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Can neuroscientists read our minds?

This content was published on Mar 19, 2009 Neuroscience experts took part in a roundtable talk in Geneva on Wednesday as part of Brain Week to discuss the progress made in unlocking the secrets inside our heads and the ethical implications. Brain Week has taken place for the past 12 years in Europe, organised by the European Dana Alliance for the Brain. The…

Public broadcaster approves restructuring

This content was published on Mar 19, 2009 The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) said the gradual merging of support services would help the organisation cut annual costs by ten per cent. The SBC, the parent company of swissinfo, posted a deficit of SFr79 million ($69.3 million) for 2008. The SBC’s chairman, Jean-Bernard Münch, said the money saved through the restructuring of the organisation…

Exports post double-digit drops

This content was published on Mar 19, 2009 The Swiss Watch Federation said the number of timepieces exported also fell 28.4 per cent from a year ago to 1.4 million. Watches worth SFr200-SFr500 saw a fall of around 33 per cent and sales of watches worth SFr500-SFr3,000 almost halved from a year ago. Exports to Hong Kong, the biggest market for Swiss watches,…

Tour operator Kuoni saw profit rise last year

This content was published on Mar 19, 2009 The company, which also owns Zurich-based Edelweiss Air, reported on Wednesday that profit rose by 12.1 per cent to SFr152.1 million ($130 million) on SFr4.86 billion in revenues. It said business units in Scandinavia, Asia and Switzerland made “particularly sizeable” contributions to the result. The company also attributed its growth in part to acquisitions. In…

Lidl touchdown to have “more impact” than Aldi

This content was published on Mar 19, 2009 Notoriously high Swiss grocery prices have already fallen in the past four years. But new competition between Aldi and the more “Swiss-friendly” Lidl could drive them further down, one retail expert believes. Hard discount chain Lidl will open its first 13 stores in Switzerland on Thursday and the German giant is expected to expand swiftly.…

Firms could turn backs on blacklisted Switzerland

This content was published on Mar 18, 2009 The looming spectre of being shunned by the world’s most powerful economies has already forced Switzerland to start lifting the veil on portions of its banking secrecy laws. But business leaders worry the real threat runs far deeper than outing accused tax cheats. Not only would billions of francs worth of foreign deposits likely be…

Switzerland looks for tax understanding

This content was published on Mar 18, 2009 Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey visited Paris on Wednesday to present the new Swiss policy to her French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner, and Budget Minister Eric Woerth. Calmy-Rey wanted to explain the Swiss position, a member of her delegation said, and was also anxious to find out what attitude other countries are taking towards it. The…

Bâloise profits plummet as layoffs loom

This content was published on Mar 18, 2009 The country’s third-biggest non-life insurer reported that profits fell in 2008 to SFr386.7 million ($327 million). Losses from investments in wobbly financial markets created writedowns of SFr925 million. The blue-chip company said on Wednesday it would cut 230 full-time jobs in Germany, about 13 per cent of the workforce there. Last year Bâloise reported a…

Bankers appeal to counter secrecy fallout

This content was published on Mar 17, 2009 The changes could lead numerous clients to move their business elsewhere and may constitute a serious shortfall for the sector, the Swiss Private Bankers Association said on Tuesday. “The new policies of cooperation on tax issues will, to a certain degree, deprive our financial centre of a significant competitive advantage,” it said. It is essential…

Profit sweetens Lindt & Sprüngli result

This content was published on Mar 17, 2009 Despite an increasingly tough sales environment, the company made a net profit of SFr261.5 million ($220.5 million), up 4.4 per cent on 2007, it announced in a statement issued on Tuesday. The chocolate industry had to face not only a downturn in consumer mood, but also volatile raw material prices and currency fluctuations, the company…

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Can neuroscientists read our minds?

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Public broadcaster approves restructuring

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Exports post double-digit drops

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Tour operator Kuoni saw profit rise last year

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Lidl touchdown to have “more impact” than Aldi

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Firms could turn backs on blacklisted Switzerland

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Switzerland looks for tax understanding

More

Bâloise profits plummet as layoffs loom

More

Bankers appeal to counter secrecy fallout

More

Profit sweetens Lindt & Sprüngli result

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