Internal: Archive

Kuoni boss to step down

This content was published on Dec 14, 2007 The company said both sides had agreed to end the contract amid differences of opinion over the reforms decided in May and their implementation. Kuoni said it would seek an external successor to Meier, who has been CEO since 2005. Max E. Katz will take over ad interim. Kuoni has made a number of acquisitions…

Power companies plan new nuclear plants

This content was published on Dec 13, 2007 The aim is to replace two existing plants at Beznau in canton Aargau and the Mühleberg plant in canton Bern. The third main nuclear operator, Atel, has been invited to join the project. The partners have agreed on Beznau and Mühleberg as the locations for the two new plants. Commissioning is foreseen after 2020. Axpo…

No patents on seeds and animals demanded

This content was published on Dec 13, 2007 They have handed over a petition to the Munich-based European Patent Office demanding that ordinary plants and animals not benefit from patent protection. The organisations are concerned that just a few agrochemical companies will gain a stranglehold on the food market. The NGOs are warning that an ever-increasing number of patent requests will be filed.…

French nuclear plant earthquake risk

This content was published on Dec 13, 2007 They fear earthquake risks have not been properly taken into account at France’s oldest nuclear plant, which began operations in 1977. The site at Fessenheim is considered to be in a seismic-risk zone. The two cantons mandated a private firm to evaluate the potential danger after the French and Swiss authorities did not respond to…

Novartis cuts workforce by 2,500

This content was published on Dec 13, 2007 Novartis will cut another 2,500 jobs from its global total of 100,000, becoming the latest major drugmaker to undertake a deep restructuring. It is expected that 500 jobs will be lost in Switzerland, slightly more than four per cent of its local workforce. The Basel-based firm said on Thursday it would take a charge of…

National bank holds interest rates

This content was published on Dec 13, 2007 The central bank said it decided on Thursday at its quarterly policy meeting to keep the rates steady for the first time after eight successive hikes. It also said that it expected growth in gross domestic product this year of at least 2.5 per cent, and about 2 per cent in 2008. The bank raised…

UBS warns of slowing economic growth

This content was published on Dec 12, 2007 In its annual global outlook, the bank said the situation in the US had reached the point where a downturn was possible, although it should be avoided. UBS analysts pointed out the US Federal Reserve had cut its main interest rate a number of times, enough to ward off such a situation. Economic growth in…

Shoppers loyal, but looking for better deals

This content was published on Dec 12, 2007 The poll by GS1 Schweiz and Accenture confirmed that the two largest retailers, Migros and Coop dominate the market, with 88 per cent of Swiss filling their trolleys at these stores. Eighty-five per cent of shoppers hold loyalty cards from these two supermarket chains. However a third of those surveyed also said they now head…

Smoking raises the risk of diabetes

This content was published on Dec 12, 2007 Those who light up regularly face a 44 per cent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared with non-smokers, according to data published in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. “We knew a few studies had already assessed this link, but we didn’t expect to find so many –…

Organic cotton offers hope to Mali farmers

This content was published on Dec 12, 2007 A swissinfo reporter witnessed how the project in the poverty-stricken sub-Saharan African country allows people to cultivate cotton without endangering their health by using pesticides. Hundreds of insects have found a home in the fields around the village of Faragouaran, in the south of Mali. Although annoying, they are largely harmless, according to locals. “It’s…

Internal: Archive

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

Internal: Archive

More

Kuoni boss to step down

More

Power companies plan new nuclear plants

More

No patents on seeds and animals demanded

More

French nuclear plant earthquake risk

More

Novartis cuts workforce by 2,500

More

National bank holds interest rates

More

UBS warns of slowing economic growth

More

Shoppers loyal, but looking for better deals

More

Smoking raises the risk of diabetes

More

Organic cotton offers hope to Mali farmers

Popular Stories

Most Discussed