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Swiss Re ties up insurance deal

This content was published on Jun 12, 2006 The deal, which was announced last November, puts Swiss Re ahead of German rivals Munich Re and gives it a commanding position in the United States. The Swiss company said on Monday it expected cost synergies of at least $300 million (SFr371 million) a year, to be realised within the next 18 months. “The acquisition…

Treaty nurtures plant biodiversity

This content was published on Jun 12, 2006 According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the future of agriculture depends on international cooperation and on the open exchange of crops and crops’ genes. The Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) is meeting for the first time and aims to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources…

Small firms desperate for planned tax reform

This content was published on Jun 12, 2006 Experts say the tax reforms would go some way towards untangling a complex set of rules that place a heavy tax burden on Swiss entrepreneurs. But they also criticise the proposals for not going far enough. Both chambers of parliament are devoting time this summer session to a second set of corporate tax reforms following…

Swiss scale new heights during full moon

This content was published on Jun 11, 2006 They were attracted by a series of moonlight events across the country promoted by the Swiss Hiking Federation to kick off the walking season. The federation’s ultimate aim was to raise awareness of its work and that of its 26 cantonal members to maintain the 60,000 kilometres of trails criss-crossing the country. “Everyone recognises the…

Still steaming

This content was published on Jun 11, 2006

“I feel above all a great sense of pride”

This content was published on Jun 11, 2006 Pont, who comes from Geneva, has been the right-hand man of Swiss manager Köbi Kuhn for five years. He discusses the team as well as his relationship with the players. When he accepted the position of assistant coach to the national football team in 2001, Pont never thought he would one day experience a European…

Designer babies divide opinion

This content was published on Jun 10, 2006 Public debate on the issue was reignited after a Swiss couple used Belgian medical assistance to conceive a second child to help cure their first-born, who suffers from a rare immune disorder. This involved the prohibited procedure pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), (see related video). The process includes in vitro fertilisation, after which healthy embryos can…

Figures for medicines stir controversy

This content was published on Jun 9, 2006 The pharmaceutical industry says however that figures presented by Santésuisse – the insurers’ umbrella organisation – are out of date and misleading. Santésuisse says the cost of drugs in Switzerland is up to a quarter higher than elsewhere in Europe and that dropping prices could lead to savings worth up to SFr1 billion ($813 million).…

Tax breaks on the cards for married couples

This content was published on Jun 8, 2006 For years the Federal Court has criticised the unfair fiscal system for married couples in Switzerland but the government has proposed immediate measures to do away with tax discrimination. A previous effort to amend the federal tax system failed in a nationwide vote in 2004 alongside a package of tax breaks. Under the current federal…

Architects criticise “malling” of Switzerland

This content was published on Jun 8, 2006 “Whatever Switzerland does it should not make every mistake that was ever made in America,” said David Rogers of Los Angeles-based Jerde Partnership. This was Rogers’ response on hearing at a recent architecture symposium in Lucerne that large shopping malls are being built on the peripheries of Zurich, Bern, Lucerne and Fribourg (see related story).…

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Internal: Archive

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Swiss Re ties up insurance deal

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Treaty nurtures plant biodiversity

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Small firms desperate for planned tax reform

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Swiss scale new heights during full moon

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Still steaming

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“I feel above all a great sense of pride”

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Designer babies divide opinion

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Figures for medicines stir controversy

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Tax breaks on the cards for married couples

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Architects criticise “malling” of Switzerland

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