Cluster: Archive

Profit plunges at SAirGroup

This content was published on Aug 22, 2000 However, in a statement from its headquarters in Zurich, the group forecast that it would end the year in profit. SAirGroup blamed the profit fall on a “massive rise” in fuel prices and negative currency influences. It said the group’s airline-related activities could only partially offset the high costs in the air transport sector. “If…

Out & About in Switzerland: Pilatus raises the flag

This content was published on Aug 22, 2000 “Flag throwing” is believed to have been introduced to Switzerland by returning mercenaries centuries ago. Today “flag throwers” are part of yodelling troupes, bringing colour and a display of athletic skill to the performances. The “flag throwers”, dressed in traditional costume, often compete against one another in singles and doubles events. To enter competition, they…

Mikron growth stays solid

This content was published on Aug 22, 2000 A statement from the company in Biel on Tuesday, said sales were up by 52 per cent at SFr364 million, while net profit increased by 58 per cent to SFr20.3 million. It added that volumes grew in all divisions thanks to the strong position of Mikron products in the rapidly growing main target markets. Mikron…

Five killed in Alpine plane crash

This content was published on Aug 22, 2000 Police said the plane had been found in the mountains of canton Glarus. The plane – a Cessna 340 – took off from Albenga, in the Italian coastal region of Liguria, and was heading for the German city of Stuttgart. It is not known what caused the crash. The identity of those on board has…

Senegal clears Nestlé of posing a health risk

This content was published on Aug 22, 2000 It also challenged the Senegal Consumers’ Association (Ascosen), which has for weeks been waging a campaign against the company. The Association says Nestlé’s sugared UHT milk contains 57 times more bacteria than the permitted limit, and thus poses a health risk. Speaking to the press in the capital, Dakar, Senegal’s trade minister Khoureyssi Thiam, said…

More Swiss logging on to the world wide web

This content was published on Aug 22, 2000 The survey, published on Tuesday by the company Wemf AG, estimates that around 1.65 million people in German Switzerland use the Internet daily, either for work or private purposes, or both. More than half have used the Internet for on-line shopping. The survey found that, in the past year, there was a 10 per cent…

A remote valley celebrates its unique culture

This content was published on Aug 22, 2000 A Swiss border guard surveys the area. He doesn’t stop many of the cars crossing the border, mostly with German and Swiss licence plates carrying tourists to or from large resorts in the Tyrolean Alps. I’m disappointed to find out that I’m not standing at Switzerland’s most eastern point. Even here on the Italian border,…

A Highland Fling in the Engadine

This content was published on Aug 22, 2000 Pictures of the Outer Hebrides and the Isle of Mull line the walls. The sun sets over a mountain ridge. Lüssi sits at her computer and writes, “Darkness spreads over the land and Loch Nevis…”. She’s writing about a fictional character, Duncan McCleod, a person, who she says, is torn between England where he grew…

Half-year profits at UBS top SFr4 billion

This content was published on Aug 22, 2000 UBS reported on Tuesday that it had made a net profit after tax and minority interests of SFr2.052 billion ($1.19 billion) for the second quarter of 2000. A communiqué said this represented “outstanding growth” of 138 per cent over the comparable period last year, once the effects of divestments and one-off provisions had been taken…

Sweet-toothed customers push Lindt sales higher

This content was published on Aug 22, 2000 In a statement on Tuesday, Lindt and Sprüngli said it expected group sales to slow slightly in the second half. It noted the last months of 1999 had been particularly good because of extra sales linked to the Millennium. It added that cost reductions and optimising the use of capacity should result in improved operating…

Cluster: Archive

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