Chicago, United States | AFP | A US federal jury on Friday ordered Swiss agribusiness giant Syngenta to pay nearly $218 million to 7,000 Kansas farmers after selling them genetically-modified corn seeds not approved for export to China. The farmers suffered profound economic damage in 2013 when Chinese authorities refused …
Read More »Man guilty of libel over Facebook ‘likes’: Swiss court
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | In a landmark ruling, a Swiss court has fined a man for “liking” comments on Facebook accusing an animal rights activist of being a “racist” and an “anti-Semite”. In the first case of its kind in Switzerland, the Zurich district court on Monday faulted a …
Read More »Burundi king’s remains to be reburied in Switzerland
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | A Swiss court has ruled that the remains of Burundi’s deposed king Mwambutsa IV, who died 40 years ago, must stay in Switzerland, ending a drawn out legal battle, local media reported Tuesday. Mwambutsa led Burundi at independence from Belgium in 1962, but was deposed …
Read More »Lafarge boss to step down after probe reveals armed group funding
Paris, France | AFP | French-Swiss cement maker LafargeHolcim said Monday its chief executive Eric Olsen is stepping down following an internal investigation into the company’s activities in Syria. His resignation, which has been accepted by the group’s board, will be effective on July 15, LafargeHolcim said in a statement. …
Read More »Sweet news: Nestle discovers low-sugar chocolate
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Nestle has said it has discovered a way to cut the amount of sugar that goes into its Kit Kat, Butterfinger and other candy bars, but without affecting the taste. The Swiss food giant’s scientists say a breakthrough will allow the company to cut sugar …
Read More »ChemChina extends Syngenta offer after EU launches probe
Zurich, Switzerland | AFP | China’s state-owned chemical corporation (ChemChina) said Tuesday that it had extended its $43 billion offer for Swiss seed giant Syngenta until January 5, after EU regulators announced they would probe the deal. The massive takeover would be the biggest in a recent spate of Chinese …
Read More »Swiss vote on basic income for all to fight poverty, inequality
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Carole, a scientist from Zurich, recently received a dream message on her phone: she will receive 2,500 Swiss francs ($2,500, 2,300 euros) a month for the next year, no strings attached. The 30-year-old ethnologist, whose last name has not been revealed, could be the first …
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