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Prize-winning professor shines in Finland

This content was published on Jun 9, 2010 Michael Grätzel is the Director of the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. His third generation, low cost, dye-sensitized solar cells impressed the jury. “The constraint of solar energy has traditionally been its price. ‘Grätzel cells’ provide a more affordable way of harnessing solar energy. Grätzel’s innovation is…

Government ups spending on livestock protection

This content was published on Jun 9, 2010 Over the past few years, the number of wolves in Switzerland has increased. In 2009, 11 were identified in 11 different cantons. This summer, there are expected to be 15 to 20 wolves in the country, according to the Federal Environment Office. The Swiss Wolf Project, which was created in 2008 so as to facilitate…

Technology group contributes to Eurofighter

This content was published on Jun 9, 2010 The Bern-based concern, active in the aerospace and defence sectors, said it and EADS would cooperate in various areas and the total volume could amount to more than a billion francs. Ruag’s work on the Eurofighter aircraft will involve maintenance and repair work in addition to development and assembly. Lukas Braunschweiler, head of Ruag, said…

Getting to grips with geology

This content was published on Jun 9, 2010 That was the message put across by the Living Geology days held all across Switzerland. About 10,000 people took part in some 80 events at the end of May, enticed by such intriguing questions as: Were there ever rhinos in Switzerland? How old are the Alps? Did the Matterhorn come from Africa? The possibilities ranged…

Protection of domestic workers set to increase

This content was published on Jun 9, 2010 But their plight may be changing. Delegates at the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Geneva are currently finalising talks on a new international legal instrument to radically improve the protection of domestic workers, both young and old. “I started working when I was seven,” Evelin, a Peruvian teenage domestic worker told an audience in Geneva…

Tax-cheat data bought by Germany

This content was published on Jun 9, 2010 The state’s finance minister confirmed on Wednesday that €185,000 (SFr255,000) had been paid for the CD on Tuesday evening – half by the government, the rest by the country’s 16 states. The data, which had already been analysed, would now be passed onto the relevant states and the due taxes imposed, said Hartmut Möllring. He…

Most young cannabis smokers give up by 22

This content was published on Jun 9, 2010 Most young people who use just cannabis either switch to tobacco (28 per cent) or give up totally (49 per cent). The aim of the Lausanne University Hospital study was to determine how the smoking habits of the 16-22 age group developed. One of its purposes was to find out whether cannabis users turned to…

Media cry foul over UBS vote

This content was published on Jun 9, 2010 The deal was blocked in parliament after wrangling by two parties over banking regulation and capping managers’ bonuses. Economists immediately implored politicians to accept the deal for the good of the country. It was a theme picked up by the Tribune de Genève. “There is something pathetic about hearing economic circles begging the elected representatives…

Swiss economy negotiates difficult path

This content was published on Jun 8, 2010 The economic climate looks brighter for Switzerland than most of Europe, with an upturn for manufacturers and consumer sentiment still high. But the struggling euro and a surging housing market give some cause for concern. On Tuesday, the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco) revised its prediction for gross domestic product (GDP) growth this year…

Stark warning over UBS deal failure

This content was published on Jun 8, 2010 The House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected the deal, a settlement reached between the US and Switzerland last year requiring the handover of confidential client data to save the Swiss bank UBS from legal action. The deal will now go once again before the Senate before returning to the House of Representatives, where a final…

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Prize-winning professor shines in Finland

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Government ups spending on livestock protection

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Technology group contributes to Eurofighter

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Getting to grips with geology

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Protection of domestic workers set to increase

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Tax-cheat data bought by Germany

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Most young cannabis smokers give up by 22

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Media cry foul over UBS vote

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Swiss economy negotiates difficult path

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Stark warning over UBS deal failure

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