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Sparkling Water

This content was published on Mar 13, 2003 What is more calming than the sight of a lake – or more energising than a big waterfall – or more refreshing than a cool ocean in summer? For centuries, humanity has treasured springs, rivers and lakes as a source of recreation and relaxation. For Switzerland, water remains a key element in the country’s tourism…

Water Matters

This content was published on Mar 13, 2003 Water has long been valued as a key resource. Whether it is big firms specialising in the sale of bottled mineral water, or government-owned hydro-electricity companies, the potential profits are huge. But the key question remains – who owns the world’s water supplies and how should they be managed? The debate has only just begun,…

Water Everywhere

This content was published on Mar 13, 2003 More than 1.2 billion people on Earth do not have enough clean water, and even though awareness of the problem has grown, the situation has only deteriorated in the past 20 years. Water is not only a vital resource for human survival; without irrigation, fields and crops also suffer. The UN’s Year of Fresh Water…

US turns to Swiss firms amid bioterror fears

This content was published on Mar 13, 2003 On Wednesday, US authorities and Swiss experts discussed how best to protect civilians against deadly agents such as anthrax and smallpox. Addressing a conference at the Swiss embassy in Washington, the US Secretary of Health, Tommy Thompson, said Swiss biotechnology companies were key to developing effective drugs and vaccines against biological and chemical threats. “We…

Fake Swiss watches swamp Russian market

This content was published on Mar 13, 2003 Fifteen years ago there were virtually no Swiss watches to be found in Russia, but now increasing numbers of fake Swatches, Omegas, Patek Philippes and Rolexes are being sold across the country. “It’s a very serious problem, which is hard to quantify,” said Marc Frisanco an intellectual property expert with Vacheron-Constantin in Geneva. “Counterfeits strike…

Tech tourism in Switzerland

This content was published on Mar 12, 2003 The tour brought international venture capitalists together with Swiss startup companies in the second such event in five years. Delegates heard “pitches” from twenty-nine, privately-owned, Swiss companies in a variety of venues. “This is a way to stay close to the Swiss entrepreneurial scene, ” Holger Heims of Deutsche Venture Capital told Swiss Venture. “Despite…

Preventive treatment key to fighting breast cancer

This content was published on Mar 12, 2003 The conference, which kicked off on Wednesday, comes at a time when the number of breast cancer cases in industrialised countries is on the rise, but mortality rates are dropping. Cancer experts say the main reason for the fall is the increased use of preventive medicine. Preventive treatment works in two ways: firstly, screening on…

Parliament backs stem cell research

This content was published on Mar 12, 2003 But, as expected, it refused to give the go-ahead for research on the embryos themselves until a new law is formulated. The proposals still need to be approved by the House of Representatives before they become law. A Senate commission had already made changes to the draft legislation – distinguishing between stem cell research and…

Clariant replaces CEO

This content was published on Mar 12, 2003 In a statement, Clariant said the board of directors had unanimously appointed Roland Lösser as the new chief executive. Lösser has been a member of the Clariant board for three years and was previously the company’s chief financial officer. Analysts said Handte had lost investors’ confidence after Clariant last month reported a surprise loss of…

Julius Baer sheds jobs as profit plunges

This content was published on Mar 12, 2003 The group said on Wednesday that difficult market conditions had reduced revenues and assets, and would force it to slash its workforce by around 300. Julius Baer had forecast last year that net profit would be considerably less than the SFr225 million achieved in 2001. Analysts had expected 2002 profit to come in at around…

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