Nbr. 5, May 2004

Index

• Alps rail link crosses budget.
• Breaking up cartels.
• Lower trust in private cos.
• National airline lands in Germany after 74 years.
• New court in Ticino.
• Respecting human rights.
• Switzerland tops in buying power.
• Tourism for homosexuals.
• 'April showers bring May flowers ...'.
• A taste of summer.
• From the editor.
• From the editor.
• Here comes the sun!
• Risks of asylum cuts.
• Shopoholics on the rise.
• Delays at Kloten.
• Population 7.4 million.
• Stem cell research approved.
• Swiss day.
• Swiss glacier to get a heat shield.
• A to B ain't cheap in CH.
• After the fact.
• Around the world for the environment.
• Cleaning up money laundering.
• Fans rush the stage for Iggy Pop.
• Icy research.
• National airline still struggling.
• Political rite of spring: historically, voter turnout in Switzerland for national referendums averages around 50 per cent. But the proposals for May 16 on money matters have sparked controversy and could prompt more people to step up to the ballot box.
• School rules.
• Sun wise.
• Swiss cities are tops.
• Swiss named big cheese in Wisconsin.
• Swiss News meets the US Ambassador: President George W. Bush's Ambassador to Switzerland Pamela Willeford holds what is regarded in the US diplomatic community as a plum post. Swiss News columnist Robert Anderson recently posed a few questions to the American ambassador.
• Swiss reject health insurance merger.
• U.S. demands to see the fine print.
• World Radio Switzerland.
• Banking on bad news.
• Chappatte.
• Computer centre heats local pool.
• Drink to that.
• EU status quo suits Zurich.
• Happy employees.
• High tide in the Alps?
• On the rails.
• Ready to go!(reflections)
• River deep.
• Safe sushi.
• Swiss lakes keep surprising secrets.
• Swiss made.
• Taxing times.
• Top dog.
• 10 questions with Christa Rigozzi.
• A love-hate relationship: Switzerland's relationship with the European Union (EU) could be described as mutually beneficial at best, but downright difficult at worst. Both accept the necessity of one another, but once in a while tensions bubble to the surface. We provide a closer look at some of the dynamics.
• A taxing problem.
• Bank gets busy giving women work: it's not quite business as usual at the Vaud Cantonal Bank as the largest bank in French-speaking Switzerland spearheads a pioneering scheme to draw more women back into the workforce. Swiss News goes to Lausanne to find out more.
• BASELWORLD takes a stand for human rights.
• Brussels sends its man to Bern ... finally: the European Commission has opened the doors of its delegation in the federal capital, Bern, and appointed its very first ambassador to Switzerland, Michael Reiterer. Swiss News went to meet him in his new offices located opposite the national corridors of power, the federal parliament building.
• Google's setback is a win for privacy.
• Straight talking: Ambassador Paul Seger, director of Public International Law at the Swiss Foreign Ministry, is remarkably open. "Probably my half Hungarian roots" he jokes, confronted with the observation when interviewed by Swiss News.
• Studying the system.
• Switzerland trailing in migrant integration.
• Tattoo: British military open--air spectacle.
• US/Swiss free trade pact on the horizon? For Switzerland, the USA represents the second-largest export market after Germany. But a free-trade agreement with America has rarely been pursued--until now.
• Chappatte.
• Fukushima impacts Swiss energy future.
• Swiss take on superbugs.
• [Cartoon].
• 114 years of Hiltl: table talk.
• Good times over for corporate high earners? Everyone wonders if CEOs can possibly work hard enough to justify their fat paycheques. Others aren't content to wonder, and feel the Swiss people should vote on the issue. Swiss News takes a closer look at who's earning what, and talks to the businessman trying to put the brakes on astronomical salaries.
• Smoke-free Switzerland: as other European countries act to protect the public against tobacco smoke in restaurants and bars, Swiss parliament is pondering its options. And a cantonal crackdown, as well as surveys of the public and politicians on federal health committees, suggest it could happen--as soon as this year.
