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Forum addresses Swiss-German concerns

This content was published on Jan 29, 2006 Switzerland’s minority communities regret the eclipse of standard German, while educationalists are concerned by a loss of linguistic competence on the part of German speakers. Forum Helveticum, a platform for discussion of current issues in Swiss public life, has returned to the “language question”. This time, however, the issue is not whether pupils should first…

Being green is good for business

This content was published on Jan 29, 2006 Bruno Oberle took over as director of the government’s environmental agency last October, after six years as deputy director under his predecessor, Philippe Roch. Revamped at the beginning of January, the Federal Environment Office wants to improve quality of life and promote a healthy environment, and at the same time create a strong framework for…

Swiss and US move towards trade talks

This content was published on Jan 28, 2006 The announcement comes ten days after the failure to agree on the terms for negotiations on a free-trade accord. Deiss held a second meeting with the US trade representative, Rob Portman, on Saturday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum summit in the Swiss resort of Davos. He said both sides would now define…

Lessons of Challenger “went unheeded”

This content was published on Jan 28, 2006 Claude Nicollier, who has logged more than 1,000 hours in space, also said one of the shuttle’s key design faults was the lack of an emergency escape system. Challenger exploded 73 seconds after take-off on January 28, 1986, killing all seven crew members. Seventeen years later the space shuttle Columbia burnt up on re-entry after…

Ministers agree to step up bid to trade deal

This content was published on Jan 28, 2006 They said agreement had been reached on a timetable for a deal on lowering barriers in major areas of the global economy. Swiss Economics Minister Joseph Deiss, who hosted the informal meeting of ministers from about 20 World Trade Organization (WTO) members, said he was optimistic that the latest round of talks on trade liberalisation…

Swiss and Russians sign trade agreement

This content was published on Jan 27, 2006 Switzerland and Russia on Friday successfully concluded bilateral negotiations on Moscow’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). The agreement leaves Russia needing only the backing of the United States, Australia and Colombia out of the WTO’s 149 member states to complete the country-by-country part of the accession process. Deiss and his Russian counterpart, German…

Magnetic fridge attracts top innovation prize

This content was published on Jan 27, 2006 The designers were honoured during the first Swiss Innovation Forum that organisers hope will help dispel criticism that Switzerland falls short in the global innovation stakes. Professors at the Graduate School of Engineering and Management in canton Vaud used existing magnetic technology to create a household fridge that does not emit harmful hydro-carbons into the…

Top banks forecast solid growth in 2006

This content was published on Jan 27, 2006 In their outlooks for the first quarter, the banks said business confidence was high and the economy was set to expand. A further sign that the economy was on track came from the KOF Institute for Business Cycle Research. KOF’s monthly indicator, which points to likely economic performance in about six months’ time, reached its…

National Bank unveils record profit

This content was published on Jan 27, 2006 In a statement on Friday, the SNB said SFr2.5 billion of that amount would be distributed to the federal authorities and cantons. The result compares with a profit of SFr400 million in 2004. “The 2005 annual result was extremely positive due to an extraordinary accumulation of favourable market trends,” the statement said. But the bank…

Swiss stick to their guns over trade deal

This content was published on Jan 26, 2006 Luzius Wasescha was speaking ahead of Friday’s meeting of around 30 trade ministers at the annual World Economic Forum session in Davos. The talks, hosted by Swiss Economics Minister Joseph Deiss, will mark the first time ministers have met since making limited progress on a global trade deal in Hong Kong last month. The 149…

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Forum addresses Swiss-German concerns

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Being green is good for business

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Swiss and US move towards trade talks

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Lessons of Challenger “went unheeded”

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Ministers agree to step up bid to trade deal

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Swiss and Russians sign trade agreement

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Magnetic fridge attracts top innovation prize

More

Top banks forecast solid growth in 2006

More

National Bank unveils record profit

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Swiss stick to their guns over trade deal

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