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Has Switzerland saved banking secrecy?

This content was published on Oct 29, 2010 The impending negotiations of tax accords with Britain and Germany now appear to have lifted the pressure from the Swiss financial centre’s most prized asset. But to what extent has the threat really been lifted? Konrad Hummler, head of Switzerland’s oldest private bank Wegelin, believes that talks with the two powerful countries – which centre…

Plants are the key to biodiversity

This content was published on Oct 28, 2010 This means that a decrease in the variety of flora will have a negative effect on the fauna, as Bern University announced on Thursday. The study was based on an experiment conducted in the German city of Jena. It showed that the plant kingdom determines how many types of herbivores, carnivores and omnivores can live…

Call for cash from science and research

This content was published on Oct 28, 2010 The board said an increase in the annual budget of at least six per cent was needed for academic training and research over the next five years. The six institutions, two schools and four application-oriented research organisations, currently receive a total of SFr2 billion ($2 billion) from the government. The funds available were no longer…

Swiss banking plans face tough scrutiny

This content was published on Oct 28, 2010 Both Britain and Germany have agreed to negotiate on a plan to tax at source assets which their citizens hold in Swiss banks. This would circumvent the requirement for an automatic exchange of information about bank clients, which is what the European Union is pushing for. If the negotiations are successful, the tax authorities would…

Study pinpoints access problems for localities

This content was published on Oct 28, 2010 The study by the Federal Spatial Development Office pinpoints disparities between localities and found that good access and transport were important to the attractiveness of a town or village. Overall there is a high level of accessibility in the country, but there are gaps between the public and private transport options, it said. The urban…

Mixed press reaction on Swiss deal with Germany

This content was published on Oct 28, 2010 Outgoing Swiss Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz and his German counterpart Wolfgang Schäuble signed a joint declaration for formal talks on the issue in Bern on Wednesday. The Bund newspaper of Bern says the deal means that Merz left office “with a bang” but that Switzerland is paying a high price for the accord. “What has…

Swiss and Germans agree to talk on tax

This content was published on Oct 27, 2010 Finance Minister Hans-Rudolf Merz and his German counterpart, Wolfgang Schäuble, signed a joint declaration for formal talks on tax issues as well as a revised Double Taxation Agreement in line with international standards. At a news conference, Merz described the signing of the declaration as a “milestone”. The negotiations to begin early next year will…

Finding out how the superrich think

This content was published on Oct 27, 2010 A study by a team of sociologists from Basel University has looked into the lives of the country’s wealthy to find out about their power, relations to society and the rich-poor gap. According to the Basel sociology professor Ueli Mäder and his other two team members Sarah Schilliger and Ganaga Jey Aratnam, a person needs…

French strike runs Swiss refinery out of fuel

This content was published on Oct 27, 2010 The petroleum group Petroplus said it had started to shut down its refinery in Cressier near Lake Neuchâtel after a labour strike at the French port in Fos Sur Mer had disrupted the flow of crude oil to the facility. The Zug-based company said the restart of the refinery depended on how long the strike…

Spanish coffers boosted by declared assets

This content was published on Oct 26, 2010 Customers from a Swiss branch of the bank HSBC came forward to declare money in the accounts after client data from the bank was stolen and the details passed onto investigators. The stolen data contained the names of 659 Spanish citizens who maintained a total of 3,000 Swiss accounts. Around 300 of the people involved…

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Has Switzerland saved banking secrecy?

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Plants are the key to biodiversity

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Call for cash from science and research

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Swiss banking plans face tough scrutiny

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Study pinpoints access problems for localities

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Mixed press reaction on Swiss deal with Germany

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Swiss and Germans agree to talk on tax

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Finding out how the superrich think

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French strike runs Swiss refinery out of fuel

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Spanish coffers boosted by declared assets

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