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Business outlook

This content was published on Feb 13, 2000 In corporate news, the week ahead’s most keenly awaited event will be the release on Thursday of Novartis’ results. Novartis was formed four years ago through the merger of Sandos and Ciba but the marriage has been troubled and sales at its flagship drugs division remain sluggish. The stock has also disappointed many investors. Along…

Switzerland hopes UN trade conference will mend fences

This content was published on Feb 12, 2000 Switzerland hopes that a key United Nations trade conference underway in Bangkok, will help defuse the tension between rich and poor countries, that led to the collapse of last November’s World Trade Organisation summit in Seattle. A spokesman for the Swiss delegation said a positive outcome at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)…

The Business Week in Switzerland

This content was published on Feb 12, 2000 The Basel-based life sciences group, Novartis, says it is setting up a joint venture in North America with US food company, Quaker Oats. The announcement was among the stories that marked the last seven days in the business world in Switzerland. Shares on the Swiss stock exchange lost ground over the course of the week,…

More women go back into labour force despite children

This content was published on Feb 11, 2000 Women in Switzerland are increasingly likely to go back to work after having a child, according to a new survey. The study of the labour market over the past ten years shows that three out of five working women in Switzerland now go back to their jobs after having their first baby. The survey published…

Green groups put dampener on Graubünden Olympic dream

This content was published on Feb 11, 2000 Environmental organisations are warning canton Graubünden not to get carried away by its hopes to host the 2010 Winter Olympics. The Swiss branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature, Pro Natura, and a national group for environmentally-friendly transport, say the canton should look before it leaps into an olympic bid. The organisations say there…

Foreign population rises to 19.2 per cent

This content was published on Feb 11, 2000 The number of foreigners living in Switzerland rose last year to reach 19.2 per cent of the resident population. The authorities said the upturn in the economy had led to an increase in the number of work permits issued to foreigners. The federal office for foreigners said 1,36 million foreigners lived in Switzerland in 1999,…

Ticinesi see closer ties with Italy as key to their future

This content was published on Feb 11, 2000 Many of the inhabitants of the Regio Insubrica area, which brings together the Swiss canton of Ticino and the Italian provinces of Como, Varese and Verbano, have never even heard of it. That is according to a survey of 2,000 people carried out by the Lugano Institute for Economic Research and published in Milan. More…

Taking the plunge into the Russian market

This content was published on Feb 11, 2000 Doing business in Russia at the start of the 21st century is a challenging prospect. Fears of corruption, political instability and unreliable workforces tend to discourage many companies. But, as participants at a conference at the University of St Gallen discovered, if you’re brave enough, and flexible enough to enter the Russian market, there are…

Swiss delegation taking part in key world trade talks

This content was published on Feb 10, 2000 A seven-strong Swiss delegation is calling for greater transparency and stronger support for impoverished countries at a key United Nations trade meeting underway in Bangkok. The eight-day UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) brings together thousands of officials from 180 countries and organisations. Traditionally a forum for the needs of developing countries, the meeting…

US Congress told of slowness of Holocaust payments

This content was published on Feb 10, 2000 The process of distributing money to Holocaust victims from the $1.25 billion compensation settlement by Swiss banks is going far too slowly, the United States congress has been told. The head of the World Jewish Congress, Israel Singer (pictured) told the hearing Swiss officials were dragging their feet. Singer, who was a negotiator in the…

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