Archive – Science

Swiss holidays for war-children

This content was published on Apr 6, 2000 The Swiss president, Adolf Ogi, has outlined his plans to invite 100 children from Bosnia and Kosovo for a 2 week summer holiday in Switzerland. The project aims to offer some of the children worst affected by conflict a chance to recuperate in the Swiss countryside. Adolf Ogi has strong memories of the war-traumatised child…

WWF Switzerland launches new campaign

This content was published on Mar 30, 2000 The Swiss branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature has launched a new campaign to try to persuade the Swiss to use more renewable sources of energy. The organisation warned that unless this is done, the country’s natural resources are in danger. “The volume of Switzerland’s glaciers have dwindled by 50 per cent while…

Natural well-being comes under the spotlight in Lausanne

This content was published on Mar 29, 2000 Natural medicine, organic agriculture and wellness – these are the three main ingredients of the 12th annual Mednat International health fair, which has opened its doors at Lausanne’s Beaulieu exhibition and conference centre. The last decade has seen a tremendous increase in Switzerland in the popularity of traditional approaches to maintaining health, and in organically-grown…

Computer to forecast avalanches

This content was published on Mar 28, 2000 Swiss scientists have developed a new computer model to help them predict the risk of avalanches. They have created a database of snow and weather information, and avalanche forecasts for the past ten years. Using the data, they can calculate the ten closest models to any new situation and predict what is likely to happen.…

Reexamining the importance of woodlands

This content was published on Mar 21, 2000 Organisers of the International Day of the Forest in Switzerland are using the occasion to highlight the importance of the country’s woodlands, especially after December’s storms which felled about 13 million cubic metres of wood. The day is designed “to attract attention to the changing value of Swiss forests,” explained the organisers, a non-governmental organisation…

People’s initiative launched to force vote on animal rights

This content was published on Mar 17, 2000 Swiss animal rights activists have started collecting signatures in a bid to force a nationwide vote on animal rights. They want the status of animals changed so that they are recognised as living things. Animal protection groups and veterinarians launched the people’s initiative in a bid to secure better rights for animals, which are not…

Direct compensation for private forest owners gets parliament backing

This content was published on Mar 15, 2000 Swiss parliamentarians have been discussing a financial aid package worth nearly SFr500 million for the forestry industry. The debate comes in the wake of last December’s storms, which ravaged Switzerland’s forests and sent timber prices tumbling. The House of Representatives came out in favour of direct payments to forest owners worth SFr120 million. Parliamentarians voted…

New study reveals extent of anti-semitism in Switzerland

This content was published on Mar 15, 2000 A new study has found that a large minority of Swiss people are anti-semitic, with 16 per cent admitting they have strongly negative feelings towards Jewish people. The survey canvassed the opinions of 1,200 people by telephone. Participants were asked several questions, including what they understood by the term “Holocaust”; whether they thought Switzerland had…

No ban on artificial procreation

This content was published on Mar 12, 2000 Childless couples are breathing a sigh of relief after the rejection in a nationwide vote of attempts to ban all forms of medically-assisted procreation. The proposal was rejected by a majority of cantons and by most of the Swiss electorate. The results show over two-thirds of voters rejected the proposal, which was brought to a…

Government proposes ban on reprocessing nuclear waste abroad

This content was published on Mar 6, 2000 The Swiss government has proposed a ban on reprocessing nuclear waste abroad, and says a new law should also determine whether to lay down a time-limit for the lifespan of nuclear power plants. At its weekly cabinet meeting in Berne, the government decided to launch a wide-ranging consultation process on a draft law regulating these…

Archive – Science

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Archive – Science

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Swiss holidays for war-children

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WWF Switzerland launches new campaign

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Natural well-being comes under the spotlight in Lausanne

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Computer to forecast avalanches

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Reexamining the importance of woodlands

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People’s initiative launched to force vote on animal rights

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Direct compensation for private forest owners gets parliament backing

More

New study reveals extent of anti-semitism in Switzerland

More

No ban on artificial procreation

More

Government proposes ban on reprocessing nuclear waste abroad

Popular Stories

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