Category Archive: 3.) Swissinfo Business and Economy

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Swiss government wants extra CHF770 million to tackle coronavirus

2020-08-13

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2020-08-13

The Swiss government has asked for an extra CHF770 million ($841 million) in funds to tackle the coronavirus fallout. This comes on top of the CHF31 billion in bailout funds approved by parliament since March.

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Traditional working model hampers Swiss women’s careers

2020-08-11

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2020-08-11

Swiss women are losing out when it comes to achieving managerial positions compared to their male colleagues and female peers from other countries. The common Swiss working model of women taking over childcare and men working full-time makes it harder for Swiss mothers to climb up the career ladder.

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Swiss International Air Lines’ turnover halved due to coronavirus

2020-08-07

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2020-08-07

The economic repercussions of the coronavirus have caused turnover at SWISS to fall by 55% in the first half of 2020. With a turnover of CHF1.17 billion ($1.28 billion) between January and the end of June, the carrier suffered an operating loss of CHF266.4 million in the first half of the year, following an operating profit of CHF245.3 million a year earlier.

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Switzerland’s dark business with Ukrainian coal

2020-08-06

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2020-08-06

Pro-Russian separatists are financing their war in Ukraine with coal deliveries to the West. Now the role of Swiss companies in Zug and Geneva is being investigated, according to a report in the SonntagsZeitung. 

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Pandemic crashed demand for hotels and trains

2020-08-05

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2020-08-05

The number of overnight stays in Swiss hotels practically halved in the first six months of the year. Covid-19 also hit demand for public transport, with passengers notching up a third of their normal distances by train in the past three months.

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Murdoch becomes major shareholder in Swiss MCH group

2020-08-04

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2020-08-04

James Murdoch, the son of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, has been elected to the board of directors of the leading Swiss exhibitions group, MCH.

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How Swiss staycationers are scouting out your next alpine getaway

2020-08-03

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2020-08-03

Let’s dispose of the bad news right from the start. If you’re reading this and don’t live in Europe, chances are you’re not going to make it to Switzerland this year. Now for the good news. 

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Temporary employee sector hit hard by Covid-19 crisis

2020-07-30

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2020-07-30

The number of hours worked by temporary employees in Switzerland has dropped by about 23% due to the impact of restrictions imposed in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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Swiss care homes and hospitals charged for mouldy masks

2020-07-28

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2020-07-28

Expired, foul-smelling masks cost nearly a franc apiece for facilities in canton Bern at the start of the coronavirus crisis. As a healthcare worker told Swiss public radio, SRF, on Monday, some of the masks they had received earlier this year had to be recalled because they were covered in mildew.

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Swiss business raided over Fiat-Iveco ‘Dieselgate’ probe

2020-07-26

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2020-07-26

Investigators have searched offices of car giant Fiat Chrysler and truck maker CNH Industrial in Switzerland, Germany and Italy as part of a German-led probe into suspected illegal manipulation of diesel emissions.

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Swiss humanitarian trade deal with Iran faces delay, questions 

2020-07-25

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2020-07-25

Swiss “good offices” between Tehran and Washington have brought about a humanitarian aid channel allowing Swiss-based companies to send medicines and other vital goods to Iran despite US sanctions. But it remains to be seen to what extent the now-delayed deal will help the Iranian people versus Swiss political and economic interests. 

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SWISS to speed up airfare refunds

2020-07-24

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2020-07-24

Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) plans to speed up the refund process for airline tickets purchased via travel agencies affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

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Group challenges law behind Covid-19 tracing app

2020-07-23

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2020-07-23

A committee has launched a referendum against changes made to the Epidemics Act to allow the introduction of the SwissCovid tracing app. The citizens say they’re concerned about data security.

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Swiss banks eye Hong Kong clients for pro-democracy ties

2020-07-22

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2020-07-22

Global wealth managers are examining whether their clients in Hong Kong have ties to the city’s pro-democracy movement, in an attempt to avoid getting caught in the crosshairs of China’s new national security law, according to six people with knowledge of the matter.

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Mandatory masks well accepted on Swiss public transport

2020-07-21

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2020-07-21

Passengers on Swiss trams, buses, and trains have adapted well since a rule requiring face masks was introduced a fortnight ago. However, boat operating companies say they are losing business.

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Embattled Swiss watch industry targets mainland China

2020-07-19

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2020-07-19

The absence of tourists due to Covid-19 will have significant negative repercussions on the Swiss watch industry. In an attempt to make up for this loss of income, manufacturers are focusing their activities more on mainland China as well as easing off the bling.

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Biggest Swiss-based arms manufacturers revealed

2020-07-18

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2020-07-18

Exporting arms is big business for Switzerland, but who are the actual manufacturers and exporters? After a five-year legal dispute, names can finally be published. Swiss companies exported CHF501 million ($530 million) in war materiel in the first half of 2020, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) said on Tuesday, almost twice as much as the same period in 2019.

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Swiss Solidarity raises CHF40 million for most vulnerable affected by Covid-19

2020-07-18

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2020-07-18

The humanitarian charity Swiss Solidarity is helping over 100 groups to provide emergency assistance to the elderly, the homeless and other vulnerable people who have been struggling in Switzerland during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Report alleges targeting of Swiss-based Catalan separatist’s phone

2020-07-17

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2020-07-17

The telephone of Anna Gabriel, a leading figure of the separatist movement in Catalonia who has sought refuge in Geneva, has been reportedly targeted by a “possible case of domestic political espionage”, according to a news investigation.

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Swatch hopes for sales to pick up quickly after pandemic slump

2020-07-16

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2020-07-16

Swatch Group said it expected sales and profits to improve quickly in the months ahead after the coronavirus pandemic caused a “massive decline” in business for the first half of the year.

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