Tag Archives: 3.) Swiss Info

The amount of electricity consumed in Switzerland has fallen by 6.4% over the past 19 years Switzerland is on track to meet its short-term greener energy goals, but the government warns that more work needs to be done to meet more ambitious mid-term targets by 2035. The alpine country plans to be carbon neutral by 2050. On Thursday, the Federal Office of Energyexternal link released its second report that monitors national energy consumption and its effect on the...

Ueli Maurer reviews guards during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 29 (Keystone / Madoka Ikegami / Pool) Ueli Maurer, who holds the rotating Swiss presidency this year, was set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday. It is Maurer’s fourth foreign visit this year that has raised eyebrows in Switzerland. Most controversial was his trip in October to Saudi Arabia, which had already been postponed after the...

[embedded content] On November 19, 1999, after eight years of construction, the Vereina Tunnel opened in eastern Switzerland. Connecting the Landquart – Davos Platz and the Bever – Scuol-Tarasp lines, the tunnel is 19 kilometres long and the journey through takes 18 minutes. In 20 years, it has brought various improvements to locals, tourists, and businesses. However, its construction had initially been opposed by some as it was feared that the tunnel would lead to...

Mikron’s factory in Agno, canton Ticino, has been hit by reduced demand from the automotive industry. (© Keystone / Christian Beutler) Swiss precision machine maker Mikron has laid off 25 workers, citing weak demand for its products from the global car industry. The news reflects pessimistic sentiment from Swiss manufacturers and the wider economy. Mikron announced on Tuesday that it would have to reduce headcount at a plant in southern Switzerland from its present...

The high cost of living, especially accommodation, was a deterrent but not enough to cost Switzerland the top spot. (Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi) For the sixth consecutive year, Switzerland clinched the top spot in the annual global ranking of the Lausanne-based IMD business school. The 2019 editionexternal link of the IMD World Talent Ranking ranked Switzerland highly in the three areas assessed. It came first in appeal, second in investment and development...

Julius Bär has fallen short of expectations for new assets it can attract from the wealthy. Swiss wealth manager Julius Bär has downgraded its expectations for attracting new assets from rich clients and announced a CHF99 million ($100 million) write-down on its troubled Italian subsidiary Kairos. Julius Bär issued the warning on Tuesday, less than three months into the tenure of new CEO Philipp Rickenbacher. Although assets under management have grown 10% so far...

The ITU has identified the ‘digital gender gap’ as a problem in poorer countries, where men are getting online faster than women. What did the United Nations ever do for us? At the risk of a bit of cliched riffing on that famous scene in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, this month’s column is going to take a look at things the UN does that you may not know about. And one thing in particular: promoting fair and equitable access to the internet. Don’t click away! This is...

Black Friday sales started emerging in Switzerland around five years ago. (© Keystone / Walter Bieri) The busiest shopping day of the year in the United States has become big business in Switzerland. But, some worry about the risks of consumers falling into debt and the pressure the Black Friday “holiday” puts on employees and the postal service. It wasn’t until five years ago that Black Friday, which falls on the Friday after American Thanksgiving (this year...

Older people want to work but find opportunities limited. (Christof Schuerpf) Switzerland must do more to find employment options for older citizens and increase work productivity says the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco). If not, prosperity for all will decline as the population ages. The median age of the Swiss population has risen to 43 compared to 32 in 1970. By 2060 this will rise further to 48-years-old going by current fertility rates. Increasing...

An initiative, approved by voters 25 years ago, wants heavy-goods vehicles to be in put on rail in a bid to reduce transalpine traffic (Archive picture). (Keystone/Martin Ruetschi) The Swiss government has decided to earmark CHF180 million ($182 million) as part of a package to promote the transfer of heavy-goods transport from road to rail. In its bill to parliament, the government foresees an extension of payments to transport companies using freight trains until...