ZURICH (Reuters) – Mondelez International Inc (MDLZV.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), which ranks as the world’s biggest chocolate, candy and biscuit maker after being carved out of Kraft Foods Inc (KFT.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), is optimistic busy consumers will keep driving booming demand for snacks despite the downturn.

Mondelez, whose stable of brands includes Cadbury and Milka chocolate, was launched on Tuesday after a demerger from Kraft’s North American grocery business, still called Kraft.

ZURICH, Oct 1 (Reuters) – Politicians and commentators in
Switzerland are worried that the nomination of Peer Steinbrueck
- a critic of Swiss banking secrecy – to challenge Angela Merkel
in an election next year may foil a tax deal with Germany and
fan anti-Swiss sentiment.

Germany’s opposition Social Democrats (SPD) on Friday named
Steinbrueck as their candidate for chancellor, prompting Swiss
fears he may seek to rally support against a popular Merkel by
campaigning against a tax deal she struck with Switzerland that
the SPD sees as being too soft on tax dodgers.

ZURICH (Reuters) – Former German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck said on Wednesday federal states led by his Social Democrats would not waver in their opposition to a deal with Switzerland meant to stop Germans using secret accounts to evade taxes.

Speaking to a Swiss business audience, Steinbrueck alluded to comments he made in 2009 that enraged Switzerland during a global drive to clamp down on tax havens: “I know I am on thin ice but I will still walk on it.”

BERNE, Sept 14 (Reuters) – A Swiss
businessman-turned-politician is confident citizens will vote to
impose some of the tightest controls on fat cat pay in the
world, rejecting warnings from the country’s powerful business
lobby that the measures will scare big companies away.

Thomas Minder, elected last year as an independent member of
the upper house of parliament, has led a four-year campaign to
give shareholders a binding vote on the pay of company managers
and directors as well as ban golden handshakes and parachutes.

ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland will keep its special low-tax deals for wealthy foreigners such as music and sports celebrities but increase the amount of tax they pay following a vote by parliament which faced pressure to scrap the system.

The lower house of parliament voted late on Wednesday to reject a proposal by the center-left Social Democrats (SP) to scrap the tax breaks but adopted a government plan to raise the tax most rich foreigners have to pay.