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Progress made in avalanche control

This content was published on Feb 7, 2003 Researchers said the results were due to better methods of avalanche control and protection. The study, released in November, said measures such as roadside barriers had contributed to the lower figures, as well as other protective methods, notably better management of forests. The institute said progress had also been made in preparing for avalanches in…

Watch exports tick along nicely

This content was published on Feb 7, 2003 Swiss watch exports remained stable at SFr10 billion ($7.9 billion), down 0.1 per cent from the previous year. The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry said the exports of completed watches had risen for the first time in a decade, up 0.4 per cent in value and 1.7 per cent in terms of volume. The…

Space – the final resting place?

This content was published on Feb 7, 2003 However, there are a raft of stranger and more colourful ways of storing human ashes. One alternative to the urn would be shooting remains into the moon’s orbit or into space. This option, offered by the United States business Celestis, does not come cheap, though, with a price-tag of $12,500 (SFr16,870). Celestis can also launch…

Swiss device targets deadly mines

This content was published on Feb 6, 2003 Digger-1 is designed to eliminate the danger posed by directional fragmentation mines, which are responsible for 80 per cent of mine clearance accidents in the Balkans. These deadly weapons, which are triggered by trip wires, use a shaped charge that fires hundreds of lethal metal fragments in a certain direction. The four-ton, remote-controlled Digger-1, which…

Former cement boss fined over insider dealing

This content was published on Feb 6, 2003 The former chairman of the Swiss cement company, Holcim, paid the fine on Thursday. Hours after settling the fine, Schmidheiny announced that he would not be returning as board chairman. Schmidheiny stepped down as chairman of Holcim – the world’s second largest cement group – last June, for the duration of the legal proceedings. The…

Swiss government predicts slower recovery

This content was published on Feb 6, 2003 The State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) revised its forecast downwards to 0.8 per cent from one per cent it had predicted in November. Seco said market jitters caused by the possibility of war in Iraq were keeping the Swiss economy from bouncing back more rapidly. The high value of the Swiss franc amid the…

Bonnet: a luminary in space research

This content was published on Feb 6, 2003 Born in 1937, Bonnet began to specialise in space research at the University of Paris, where he obtained his doctorate in 1968 for his study of ultraviolet radiation and solar imaging. He then rapidly moved up the ranks within different research agencies and became director of the Scientific Programme of the European Space Agency in…

Space institute boss says research will go on

This content was published on Feb 5, 2003 Roger-Maurice Bonnet told swissinfo that the loss of the United States’ Columbia space shuttle could cause delays in planned space missions, but would not curtail research. He added that a consequence of the disaster was that international cooperation in space research had become more important than ever. Bonnet – a French national – has just…

Global downturn hammers Adecco profits

This content was published on Feb 5, 2003 The worse-than-expected result saw Swiss-listed shares in the world’s largest employment firm decline by up to nine per cent during early morning trade on Wednesday. Net income at Adecco rose sharply to SFr354 million after the company plunged into the red in 2001 chalking up losses of SFr427 million. Analysts say the improved net profit…

Bankers Association warns EU over banking secrecy

This content was published on Feb 5, 2003 At a news conference in Zurich, the Association said such a move would be “unacceptable”. The warning comes two weeks after EU finance ministers meeting in Brussels hammered out an agreement among themselves on the taxation of savings income. As a non-EU member, Switzerland had been asked to agree to an exchange of information about…

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Progress made in avalanche control

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Watch exports tick along nicely

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Space – the final resting place?

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Swiss device targets deadly mines

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Former cement boss fined over insider dealing

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Swiss government predicts slower recovery

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Bonnet: a luminary in space research

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Space institute boss says research will go on

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Global downturn hammers Adecco profits

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Bankers Association warns EU over banking secrecy

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