Internal: Archive

Swiss astronaut looks back on star-studded career

This content was published on Jun 8, 2003 To mark the occasion, swissinfo interviewed Swiss space veteran and ESA member, Claude Nicollier, about life as an astronaut, his space walk and his fascination for space. Nicollier – Switzerland’s only astronaut – has taken part in four space flights and has logged more than 1,000 hours in space, including an eight-hour long space walk…

Swiss banks reaffirm anti-money laundering pledge

This content was published on Jun 6, 2003 But Switzerland’s largest bank, UBS, said the country could not shoulder all the responsibility for tracking illegal funds. “There turned out to be very little of [Joseph] Mobutu’s money in Switzerland after his death,” said Hanspeter Bauer, head of compliance at UBS. “But nobody investigated neighbouring countries, where he had residences and who were the…

Swiss deflation fears intensify

This content was published on Jun 6, 2003 Although opinions are divided about whether Switzerland will fall into a deflationary spiral, most agree that a sustained period of falling prices would be traumatic. “Whether from an external shock or from deterioration in the domestic economy, Switzerland is facing a fairly substantial risk of deflation,” analyst Jean-Claude Manini said in a recent report on…

Festival in Le Bouveret picks up steam

This content was published on Jun 6, 2003 The festival kicks off with a reception for steam engine fans at 9am. Among the special events is an international toy market with more than 100 exhibitors on the second day of the festival, an evening barbecue and the handing out of commemorative plaques on June 21. The park covers 17,000 square metres on the…

Swiss jobless rate dips

This content was published on Jun 6, 2003 The slight dip was because of new figures showing that the number of people working in Switzerland was higher than previously thought. The government said seasonal hiring also contributed the slight fall in the jobless rate to 3.6 per cent in May from 3.9 per cent in April. “We have seasonal effects especially in the…

Rate cut is mixed blessing for Swiss exporters

This content was published on Jun 5, 2003 On the one hand, the cut should boost the euro-zone economies, increasing demand for Swiss products, but it could make Swiss goods more expensive. The ECB’s rate cut failed to push down the euro – indeed, it rose against the franc and the dollar after the decision was announced. But at record highs against the…

Recession strikes Swiss economy

This content was published on Jun 5, 2003 Government officials blamed the strong Swiss franc coupled with weak exports and poor consumer demand. On Thursday, figures by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) showed two successive quarters of negative GDP growth – in line with economists’ definition of a recession. The first quarter GDP fell 0.6 per cent from the same quarter…

Hole in the ground to probe secrets of the universe

This content was published on Jun 5, 2003 On Wednesday, the Swiss president, Pascal Couchepin, inaugurated a huge underground cavern near Geneva, which will house an experiment called Atlas. Standing as high as a six-storey building and twice as long, Atlas will almost fill the purpose-built cavern which has been excavated over the past two years. The particle detector should help physicists understand…

EU tax deal gives Swiss room to bargain

This content was published on Jun 4, 2003 His comments came after EU finance ministers agreed a common policy for the Union. Villiger said on Wednesday that he expects a quick conclusion to a second round of bilateral negotiations with the EU. Brussels is keen for Switzerland to sign up to its “savings tax directive” – agreed on Tuesday – which would allow…

Swiss banks under pressure

This content was published on Jun 4, 2003 Despite the reassuring results, Swiss unions are warning that more job cuts could be on the way soon. Switzerland’s banks last year saw their aggregate net profits drop nearly five per cent to SFr11.9 billion ($9.1 billion), according to the Swiss National Bank (SNB). Officials blamed the weaker performance on higher depreciation costs, which rose…

Internal: Archive

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

Internal: Archive

More

Swiss astronaut looks back on star-studded career

More

Swiss banks reaffirm anti-money laundering pledge

More

Swiss deflation fears intensify

More

Festival in Le Bouveret picks up steam

More

Swiss jobless rate dips

More

Rate cut is mixed blessing for Swiss exporters

More

Recession strikes Swiss economy

More

Hole in the ground to probe secrets of the universe

More

EU tax deal gives Swiss room to bargain

More

Swiss banks under pressure

Popular Stories

Most Discussed