Internal: Archive

Freak weather is “indication” of global warming

This content was published on Sep 8, 2005 The head of the Swiss environment agency warned on Thursday that Switzerland could face an increased incidence of natural disasters, and said maps were being prepared to identify the areas at greatest risk. Roch was speaking to swissinfo after violent storms brought flooding to southern France – the latest in a series of weather-related disasters.…

Consumers will win with supermarket takeover

This content was published on Sep 8, 2005 The buyout, which is subject to regulatory approval, will put Denner in a stronger position to reduce prices when German discounters Aldi and Lidl arrive in Switzerland. The top Swiss discount chain will be the third biggest player in the market behind Coop and Migros, with 700 stores throughout the country when it takes over…

More insurers count the cost of flooding

This content was published on Sep 8, 2005 It expects total damage payments to reach a pre-tax figure of about $100 million (SFr124.1 million). It said on Thursday it would book these charges in the third quarter. Another insurer, Allianz Suisse, said it estimated claims from the severe flooding at home at SFr120 million. The company added that by the end of August,…

Unemployment on the rise

This content was published on Sep 8, 2005 The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) put the increase down largely to seasonal factors, and for that reason predicted the situation would worsen in the coming months. More than 142,000 Swiss were registered as unemployed in August. However, Jean-Luc Nordmann, head of Seco’s labour division, said the rise was lower than it was in…

Venture capital targets Swiss biotech

This content was published on Sep 7, 2005 The move will help SpinX and Xigen, both spin-offs of research institutes in Switzerland, to finance their R&D, bringing them close to the commercialisation of their first products. SpinX Technologies, a developer of lab-on-a-chip systems for biological experiments, has raised a €10 million (SFr15.4 million) Series B, or second round funding, co-led by Finland’s Bio…

Coal: Let’s Build Us A Rocket

This content was published on Sep 7, 2005

Business booms at Baloise of Basel

This content was published on Sep 7, 2005 But the group also said on Wednesday that it expected net losses of about SFr100 million from severe floods in Switzerland and its neighbours at the end of August. “We are very satisfied with this result. And we are convinced that there will be a marked increase in the full-year profit, too, despite the natural…

Swiss aid ready to be sent to Katrina victims

This content was published on Sep 6, 2005 Eight days after the storm devastated US Gulf Coast states, an emergency shipment and specialised personnel have been organised by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). SDC spokesman Andreas Stauffer told swissinfo that the aid includes bedding, hygiene sets and tarpaulin and plastic sheeting. Two logisticians will accompany the goods to the US…

No frills and little sleep in Basel’s easyHotel

This content was published on Sep 6, 2005 Just like easyJet, the hotel offers travellers the bare necessities, even if the new hotel chain may be taking the no-frills approach a little too far. Known for his media savvy, the founder of the easyGroup, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, was on hand for the launch of the Basel hotel. He told a dozen mostly Swiss journalists…

ABB is “out of the woods”

This content was published on Sep 6, 2005 The company announced it will remove a layer of management, restructure core businesses, focus on profit rather than growth and boost its activities in China as part of its five-year strategy. ABB will relocate its robotic division from the United States to China and warned of potential job losses in Europe as it concentrates its…

Read more: ABB is “out of the woods”

Internal: Archive

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