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Roche invests in national sites

This content was published on Jun 17, 2008 The company will spend SFr550 million on a new office tower at its headquarters in Basel, which will be the tallest building in Switzerland. It will be 154 metres high when completed and home to 2,400 employees, including 1,700 currently scattered across other sites. Roche will invest another SFr250 million on a building for research…

Experts gear up to counter bee deaths

This content was published on Jun 17, 2008 Specialists are particularly concerned by the potential impact on agriculture and food production, as bees play an important role in pollinating plants. The problem is considered so serious that a bee health service might be even on the cards. Around 20 per cent of hives in Switzerland did not survive last winter, double what is…

Researcher bites into forbidden fruit

This content was published on Jun 16, 2008 Plant pathologist Cesare Gessler of the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich is introducing a gene to the Gala variety from a wild species resistant to scab – a disease that can significantly reduce fruit yields. The new genetic technique is known as cisgenic. Cisgenic plants contain only genes that are already present in varieties…

Climate on losing side of Euro 2008

This content was published on Jun 16, 2008 In the name of the four ministers, Switzerland’s Moritz Leuenberger called on European football’s governing body to buy certificates to offset carbon dioxide emissions generated by the football championships. The ministers criticised Uefa for refusing to accept its responsibilities to the climate, a spokesman for Leuenberger said after the ministers’ meeting on Monday. The Swiss…

New planets discovered outside Solar System

This content was published on Jun 16, 2008 They said their findings, presented at a conference in Nantes, France, on Monday, suggest that Earth-like planets may be very common. “Does every single star harbour planets and, if yes, how many?” asked Michel Mayor of Geneva Observatory. “We may not yet know the answer but we are making huge progress towards it,” he said…

Low salaries don’t indicate poverty

This content was published on Jun 16, 2008 These jobs concern 320,000 people – 70 per cent of them women – who earn less than SFr3,783 ($3,628) per month for a 40-hour working week. Over the past decade, the percentage of low salaries among the workforce has only varied slightly, decreasing from 11.2 to 10.2 per cent. These wages are often paid in…

More expatriates but few women managing firms

This content was published on Jun 16, 2008 However, the study found that women held only four per cent of management positions. It said that six per cent of incoming managers were women. The profile of a top manager remains a 51-year-old Swiss male with a university degree, two decades of work experience and ten years or more in a management position, the…

Researcher is no mummy’s boy

This content was published on Jun 16, 2008 The thrill of making new discoveries has led him to examine two of the most famous mummies in recent memory: Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun and Ötzi the iceman. Rühli’s office at Zurich University is neat and tidy, with just one group of sculptures giving away a hint of his passion. It’s only when he begins to…

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US requests Swiss help in UBS probe

This content was published on Jun 15, 2008 Switzerland is examining whether it can assist in the request, said Folco Galli of the Swiss federal prosecutor’s office on Sunday. Further details of the request have not been released. The US Department of Justice and the financial regulatory body, the Securities and Exchange Commission, are investigating services provided by Swiss-based UBS staff to American…

Banks settle in Parmalat dispute

This content was published on Jun 14, 2008 Parmalat collapsed under debts of €14 billion (SFr22.15 billion) and was later re-listed on the Milan stock exchange. The company launched a series of lawsuits for billions of dollars against banks including Citicorp, UBS, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse and Bank of America in an attempt to recoup losses for the company and investors. Parmalat’s new…

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