Category Archive: 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy

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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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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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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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Historians trace Elon Musk’s Swiss roots to Emmental

2022-05-05

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2022-05-05

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has roots in a small, picturesque farming region in central Switzerland. Using genealogy websites and local archives, historians have been able to connect Musk with the Haldimann name, which is still present in the Emmental region today.

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Covid loan claims fuel rise in suspected fraud cases

2022-05-04

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2022-05-04

The number of reported suspicious financial transactions continued to rise in Switzerland in 2021, but at a lower rate than in the first year of the pandemic.

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Rising prices put pressure on Swiss consumers and industry

2022-05-03

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2022-05-03

Consumers in Switzerland are much more pessimistic about the general economic situation, with households feeling the strain as prices continue to rise, a new survey shows.

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The riddle of Russian money in Switzerland

2022-04-27

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2022-04-27

There’s a well-worn Swiss bankers joke about the venality of a particular country. The actual country changes with the times but since this is April 2022, it starts like this: “Where is the capital of Russia?”

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Hacking as a tool for highlighting grievances

2022-04-26

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Hacker Tillie Kottmann exposes security holes in computer systems and has been charged in the United States for making them public. For Kottmann, tracking down digital vulnerabilities provides a dose of euphoria and adrenaline. The hacker wants to shine a light on data of public interest. This video portrait is part of the “Digital offensive” series by Swiss public television SRF. It looks at the work of five young people trying to make a...

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Geldcast update: calls for a more transparent Swiss National Bank

2022-04-26

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2022-04-26

The Swiss National Bank (SNB) is very opaque by international standards. That has to change, says Yvan Lengwiler, professor of economics at the University of Basel. He explains his proposals in the latest Geldcast update.

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Swiss technology foils Russian censorship

2022-04-24

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2022-04-24

The Swiss software Kiwix enables the user to copy entire websites so they can be accessible offline. Now that Wikipedia risks sanction in Russia because of its content on the Ukraine war, downloads of the free online encyclopaedia using Kiwix are off the charts. 

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Energy prices: government considers measures to help households

2022-04-23

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2022-04-23

The Swiss government has set up a working group to examine whether measures are needed to relieve the burden on households caused by rising energy prices.

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Swiss trade unions sound alarm about rising cost of living

2022-04-22

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2022-04-22

Trade unions say middle- and lower-income workers in Switzerland are facing a “shock” in 2022, with wages unable to offset rising inflation and health insurance costs.

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Easter march through Bern addresses war in Ukraine

2022-04-21

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2022-04-21

The traditional Easter march has taken place in the Swiss capital, Bern. This year the “Walk for Peace” focused on issues including the climate and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

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Impact of Swiss finance sector on country’s GDP waning

2022-04-21

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2022-04-21

The contribution of Switzerland’s finance industry to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has decreased over the past ten years.

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Swiss to decide individually on Russian commodity deals

2022-04-20

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2022-04-20

Switzerland will decide case by case whether to curtail traders' purchases from Russia's state-controlled companies under European Union sanctions. The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) which is in charge sanctions confirmed the Swiss policy to follow in principle the EU measures, which aim to limit commodity deals to those deemed "strictly necessary" from mid-May.

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