Category Archive: 3) Swiss Markets and News

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China stalling on trade talks with Switzerland, say papers

2022-05-31

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2022-05-31

Switzerland wants to update its 2014 free trade agreement with China, but Beijing refuses to talk, owing to criticism of its human rights record, report the NZZ am Sonntag and SonntagsBlick newspapers.

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Swiss supermarket products for children have too much sugar

2022-05-30

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2022-05-30

The overwhelming majority of products with packaging designed to appeal to children contain too much sugar, salt or fat, report Le Matin Dimanche and SonntagsZeitung newspapers.

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Ukraine war hits supplies of food packaging material

2022-05-30

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2022-05-30

Switzerland is considering emergency stockpiling of plastic packaging as the Ukraine war brings a world shortage of packaging material, reports the NZZ am Sonntag.

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Economic divide: how equal is Switzerland’s wealth distribution?

2022-05-27

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2022-05-27

While the gap between rich and poor has been steadily widening in many countries, the situation in Switzerland has remained stable over the past decades, according to recent statistics. Yet while income distribution in the Alpine nation is relatively egalitarian, wealth is more concentrated in the hands of the rich.

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Switzerland and Germany seek to conclude gas solidarity deal

2022-05-26

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2022-05-26

Swiss and German ministers have agreed to negotiate a solidarity agreement to help each other with gas supply issues in an emergency. The announcement was made on the side lines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting taking place in Davos.

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How ‘Davos Man’ hijacked capitalism

2022-05-25

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2022-05-25

The global elite are gathering in the Alps this week for the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting. Journalist Peter Goodman, author of Davos Man, argues that these billionaires are a “separate species” who have become so powerful that they’re writing the rules for the rest of us.

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Russian oligarch ‘handed Swiss company over to wife’

2022-05-25

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2022-05-25

The effectiveness of sanctions against Russia have again been called into question as it emerged that an oligarch transferred his stake in a fertilizer company to his wife. The move has apparently thwarted European Union sanctions that Switzerland also enforces.

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Swiss banks rigorously implementing international sanctions on Russia

2022-05-23

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2022-05-23

Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is unacceptable, and wide-ranging international sanctions have rightly been imposed in response to it. The Swiss banks support these without reservation, and are implementing not only the sanctions ordered by the Swiss Federal Council, but also those of international and supranational authorities and bodies.

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Switzerland ranked second-worst global facilitator of tax avoidance

2022-05-22

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2022-05-22

Switzerland has moved from third to second in an annual ranking of the worst global tax havens. Overall however, the country is going in the right direction, reports the Tax Justice Network.

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Complicity in crimes against humanity: court upholds charge against Lafarge

2022-05-21

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2022-05-21

A Paris appeals court has confirmed that the cement firm Lafarge must face charges of complicity in crimes against humanity over alleged payoffs to Islamic State group and other jihadist groups during Syria's civil war. Lafarge is now part of the Swiss Holcim cement group, which says it will appeal the decision.

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Swiss government presents plans to boost gas reserves

2022-05-20

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2022-05-20

The Swiss government has outlined its plans to boost gas storage capacity in neighbouring countries to secure supplies ahead of winter. Gas makes up roughly 15% of Switzerland’s final energy consumption and is mostly used for heating and cooking. Around half of this comes from Russia.

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Germany’s Scholz and NATO’s Stoltenberg to attend Davos WEF meeting

2022-05-19

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2022-05-19

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will be among the leaders at the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, which starts on Sunday after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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How canton Ticino became a democracy pioneer in Europe

2022-05-17

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History books often point to the second French Revolution in July 1830 as the start of a democratising wave that swept Europe, including Switzerland. What is often overlooked is the role of canton Ticino, which pioneered many of the ideas at the heart of these revolutions. --- swissinfo.ch is the international branch of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (SBC). Its role is to report on Switzerland and to provide a Swiss perspective on...

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Swiss seek cooperation with US on cyber security defence

2022-05-16

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2022-05-16

Defence Minister Viola Amherd has held talks with United States government representatives on international security cooperation.

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Absurdist pop pioneer Yello wins Swiss music prize

2022-05-14

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2022-05-14

The Swiss electronic duo Yello - Dieter Meier and Boris Blank – will receive the Grand Prix Music 2022, presented by the Federal Office of Culture and worth CHF100,000 ($100,400).

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Swiss remain divided over 5G rollout

2022-05-13

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2022-05-13

Swiss opinion over the expansion of the 5G telecommunications network is still split down the middle, according to the latest survey on the subject. The Swiss government is convinced that the new technology poses minimal health risks and is committed to the rapid erection of 7,500 5G antennae.  

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Afghan women footballers take to the field again in Bern

2022-05-10

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Two former players with Afghanistan’s national women’s team have started football training for women in Bern, both to improve their footballing skills and to defend the rights of women to play the game. It’s part of Armisa and Sahar’s (pseudonyms) continuing efforts to rebuild their lives after being forced to flee their country for fear of the Taliban, the Islamic fundamentalist group that was waging an insurgency in Afghanistan when they left....

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Recent price rises only the beginning, says Swiss consumer association

2022-05-10

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2022-05-10

Food, energy and housing costs are rising in Switzerland and consumers are beginning to change their spending habits. So far inflation in Switzerland has been moderate with annual inflation of 2.5%. However, according to FRC, a consumer association in French-speaking Switzerland, recent price rises are only the beginning, reported RTS.

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Stop organic farming to help future food crisis, says Syngenta boss

2022-05-09

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2022-05-09

Erik Fyrwald, the CEO of the Swiss agrochemicals group Syngenta, has called for an end to organic farming to avoid a worsening food crisis. The president of the Swiss Small Farmers’ Association meanwhile dismissed his arguments as “grotesque”.

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Swiss central bank rejects ‘creative’ demands to change course

2022-05-06

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2022-05-06

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) continues to beat off demands to fight inflation by raising interest rates and to distribute more reserves to cantons and other causes.

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