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Swiss start-ups reach record numbers

This content was published on Jan 10, 2008 Latest figures by a business information service show 36,427 new firms were grounded – up 6.3 per cent on 2006 – the third increase in a row. Personnel recruitment companies as well as business and tax consultancies in the southern Ticino region and in central Switzerland made up the biggest group of new companies last…

Role seen for Swiss in reducing global risks

This content was published on Jan 10, 2008 The organisation comments that Switzerland could have a “significant” role to play in helping to reduce their severity. The WEF, which holds its annual meeting in the Swiss resort of Davos later this month, argues in its Global Risks 2008 report that the current liquidity crunch caused by the subprime mortgage crisis in the United…

How sustainable economics can save the planet

This content was published on Jan 10, 2008 The Worldwatch president, Christopher Flavin, tells swissinfo why the authors of the institute’s 2008 State of the World report are optimistic that the challenges of climate change can be overcome. The 253-page report claims that businesses, government and non-governmental organisations “are inventing the Earth’s first sustainable economy”. Some Swiss communities are showing the way forward…

Pharma-chemical lobby demands unhindered trade

This content was published on Jan 9, 2008 The sector’s lobby group said customs duties, red tape and patent abuses are draining funds away from vital research. But it insists a price-inflating ban on parallel imports should stay in place. A study commissioned by the Association of the Swiss Chemical and Pharmaceutical Companies showed the sector dominating the Swiss export market. Pharmaceutical and…

Swiss aim to boost productivity and foreign trade

This content was published on Jan 9, 2008 Leuthard also said regulations in the agricultural as well as electricity, telecom and postal sectors must be reduced to increase the competitive edge on domestic markets. “We have to continue the pace of reforms and increase productivity. Cutting costs will enable us to achieve higher salaries,” she told a news conference on Wednesday. She added…

Lack of time and self-control “bad for diet”

This content was published on Jan 9, 2008 The main reasons for poor nutrition were lack of self-discipline and time, St Gallen University researchers revealed on Wednesday. More than 70 per cent of respondents said nutrition was important or very important to them and 55 per cent said they were currently on a diet. While consumers consider more carefully what they eat, their…

Revolutionising car design

This content was published on Jan 9, 2008 The engineer spent years working for traditional car manufacturers before Germany’s strong automobile industry drove him to Lucerne, where he set up his headquarters in 2004. “In terms of climate change, current automobile technology is a disaster,” says Maskus, who has created a futuristic vehicle that could revolutionise the way we drive. The Acabion GTBO…

Foreigners drive up luxury home prices

This content was published on Jan 9, 2008 One survey shows the cost of high-end housing in Geneva has more than doubled since 2000 and risen 64 per cent on parts of Lake Zurich. But experts say these are isolated cases and the general market remains stable. The recent opening of Swiss borders to European Union workers has paved the way for more…

Swiss come high up in globalisation rankings

This content was published on Jan 8, 2008 Economic Institute KOF’s Index of Globalisation, published on Tuesday, compared 122 countries, with small, western European nations generally topping the list. According to the Zurich-based KOF, globalisation in Switzerland has increased continuously since the 1970s and particularly since the 1990s. Since 1991 Switzerland has been among the world’s ten most globalised countries. Despite falling in…

Damselfly named animal of the year

This content was published on Jan 8, 2008 Pro Natura, the country’s leading conservation agency, awarded the insect the special honour to highlight the problem of its steadily shrinking aquatic habitat. The banded demoiselle, or calopteryx splendens, is a European damselfly traditionally found along watercourses in north-facing alpine regions, especially in canton Valais. The damselfly is part of the lucky 50 per cent…

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