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Animals diseases debate misses target

This content was published on Nov 25, 2012 The amendment to the law on animal diseases – which received 68.3 per cent popular support – was guided by factors such as climate change and the arrival of more recent pathologies such as mad cow disease. But that didn’t satisfy opponents behind the referendum after concerns over the impact of a vaccination campaign against bluetongue ordered by the…

EU approval ratings sink to record low

This content was published on Nov 25, 2012 While 12 years ago a third of the Swiss approved of joining the EU, currently only around one in nine (11.5 per cent) does. Twenty years ago, Swiss voters narrowly turned down the European Economic Area (EEA) or single market. Today only 31.8 per cent would vote in favour of joining the EEA. This trend…

Labour relations enter “reign of terror”

This content was published on Nov 22, 2012 Last month, employers, trade unionists, academics and politicians gathered in Tolochenaz, where the business federation of canton Vaud is based, to discuss the future of social relations in Switzerland. Do the polite exchanges, shared views and desire to see another 75 years reflect something in the Swiss DNA or a myth skilfully nurtured since 1937,…

Should workers talk or take to the streets?

This content was published on Nov 22, 2012 Strikes have been an extremely rare occurrence in Switzerland over the past 75 years. Collective labour contracts and institutionalised dialogue between management and unions are the main reasons. This system contributes not only to the prosperity but also to the political stability of the country. It has become very much a part of Switzerland’s national…

Swiss seek way to an energy-producing house

This content was published on Nov 21, 2012 Retrofitting old buildings with more energy efficient materials and implementing stricter energy laws for new buildings will be key elements of reaching the 2035 energy efficiency goal. After 2015, renovations to increase energy efficiency will be subsidised with a yearly budget of SFr600 million ($634 million); currently, that budget stands at SFr200 million. After 2020,…

Warm in winter, thanks to summer heat

This content was published on Nov 21, 2012 By 2025, the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) expect their sprawling Campus Science City complex to be practically CO2 emission free. Thermal insulation, long a mainstay of energy conservation, is expendable. The pioneering project has solved the riddle of reusing heat, very simply put, with the aid of a water circulation and underground storage system. In summer…

Roma women exploited on Zurich’s sex mile

This content was published on Nov 18, 2012

Credit Suisse to pay $120 million for risky bonds

This content was published on Nov 16, 2012 US financial institution JP Morgan Chase, facing similar charges, and Swiss bank Credit Suisse agreed to pay a combined $417 million (SFr394 million) to settle. The SEC says JP Morgan did not tell investors that mortgages tied to the bonds were delinquent. And both banks failed to properly disclose practices that allowed them to profit while…

Middle class outdone by rich and poor

This content was published on Nov 16, 2012 Sixty to 80 per cent of the population are considered middle class, and while they are not particularly wealthy, they do not face major financial problems either. A couple without children with a revenue between SFr67,000 ($70,800) and SFr150,000 belongs to this category, as does a couple with children and income between SFr94,000 and SFr210,000.…

Corporates condemned for profit poaching

This content was published on Nov 16, 2012 The legal practice of transfer pricing is supposed to ensure that the activities of large companies in multiple locations are fairly taxed. But critics argue that the system is being increasingly manipulated to achieve the opposite effect. Transfer pricing could typically apply to a firm that makes components in one country, assembles them in another…

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Animals diseases debate misses target

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EU approval ratings sink to record low

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Labour relations enter “reign of terror”

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Should workers talk or take to the streets?

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Swiss seek way to an energy-producing house

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Warm in winter, thanks to summer heat

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Roma women exploited on Zurich’s sex mile

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Credit Suisse to pay $120 million for risky bonds

More

Middle class outdone by rich and poor

More

Corporates condemned for profit poaching

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