent chance of remission and Hodgkin’s disease sufferers a 70 per cent chance. In the 1960s, only one in five childhood leukaemia victims recovered, and a diagnosis…

Swiss bar access to apartheid-era archives

This content was published on Apr 17, 2003 The head of the Swiss research programme into apartheid-era links says the move will limit his ability to properly probe Switzerland’s relationship with the white regime in Pretoria. A finance ministry statement, issued on Thursday, said the temporary decision had been taken in order to protect Swiss companies facing class action suits in the United…

Swiss observe EU enlargement from the sidelines

This content was published on Apr 16, 2003 The Swiss president, Pascal Couchepin, arrived in Athens as ten countries signed a European Union accession treaty. Couchepin is in the Greek capital for a two-day EU-organised conference to discuss European issues. In a speech he warmly welcomed the new member states and the EU’s “spirit of openness”. Couchepin also talked about the importance to…

LSD turns 60

This content was published on Apr 16, 2003 Discovered by the Swiss scientist Albert Hofmann, the drug not only fuelled the hippie age but was also a well-respected treatment for a variety of psychiatric disorders. For many years it was used to treat alcoholism, obsessive-compulsive disorders and used on patients who had difficulty expressing their emotions. But it seems that LSD has passed…

Smaller firms hit hard by economic woes

This content was published on Apr 16, 2003 A new survey says smaller firms, which form the backbone of the Swiss economy, are pessimistic about the future. According to the Swiss small and medium enterprise association, SMEs account for 99.6 per cent of the 300,000 registered business in Switzerland and 75 per cent of all employees. But the study by the country’s biggest…

Swiss cancels long and short haul routes

This content was published on Apr 15, 2003 Swiss on Tuesday blamed the Sars virus and the war in Iraq for its decision to cut dozens of scheduled flights between late April and May 31. The cancellations confirm that falling demand for air-travel is hitting the one-year-old airline much harder than first thought. Capacity will be cut on services to Beijing (from five…

Coop makes gains in retail war

This content was published on Apr 15, 2003 Fierce competition is being intensified by a lack of consumer spending, a stagnating market worth SFr84 billion ($60 billion) and consolidation in the trade. The two players, which dominate the Swiss retail sector, are looking to expand their businesses with acquisitions, more surface space and other strategic measures. Both Migros and Coop have said they…

Swiss to review Iraq debt

This content was published on Apr 14, 2003 Last week the United States called on nations to write off Baghdad’s debts and ease the burden on a new Iraqi administration. Kurt Schaerer, head of export finance at the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco), told swissinfo that Bern would review its position regarding some SFr300 million ($215 million) owed by Iraq. “It’ll certainly…

Swiss repeat backing for UN role in Iraq

This content was published on Apr 14, 2003 His comments came at the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Washington at the weekend. “Switzerland thinks that the reconstruction of Iraq should happen within the framework of the UN institutions,” Deiss told swissinfo. Along with the French finance minister, Francis Mer, Deiss reminded the IMF and the World Bank…

Swiss scotches takeover talks

This content was published on Apr 14, 2003 The struggling carrier said on Monday that there was no truth in weekend newspaper reports, adding that it was not up for sale to either of its competitors. “We had no talks and we have no negotiations with either Lufthansa or British Airways at the moment,” said Swiss spokesman Jean-Claude Donzel, reacting to the article…

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Madagascar attracts western drugs giants

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Swiss bar access to apartheid-era archives

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Swiss observe EU enlargement from the sidelines

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LSD turns 60

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Smaller firms hit hard by economic woes

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Swiss cancels long and short haul routes

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Coop makes gains in retail war

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Swiss to review Iraq debt

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Swiss repeat backing for UN role in Iraq

More

Swiss scotches takeover talks

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