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Virtual watches made to order

This content was published on Feb 24, 2000 A Swiss company is giving anyone looking for a new watch, the chance to design and order their own over the Internet. Domino Watch, based in Grenchen, in canton Solothurn, opened its doors on Thursday as the world’s first ever virtual watchmaker. Company owner, Eric von Schulthess, said customers can choose from a range of…

Swatch seals dream deal with Sega

This content was published on Feb 24, 2000 One of Switzerland’s best known watchmakers, Swatch, is seeking to push forward the boundaries of timepiece technology with a new joint development deal with Japan’s Sega Enterprises. Swatch and Sega, the world’s third largest video-game console maker, want to develop jointly a new service linking a watch to Sega’s Dreamcast video game console. This new…

Price ombudsman highlights achievements

This content was published on Feb 24, 2000 Switzerland’s price ombudsman, Werner Marti (pictured), says his recommendations on revised medical charges have saved consumers around SFr1 billion. Marti also said his office’s negotiations with Cablecom, the banks and water providers had ensured a better value-for-money service. Marti said during his review of 1999, that he had managed to look into a number of…

Medical body condones sterilisation of handicapped

This content was published on Feb 24, 2000 The influential Swiss Academy for Medical Sciences says the sterilisation of mentally handicapped people without their consent is acceptable in specific circumstances. However, it emphasises that the welfare of the patient must be considered paramount at all times. Enforced surgical sterilisation of the mentally handicapped is not illegal in Switzerland. However, the Academy published directives…

Why the earth moves in Switzerland

This content was published on Feb 23, 2000 Two earth tremors hit eastern Switzerland on Tuesday night without causing serious damage or casualties. Although earthquakes in Switzerland are rarely severe, Switzerland is still considered seismically active. In an extensive study, the Swiss Seismological Institute in Zürich recorded a total of 226 earthquakes in Switzerland in 1998. The majority of them were in cantons…

Goverment offers SFr338 million backing to Expo

This content was published on Feb 23, 2000 The Swiss government has proposed granting the planned national exhibition a deficit guarantee of SFr338 million. The final decision will be made by parliament at its next session in March. The deficit-guarantee approved by the cabinet at its weekly cabinet meeting is SFr 18 million higher than what Expo 02’s organisers had asked for. The…

Crossair profits down

This content was published on Feb 23, 2000 The regional airline, Crossair, a subsidiary of the SAir group, has owned airline announced profits down 20 per cent at SFr51 million for 1999. The airline will also cut its dividend for shareholders to SFr30 from SFr37.50. The company said its results were down due to the difficult environment in the business, and that the…

Ciba back in the black

This content was published on Feb 23, 2000 The specialty chemicals group, Ciba, has announced a return to profit. The Basel-based group has recorded a profit of SFr325 million for 1999, compared to a loss of SFr739 million in 1998. Turnover was also up, increasing seven per cent to nearly SFr9 billion for last year. The final figures are better than the market…

Industry warns of high cost of abandoning nuclear power

This content was published on Feb 22, 2000 Switzerland’s nuclear industry has warned that closing down the country’s four nuclear power stations would cost the economy SFr40 billion. Nuclear energy currently meets 40 per cent of Switzerland’s electricity needs. However, environmental groups have attacked the claims, suggesting they fail to take account of the costs of decommissioning the plants when they become obsolete,…

Huge job cuts at Unilever

This content was published on Feb 22, 2000 The Anglo-Dutch consumer group, Unilever, is to cut 25,000 jobs, or about ten per cent of its global workforce, over the next five years. However, the company’s Swiss operations are relatively unaffected. The cuts come as part of a vast restructuring programme aimed at reinvigorating the world’s largest consumer goods group. Unilever employs 1,460 staff…

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Virtual watches made to order

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Swatch seals dream deal with Sega

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Price ombudsman highlights achievements

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Medical body condones sterilisation of handicapped

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Why the earth moves in Switzerland

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Goverment offers SFr338 million backing to Expo

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Crossair profits down

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Ciba back in the black

More

Industry warns of high cost of abandoning nuclear power

More

Huge job cuts at Unilever

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