• Terrorism in Europe: Europe's biggest massacre committed by Islamic terrorists decided an election campaign in favour of Spain's Socialists and triggered a far-reaching political realignment on an international level. It also jolted the EU into adopting tighter security measures.
• You've got (e)mail ... most people haven't noticed just how often they turn to email instead of posting a letter. But there is an organisation that has, and it is trying to harness that change--the Universal Postal Union. Swiss News finds out more about this United Nations agency and asks if the writing's on the wall for the postal service.
• Mystery shops (not mystery shoppers).
• Trade fairs merge to tap changing market: Switzerland's Internet and communications trade fair, Orbit-iEX will kick off at the 'Messe Basel', May 24th to 27th. Swiss News takes a look at what's at the show--and what's on the drawing board in new technology.
• You're in the army.
• Cracking Switzerland's best-kept secret: as solid and secure as the Alps: this was the reputation of Swiss banking secrecy. But even the toughest mountain can crack. Similarly, a banking secrecy law can be overturned. See how U.S. authorities shook the very foundations of Swiss bank UBS, alarmed and galvanised the Swiss government, shattered world-renowned Swiss confidentiality--and brought about the end of an era.
• Online and connected: to make life in Switzerland a touch easier--to let off some steam and get the hang of living here and enjoying each moment--log on to one of the many discussion and information groups.
• Philipp Hildebrand: the great regulator.
• Solar impulse: ready for take-off.
• Zurich: go West.
• Greek Olympics gets Swiss rail cars: visitors to the 2004 Olympics in Greece this August will probably ride through Athens in new Swiss-made light-rail cars. Swiss News reports on this timely delivery.
• How Swiss are you? This is the question being asked of people across the United States by the recently launched Swiss Roots organisation.
• Come fly with me.
• Making a 'Splash'! Creating waves in the world of cars is auto designer Frank M. Rinderknecht. Here' looking at him and his Splash.
• Market watch--the view from inside: the sub-prime disaster and subsequent stock market turmoil has left most of us confused and uncertain as to what to do next. It seems that every specialist has a different view on how we should react.
• Mount Titlis touches the heavens, standing tall at 3020 m.
• Skating on top of the world.
• Annuities: choosing a suitable annuity? Beware, it's a minefield out there!(MONEY)
• Orbit-iEX: IT trade show for all: technology evolves so rapidly that it often seems we can't keep up. For some of us, it's a challenge to embrace the iPod or a cell phone with a built-in camera. But for others, changing technology brings new business challenges and demands that must be met.
• Readers on wheels: Swiss News does a brief survey to find out the driving preferences of a cross-section of our readers.
• Car dealers--brighter days ahead: the automotive industry, like most other sectors of the economy, has been sluggish over the last few years hardly managing to get itself out of second gear. A report.
• One-way ticket to Switzerland: in the past few years, Switzerland has built a reputation for its relaxed euthanasia laws. Dignitas, the organisation helping foreigners and Swiss to end their lives, has been accused of generating a tide of suicide tourism.
• The face of change: after years of travelling the world as a Swiss ambassador, Walter Fust's latest job--as head of the Global Humanitarian Forum--is right up his alley. Swiss News gets a special preview.
• The Germans are coming! "How many Germans can Switzerland take?" "Are the Germans taking our jobs away?" These are just some of the headlines recently splashed across Swiss media, in reaction to the large influx of German immigrants. Swiss News takes a closer look at the media's reporting style.
• Virtual shopping: buying virtually can be as much fun as going out shopping the real way. Drawn by convenience and the prospect of a bargain, the Swiss consumer is beginning to follow the trend.
• What's on this month: your holiday. Switzerland. MySwitzerland.com.
• CS--"error"!(Financial News)
• Der Klauaschniider: putting the best hoc forward.
• Glarus: high-tech industry and the world's most direct democracy.
• In her majesty's service: a keen tennis player, and now a novice snowshoe walker, Sarah Gillett, the new British ambassador in Bern, is taking advantage of Switzerland's outdoor lifestyle--and is impressed by the efficiency and lack of red tape in her new country.