Internal: Archive

Lobby group lampoons imported rubbish

This content was published on Nov 14, 2005 The Alpine Initiative environmental group, which handed over the prize, said that imports of waste rose by 25 per cent last year and called for a coordinated policy on the issue. The “Red Devil Stone” prize is part of the Alpine Initiative’s campaign to reduce the transport of goods by road in the Alpine region.…

Swissmetal confirms foundry closure plans

This content was published on Nov 14, 2005 The move, aimed at saving SFr5 million ($3.8 million) a year, will involve more than 40 job cuts. Employees have said they will fight the cuts. In a statement released on Monday, Swissmetal said that it intended to focus its activities in Dornach, canton Solothurn. But before it could take a definitive decision, “some clarifications”…

Altitude keeps Switzerland on top

This content was published on Nov 14, 2005 Jürg Schmid, director of Switzerland Tourism, the Swiss national tourist office, has been buoyed by a slow but steady rise in tourist arrivals over the past couple of years. Tourists spent 2.2 per cent more nights in Swiss accommodation in the first eight months of this year than they did in the same period for…

Swiss want WSIS success pushed in Tunis

This content was published on Nov 13, 2005 Furrer, who is operational head of the Swiss delegation, hopes that the successes of the first phase of the WSIS summit in Geneva will be cemented at the second phase in Tunis from November 16-18. But he warns that there are several controversial topics that will come up during the meeting in the Tunisian capital,…

“We don’t have these sorts of ghettos”

This content was published on Nov 13, 2005 But Thomas Kessler, who is the brains behind a successful integration project in Basel, says the Swiss government has made mistakes in the past in the way it deals with foreigners. Riots flared in France at the end of October when youths in the suburbs of the capital, Paris, took to the streets following the…

Business in China has potential and pitfalls

This content was published on Nov 12, 2005 That was the message from a packed day of discussions this week at the Swiss International Business Forum in Zurich devoted to “Fascination China”. The importance of China as a trading partner was not underestimated, with keynote speeches from two of Switzerland’s seven-member cabinet – Economics Minister Joseph Deiss and Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey (see…

Last-minute negotiations aim to save summit

This content was published on Nov 11, 2005 It is hoped that an intersessional gathering in Geneva and a so-called Resumed PrepCom-3 immediately before this month’s summit in Tunis will resolve key stumbling blocks. Like the first phase of WSIS in Geneva in 2003, PrepCom-3 came to an unsatisfactory end on September 30 with serious divisions between main players and no clear solution…

Swiss offer Ukraine bridge to Europe

This content was published on Nov 11, 2005 At the Focus on Eastern Europe conference, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said Switzerland wants to smooth the way for Ukraine’s entry into Europe. Calmy-Rey said in this way Switzerland could contribute to the long-term stabilisation of eastern Europe. She added that Switzerland could in particular help Ukraine adapt its legislative and economic framework to…

Swiss economy looks up

This content was published on Nov 11, 2005 More than 5,000 companies were surveyed, and most reported that they expected higher sales in the coming months. KOF said in a statement that the survey showed companies, especially those in the industry, building and insurance sectors, were optimistic about their prospects for the last three months of the year. “For the coming months, one…

Swiss name lemur after master of silly walks

This content was published on Nov 11, 2005 Anthropologist Urs Thalmann says the naming is certainly no joke and a tribute to the 66-year-old British actor’s conservation work. The only physical attribute the animal shares with Cleese is its long legs, he added. John Cleese is famous – among other things – for his Silly Walks sketch. “Woolly lemurs can’t really walk –…

Internal: Archive

Popular Stories

Most Discussed