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Swiss must “fight” for Expo recognition

This content was published on Mar 17, 2005 That’s the view of Martin Heller, the former artistic director of the Swiss national exhibition, Expo.02. This year’s World Expo, being staged between March and September just outside the Japanese city of Nagoya, is the first global exhibition of the 21st century. The Swiss government has invested SFr15 million ($12.8 million) on its presence at…

NGOs call for water to remain public good

This content was published on Mar 16, 2005 The NGOs, attending the Alternative World Water Forum, also called for a “World Water Parliament” to regulate water distribution fairly. The aim of the forum, according to Bastienne Joerchel of the Swiss Coalition of Development Organisations, is to create a global public water utility. The NGOs say access to potable water must be declared a…

Everybody should have right to water

This content was published on Mar 16, 2005 The NGOs are taking part in the Alternative World Water Forum over the next four days. “We want to ensure that water remains in the public domain, like the air we breathe,” said Rosmarie Bär of the Swiss Coalition of Development Agencies. The Geneva meeting comes one week ahead of the United Nations sponsored “World…

Synthes results highlight medtech boom

This content was published on Mar 16, 2005 The Solothurn-based firm,one of just 27 listed on the Swiss Market Index (SMI), said on Wednesday that net profit rose 331 per cent to $323.7 million (SFr372.2 million). But the bottom line was significantly boosted by the completed acquisition of German competitor Mathys, meaning that the comparable year-on-year rise in net profit was a more…

Swiss high street banks still money-spinners

This content was published on Mar 16, 2005 But branch offices will need to work hard on improving customer service levels, not least by introducing more flexible opening hours. Those are two of the main findings of a new Europe-wide study of the retail-banking sector by consultants Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH). It also found that Swiss banks were particularly well positioned for the…

Former Servette boss arrested on fraud charges

This content was published on Mar 16, 2005 Geneva police said on Wednesday that Marc Roger was accused of bankruptcy fraud, mismanagement and breach of trust. Servette were declared bankrupt early last month, with debts estimated at around SFr11 million ($9.5 million). Police said they had searched three houses in Geneva and seized “a number of documents”. They said around 20 people had…

Venture firm moves into top rank

This content was published on Mar 16, 2005 Its success in raising the fund when European venture capital is out of fashion gives credence to its new status. Only a handful of early stage-oriented venture firms in Europe have been able to raise a fund of this size since the tech bubble burst back in 2000. These include Paris-based Sofinnova Partners, one of…

Adecco bounces back after difficult year

This content was published on Mar 16, 2005 The result put a shine on what was a difficult 2004 for the Swiss-based firm, which lost credibility and investors’ trust over suspected accounting irregularities. On Wednesday Adecco reported a six per cent rise in revenue to €17.2 billion, as job markets recovered on the back of an economic upturn. However, the company said its…

Swiss pay high price for living longer

This content was published on Mar 15, 2005 These are the key findings of a study released on Tuesday by the KOF Institute for Business Cycle Research. Health costs rose by 4.4 per cent in 2002, and KOF sees little relief for the Swiss in the mid-term, forecasting an annual increase of 3.5 to 4.1 per cent between 2003 and 2006. The health…

House approves uniform child benefit system

This content was published on Mar 15, 2005 Tuesday’s vote in favour of a harmonised structure marks the first step towards ending an arbitrary system whereby child benefit is higher in some cantons than others. Parliamentarians voted narrowly – by 95 to 93 – in favour of plans to set a nationwide minimum child allowance. The proposal now has to go before the…

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Swiss must “fight” for Expo recognition

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NGOs call for water to remain public good

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Everybody should have right to water

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Synthes results highlight medtech boom

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Swiss high street banks still money-spinners

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Former Servette boss arrested on fraud charges

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Venture firm moves into top rank

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Adecco bounces back after difficult year

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Swiss pay high price for living longer

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House approves uniform child benefit system

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