Cluster: Archive

Swiss scientists to assist survey of Martian interior

This content was published on Jun 23, 2000 Professor Alex Halliday, of the Federal Institute for Technology in Zurich, said Switzerland had advised Nasa scientists surveying the Martian surface, and that Swiss know-how would play a crucial role in efforts to determine whether there really is water on the planet. “The Swiss are going to be involved in putting instruments on Mars. These…

Trade Union demands state compensation for loss of military jobs

This content was published on Jun 23, 2000 The call was made in Berne by the Industry, Construction and Services Union (SMUV) after presentation of an independent study into the economic burden of national defence. One of the union’s leaders, Beda Moor, said that the main SMUV goal was not to absorb the shock of job losses in the military sector with redundancy…

Small breweries plead for bigger market share

This content was published on Jun 23, 2000 The group representing small and medium sized brewers says that Feldschlösschen has built up a quasi-monopoly in the beer market through an aggressive policy of acquisitions. Feldschlösschen controls close to 50 per cent of the sector. It wants the Competition Commission to order the separate sale of different brands such as Valaisanne and Cardinal. It’s…

Liechtenstein protests at blacklisting over money laundering

This content was published on Jun 23, 2000 The principality rejected criticisms that it was obstructing efforts to stamp out the crime. Liechtenstein’s prime minister, Mario Frick, said the government felt it had been “falsely judged”, by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). His comments come a day after the FATF criticised Liechtenstein, along with 14 other countries, for being uncooperative in international…

Jonathan Fowler checks into an alpine pension along with a Druid

This content was published on Jun 23, 2000 Corbeyrier overlooks the vineyards that line the eastern shore of Lake Geneva, and the Dents du Midi mountains. At 920 metres above sea level, it’s the last settlement on the winding road up from the small town of Aigle, before you reach the Tour d’Ai mountain. But it’s the attitude and not the altitude that…

Watchmaker breaks new ground in power saving

This content was published on Jun 23, 2000 The new movement is to be housed in an exclusive rectangular case, which will be issued in a limited series of only 3,000 pieces. To ensure the 10-day power reserve capacity, both the barrels have to develop high power, which creates tension and therefore friction in the movement. To reduce the friction, 29 rubies are…

The week in Switzerland

This content was published on Jun 23, 2000 Switzerland’s banking secrecy came under the spotlight once again, after the European Union agreed to exchange information on non-residents’ savings accounts to prevent tax evasion. The EU deal is conditional on persuading third countries, including Switzerland, to adopt similar measures. The finance ministry in Berne indicated it might amend tax on investment income to bring…

Canton Vaud celebrates potatoes without borders

This content was published on Jun 23, 2000 “Potatoes are to Switzerland what rice is to China,” says Daniel Pitton, a local potato producer and self-confessed rösti fanatic. He and fellow potato growers in the Gros-de-Vaud region to the north of Lausanne have teamed up to promote their crop. The Röstiparc idea dates back to 1997, when regional producers organised an event called…

Liechtenstein blacklisted over money laundering

This content was published on Jun 22, 2000 The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) named 15 countries, which it said needed to implement international standards to combat money laundering. Switzerland was not among them. The FATF report shied away from openly criticising the nations on the blacklist, although the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has in the past accused many of…

Gruyère exhibition celebrates the cowbell

This content was published on Jun 22, 2000 More than 200 cowbells are on display, the earliest dating back to 1620, and some which were made by local craftsmen just a few weeks ago. Over the centuries, a device enabling farmers to find their cows at night, in fog and over long distances has developed into a folk tradition which today is as…

Cluster: Archive

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